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Before SummerSlam, everyone had only one name at the tip of their tongues. No more camouflaged emotions, no more equivocated subtle gestures. The WWE Universe chose their next break out star, much like they made no qualms about CM Punk being the new face of the company in 2011.
The WWE Universe picked Daniel Bryan, who was at the prime of his career to be the new face of the WWE. When SummerSlam approached, the fans were eagerly waiting for the new period to begin, the ushering of a new era in the biggest entertainment organization in the world. The skepticism and cynicism was put to rest, as it was evident that Daniel Bryan would be at the helm of the organization soon. When SummerSlam ended, some of the fans were disappointed, while the others were ecstatic about the possibility of Bryan being the new Steve Austin in the company.
SummerSlam in many ways was the equivalent of renaissance in the WWE. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk were the number one and two faces of the company respectively, The Shield was the dominant faction in the company, AJ Lee was reviving the lackluster divas division and Triple H was revealed as the master manipulator, using Daniel Bryan as a pawn to further his own plans for the company.
SummerSlam was potentially the best PPV of the year, and post SummerSlam RAW dragged good numbers, and continued to do so till the post Night of Champions PPV. Even with John Cena not being on the show, WWE did better numbers than they did with Cena as the WWE champion. Just as WWE was touting its success, something changed and it all came crumbling down.
Currently, WWE is in a slump, as the ratings have been on a steady decline. This week’s episode of RAW did poor numbers, and while WWE is trying to figure out what went wrong, there are quite a few things the writers haven’t understood about the psyche of the WWE fans.
Mind you, this isn’t something new. WWE fans have never been known to be a patient lot; while the NWA fans were considered to be true wrestling fans in the 80s, WWE fans were in it for the entertainment. While the NWA fans would patiently wait for the feud to build and then reach a blow – up point, WWE fans were treated to Hulkamania and the Red Rooster. The point is, you don’t hold back too much from the fans who had invested in a storyline. Else, it’d backfire, like it has happened.
CM Punk – Paul Heyman storyline has undoubtedly been the feud of the year, at least for me. The way the master manipulator and his prodigal son have been booked is almost perfect. It made sense as long as Lesnar was around, and WWE should have played the feud out in entirety with Lesnar involved.
As soon as Lesnar left, the interest in the storyline dwindled, with Axel and now Ryback being Heyman’s henchmen. In all fairness, Ryback and Axel don’t have as much or any history for that matter with Heyman and Punk. Lesnar was the perfect fit as Heyman’s dirty – doer, and once Lesnar left, the storyline lost its spark.
Although I wanted the feud to be stretched out, Axel and Ryback have been far from impressive, and somewhere down the line, the fans lost interest in the program. Although Punk still gets humongous pops and Heyman is still one of the best performers in the industry, they don’t have much substance to go with. It’s better for WWE to wrap this angle up within the next few weeks.
The Shield has lost its momentum, while AJ Lee has become secondary to the cast of Total Divas. The Daniel Bryan saga has been dragged too long for the fans’ liking, and with too many superstars now involved in the angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, it is arduous for an average fan to keep track of what is going on in the WWE.
With the Rhodes family now brought into the scene, there is no wonder the fans have begun losing interest in the product. One has to remember that the WWE caters to kids, who constitute the majority of their fan base and are directly responsible for the majority of their revenues.
How many 10 year olds would care about the clash of two dynasties, which would’ve been interesting back in the 80s? Although passionate fans would love the idea, it isn’t something that would work in the long run.
With WWE missing the point completely in the past couple of weeks, it isn’t a surprise that the ratings have taken a nose dive. If WWE wants to get back the average fan’s interest, they need to move along with the storylines. The corporation storyline, which showed a lot of promise to begin with, has been a major let down.
One can only hope that WWE wraps up the two major feuds within the next month and start a new program involving Daniel Bryan and CM Punk; that is the only way WWE can salvage an otherwise boring period in the company.
