What Is The WWE's Biggest Problem?

[Jack-Hammer]

A while back, I posted a thread in the TNA section asking people what they thought the overall single biggest problem in the company is. So, I figured I'd do the same thing with the WWE as there's been no shortage of complaints about the WWE over the course of the past few years. So, what do you think is the biggest problem the WWE has right now?

 

[Ferbian]

I have to be honest and say I'm actually not seeing any problem at all with WWE right now, I'm liking the overall product a lot, and the shows that are being put on every week has kept me entertained with small parts that I didn't like, but it wasn't enough to make me consider it a problem on WWE's side.

While you could probably argue that the closest thing I think WWE has to a problem would be the women's division, but in the end, it's been improving a lot, it's getting a little bit more focus again, with feuds and a great group in Laycool which has raised my overall enjoyment of the women's division.

But in the end, I'm not really seeing any problems at all.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Personality. Far and away.

It's not stories, logic, wrestling ability or the "PG" rating that's killing their product (to me) – it's personality, or the lack there of.

The only difference between Ted DiBiase Jr. and a dial tone is that one is made of organic material and the other is not – the same goes for Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger and a slew of the WWE's "new blood". The only one with half a personality IMO is Sheamus.

 

[medz]

the biggest problem is the stale product they put out every fucking week.

Fucking stupid promo involving guest host who no one cares about

comedy central with santnio marella: it is pointless and unfunny now


john cena: nuff said


pathetic diva matches: get some real wrestler's who can wrestle


the burying of real legit wrestlers(haas, benjiman, bourne, ziggler, goldust, regal,
christian, for entertainers who are not that good at actual wrestling(miz, santino, hornswoogle, otunga),

and this pathetic pg crap, seriously?, no blood, no ultra violence, no swearing, toned down promos, slow paced wrestling, storyelling over actual wrestling, the one thing the divas were actually good at,stripping, yep i know i have named a lot.


but that is my awnser and that is my opinion.

 

[Miko]

Personality. Far and away.

It's not stories, logic, wrestling ability or the "PG" rating that's killing their product (to me) – it's personality, or the lack there of.

The only difference between Ted DiBiase Jr. and a dial tone is that one is made of organic material and the other is not – the same goes for Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger and a slew of the WWE's "new blood". The only one with half a personality IMO is Sheamus.

Yeah this, WWE has decent enough storylines, some pretty good matches, and is far easier on the eye and more watcheable than TNA for example.

Unfortunately it's populated by very few people that make you give a fuck, guys who can barely talk on the mic, all new heels sound the same, all the new face sound the same. Basically very nearly all the wrestlers are generic, boring wastes of TV time.

People complain about the same old faces in the main event, but at least Batista, John Cena, Undertaker and HHH make you give a shit about them.

 

[info62]

I found so many things I didn't like about WWE that I finally gave up about one year ago. My biggest problem was how yesterday's (2005-2007) midcard was completey slaughtered, since only like 2 guys from then are still in wwe and are above jobber status. They made me care about like 15 up-and-comers, then release them all and replace them with the bland guys who have already been mentioned.

 

[PhD]

I think the biggest problem is the need to appeal to casual fans. This is most apparent in the difference between Smackdown and Raw. Smackdown, in my mind, is a pretty well booked show right now. Raw, however, as the flagship program where ratings are the be-all end-all, often seems watered down.

It's not clear to me how much of this is due to the guest hosts, but I don't blame it all on personalities. Some guys have personality, some don't. It's hard to fault a guy like Evan Bourne for being bland, because he's had basically zero mic time since getting to Raw. I think Swagger, for example, has been developing a great character during his program with Big Show. The trophies segment last week was hysterical. It remains to be seen if Swagger can carry this momentum forward when he inevitably loses the belt, but you never see up-and-comers get that kind of space to develop a character on Raw. Sheamus is supposed to be this monster heel, but his promos seem as generic as any I've ever heard, only with Irish idioms sprinkled across them. He has no background, no depth as a character, which is why absolutely no one will give a shit about him a year from know unless he starts to be something other than 'the rookie sensation' or 'the guy who put out Triple H.'

