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WRESTLING COLUMNS

Why WWE Is Best
June 28, 2005 by Justin B.

WWE, while being the largest and most successful company in professional wrestling, is also the most heavily criticized. It seems like no matter what wrestling message board you go on, most of the topics are about how poor the WWE product is and what people would do to change it. The fact of the matter is, we can't change WWE. Sure, not everything they do is right, but I bet if any of these people got their wish and got control of the WWE, they would run it into the ground. In my opinion, WWE is the best wrestling company there is, despite its faults.

A lot of people are still living in the "Attitude" era or even further back to the kayfabe era. One of the biggest problems they have is that the storylines are not as extreme or entertaining as they used to be. For one thing, I imagine it is quite difficult to continuously come up with interesting storylines for so many wrestlers. Secondly, wrestling has changed, whether we like it or not. It has gone from the era of extreme wrestling into the era of extremely athletic wrestling. Now, the most amazing feats include seeing Shelton Benjamin jump to the top rope and deliver a super-plex, as opposed to seeing Triple H deliver a pedigree on Cactus Jack onto thumbtacks.

My question is: what is so wrong with modern wrestling" Personally, I am more impressed by seeing outstanding athletic and wrestling ability than seeing how much punishment someone can take. I have nothing against the Attitude era or extreme wrestling, but it's just a fact that for the most part, this form of wrestling is gone. WWE does still on occasion have some very extreme stuff, which we often see in ladder matches. That's what is great about WWE, you get an outstanding mix. It is the only place where you can see top-notch technical, power, and high flying wrestlers. It also delivers by far the best matches in my opinion. You will not see a match like Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels anywhere else.

It is a shame that TNA is not better than it is. I believe TNA's problem was while they did have outstanding wrestling, they just didn't have any storylines and their management of the titles was downright awful. Jeff Jarrett holds it for nearly a year, and loses to...AJ Styles" I have nothing against AJ Styles but he should NOT be at a world champion level yet. I understand why people like independent promotions as well, but I certainly would have to disagree with them. I recently attended an indie show in Lansing, Michigan, and they stopped the taping in the middle to tell the fans to stop booing. WWE would never do that. I just sat there thinking "this isn't right". I couldn't wait to get back home and turn on good ol' WWE again.

My question is, if WWE has so many problems, then why do those complainers watch it every week" If it's so bad, then why do so many people watch it" WWE is just easy to criticize because it has been the most successful, and therefore people expect too much of it. WWE is the best with combining storylines with great wrestling. Even if some segments on the show aren't great, there are always great matches to look forward to. And the PPVs are rarely bad. And enough criticism of Triple H and JBL! People just forgot what it's like to have a dominant superstar, because the title used to mean nothing and changed hands every other week. Remember Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino... Ric Flair" The titles in WWE actually mean something, whereas in other promotions they take a back seat to storylines and unusual match types.

There is a reason that millions of people tune into WWE. There is a reason WWE is the top wrestling promotion in the world. There is a reason no other promotion has successfully competed with WWE. The reason is simple: WWE is the best.

by Justin B...

nate tovar wrote:
I have a few comments. I agree whole heartedly on the fact that WWE is the best wrestling brand, but thats not saying much. Its basically the only one. When a non-wrestling fan thinks of wrestling he doesnt think of TNA. My guess is that only WWE would come to mind. This being said, WWE in recent months has been doing terrible. *Although I do have to admit that due to the draft it has been very exciting recently*. But nonetheless its been low-rate besides and before that. WWE has made very foolish and selfish, fan alienating moves. The last Hardcore match on SmackDown was decided by a chairshot. Now if I remember correctly, back in the day Crash Holly took a glass jar to the head and kicked out. (God rest the soul of Crash Holly) Instead of kicking up the bar a notch, they have illiminated the existance of a bar and do whatever they want. It seems to me that Vince McMahon doesnt believe in consistent wrestling. Considering there have been mainly predictable and foolish matches and stopryline turns. I.E. Kurt Angle wanting Booker T's wife Charmelle. These desperate storylines are uttlery depressing. Back in the day a few years a go, wrestling was talked about in alot of places. It was hot and everyone knew about it. Not only was it marketed well, but it also had some substance. There was a sort of meaning to it. This is mainly due to the existance of WCW and ECW. WCW gave the WWE a reason to kick it up a notch. If WWE (or WWf back then) just did things in the routine they have now, they would definately have lost to WCW. But since thats not the case and WWE is the only major brand there is no reason to impress, or to do better. Wrestling has lost many fans that miss the old days. Not many people are willing to wait for it to come back. So in blatant response to the topic, yes WWE is the best, but how long can it even exist if it lacks depth.

