Is WWE actually bad?

[Khalifa]

So I woke up this morning and as I was laying in bed I started thinking. Is WWE (lets say before the PG rating thing came in) actually worse than the attitude era, or are we just expecting everything to be as good as the attitude era. Everyone knew how good the attitude era was and now everyone is hating on the WWE.

The attitude era had the Rock and Stone Cold having epic matches at WrestleMania. It had the best TLC match in history, every main event feud was good in it's own right, easily the best era in any wrestling promotion. However WWE hasn't been a let down either. You have had HBK return and put on some good matches with Triple H, the feuds in the WWE area haven't been half as bad ( HBK/Jericho, Edge/Cena etc etc), and the WWE are focusing more on the Midcard belts as well. But no one is ever going to say well the WWE is good because we are all comparing it to the attitude era and just want it to be like that again.

So am I right? Are we all expecting to much of the WWE era and actually making us think less or it, or do you just not like the era?

 

[SpoodBeest]

The WWE is doing just fine as is. There is no problem with today's product in my mind. THe Attitude Era while it was good for business and helped the WWE from going out of business at the hand's of WCW is vastly overrated, and it truly isn't everything it's cracked up to be. This era may be catering to a completely different market, but that's what the wrestling business tends to do over time. It simply evolves. Which is what the WWE has done from the Attitude Era to now.

I believe this era in WWE has produced a lot more quality matches than the Attitude Era did. While it always had great focus on it's major main event matches, the Attitude Era seemed to dismiss a lot of the under card matches and as a result there was a lot of shit matches outside of the main event scene. Now WWE seems to put some care in every major match thats on a card from the mid-card to the main event. I don't think the Attitude Era did that great of a job at making quality matches outside of the main event from what I remember. The reason the Attitude Era was as popular as it was is because of it's "pushing of the envelope" and show casing shock television. That reason was why people kept tuning in and new viewers joined in on the viewing.

This era is basically a family friendly oriented product. It caters more towards the kids these days, but the quality matches and story lines that WWE puts on is what keeps their fans (such as myself) watching. Many people think this era is abysmal to the eras before it, but that could not be further from the truth. I think this era is doing very well and while it may not be as huge as the golden age era of the 80s or even the Attitude Era of the late 90s, it's still more popular than the post Attitude and the era most commonly known as the "dark ages" back in the early 90s. This era may not be perfect, but which era in WWE has? This era is catering to a good market in the younger audience and pleases long time fans with great matches and story lines. Therefore this era in WWE seems pretty damn good to me.

 

[The Holy One]

As a fan from both eras, I'm actually enjoying this one as much as the Attitude Era. It still supplies me with fantastic matches and fueds. The storylines can provide shock every now and then. They've actually put the mid-card belts on guys who can be future superstars. When WWE wants to, they can provide the brutal matches that people loved in the Attitude Era. Just because it's more family-oriented now doesn't mean I'm going to moaned about how bad it is or that it's killing professional wrestling b/c it's truly not.

 

[GeneralKarim]

Well WWE was never bad, just that ******ed dudes who cant let the past be the past bash the product cause its not like the A.E. anymore.That era came only because WCW was destroying WWE.Nontheless it saved WWE.But it couldnt go on much longer as Rock and Stone cold were no more and WWE started getting a lot of critics on its arse because of their content.The product today if u look at it from a non "Drugged out nostalgia attitude obsessed guy" is perfectly fine.We have mega heels we have mega faces we have decent mid card heels, we have upper-mid card heels ( the miz ), we got pretty good fueds.Hell, we got the Nexus angle which is genius in my opinion for the sole fact its made out of completely unknown dudes.I mean if NWO were to do the shit these dudes did ,u can agree with me that it would be "meh" in a sense.But these unknown men just came out and made a statement taking out everyone even the fucking BOSS!.

so in conclusion, no, WWE is actually not bad, its actually very good but there are too many people that watched WWE only for attitude era and now they want more and they can't have any so they bash the product or just stopped watching.