 

[MoxViolence]

im pretty happy with wwe as of late. ever since dx broke up and they stopped shoving hornswoggle down our throats, i've been satisfied. but if i can point out one issue, it would be the lack of compelling storylines/characters. the last good fued was between jericho and hbk. since then, the fueds have been pretty stale. im not very big on orton and edge's fued right now. nor am i big on cena and batista's beef. it all seems like its been done before. yea, the pg rating sucks but i've become used to it by now. no blood...eh..oh well. the kiddy crap...eh...oh well. but the storylines could be so much better imo. i also mentioned the lack of character in wwe right now. just about everyone uses their full name, and theres no real characters in wwe except undertaker, goldust and kane. and their on the way out. dont get my wrong, you dont need a mask and a weird name to have character. but for goodness sakes, it feels like theres no personality anymore. i agree with IDR...sheamus has character. but other than him..im scratching my head to name someone else.

 

[dwith]

My number 1 pick for WWE'S biggest problem right now is Vince McMahon

my 2nd would have to be no tag team division

3rd would be no more cruiserweight division

4th would have to be Vince's lack of respect for wrestler's, and lack of aknowledgement of other wrestling entities that exist.

Just my opinion.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I didn't vote, because the problem I have is more of a general issue. The problem I have is that the WWE, today, seems a little too bland. It just seems as though they are doing just enough to get by. They want to have a show that doesn't go too far, but also doesn't do too little. They have become complacent with their product, and have no interest in "heating things up."

With their storylines, they do just enough to get by. They don't try and do too much, which can be a good thing (look at TNA). But, at the same time, I feel like they are too robotic. It seems they have a certain formula they follow, and to me, it's just not as entertaining as it used to be. A guy calls another guy out, because he thinks he's better. The guys comes out, they talk about who is better. One of the guys hits the other guy with a move, and walks away, with a menacing look on his face. Next week, the same thing happens again, but usually the victim from the week before becomes the aggressor. This process is repeated until they have a PPV match or two.

It's not like I'm bashing WWE. I like the product, for the most part. But it just seems, like I said earlier, a bit bland. I see this problem from top to bottom. Each episode of Raw seems far too similiar to the last. They have this specific formula they follow, and they do not deviate from that very often.

What happened to back-lot brawls? What happened to unexpected attacks in the back? What happened to dialogue between two wrestlers in the locker room, the parking lot, etc. I just don't see a lot of variety in how they build their feuds today.

Also, it's completely competition based now. Of course, when dealing with a sport (sports entertainment), the bottom line is winning. So of course, underneath it all, it's always competition based. But those feuds used to be ultra-personal, as well as being about win-loss records, and titles. But today, it seems like they have taken the personal feeling out of their feuds (for the most part). When something is really, really personal, it's much more entertaining. Look at Triple H/Randy Orton in the build up to Mania 25. IMO, that was the best feud the WWE has had since Rock and Austin..why? Because it was so damn personal, which made it so much more entertaining.

I'm really not trying to bitch and complain about little details, this is just a general problem I have. Things have become a bit boring at times, and I wish they would liven up their storylines/feuds with some more personal issues. Make things a bit more entertaining, and unpredictable. Break the formula. Improvise a bit.

 

[DL23]

The Guest host NEEDS to end soon, some of the hosts have had the personality AND love for the business to pull the gig off, others haven't.

Buzz this past week, couldn't even remember Evan Bournes name, this doesn't bode well for WWE, having someone who "loves" the business show up and ruin the show with pointless/stupid comments and forgetting their lines, makes WWE look bad in the bigger picture.

People hate on the PG rating, I get why their doing it, but they need a show maybe that goes beyond watershed times for the older generation that enjoy the more adult storylines of the attitude era in my opinion.