*Now I am keeping in mind that in recent weeks do to the draft, WWE has been exhilirating and great. Hopefully this letter will not be the case anymore after the weeks end.

SamuelofAdams wrote:
I like WWE. I like HHH. I am more entertained with JBL bullshitting i nthe ring than most people. Yes WWE is best because ther isnt anyhting else to watch. TNA keeps stumbling. Yeah the only place you can see HBK Kurt Angle. But the fact that we have seen HBK and Angle wrestle TWICE!! is crap. I think the WWE has gotten alot better in the past few weeks and wil continue to do so. People have knocked Smackdown way way to much but give them credit they actually let the guys go out in the ring and talk and wrestle and it doesnt look like a E!Hollywood interview everytime they talk. But how can you not agree that it is a crime that the best match that has been on Raw recently Angle/Flair( ok lets not bash Flair cause he screws up a bit this isnt the spot for that) was the first good match on RAW since HBK/Benjamin " Thats the problem they have watered it down tomuch and people have kept watching to see the same thing over and over. But that is all about to change now with the people who have been put back on RAW and back on SD! . WWE getting better and ECW coming back will mark the begining of another one of the hot periods in wrestling. The WWE should have more critics they are the only national wrestling company that exists and unless Paul Heyman leaves WWE they will be for the next several years.

michael nader wrote:
Justin you bring up some good points, but im not going to lie, i disagreed with most of what you said. Yes it's true nobody can change wwe unless your a head writer or have something to do with that department. Wrestling has changed and there really isn't anything anybody can do about it.

But there is something else that needs to be understood. When a fan is forced to watch a match with someone who has been overused like hhh or jbl, it takes away variety from every pay-per-view. You say a man holding on to a belt for so long brings meaning to a belt, I say it is the exact opposite. Meaning is supposed to be brought TO the man holding the belt, BY the belt, and it shouldn't take long for a wwe superstar to define himself with it. (i hope that made sense)

You call WWE the best, I can't concur. The WWF was the best. I rarely remember seeing those boring choke holds, and they used to not go to a commercial break in the middle of the match thereby losing my interest in it half-way, just to ensure i would be back to watch more of there show.

In my eyes, the WWE is a lot like a home depot: No real competition, no real service. I mean it just seems to me as if they've stopped trying. I only say this because i hate watching a wrestler in a wrestling lock for all eternity and i know other people hate it too.

Now not everybody hates the same thing i do so i can't speak for them. But there are a lot of different things people do hate to see and they DO BITCH ABOUT IT. Now i've seen this on this website before "the wwe can't please everyone". As much as i hate to admit it, it's the sad truth and us bitchers have to agree with it. But you know what"

If the fans can't expect the WWE to please everyone, then the WWE and people who stand up for it can't expect every fan to be pleased. I mean seriously, what do you want us to do when we see something thats either not entertaining or pissing us off" Sit back and say "wow that sure was the best"

Now don't get me wrong. WWE does not suck, in fact it's kind of good. That's why we complainers watch it, but deep deep down, we complainers know it could be much better. I've said my peace. Thank you

Majin wrote:
Not a good column, no details or nothing.