 

[Jay85]

I was thinking this same thing. I think a lot of the people who actually got to watch the Attitude Era (myself included) got spoiled. Remember, the WWF was kid friendly. It had very cartoony characters and always had the good guy prevail. As the young fan base got older and matured, so did the product of the WWF. Now it seems like the WWE is going back to establishing a younger fanbase again, and maybe some people are upset, but the WWE knows kids buy merchandising and also they need new fans who will watch the product for years to come. I have started watching wrestling again in the past few years and it has been pretty good, especially as of late.

 

[YEDemon]

The WWE is most definitely not bad. Hell, pathetic as it is, following wrestling (WWE, since I don't watch any other promotions) is what makes up the majority of the time I spend on the internet. The PG era of the WWE is what has gave us the HBK/Jericho feud that received near universal acclaim, if I remember right. The current incarnation of the WWE is also the one that has begun pushing smaller wrestlers.

I'll admit, I would have loved to E&C during their heyday. I'd like to have seen some of the things that I missed, but I have no real problem with the PG era, other than them stopping matches for blood if someone gets opened up the hard way.

I don't think the WWE deserves the massive amount of criticism that it receives. Sure, they've made some mistakes (I'm looking at you, Hornswoggle), but so have every other era and every other federation.

 

[GeneralKarim]

I was thinking this same thing. I think a lot of the people who actually got to watch the Attitude Era (myself included) got spoiled. Remember, the WWF was kid friendly. It had very cartoony characters and always had the good guy prevail. As the young fan base got older and matured, so did the product of the WWF. Now it seems like the WWE is going back to establishing a younger fanbase again, and maybe some people are upset, but the WWE knows kids buy merchandising and also they need new fans who will watch the product for years to come. I have started watching wrestling again in the past few years and it has been pretty good, especially as of late.

Exactly, spoiled , thats the right word.They must understand that WWE is trying to creater..so to speak.."tommorow's fans".They need to start getting other people interested ( now mainly the kids , which is not a bat thing if u dont have a A.E. poster on your door ).

 

[Hawkeye]

In my opinion, the WWE is the best it's ever been at the moment but I can give you three reasons why the WWE gets such a bad rep in this day and age and how they've adapted to this.

During the "attitude era",Creative and Vince sought to be a ratings giant,tucking away good athletic performances and actually creative storylines and trading them for tawdry storylines and coarse,aggressive behavior. This shot them to the top of pop culture during the 90s and early 00's, creating megastars like The Rock and Stone Cold, who would later take their talents to the silver screen no doubt making good use of the celebrity they gained through the WWE. Due to the change to a PG rating, there could be no more "Kiss My Ass Club", live sex simulations, and vulgar language. This took away a large chunk of the casual fans,who were looking for edgy TV,and not an actual wrestling show. Ratings diminished gradually and today they are only half of what they were at WWE's peak. Every now and then, casual wrestling fans return to the fold,only to realize what they've come back to is a family friendly product,no longer the rebellious, chaotic production it had once been.

The casual fans had deserted them,and the WWE had nothing to rely on but the loyal fanbase that stood behind them even through the tumultuous Monday Night Wars. But the aforementioned fanbase had gotten used to the attitude era as well,but not so much for the storytelling. They had gotten accustomed to the archetypal heroes and villains that had captured their hearts and minds all those years ago,and the new generation of superstars would be shown nothing but the contempt one would expect from devout fans as these. From city to city they tirelessly travel and put their bodies on the line,only to hear that "he's nothing like legend x" or "he's just a poor man's replacement for legend y". It seems as though we as fans feel that wrestler's are no longer allowed to create their own legacy,but are forced into the shadows of the heroes of yesteryear, struggling to make a name for themselves in the new era.

The biggest reason WWE gets such a bad rep is that age old stigma that wrestling is fake. However erroneous it may be, this has been common place in american society for many many years. The outcomes scripted,the actions controlled,one has no choice but to ignore the critics and continue to see wrestling for the work of art it truly is,a mixture of world class athleticism, brilliant ring psychology and clever storytelling that can sometimes get the viewers so lost in the drama that they actually suspend their disbelief involuntarily and say"That was amazing". As long as wrestling exists,as will this stigma and it will continue to turn away older viewers.

This is precisely why the WWE has turned to a younger audience. They don't see wrestling as fake,but as trained professionals in a controlled environment. They have no recollection of the attitude and have no way to compare it to any past popularity of wrestling. They also have little knowledge of legend X and Y and can only look to the young ring warriors of today for inspiration and amazement. The WWE knows this,and they have capitalized on this opportunity like a true business would,which is why,in my opinion, they're doing better than ever,and may see a surge in popularity in the months and years to come.