WWE for 3-4 years had the same guys main eventing PPV after PPV, Now with the new blood running wild I think it's a good sign WWE is trying to broaden their horrizan, HHH jobbing AND taken time off after the Sheamus match has only helped Sheamus look more devistating, I think maybe near the end of the summer, have Drew Mcintyre do the same to Undertaker, after all Taker will be taking time off have someone NEW take him out for some credability.

I also believe WWE should be using the Divas that can't wrestle as managers roles, also bring back the manager roles to shows, and more factions/groups as well to get most of the unused guys out there on TV.

my 2 cents.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

The only thing that bothers me is the scripted promos. Then again, the guys who get their own Promos, worked hard to get them. SO that just means the younger talent has to work harder on developing their own character sure they don't have to have scripted promos. Other then that, it's an okay product right.

It's an even better product for the family audience. Makes lots of money, and kids are making their parents buy them WWE merchandise. I don't see anything wrong with that.

 

[chiefcannon]

while I must say i'm shocked scripted promos is in the lead. I voted for this thinking it would be in last place. I chose to vote for this because I was born in 85 and growing up with that era in wrestling was all about the promos. Piper, Savage, Million $ Man, Warrior, Perfect, ect the list goes on and on but those names stick out b/c the promos game from the heart. They owned their character by own their words. Even as a teen the classic NWO, DX, Hart N Soul N ECW promos were AMAZING. Lets say in those eras the promos were as watered down as they are now, where would Pillman's legacy stand? He's one of my FAVORITE WRESTLERS OF ALL TIME, but w/o FULL CONTROL of tha Loose Cannon image where would his career have went. Speaking of career if they don't start letting guys like JoMo Ted jr., Drew, Sheamus, Cody ect. be more of themselves than no1 will have a career. I will never stop watching wrestling, but if they don't start letting tha guys control their own images and actually show tha world they can wrestle, then who knows where the sport will be. I'm sure alot of people would find other areas where WWE is screwing up , but tha promos to more are tha biggest concern. Don't believe me think PIPER, SAVAGE, BRIAN PILLMAN, NWO, DX, ECW, HHH,STONE COLD,and The Rock. The reason they will always be considered isn't their ring work its their image character and more importantly the words the spoke that will always stay in our minds.

 

[El Rev sXe]

well dude I voted for the PG thing but ther are way too many problems with the E right now, however as I read others opinions I say it is also the fact about there ISNT characters. I mean we all have (most of us) faith on guys like Kofi, JoMo, Drew...cause they are the future of the business but they are soooo hmmm without personalities. I mean the guys can wrestle but can they keep onteresting about everything that is happening to them...NO! for example I didnt give a crap about Mcintyre (spelling? sorry) til last week with al, the thing about the IC championship and Kofi...

my second pick has to be the fact that VKM only wants big guys to be champs and the fact that he prefers a shitty storyline (AKA Cena against.....anyone!) rather than a technical match with the likes of Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Rey, Evan Bourne among others

about the PG thing Im sorry too many things have been said but the point is that wrestling is not for 7 or 8 year old girls cuase you know...WRESTLING IS STILL VIOLENT!!!

 

[NXTrookie2013]

Vince McMahon: why would he be a problem?

John Cena: this isnt the biggest problem, the only problem i have is how he just dominates everyone and is alwasy going for the world title ("super cena") now im not a cena hater, he has all my respect, but his character is stale.