Dissing a young company like TNA is so unfair on many levels. Why is people putting this much pressure on TNA so early is beyond me"

WWE is the best because they have the most money to afford the most resources and best wrestlers.

I like WWE but Ring of Honor quality is wayyyyyyy better. Storylines, matches,etc. When people see a great match like Angle vs.HBK they automatic say Match of the Year because WWE don't produce many great matches but Ring of Honor produce matches like Angle vs.HBK on every show,sometimes 3 on one show. I can name 5 matches I've seen in Ring of Honor and one TNA match(Ultimate X,Styles vs.Petey vs.Sabin) that was better than Angle vs.HBK at Mania this year.

Brad Dykens wrote:
Haha I gotta agree with Majin, anybody who thinks WWE is "the Best" clearly hasn't seen Ring of Honor, or has seen very little of it... But ad the old adage goes, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

SCOTT FROM BOSTON wrote:
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THIS COLUMN. EVERY FEW DAYS I GO TO OnlineWorldofWrestling.COM AND FIND COLUMNS ABOUT HOW AWFUL HHH IS, STALE WWE GIMMICKS, ETC. TRUTHFULLY WWE DOESNT REALLY KEEP GUYS AROUND THAT DONT WORK. I WATCHED NWA-TNA A FEW TIMES AND REALIZED ALL THOSE GUYS ARE JUST WCW/WWE REJECTS. THE ROADDOGG IS THERE AND PLUS THEY USE THE STUPID MATCH ANGLE TOO MUCH, WHAT IS IT AND EIGHT SIDED RING OR SOMETHING. ITS ALL STUPID. WWE IS THE BEST BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE BEST WRESTLING! TALENT. A.J. STYLES, ABYSS, JEFF JARRETT ALL OFF THEM ARE TERRIBLE, PAST THEIR TIME, OR BOTH. IF YOU DONT LIKE WWE DONT WATCH.

George Salloum wrote:
Sorry there Justin, but you just wrote the most disagreeable article I've ever read, and judging by you saying "You will not see a match like Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels anywhere else", I can tell you are eating way too much power pasta because the two matches they had were no where near the kinds of matches that go on in independant promotions like ROH that have 4 or 5 mactches that are 5 star almost every show.

You're opinion is of someone who has only seen the WWE and TNA and who is unfamiliar with the rest of what we like to call outside of Vince's world.."PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING."

Vince and his talent have admitted that the company looks to entertain through storylines and gimmicks, and if I had to list all the terrible, controversial, stereotypical, racist or just plain dumb storylines and gimmicks that we have seen in the last 3-4 years, it is safe to say that the biggest, richest wrestling company in the world is BY FAR one of the worst, if not THE worst promotion in the world.

When it comes to HBK/Angle, people like you are blinded by the names, the promos and the video packages and want so badly to say that their match at Mania was a classic, when indeed it wasn't, but may have been if HBK was 10 years younger and Angle before his injuries.

I'm not trying to tell you what to watch, but I am suggesting expanding your horizons and exploring other wrestling promotions such as Ring of Honor because in the ring, the WWE has nothing on ROH or even TNA because the style is toned down and Vince wants his entertainers to play more to the crowd with taunts and regular match spots.

You say AJ Styles shouldn't be near the world title" Why is that" Is it because Vince trained you into thinking 6-5, steroid pumped big men like Batista who can barely run the ropes deserves to be champion"

You say millions of people tune in, well the that's because it's the only wrestling promotion on TV right now that most of the world gets to watch. But let me throw this at you, last year the WWE average 3,000 fans...if the WWE is so great, why are they averaging barely less than the Montreal Expos used to get for baseball and why did Spike not renew their contract"

You want to know why us complainers tune in every week (besides there being nothing else on)" It is because we might miss a great match, or classic promo or shocking surprise appearance, that's why we are wrestling fans. I love ROH more than any other promotion, but I criticize it too, but you don't see many articles about it because they aren't on television for everyone to see and give their opinions on.