 

[pedro316]

well i dont care about wwe anymore because they dont care about us or their wrestlers, they only care about making money, and yes its bad, pay per view buyrates are horrible, their ratings are getting worse, half of their audience are little kids, and above all that, they are about to reveal an awful logo

 

[Ultra Awesome]

The PG era is not all that bad, I agree. It's actually somewhat entertaining excluding the guest hosts scenarios (but that seems to be ending soon). But I think that the reason we take this PG era the wrong way is because we (half of the "older" fans) were picked up during this time. The other half of the "older" fans became fans during the Hogna Era. But even still, the Attitude Era far exceeded our expectations of television. It was the change from the 20th Century to the 21st Century meaning there was a new wave of interests for everyone. It was around this point in time that profanity, sex, violence and mischief were the best things to watch on TV. And what show brought us all that? RAW & Smackdown!

But all good things come to an end at one point or another. And when the Attitude era ended, the fans were left with a "bar level" that we would have never dreamed would come. The Attitude Era raised the bar of expectations extraordinarily.

So then comes in the PG era a few years later and all its die hard fans that stayed with the WWE ever since the AE were left with that certain hight of expectations that was left there. And obviously as we grow older (most, not all) the urge to watch profanity, sex, violence and mischief increases. But sadly, that does not come out on the WWE anymore. So that makes us hate it or in the very least dissaprove of it.

In short, the Attitude Era raised the bar higher than we could have ever dreamed, but the PG era is far beneath it, and thats why I feel that most of us dislike it. Its not that it sucks (probably does to some), its that we've seen better

 

[mral82]

my answer is no the attitude era unto itself was bad that Vince had to alienate some of the kids and forced others to the monday night wars which were great. The "E" has gotten better since then w/ no longer w/ the gimmick wrestlers other than a few like "Gol'dustin Rhodes, the Undertaker, or Kane. I hate seeing randomness on shows, I like more stability and long feuds that are not dropped at random. I'm glad they're slowing pushin the youth and future esp. The Miz as he has earned his way to where he's at the hard way. So in conclusion give the WWE a lil bit more time and it'll only get better "Trust Me! Trust Me!"

 

[CyDeez]

I don't know how you could say everyone is hating on it. I do not hate on it... I state my opinion when I think something could have better or IMO they dropped the ball on a feud, talent, or storyline. But, I do not think it is bad by any means. I obviously wish it wasn't PG so things could be edgier...

I think since "The Attitude Era" ended, and WWE began, we have had great matches and numerous talents and storylines... The return of HBK, Brock Lesnar, The return of DX, Taker has really come into his own over the last 10 years and was finally rewarded with numerous title reigns. Guys like Randy Orton, Edge, and Chris Jericho have become house hold names. Not to mention the popularity of John Cena!

I think one day it will return to a somewhat edgy format, but even then, who knows how long that will last again...

I think people should just enjoy it and quit complaining. It is what it is, and you can't change it anyway... So, watch it with an open mind or just don't watch it at all!

 

[LAXbro]

There is no problem in WWE today. people complain about the attiude era being gone and how the pg era is bad. and i ask why is the pg era bad and they just say about the storylines and how they can't say what they want to say and there is no blood. well i say who cares about that. i just watch it cause it is entertaining still and because of the wrestling. so in my mind wwe is still at the top and always will be

 

[WWEIsLife2]

Ive grown up with the WWE over the last 20 some odd Years and I still enjoy it as much today as I did when I first started watching. I think people who only thought it was good during the Attitude Era got spoiled and are too busy living in the past. Did I enjoy the Attitude Era? Yes,Is WWE Smart for going to a more Family Friendly Product again like the 80's to Early 90's? Yes. I have no problem with the WWE going back to a PG Rating again. Its not as bad as some people make it out to be.