PG Rating: no cursing, no blood, no exploiting divas. also no more taking risks with inapropraite storylines and such. i really miss the old vulgar shit wwe used to show but pg im still fine with it, its still an entertaing show without pg, but not as entertaining, this could be one of their biggest problems but then again most older audiences watch UFC and mma so pg does make sense to shwo to kids. Im okay with this but im not a fan of it either

No Blood Policy: This is only bad when it comes to gimmick matches such as street fights, any kind of cage match (including HIAC and EC). Also its good in other types of NO DQ matches, but doesnt take away too much, just takes away from the realism of those matches. But other then that, Not gonna hate on this

Scripted Promos: This is a huge problem casue your not letting your stars put in much personality, they'll need to work on acting a whole lot more becasue of this

WWE Mid-Card Scene: The midcard isn't used very well, thier titles seem to have no prestige at all and plus many of the midcard deserve to have a main evnet push but havnt yet

WWE Tag Team Scene: No tag teams really, the most established tag team is the heart dynasty, the rest are pretty much thrown together, well except the dudebusters, but their basically jobbers. THe Miz and Jerico though their and entertaining bunch. But yeah WWE really doesnt have much tag teams annd their tag team matches arent all that great like back in the day.

WWE Divas: lol

WWE Raw Main Event Scene: too much main eventers here so your midcarders wont be getting pushed anytime soon \:

WWE Smackdown Main Event Scene: LOOVE EEEEET!! haha, well its not really a problem IMO, i think this with only a few main eventers some sars like kofi and christian might get the push they deserve.


whats wwe's biggest problem? im gonna go with pg and scripted promos. i dont want to sound like a pg hater but i mean i miss the risk taking storylines and vulgar things that made WWE funny instead of childish jokes. i guess osme of it ti still funny but still.

 

[The Doctor]

While I believe the WWE as a whole is doing very well, the biggest problem is the scripted promos - or rather, wrestlers who sound obviously scripted. A promo needs to sound fluid and interesting, not wooden. Wrestlers need to have personality. This ties into IDR's post. Wrestlers today just don't show enough passion on the mic.

However, that's really the only big problem they have, and even that isn't too bad as Batista, Cena, Swagger (though he needs work), and Miz have all been excellent. I'm just nitpicking right now as I can't think of any major problems that stick out at me.

 

[Greenlight13]

Their biggest problem is that wrestling isn't cool anymore. It was in the late 90s and early 2000s, but here in 2010 it's seen as silly and doesn't entertain casual fans as much as other TV shows do. That's taken away a big part of their audience.

But they're still doing good, consistent ratings, they still get a lot of media attention, especially now thanks to the celebrities (for better or worse), they're still a billion-dollar company, they're still a household name, they still ship a truck load of merchandise and they still get millions and millions of people paying to attend their shows. Oh, and most importantly... they're the biggest wrestling company in the entire world.

People seem to have a mentality that just because it's not as good as it used to be it must be bad. Hey, maybe you don't care for it, but millions of people worldwide DO care for it.

Vince is at the head of the biggest wrestling company in the world and has been at the helm through their biggest growth.

John Cena is ADORED by kids, loved by women, and even a large number of men like him too. He's probably the best spokesman the company has ever had because he's clean-cut, he doesn't curse, and he spreads a more positive message than faces of the past. Who cares if he isn't a mat-technician, neither was Hogan, and better or worse, Hogan was the biggest thing to ever happen to wrestling.

Wrestling was PG for decades before a brief spell of adult-orientated programming. ECW was marketed directly to over-18-year-old males and look what happened. I really liked ECW and they had some fantastic ideas, but in terms of a business model, they were never going to make it big. The PG-rating was necessary after Benoit to clean up their image and keep parents letting their kids watch. It's just smart, and I'd probably do it if I ran a company.

Blading is irresponsible, and the use of weapons gave the wrestling critics ammo for the "wrestling makes kids mutilate each other" argument. Sure, blood was cool from time to time, but if you need it to have a good match you're doing a terrible job.

The Rock's promos were scripted. It would be nice if everyone on the roster was as eloquent and intelligent as Chris Jericho and could be handed a guideline and go out there and talk about it for 10 minutes, but unfortunately there are only a select handful of Chris Jericho's in all of wrestling. WWE like to appear as professional as possible, and say what you want about their scripted promos, you rarely see one of their wrestlers stutter or mis-speak, and best of all, nobody curses or says something controversial by accident. It lets them control their product.