I cannot believe your comments on the title. Sammartino had the title for 8 years and Flair had it 16 times, The titles used to be respectable, NOW it is a joke, I think you are a little confused as to how the business works when it comes to bringing value to a title.

You can say it has bigger names, more interesting storylines, better characters, but if you are basing your opinion on the in ring work as to why the WWE is the best...you need to seriously go on a diet of independant wrestling and cut down on power pasta.

HirokishuKeita wrote:
Ok, I have something to say about "WWE being the best." Bravo, my friend. See, the reason WWE hasn't gone downhill yet is simply because it has strong management. Yes it's gotten bland after WCW and eCW went out of business. Yes, we don't see a hardcore match every week. But that just adds to it in the long run. WWE is simply saving money by not injuring all their wrestlers. TNA is far too young to be able to be anything against WWE, if they're able to get strong management and agree backstage with interesting SLs and a good time slot on prime time cable, they'd be great to take on WWE.

The recent draft has been exciting for the mere fact that it's not all B-rated stars (Jindrak, Dudleys, Booker at the time were nothing compared to Triple H and Jericho.) Although I'd prefer to have Big Show on SD and have the Bashams be drafted to Raw, I'm excited.. no ecstatic to see RVD back on raw and being given mic time. Difference between RVD and John Cena.. RVD speaks from the heart/wrestles/and has better gay jokes. Back to the topic, WWE may be getting a bad rep now because all we see is one champion (on their brand) for a year. Like I said, it adds up. The title is being given more meaning. Triple H keeps losing the belt, but gets it back, so when someone is able to take it away from him and keeping it away from him, it gives hope amongst the others. JBL held his title for just about a year. Having Cena win it made the belt value drop. How can people/veterans like Undertaker, Big Show, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Eddie Gurerro not be able to beat JBL, but some young(28) punk finds a way to get a clean win in ten minutes after a standing fireman's carry" If people want to complain about Masters' finisher being a full nelson, why doesn't anyone complain about Cena's finisher being basically a standing fireman's carry" Giving Cena the belt just made the WWE title drop in value.

People love to criticize about WWE for their backstage politics. How Trips only gets the belt because he bangs the boss' daughter. Well, they got divorced and you don't see him back to midcard level do ya" Trips, while not my opinion of being the best wrestler on Raw, nor in the product, is a great wrestler. I do believe he shouldn't get the belt anymore, but he should stay wrestling. As for JBL, yes, he's gotten into a fight with Meanie and no, I do not believe that his excuses were reasonable. I love the JBL character and I love how JBL gives comic relief to the product. While he shouldn't be fired or pushed down to low card like most people would want, he should be put down in upper midcard and not have a top spotlight for much longer until he finally finds a way to stop "bullying" others around. Don't make me call Steve Blackman!

WWE is the best product out there. While having no real competition, yet.. they're still able to make it seem like there are two companies going after one another. It adds in the extreme wrestling ability of Kurt Angle, HBK, Eddie Gurerro. It shows off those amazing powerhouses whom are Batista, Big Show, Undertaker, JBL, Triple H. It impresses us with the high impact cruiserweights of Paul London, Tajiri, Chavo, Spike, Rey Rey, and Mexicools(horrible gimmick though!) While doing all this, WWE brings in new uprising stars of the future like Randy Orton, John Cena, Mark Jindrak, Chris Masters, MNM, Heartthrobs, Shelton Benjamin, and Edge.

WWE, although heavily criticized, is still strong because people either love the product, or love to hate it.

