Why You Should Start Watching WWE Again
Admit it, we all watched WWE back in the Attitude Era. With amazing acts like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, DX, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, The Hardy Boyz, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and countless others; it was objectively the greatest time to be a pro-wrestling fan. As time passed, we started asking ourselves, "Where are all the big stars now? Why aren't they as entertaining as my childhood heroes?"
Sporadically, there would be flashes of utter brilliance from the likes of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, but they would be too few and far in between. However, the good news is that WWE is slowly picking up their pace, and you should think about investing your time in it again if you still want your dose of scripted butt-kicking every week. Here are the reasons why you should start watching WWE again.
NEW STARS
CM Punk opened a whole new gateway to "indie" wrestlers in 2011 with his "pipe bomb" promo, a brutally honest and unscripted speech which highlighted the backstage politics that took place in the WWE. Quite miraculously, the ratings skyrocketed and since then there has been an influx of amazingly talented wrestlers from all over the world. These talents include Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Austin Aries, Samoa Joe and dozens of wrestlers of the highest pedigree. A special mention has to go to AJ Styles, who is arguably the best wrestler at the moment. Seriously, if you haven't seen these guys in action, you need to do it right now.
THE BRAND SPLIT
Throughout the PG era, SmackDown served as a secondary show for Monday Night Raw. We saw the same superstars with tired and monotonous storylines dragging on from Raw, with SmackDown being just a "filler" show where nothing consequential ever happened. Thankfully, WWE have reintroduced the Brand Split. Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon are now the commissioners of SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw respectively. Each brand has its own exclusive superstars, with the "Superstar Shake-up" happening this month as an exchange programme between the two. Moreover, there's also NXT where you could follow the development of newly hired WWE recruits. Many argue that NXT is the best pure-wrestling show available today where the emphasis is mainly on in-ring skills. I have to agree to the statement as the matches are just a joy to watch. These brands give a solid reason to start following the product again.
THE END OF AN ERA
With The Undertaker retiring this 'Mania, it was truly the end of an era, which simultaneously meant the usher of a new one. The Undertaker is one of the greatest and most respected performers of all time. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried when he left his gear in the ring and made his exit, as it meant that it would be the last time we would see The Phenom compete in the ring. On the flip side, the new superstars will no longer be in the shadow of such a monumental figure. After the Attitude Era ended, the newer guys were constantly compared to their older counterparts, and it hindered them greatly. Perhaps we could have a new "Prince of Darkness" in Bray Wyatt. With titans like John Cena, Chris Jericho and Triple H in the twilight of their careers, their goal now is to put young talent over and they are doing it very well.
THE WOMEN'S REVOLUTION
The Attitude Era might have been great, but they treated women like dirt. With loads of misogynistic storylines, women's wrestling was merely an afterthought or a bathroom break for the live audience. That is thankfully not the case anymore. The likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch are headlining many shows with amazing displays of athleticism and in-ring competence. They even scrapped the ugly "Diva's" title for a more appropriate Women's Championship.
THEY ARE LISTENING
Never before did fans have such immediate contact with the superstars. All WWE wrestlers have an active social media account, where they interact directly with their fans. The "WWE Universe", as they like to call it, has a surprising amount of say when it comes to outcomes in the long term. Daniel Bryan is an example of this, as he was destined to be a mid-card player until the fans kicked in. They voiced their opinions so loud in arenas and over the internet that they had to listen and put him in the main event of WrestleMania. If only they could fire Roman Reigns now.