The mid-card doesn't draw and it never did. People pay to see the big names and the mid-card entertain them while they're there. People are still paying to go and see the big names, but there's less mid-card wrestlers to entertain them while they wait. It's not that it isn't there, it's just there are fewer wrestlers. I'd wager WWE had more people under contract in the late 90s than they do now, so naturally there was a better mid-card. Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and The Miz are all products of their current mid-card.

They've merged the tag team titles to address the fact they don't have enough teams to fill out two different brands and when Jericho was holding them, the titles were defended in the main event. That's focus in my eyes.

The divas were good for about 1 or 2 years tops. Before Trish and Lita Jacqueline and Ivory were lulling everyone to sleep. Oh, and there were a bunch of glorified strippers running around killing their appeal to the youth and female markets. WWE womens matches have only managed to not be a sandwich break for a very brief period of time.

Raw's main event scene is as good as it's ever been right now with Cena, Batista (for now), Edge, Orton, Triple H, Jericho, Sheamus and Miz all sniffing around at once. That's some pretty big star power if you ask me.

Smackdown's main event scene isn't that bad. It's suffered from Raw's improving, but nobody's ever tried to pretend it's not the B-show. They still have Undertaker, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Kane, Christian, MVP and Kofi Kingston. Not a terrible collection.

So yeah... all in all their problem is that wrestling generally isn't as popular. They're still number one by a long, LONG way, and they are still considered a successful company by anyone's standards. Money, ratings, merchandise, support, media attention.

What more do you want? The Attitude Era again? It was good, but it's over, get over it.

 

[pessimism101]

I voted on "Scripted Promos" as being the biggest problem, but I'll briefly explain my thoughts on the poll choices because I think a lot of things tie into each other and others are not even a problem anymore. SO...

Vince McMahon - Vince took himself, and his family, off the air, leaving a lot more time for the talent. Plus, Vince is a very successful business man and, like it or not, he's currently doing what's right for his company at the moment.

John Cena - Cena has to deal with something very few of the WWE's top guys have had to deal with before: Hated by older fans for being too fake and revered by younger fans as they see him as a superhero. In reality, Cena is not unlike the top stars of the 80's and 90's. Hogan had repetitive promos and the "5 moves of doom" long before Cena. Even Steve Austin and the Rock had repetitive promos and a limited moveset. (Seriously, watch any Rock vs. Austin match and the average total of WRESTLING moves per match is a whopping 9 COMBINED!)

PG Rating - Not a problem. WWE was PG in the 80's/early 90's and still entertained fans. (There was no swearing, attitude, sex and blood was rare, yet the period between 1985 and 1992 produced some spectacular matches and even memorable promos by guys like Jake Roberts, Ted DiBiase, Slick, Bobby Hennan, Roddy Piper, etc)

No Blood - There is a problem with this, although it's no the no blood policy, per se. The biggest problem that arises out of this is the match stoppages for blood (which is fine in WWE Superstars, but NOT on a pay-per-view). In addition, if WWE wants no blood, STOP advertising matches where blood is expected (HIAC, Elimination Chamber, Steel Cage, etc)

As for the different divisions, the midcard scene is greatly improving and the tag team division is slowly gaining some steam along with the Divas division. The main event scene is identical to any main event scene of the various era before it, so no problems here. Fresh talent are getting main event pushes, but that seems to be overshadowed for the relentness hatred of John Cena.

I voted "Scripted Promos", but that's only because it's the closest thing to what I think is the biggest problem with WWE right now, and that's character development. The over the top gimmicks are basically non-existent as are charismatic characters. The talent is given a gimmick, but they're being told what to say and do as opposed to allowing the performers to take their gimmicks and run with them. The wrestlers we remember from years past are ones that were able to take their gimmicks and make them believable. Now, it seems nobody wants to do that or allow anybody to do that and the product suffers as a result. Out of the guys who joined WWE from 2005 onwards, only John Morrison and the Miz are the ones who stand out. That's a problem.