Moses wrote:
first off I have to say that I am a wrestling geek! I have been since the late 70's when I used to watch with my grandmother. to me there are two types of wrestling fans....people who watch for entertainment and people who watch because they love all the aspects of pro wrestling. wrestling popularity comes and goes. It was really popular in the eighties, then it wasn't. same thing with the nineties. I personally feel that the Monday night wars was the best time for pro wrestling fans! And I will admit that I was a huge WCW fan (and I always will be). I also think that when Vince McMahon bought WCW he killed pro wrestling on a grand level. Yes, I know it is still around and always will be (I hope) but I think WWE is too relaxed now and I feel that competition would be good for WWE and the wrestling business it's self. I also feel that the WWE is way to concerned with what the fans want. I remember a time when the writers of the big three didn't care about what the fans wanted and wrote story lines for what the story needed. I also feel that TNA would be a little bit better if the acting, or mic skills were better. It's funny I like TNA for the in ring action and I like WWE for the out of ring acting! Anyway I will watch no matter what because I love pro wrestling! but here's to wrestling one day becoming exciting again!.........P.S. I miss Monday nitro and the three hours of wrestling it gave us!....................

Realm Of Wrestling wrote:
Great column and I agree with it 100%. But this comment is directed more towards Majin and Brad Dykens. You seem to rate ROH and TNA higher that WWE, saying that ROH and TNA produce higher quality matches and WWE are only better because they have more money. Now truely think about this. If ROH or TNA were so much better than the WWE, then ROH or TNA would be in WWE's current position. Its quite simple. Vince McMahon and the WWE are very good at what they do, and their positions in the world proves that, and proves that they are much better than any other promotion

Brad Dykens wrote:
In terms of making money, travelling all over the world, and branching into other industries, then yeah, WWE is the BEST. But I have watched every kind of wrestling in the last few years, from WWE, to TNA, to ROH, to OVW, to CZW, 3PW, MLW, PWG, XPW, WWA, USA Pro, JAPW, IWA Mid South, ECWA, and countless others including Japan and Mexico, so I feel like I am qualified to judge for myself what is BEST because I've seen all different variations of the "sport" - good and bad! I'm not saying that you haven't. It is my personal opintion that ROH is the best, I love ROH with a passion and it's the only promotion besides ECW that holds my attention from beginning to end. I'm not saying that I don't like WWE, I love WWE! It's the epitome of the wrestling business. It's what every wrestler strives to be a part of. But if I had to pick one promotion over the other, it would be ROH in a heart beat.

samw wrote:
I am sorry to disagree with such a good point of information like OWW but on this subject I have to. The WWE although not original does offer high quality entertainment every week. However bad it is for Kurt Angle to chase Booker's wife its pretty true to form considering the extra curricular activities that Edge is getting up to at present and gives your contributors something to talk about

I am not an expert on wrestling in the same way that 99 % of the people who submit their comments to this site are not but I am a regular watcher of WWE and I feel entertained every time I watch it. "HHH is only where he is because he's married to.." Nonsense. Utter nonsense. He has entertained me since childhood! He is also the only remnant of the attitude era worth speaking about as the Austins and Rocks show up only a couple of times a year.

When comparing him to the bad guys that WWE have told you are bad guys he is the King. Compare him to Simon Dean, I believe he was a wrestler elsewhere but this is by the by. If HHH was pushing Weight loss formula's we would despise the sight of it because of the evil HHH would have injected.

Whatever I say, Whatever Brad dykens says, Whatever kirsty Quested says, We will all be watching WWE this week......

Madiq wrote:
Scott from Boston, that is the most stupid reply ever. AJ Styles is in his mid 20's and is one of the most exciting wrestlers alive. Abyss is real young as well and is a great big man.

TNA have one hell of a young talented roster(not better than ROH but good).Samoa Joe,Shelley,Sabin,Shane,Abyss,Styles,Daniels,Killings,Primetime,Delirious,Petey,AMW,Naturals,etc. SUre you got JJ,Konnan,Road Dogg,Gunn,and Waltman but so what. Everybody on the roster can't be young,you need veterans.

WWE picks up TNA rejects, Kazarian,Shane Twins,Kid Kash,etc. This TNA bashing is just crazy.

Onslaught Six wrote:
Scott From Boston, how much TNA have you seen" I'll admit that I've seen none, but I 'have' seen quite a lot of AJ Styles, and I must say he's a very impressive performer. In fact, I must say that I'm almost saddened to hear that you're not entertained by him.

