5 Reasons WWE is in trouble, and 5 it will reign supreme
There is an old curse that goes May you live in interesting times.
Right now it is certainly interesting times for the entire world of sports entertainment. No one could have predicted how much the internet and social media would impact professional wrestling. Not since the days of the Rock and Wrestling Connection has the sport changed so much in so little time.
Follow Sportskeeda for the latest WWE news, rumors and all other wrestling news
At one time, it was easy to control how much access the public had to the wrestling superstars. This was important, both to maintain kayfabe--the unspoken agreement between fans and wrestlers that the sports is 'real'--and to avoid public relations snafus by the talent. When wrestlers were interviewed, it was often by 'Apter Mags,' which were friendly to the promoters and never asked any awkward questions.
The internet changed that. Now fans have the potential to access their favourite stars twenty-four hours a day. Are you a Seth Rollins fan? Now you can find out what he had for lunch. Maybe you prefer the indies and follow WALTER. In that case, you might find an interview he posted on Facebook.
This unprecedented level of access to people's personal lives has become normalized in the wake of reality television such as Big Brother and Survivor. Now pro wrestlers must be extra careful in their behavior and speech, even when they're not posting on social media. To not be careful could lead to an unfortunate situation like the one Hulk Hogan found himself in recently.
With all of this rapid change, pro wrestling has largely left the cable television airwaves and now is consumed primarily on the internet. Even WWE has created their own streaming service. The question is, has the WWE adapted to all of this change quickly enough to survive the serious challenge being mounted by its rivals?
Will WWE go the way of WCW, or will it continue to reign supreme? Here are five reasons WWE is in trouble, and five it's going to continue to reign supreme.
In Trouble: Roman Reigns
When you talk about WWE's current product, it's nearly impossible to avoid mentioning Roman Reigns.
Cena seemed to be wrestling's most polarizing figure, until Roman Reigns came along. Try as WWE might, they can't seem to get the fans one hundred percent behind the man who is ostensibly their top babyface.
There are numerous theories as to why Roman Reigns fails to get over, too many to be explored in detail here. Regardless of why, the fact that WWE continues to push him so hard is proof that they are out of touch with their fanbase, perhaps dangerously so. Eric Bischoff ignored dropping ratings and continued to push the same aged veterans--Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, DDP, and Sting among them.
And we all know how WCW ended up.