“They don’t book that way anymore” - Vince Russo explains what WWE is doing wrong with PLE matches (Exclusive)

WWE is gearing up for its latest premium live event of the year as the promotion is set to host the Night of Champions later today. The event is scheduled to be the only PLE to take place in Saudi Arabia this year, with the next one being the 2026 Royal Rumble event.

Traditionally, any and all major rivalries culminate at a PLE, but former WWE writer Vince Russo expressed disappointment over how they're being booked now. The wrestling veteran spoke on the latest episode of BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, where he expressed his views.

He felt that PLEs, or pay-per-views, should be booked in such a manner that there's heat on the heels heading into a match. He believed that getting heat on the heels would make the fans want to see them get their comeuppance, but that's not how shows are booked anymore.

"I really do believe especially going into the pay-per-view, you got to get heat on the heels. I still really believe that but that's not the way they do it anymore. We used to do it like that every single week. Heat on the heels cause you want to see the babyface get their comeuppance at the pay-per-view but they they don't they don't book that way anymore," Russo said. [From 27:30 onwards]

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The Night of Champions card is filled with some exciting matchups. In addition to the US and the Undisputed WWE Championships being on the line, the finals of the King and Queen of the Ring Tournament are also on the card. The remaining two matches see an extremely personal rivalry come head-to-head as Rhea Ripley and Sami Zayn take on Raquel Rodriguez and Karrion Kross, respectively.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Sanchari Bhattacharya