 

[marklouis]

It's not horrible, but it's not that great either. The feuds aren't very good. The storylines aren't very good either. There is one solid storyline right now-the Nexus. I would not say the Kane/Undertaker storyline is very good, because we all know where it is going. The mid card belts are rarely defended, the U.S. title is never defended. The tag team belts may as well not exist, and the tag division as a whole is dead. And I don't say this is necessarily because the product is PG. There were plenty of great feuds & storylines in the 80s. The problem is that the WWE creative team is lazy. TNA is not real competition at this time. I watch TNA each week and enjoyed the most recent Impact, but I can admit they are no real competition for WWE. During the attitude era, the WWE had to compete with WCW & ECW, and this forced them to create memorable stories & characters. That motivation no longer exists. WWE owns the wrestling business. But there are signs that the audience is not entirely happy with the product. Just look at PPV buy rates. I watch WWE every week, & I'll continue to. But the product is very much mediocre at best.

 

[wushady]

I don't think the WWE is bad at all I'm sure the millions of viewers each week and the people that spend millions on merchandise would agree. I also think the PG rating although has made some obvious changes to the product hasn't hurt it. It seems it's mainly only the IWC that are WWE haters and TNA marks that think WWE's product is bad. The PG rating is always their complaint.

 

[J.Watkins84]

The AE had its time. Now things are focused more on PG. So does that make it bad? No it does not. The only real issue with the WWE since the AE is the predictability. They follow a formula and rehash stories. But as for being bad... Hell No. WWE just needs to create some better feuds and get some better tag teams. The only thing that can been considered bad is that the front runner show Raw is resting on the back of seven relatively no name nobodies from FCW. End the guest host, which they just about done, and reveal the GM and break up Nexus, or have them travel between shows, and alot of people will quit complaining. Those that don't just need to face it Austin and the Rock have gone Hollywood and not making a comeback.

 

[Ferbian]

The only thing that are really worse for the PG era compared to the Attitude Era is the ratings. But I would say it could be due to wrestling not being as cool as it used to be anymore.

WWE is doing just fine with their current product, it generates decent ratings, as well as it sells merchandises by the masses. The PG era is addressed towards the children, the one thing that WWE is guaranteed to be good with in the future. The Attitude Era kids are adults now, with the children most likely that are watching today. Would you rather see the children getting to enjoy the product that their parents enjoyed during their late teens, and not the product they enjoyed during their child years.

And that's the thing, the child years of the current adults, was pretty much the same children catering product that it is today, but were we complaining? I don't believe we were.

The PG Era is just fine the way it is, it serves it's purpose, and WWE is still ruling on the top of the wrestling industry.

 

[kcph31]

I wouldn't say the product is bad ( i won't pay for a ppv). But, there are several issues that need to be addressed.
1) The creative team has been lazy for the last several years. storylines are just weak.
The only good feud going on is "Nexus". The storyline with rey mysterio is weak also. Anybody with brain has already figured that Kane took out the Undertaker. the problem is with creative is still "booking on the fly" like they were doing back in the monday night wars.
2) They need to bring back "squash matches". The wwf doesn't have any competition that it needs to give away ppv matches every week. they could build up enough interest for a feud by keeping the wrestlers away from each other till ppv it worked for 30-40 years it can work again.
3)Last but not least, i watch wrestling for wrestling. not 4-5 matches and the rest are promos.... for 2 hours. The wwf needs to take a hard look at what tna did this past Thursday....no back stage promos, just wrestling. Hmmm, it worked that way until until 96-97 why can't the go back to that again? Just my opinion.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The WWE is bad depending on what type of fan you are. If you're a fan of hardcore wrestling such as when ECW was in its prime with gratuitous use of blood, strippers and porn stars running around and wrestlers dropping swear words like coins into a wishing well, then you probably hate the WWE. Don't get me wrong, if you're into that sorta thing, then great. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

Personally, I think the WWE overall has been better in 2010 than it's been in a long time. I know that some fans continuously harp on the PG Era, but I really don't know what for as wrestling as a whole in North American has been PG historically for its entire existence. Pro wrestling in North America has always primarily been geared towards all age groups. The wrestling that I and my generation grew up with was very much and every bit as PG as the WWE is right now and we had ourselves a grand ol' time watching it.

