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2021 is almost halfway over as May approaches its final day, and it has been an average year for WWE. There have been five pay-per-views so far, and the sixth show, Hell in a Cell will be on June 20 from the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida.
Except for WrestleMania 37, all of these events were held without a live audience in attendance. Instead, WWE used the ThunderDome to replicate the experience for the rest of these pay-per-view events.
Fans have been treated to quite a few memorable matches, surprises, and moments in 2021. The main event of WrestleMania 37, Christian's one-night return in the Royal Rumble match, and Bobby Lashley's first WWE Championship victory are some of the incredible moments fans have witnessed this year.
However, there have been some instances where the fans were underwhelmed and disappointed. Most of these missteps could have been avoided. This slideshow will explore five of the biggest mistakes WWE has made thus far in 2021.
#5 WWE has continued many programs past their expiration date
One of the biggest drawbacks of the brand split is that the two brands have relatively thin rosters. But WWE management can overcome this issue by pushing new stars rather than forcefully extending feuds to the point fans lose interest.
Apollo Crews' program with Big E over the Intercontinental Championship lasted five months. The two NXT graduates respected each other initially, but over time, Crews' admiration turned into disdain. His heel turn breathed life into a lackluster feud, which continued long after it should have ended.
WWE booked this match for WrestleMania as a Nigerian Drum Fight. However, many fans had lost interest in the rivalry as the two fierce rivals had fought multiple times in the past three months, most notably at the Fastlane event. Big E and Crews could have been involved in a multi-man match at WrestleMania instead, but that bout never happened. As a result, their singles match was lackluster.
Elsewhere, Seth Rollins and Cesaro had a great match at WrestleMania. The Swiss Cyborg's victory at the event should have marked the end of the program, but the creative staff reignited the rivalry at WrestleMania Backlash when Rollins attacked a weakened Cesaro.
WWE could have continued the Swiss Superman's feud with Roman Reigns over the Universal Championship, but it chose to restart a tired feud instead. This repetitive booking has hindered both RAW and SmackDown throughout the year on a consistent basis.
#4 WWE's booking of the rivalry between Braun Strowman and Shane McMahon was filled with errors
Understandably, WWE wanted Braun Strowman to have a marquee match at WrestleMania. After all, The Monster Among Men had defeated Goldberg at WrestleMania 36.
Being relegated to a mediocre rivalry would have been an injustice, so he needed to face a huge star at the event. Shane McMahon was a decent opponent, as the Prodigal Son does have some star power. But the story behind their Steel Cage match at WrestleMania was both faulty and forgettable.
All McMahon had to do to enrage Strowman was to call him "stupid" and annoy him like a playground bully. The former WWE Universal Champion is known to lose his temper, but this recurring angle was just plain childish. But this laughable motivation drove one of WrestleMania's top matches.
Otherwise, the storyline was pretty thin, so it was one of the least anticipated encounters at WrestleMania 37. Elias and Jaxson Ryder did McMahon's bidding by executing a pre-match assault on Strowman and interfering during the bout. But "The Monster Among Men" knocked them both off the cage to remove them from the equation.
The highlight of the match was Strowman throwing his rival off the top of the cage. Though the bout was average, it surpassed its mediocre build-up.
Strowman versus McMahon could have been much more than just a forgettable undercard match. If WWE had built a more engaging story, the program would have been worthy of the WrestleMania stage. Instead, this storyline was consistently a low point of RAW.
#3 The WWE Championship picture in the lead-up to WrestleMania was a mess
The WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 37 was the first one a live audience witnessed in over a year. In terms of in-ring work, it was a great bout. The outcome was also acceptable, as many fans clamored for Bobby Lashley to have a long WWE Championship reign.
Unfortunately, Lashley's feud with Drew McIntyre didn't have a sufficiently intriguing storyline behind it. The program felt rushed, and it was evident that Vince McMahon and company hadn't planned for it until early February.
After the Royal Rumble, fans thought they would get a blockbuster match between McIntyre and Sheamus at the Grandest Stage of Them All for the top prize. Instead, this feud culminated on an episode of RAW before the show. The two frenemies battled in a No Holds Barred Match at Fastlane, but fans knew the outcome because McIntyre had to look strong ahead of WrestleMania.
The Miz also got involved in the WWE Championship picture briefly after he successfully cashed in on a vulnerable McIntyre. But The Miz dropped the title to Lashley eight days later in a squash match.
Moreover, Lashley was supposed to be the despicable, powerful champion, but he needed King Corbin to take out McIntyre before WrestleMania. "The All Mighty" switched from a beast to a coward overnight when he endorsed this assault.
Since November, WWE had been building toward McIntyre and Sheamus, and their program should have led to a high-stakes match at WrestleMania. Though there was nothing wrong with booking Lashley against McIntyre, WWE management could have made the story behind it more engaging.
#2 WWE buried the Fiend once again
WWE is notorious for controversial booking decisions, but The Fiend's loss to Randy Orton at WrestleMania was incomprehensible. Orton burned the monster alive at TLC and put him out of commission until Fastlane. When Bray Wyatt returned, he was a different man with a new attire. A reinvigorated Wyatt was the last thing Orton needed.
This program should have been The Fiend's comeback story. The vengeful demon could have returned to haunt his demented and sadistic nemesis, who had caused him immense pain. Plus, the victory would have carried much more meaning, as Wyatt had previously fallen victim to Orton at WrestleMania 33.
Wyatt needed some time off for personal issues, but WWE wrote him off in a terrible way. Alexa Bliss betrayed him at WrestleMania, but she could have burned the Firefly Fun House with Wyatt inside on the night after the show. That way, her betrayal would have been even more shocking, and Wyatt could still have his victory.
But his loss to Orton was the final nail in the coffin. Despite putting in so much effort, Wyatt never seems to break the ceiling. He has become just another guy on the main roster, and it's hard to see how WWE can salvage his character at this point.
#1 WWE released some of its finest performers
WWE releases a handful of performers each year. Some of these cuts are the result of requests, failed negotiations, contract expirations, and bitter relationships. But after WrestleMania, the promotion released many talents, and several of these names were extremely beloved by the fans.
Samoa Joe, Andrade, Lars Sullivan, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Velveteen Dream were among the names. While the releases of Dream and Sullivan were understandable due to the controversies surrounding them, Royce and Kay were released unceremoniously.
Many WWE fans were baffled by the decision to release the former Women's Tag Team Champions. As for Joe and Andrade, they were two of the best in-ring performers of this generation, but Vince McMahon'c creative team failed to make good use of their talents.
Big Show made his last WWE appearance at RAW Reunion in early January, as his contract expired soon after the episode. Surprisingly, he left the promotion for AEW, leaving behind a tremendous legacy in the world's leading professional wrestling promotion.
"The World's Largest Athlete" had become a staple in the business for the past two decades. As a resutl, his departure was an indication of the uncertain atmosphere backstage in WWE.
Many stars are released each year, but this wave was much more severe and impactful due to the significance of the names who were let go.
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