'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAj/2gAIAQEAAAAAnwH/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAECEAAAAD//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAEf/xAAdEAACAgIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEABESITGB/9oACAEBAAE/AKdqOBarBAwjSZW5ICdygr96IwVBoeZ//8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL/2gAIAQIBAT8Ap//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAhEx/9oACAEDAQE/AIq9P//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
How does one encapsulate the events of an entire decade into a mere article? I'm sure there will be various points that I will miss out on during the course of writing this piece and I invite you to weigh in, in the comments below.
Needless to say, this wasn't the greatest decade for professional wrestling or sports entertainment if you will, as compared to the ones that preceded it. There is a monopoly in the business although the decade ended with a brand new competitor coming up to challenge Vince McMahon's industry monopoly.
Feel free to let me know what you think even if you disagree with the opinions I've provided. The whole point of wrestling is a dialogue between fans, and I'm as much a fan of WWE as you are, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm going to focus merely on WWE and not touch upon AEW or other promotions in my review.
#1 Best: NXT
Triple H is a significantly younger man than Vince McMahon and more importantly, he is in tune with what modern fans of professional wrestling desire. Under his leadership, NXT has gone from WWE's developmental territory and become a mainstay on Wednesday Nights.
NXT changed the game in a variety of ways, by allowing the Superstars in the brand to put on great matches, in particular, the women. While one can always say that they got their USA Network spot only because of AEW Dynamite airing on Wednesdays, with two great alternatives, purists can sink their teeth into quality professional wrestling on Wednesday nights.
The rise of NXT also led to the women's evolution and one can trace the rise of every star this decade back to NXT. Be it Seth Rollins or Finn Balor, Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair, they all came from NXT.
#1 Worst: The Roman Reigns push
Roman Reigns has all of the attributes of a big star - be it the look or the legacy. He hails from the Anoa'i family, which has produced some of the greatest in sports entertainment history and was positioned to take over from John Cena as the face of the company.
To be honest, Roman Reigns tried his best, and even put on great matches, but the audience could see his push coming from a million miles away and began to reject him as their chosen one. Vince McMahon was obviously high on Roman Reigns as 'his guy', but the promos that were scripted for him rarely did him any favors.
The fact of the matter is that he was thrust into a position that he was not ready for, and even though Reigns put on quality matches, night after night, the crowd would just not accept him as their guy. It took the knowledge that Reigns was a real-life Superhero battling cancer every week, for the audience to warm up to him and cheer him on.
The heat was so strong that even The Rock coming to Reigns' aid did not get him cheered, and in fact, got The Rock booed!
#2 Best: The Four Horsewomen
I've sung NXT's praises on the first page. It was in NXT that four women - Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Bayley decided to take the world by storm and put on matches that would not just rival those of the men, but outshine them.
They began to be known as the Four Horsewomen, and while the Women's Evolution was already in progress long before them, they kicked the revolution into high gear.
This Evolution reached its pinnacle at WrestleMania 35, where the women went on to main-event the show. And this was not merely because WWE wanted the brownie points that came with such a move, but because the women of WWE earned their place in the main event.
It even brought UFC megastar Ronda Rousey to the dance, and she kicked the division to the next level with her incredible star power.
As we head into the next decade, the Four Horsewomen are still the most heavily featured women in the card, with Superstars like Rhea Ripley and Dakota Kai nipping at their heels. The Women's Division is only going to become stronger in the coming decade. And Becky Lynch, who picked up steam towards the end of the decade will be leading the revolution.
#2 Worst: Reliance on part-timers
WWE's worst habit has to be to ignore the wealth of talent it has on hand and instead, push its part-time Superstars. You have someone who gives it his all like AJ Styles or even Seth Rollins, and right now the WWE Champion is Brock Lesnar. This has been the case for most of the decade, with Lesnar winning his title and disappearing for months at a go.
There's also the habit of bringing in Superstars from the mainstream world, from Tyson Fury to Cain Velasquez and putting them in top spots against their top stars.
Braun Strowman even had to suffer a humiliating defeat to Tyson Fury, a Superstar who will not be a part of the WWE roster on a regular basis at all. And of course, who can forget the disaster that was the Undertaker vs. Goldberg match at Saudi Arabia?
This is the reason that WWE hasn't been able to create a Superstar in the same league as John Cena or Batista this decade. When Superstars who're past their prime get the featured spots, what hope does the full-time roster have? I get the idea of bringing in crossover fans, but I'm not certain that this strategy always works.
#3 Best: The Shield
Usually, every group has a Shawn Michaels and a Marty Jannetty, meaning that one or more members of the group could be destined for greatness while the others fade into pure obscurity. The Shield was comprised of three men who were destined for greatness right from the start, especially when they hunted their prey together.
Even though there's a very small chance of the group ever reuniting, considering that Dean Ambrose is in AEW right now, The Shield will live on as one of the greatest factions in WWE history. The three men were equals, and they were beloved by the audience when they were allied, even if the WWE Universe did not care for Roman Reigns as a singles performer.
Who can forget the day that The Shield broke up, with Seth Rollins turning heel? Who can forget the sight of the three men making their way through the crowd, to the roar and delight of the WWE Universe?
Every member of The Shield has done enough to earn a place in the WWE Hall of Fame not merely as members of the faction, but on their own merit.
#3 Worst: Inability to use wrestlers right
WWE is the pinnacle of sports entertainment and yet, more often than not, there is a sense of discontent and dissatisfaction among the members of the locker room. And this happens because even though the roster may be stacked with talent, WWE does not often know what to do with the said Superstars.
Think about Sportskeeda's own Fred Rosser for instance, who was Darren Young to the WWE Universe. Think about Luke Harper, who's arguably the best big man to have come around in the last few years, from an in-ring perspective, who was not given the singles push that he so rightfully deserved.
They say that only the cream rises to the top but more often than not, a variety of performers who come to WWE are relegated to a certain position and never manage to escape it.
A clear case in point is someone like Rusev, someone that the audience has gravitated towards and yet WWE has never really given him a chance to excel and showcase just how good he can be if provided the chance.
With an alternative in the market, why wouldn't top stars sign with All Elite Wrestling?
#4 Best/Worst: CM Punk's pipe bomb and his departure
I don't think it will come as a surprise to anyone if I describe CM Punk's pipe bomb as one of the greatest promos of this decade, if not in WWE history. Punk became the voice of the people, speaking for them and complaining about a fanbase that was quickly becoming jaded with WWE programming.
But then followed the ugly mess that involved CM Punk's departure from the company which I won't get into, but that was certainly one of the biggest 'worsts' of the entire decade. Punk would go on to have a very short-lived career in the UFC and let's just say that he did not fare nearly as well in the octagon as he did in a wrestling ring.
CM Punk is back in WWE again (in a sense), although he is an analyst for FOX and not an active competitor and so far, everything points to him being confined merely to that role for now. But then, stranger things have happened in WWE and people who've vowed never to step foot in the company have come back for another run, several times.
Who knows what the next decade holds for a certain CM Punk? Maybe The Goddess knows the answer to the question.