When I was in my teens, I was a fan of the Attitude Era. The Attitude Era had its uses and it was unique, most definitely. Pro wrestling became mainstream again during the Attitude Era because pro wrestling was depicted in a way that the vast majority of wrestling fans and the mainstream media in and of itself had never seen before. Pro wrestling became a fad again due to the Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars. Like most fads, however, the people that'd watched it because it was "cool" and the latest thing moved onto other things. The Attitude Era did have higher ratings than the PG Era but those ratings went away long before the WWE officially went PG. The ratings started to dwindle during the years in which Raw was on Spike. For some reason, PG is equated with being "kid stuff" and it's something that some that hate the WWE inaccurately use to bash it. Most of the WWE's audience are men in the 18-49 range, the key demographic supposedly. You can have quality PG programming just as you can have shitty R-rating programming.

When it comes to the Attitude Era, the only thing I think that it had superiority to overall over the WWE now is ratings. Too many fans have this idealized view of the Attitude Era and I'm pretty sure that some remember it as being far better than it actually was. There was definitely good stuff with The Rock, Stone Cold, Mr. McMahon, DX and all that. There was also a lot of shit that people tend to gloss over like the Katie Vick angle, most of Raw's matches lasting maybe 2 minutes, the Divas coming out and being complete wastes with their pillow fight matches, Val Venis, etc. All the chairshots to the head were unfortunate and most of us didn't consider the consequences of such acts, me included, until it was too late. There are wrestlers in the PG Era that still give great promos. I don't need curse words to enjoy myself. If someone uses them, great, if not that's great too and, generally speaking, the quality of the wrestling content overall I think is superior to the Attitude Era. The WWE did have great matches during the AE, don't get me wrong on that, but they were few and far in between generally speaking.

As I said, if you're a fan of hardcore wrestling, then you won't like the WWE. Personally, I'm not generally a fan of hardcore wrestling. It's a fun little treat every so often. But, generally speaking, it takes no skill to be a hardcore wrestler. As long as you have some noticable sado-masochistic tendencies, then you've got what it takes to be a hardcore wrestler.

Now the WWE isn't perfect, nor is any wrestling company. Sure, the WWE does some things at times that I don't like just as they do some stuff at times others don't like. That's just how the ball bounces. That's how it is with EVERY form of entertainment whether it be "legitimate" sports, sitcoms, dramas, other wrestling promotions, even animated shows. If you sit and nitpick, you can find something to complain about in regards to anything. If you genuinely don't like the overall product that's being put out, that's fine. There's other stuff out there.

 

[Davi323]

Pretty much exactly what Jack-Hammer said. It is my belief that if you need chair shots, blood, profanity and overt sexuality to enjoy wrestling, you aren't a fan of wrestling, you are a fan of chair shots, blood, profanity and overt sexuality. That kind of "wrestling" that you idolize was just the means to get it. At its core though, that isn't what pro wrestling has ever been about. Is it violent at times? Of course. But the mindless violence that a lot of people piss and moan about has never been a defining characteristic of pro wrestling. Pro wrestling is not the fucking gladiatorial games of Rome. It's play-acting.

With that being said, I am 35, and have been watching wrestling since before Hulk Hogan beat the Iron Sheik. The Attitude era was not my first exposure to wrestling. In fact, the Attitude era, successful as it was, is an abberation. The WWE is SMART to be PG. Let TNA have the idiots who don't understand how to build a multi-generational brand. Let them have the profanity. Let them have the blood. While they have that, the WWE has kids who will grow up WWE fans, and will pass it on to their kids, as their parents passed it on to them. Further, that kid friendly environment helps them fill 17,000 seat arenas in a new city every week, instead of filling an 1,100 seat one with a lot of the same people every week.

Currently, the WWE's product is quite enjoyable. The matches are good most of the time. There some shit matches, but there are shit matches everywhere, despite the TNA fanboys insistence that every fucking TNA match is the match of the year. In my opinion, Jack-Hammer nailed it right on the head...the Attitude era was chock full of shit matches and shitty wrestlers, but it gets overlooked because it was stacked at the top. The WWE is more talented now, top to bottom, than the Attitude era ever was.

The WWE is doing quite well. Despite the smear campaign by an almost completely irrelevant company down in Orlando, the constant pot shots, TNA would be thrilled to swap places with the WWE in a heartbeat. TNA's fans constantly deride the WWE's supposed lack of talent, yet every week, there is a new thread in the TNA section where some TNA fan has fantasies about some WWE wrestler going to TNA. The same fans that bitch about the WWE's supposed lack of talent practically *********e at the thought of that same lack of talent joining their company. It's a complete joke. The WWE must be doing something right.

