Top 20 Worst Things About WWE (Part 5) Description: Pro Wrestling has been one of my favorite forms of entertainment since I was very young and but the biggest brand name in the industry has seemingly lost it’s way, here are the Top 20 things that are dragging it down, for me....
9. Talent Gaps-Since WWE has a performance center and developmental brand that doesn't actually produce stars nor does it really get people ready for the main roster any more, BUT they have also absorbed a lot of talented people from other companies, they've ended up with a lot of space between what each of their superstars are capable of. The better wrestlers on the roster have always had to carry the weaker performers but with the ceiling for talent being so high today, you REALLY stand out if you can't go when it's time for the match.
Remember Enzo Amore? The guy had all the charisma in the world but he literally COULDN'T wrestle. Instead of having him manage his Tag Team partner, Big Cass...they sent him to 205 Live to be a member of the Cruiserweight division. A lot of people didn't watch the show so they don't know, but it was "workhorse" division. Some of the most talented performers in the company were on that brand so having him as the champion kind of buried the whole roster.
Currently WWE uses talent like Bray Wyatt, Alexa Bliss, Baron Corbin, Mandy Rose, Elias, Tamina Snuka etc. who are nothing special in the ring and while some of them may be able to raise some suspense in the build up to their feuds, ultimately it doesn't end up amounting to much for their opponents because the matches are so far under par.
8.Veiled Sexism-Stephanie McMahon logically would be the most powerful woman in the WWE Organization and yet she speaks about the "Women's Revolution" in the context of something she witnessed as opposed to something she was A PART of. That's because she is living her truth. She wasn't really a part of it. Rarely do you ever hear a woman in the company say that Stephanie went to bat for them and that's how they got to where they are. The Divas during the Ruthless Aggression era and early in the current era weren't treated very well. They were side show attractions often times used as props in men's storylines. You would think that someone like Stephanie especially during the time she was the "Head of Creative" could do more for the female talent on the roster but she either DIDN'T or....she COULDN'T.
In 2015 AJ Lee called Stephanie out for the fact that they had women breaking records for merch sales and appearing in some of the highest rated segments but they were struggling for screen time in comparison to their male counterparts. They almost weren't part of the show while WWE reaped the benefits from their contributions. This never changed on Stephanie's account and it would be speculation on my part to say it's because Vince wouldn't listen to his own daughter BECAUSE she's a female but it is odd that things have only changed in the company for women when men stepped up for them. It has always been a Triple H or a William Regal, Arn Anderson, Fit Finley, Mick Foley, Dusty Rhodes etc., but someone like Stephanie, who should be of a higher status being that she's related to the Chairman hasn't really been able contribute to the advancement of women in the company.
Away from that, women are still very clearly valued by how they look despite the fact there is no actual evidence that physical attractiveness is a factor in who their biggest female stars are today. If you listen to guys who worked in creative years ago when Sable came in, Vince is infatuated with blondes. That's his fetish. When you look around the roster at women like Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose, Carmella, Charlotte Flair, Lacey Evans, Liv Morgan, & Alexa Bliss you can kind of see his preferences at work. Years ago Jim Ross revealed that Vince was reluctant to hire Gail Kim because he didn't think his audience would be attracted to an Asian woman which is not only SEXIST but RACIST. He also took Kaitlyn out of an angle with Cody Rhodes and replaced her with The Bellas because he didn't think she was attractive enough. You would think ideas like that would erode as different types of women came into the company and PROVED their value as top performers but that's not the case. It's just hidden below title pushes of certain women and the pay-per-view main events.
It's not a coincidence the only member of Riott Squad left is the blonde. It's not a coincidence that even after Naomi was TRENDING on twitter for losing to Lacey Evans that they continued to push Lacey up until her pregnancy but did NOTHING with Naomi, it's not a coincidence that Lana who is pretty useless to the women's division was the focal point of Raw's programming for the women's division even above the Women's Tag Team Champions and the main title holder, Asuka.
Sex appeal doesn't sell merch. I can't even tell you what a Mandy Rose or a Carmella shirt looks like in 2021 but their gimmicks are very overtly based around how they look and their sexuality. In 2020 a lot of the highest drawing women's segments belong to Sasha Banks. That's not because of how Sasha looks, it's because of how she performs.