 

[MEGAFAN420]

I have several complaints about their product right now, most about how boring and predictable Monday Night Raw has become. The guest host thing has worked at times in the past, my favorite ever being Jeremy Piven and Dr. Ken. The host rarely gets involved in matches anymore. Every week the Bella Twins and Santino are somehow involved in at least one segment with the guest host, and we laugh ha, ha, ha once again at Santino's broken english. The worst guests ever were Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill from ZZ Top. You could tell all the segments were pre-recorded. That was pathetic!
Another complaint of mine is PPV matchups. How many times must Cena face Batista? This is the 3rd PPV in a row where they collide. Rey Vs. Punk is just getting dull. Who cares about who wins anymore?
The PG rating stinks too. Why fix what was not broken? It was the highest rated show on cable when it was not censored the way it is now. Isn't it funny how DX was still saying "suck it" and they were PG-Rated? That implies something very X-rated. When you're the son-in-law it has it's privledges!
Now, I feel the opposite about Smackdown. I love it! There are actual wrestling matches on it. I watch wrestling for entertainment, but MATCHES are what I mainly watch it for. It's not a 2-hour predictable comedy show with a few 3-minute matches, like RAW. Batista has destroyed Mark Henry for 2 straight matches. I guess it's to prove how bad-ass he is, but 2 squashes in a row is just plain boring! RAW is drawing in those who could care less about a wrestling match.
John Cena is another thing about RAW that sucks! Swagger is solid gold, as I predicted he would be when I saw his first match on ECW. He can put on a good match with anyone right now. He is fresh and new and the best overall talent they have aquired in years. Cena can wrestle, but I am totally sick of his white boy soldier rapper persona.
Thank you for reading, I may be right or I may be wrong!

"We were never alive... and we won't be born again" (Slipknot)

 

[closet_fan]

i voted cena, but only because there really wasn't anything specific i could think of.

i agree with the poster that said RAW is the same exact format almost every week. 2 wrestlers duke it out with words, another one comes in. or if it's not a third wrestler, it's the gm for that night. when i watch raw, all i need to see is the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes to get the jist of what happened.

guest hosts - you can plainly see people want to host raw in order to promote their own stuff. half don't care about wrestling. mcgruber came on to promote the movie, buzz came on because deep down he had a hidden agenda and we saw it when he was talking about nasa and putting them down for the way the space shuttle was built. etc, etc. give bret hart a fat contract and that would fix the problem somewhat.

cena - i don't love and i don't hate him. he's just there. he's one of those guys who is going to be popular with or without the belt. the problem is: unlike the rock and austin, he will never turn heel for fear that the merch and the rating will plummet. he is forever stuck as the squeaky clean second coming of hogan. and i agree with the bad rap cena gets in the ring. hogan was awful. and he was still widely popular, even though every single match ended the same exact way.

and to the poster wondering why there aren't backstage fights or fights outside the arena, the PG era will never allow that stuff to happen, unfortunately.

i am hoping once linda either wins or loses her candidacy, they go back to a little bit more of an adult-oriented show.

last point:
i agree whole heartedly with the poster that said wrestling just isn't as popular as it used to be. in the 80's and early 90's, you can get into wrestling conversations with just about anyone, bars, clubs, etc. it was "hip". celebrity's wanted to be a part of it. nowadays, people look at you like you're a hillbilly from montana if you even breathe a word about wrestling. i was at a card show and the one table had wrestling cards. i couldn't help but think "nerds" when i overheard 2 older guys talking about tna.

 

[Slowdude]

No Blood Policy. People don't need to be blading every five minutes but if someone accidentally busts their head open in the middle of a match on PPV just let them continue. Shelton vs Christian from TLC last year for example, Christian was slightly busted open so they stop the whole match, neither wrestler wanted to stop, the crowd didn't want it to stop and it just killed the match slightly as they stopped the match to stop the bleeding. If someone is accidentally busted open, let them be....