The WWE is a much more advertising friendly environment because of the ratings and larger venues, a friendlier family environment, and has the best talent in the world. Nope, they aren't doing bad, they aren't doing bad at all.

 

[Hawkeye]

well i dont care about wwe anymore because they dont care about us or their wrestlers, they only care about making money, and yes its bad, pay per view buyrates are horrible, their ratings are getting worse, half of their audience are little kids, and above all that, they are about to reveal an awful logo

How can you say they don't care about their wrestlers when they've eliminated head shots with weapons,the wellness policy has stricken the use of performance enhancing drugs,preventing many drug related deaths among superstars.They also outlawed blading so now superstars aren't slashing themselves open every night just to give people like you a cheap thrill.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

This a good thread...

Growing up with the Attitudde Era of course i loved it..what wrestling fan wouldnt? Er should i say what entertainment fan wouldnt? And to be honest yea, i wished it was back like that again..Great wrestlers, great mic skills, awsome story lines...

But now im not taking away from the PG era/..they are like apples and oranges..the same yet totally different. I love the wrestling, the usage of younger talent AND mid-carders...like some others have said...Enjoy what ya are being given..its different but still great entertainment...

Jay

 

[Kenny Powers]

Some exaggerate the PG era of the WWE, but the reality is that wrestling isn't as popular now as 10 years ago. Also, with the Benoit tragedy, wrestler's deaths/suicides, and the drug scandal with WWE, there had to be a change in the programming. WWE doesn't have as large of an audience as they did 10 years ago, but they still have a decent audience which caters to families.

I was a fan and watched WWE long before the attitude era. Now that its 2010, there just isn't as many big name superstars wrestling as there were in 2000. With the absence of Austin, Rock, Lesnar, Goldberg, and names that aren't as popular now such as Hogan and Flair, people aren't interested in WWE or any type of wrestling anymore.

WWE has some great talent and good story lines, but the comedy and talking gets in the way of the wrestling. I really couldn't tell you the last decent match I have seen in WWE since most of them only last a few minutes and end in a DQ. It's not as bad as some say it is, but there is room for improvement. The divas wrestled in a one piece bathing suit on Raw. Either wrestle in your wrestling gear or wear bikinis so the segment isn't a joke. Last I checked even on Disney channel girls were allowed to wear bikinis.

I'm not for the blood, violence, sex, and nudity in wrestling since I can see that on HBO or Cinemax. The product doesn't need to completely watered down though. I think one problem people have with the WWE is the robotic wrestlers like the Nexus members, Morrison, Bourne, etc. The good thing is that wrestlers like Daniel Bryan and Alex Riley along with the WWE Pros can add balance to that. The robots are a problem along with the celebrities and lame comedy bits stinking up the show.

Raw is the best when there are no guest hosts and just wrestling. Some harp on the attitude era, but even with violence and shock television it doesn't make for an interesting show unless you have the talent to back it up. WWE has great production and have some good story lines. Sometimes the programming comes of more as a reality show then a wrestling show though. I think that is why most people flock to TNA or ROH because of the wrestling. The two may lack story lines or production, but they usually make up for it with wrestling.

Overall this past year WWE hasn't been bad, and it isn't the PG era that has caused fans to lose interest overall. The lack of wrestling, talent, and huge story lines are what is lacking in most wrestling companies. WWE is still making money and is still #1 which isn't going to change. The Nexus group has gained viewers, but when that is gone what is next?

 

[mikeyboy]

I never watched WWE much before the wcw buy out , igrew up with NWA/WCW , i would occasionally watch but not more than once a month so its hard for me to compair the two eras, what i will say though is i understand why WWe is doing the pg thing they are trying to make WWe more like the Hogan era , that is what made them the powerhouse they are, Cena's matches are even being booked like Hogans used to ,getting beat up the whole match then turning into super Cena and winning.
Hey the retro/nostalgia thing is big these days thats all this pg wwe is ,a throwback to to 80's,im sure one day we will have the attitude return.