 

[Spidey Revivey]

WWE has a slew of things that people are going to bitch about. That is perfectly clear. The Divas is one, John Cena another. And once WWE "fixes" these problems, other people are going to bitch about something else. Can't please em all.

Honestly, Raw's only problem with me now is all the main draws + Guest Hosts. I think they are truly getting rid of Hosting so I'm not really on about that. It's all the Main Eventers now on the Red Show- Smackdown is pale in comparison. This means the Mid-Card is looking even smaller. I don't think that was a good idea.

Divas are improving. I am against signing on women that are just for eye candy but I think this division is getting better. Just have to wait and see.

John Cena is still featured in the Main Event with his same settup of moves to close the show. Yeah I'm picking Cena on the poll only because he is always there in the big scene, dominating like a 2002 Triple H. This gets boring after a while, and plenty it seems would agree with me.

Scripted promos are bad, but it makes sense coming from a business that has been featured in the main scene now, with Linda's campaign and different celebrities making appearances on Raw, I can understand why WWE Headquarters won't let their stars say whatever they are thinking. That could make them look bad.

Give Cena a break, repackage him with some more moves in his arsenal, and stop Guest Hosting, which I am sure they will. Give it a few more years and we'll have this same topic to discuss.

 

[simplyimagi]

WOW Vince McMahon Is one of the biggest problems.I dont see vince as a problem nor do i see cena as a problem. The writers are what i see as the problem because they dont write the storys that people wanna see they keep goin with tha same people and end up ruining the guys like Cena,Batista, ETC. Also WWE being a publicly Traded company Vince cant just say Drop the PG rating and start Atti2de Era. So whats ruining the company? The Scripts and Scripters!

 

[CobraVenom]

I'd say the WWE's biggest problem is the fans who bitch without end. There are some people on wrestling boards who do nothing but find things to complain about. Their product is fine and there is no need to bitch about it because you simply don't like it.

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

I thought long and hard when looking at the poll options and I've come to the conclusion that it's the WWE mid-card scene. I began watching the WWE in mid 1999 - early 2000 and here's the list of the midcard talent that debuted at the time.
Jericho, Angle, Benoit, Guerrero.
These guys were excellent performers but also, cruicially, given time to go with the big boys. No Mercy 2000 (HHH/Benoit, Rock/Angle and Rikishi/Austin) was the perfect example of midcard talent getting a shot at the big boys and is the main difference between the current product and now.
I would say that today; Orton, Cena and Batista are the three main guys in WWE. First of all, would we buy WWE Bragging Rights if the card was:
Orton vs John Morrison
Batista vs Kofi Kingston
John Cena vs Jack Swagger for the world title.

Secondly, hand on heart, if this was booked for this year and if Batista was staying for another year, can you see any of these guys winning. In the early '00s, WWE made it a fact that anyone, on their best day could beat anyone. Monday Nigh RAW had a few instances if midcard guys beating top guys. Remember Jericho beating HHH for the WWE title only to get the decision reversed in 2000? This helped guys get over. What do we get today? Christian fed to Edge to big up Over The Limit against another established guy in Orton.
Benoit and Angle were perfect examples of this. From Jan '00- Jan '01, Angle went from cocky heel 'ala The Miz, to world champ. Benoit debuted in Jan, won midcard gold and headlined PPVs (Unforgiven '00) and wrestled the top guys. Would we see this nowadays?
Sadly, we complain about Orton/Cena, Cena/HHH and HHH/Orton and to be fair, the WWE tries to correct this. Sheamus' push, CM Punk/ Jeff Hardy over the summer of 2009 including John Morrison's involvement and the rise of guys like CM Punk, who is slowly doing the job albeit on the B show, shows that WWE is trying to build guys but ATM, this midcard is nowhere as good as the golden age of the early 2000s.