As for Styles being on a world title level, the NWA title isn't a World title. It's a Promotional Heavyweight Title. It's nowhere near the level of the World Titles (let's ignore the fact that it's the NWA title for a minute) you see in WWE or Puroresu. It's merely the highest ranking title in that promotion.

For the record, I still consider TNA 'Indy,' even though it's currently the 2nd best promotion in the country right now. So I guess I'm sorta biased.

And about how WWE would never stop taping to tell the audience not to boo" No, of course they wouldn't do that. Instead, they'd just dub in pops instead, like they do on SmackDown!

And I must seriously question Justin B.'s knowledge of Puroresu, because it sounds like he's never seen a NOAH or AJPW show in his life. And he seems to have magically forgotten Samoa Joe and Kenta Kobashi's near two-year Heavyweight title reigns that just ended recently. You know, the ROH Heavyweight Title and the GHC Heavyweight Title mean something, too--probably a helluva lot more than the Triple H Title--Sorry, 'World Heavyweight Championship.'

Bah. Just some ramblings and mumblings and rantings of a smart mark who stopped by to get Johnny Ace's height and weight for a project. *shrugs.*

Jacob Kuhn wrote:
It's good to see some passion and loyalty to your favorite promotion. Good for you. But there are many reasons why people continue to criticize WWE. There reasons are just as valid to them as your reasons to defend it.

One thing that I totally agree with you on is that I prefer good, athletic matches over Extreme matches. The 'Attitude' era also had its time and I am glad it's over. Though you might place me in the group of kayfabe era piners.

There are a few things I needed to address, though. It's hard to criticize AJ Styles as NWA World Champion when John Cena is holding the WWE Championship. Cena is only a year older than Styles and AJ has been wrestling for three years longer than Cena. And before any says a word, this is not another Cena bashing statement. But you can't say anything bad about Styles beating Jarrett after nearly a year long reign, when Cena beat JBL in the same circumstance.

Also, you commented about why we keep watching WWE if it's so bad. Well, WWE only has half the audience that it had in the 'Attitude' era. So, a large part of the fans are NOT watching. And those of us that are, well, we are wrestling fans. WWE is almost the only option we have. If there was a product more readily available, it is possible that a lot of us would stop watching.

Justin B. wrote:
It seems my column has led to a very mixed reaction. I thank all of you for giving your opinions on it, both positive and negative. First of all, I have nothing against TNA. When I first started watching it, I loved it and thought the wrestling quality was better than WWE. However, the complete mismanagement of the title situation (Jeff Hardy with a title shot" Kevin Nash") and the almost complete lack of interesting storylines turned me away. I realize it was on at an odd time, but if TNA was so great compared to WWE, it would not have lost its TV deal. A local promotion recently lost its TV deal after a severe ratings drop, due to the promotion starting an "anti-WWE" type of campaign. I strongly believe since wrestling is not real, that you need a lot of great matches but as wrestling was intended to be entertainment, you also need great segments and storylines as well. Of course great wrestling comes first, but I believe good storylines and segments are necessary. The WWE has the best buildup for their matches, I don't care what anyone says. It makes the matches mean more. I just never found myself really caring who won or lost in other promotions, because they didn't build these guys up properly. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, whether they like WWE, TNA, ROH, or other promotions. I'm just simply stating my opinion, and stating the case for the promotion I love, WWE, much the same way people often defend ROH or TNA. I find it necessary to stand up for WWE due to the large amount of bashing it receives.

Tyler P. wrote:
Justin I agree with you about everything you said except for the part about title value. I think its great when a deserving person gets a lengthy run with a title. But when someone like Triple H has the belt things get boring bcause he always faces the same people. Titles should change every few months so fans would never know who's the next champ. But all in all your article had a few good points.

Jacob Kuhn wrote:
This is directed to Onslaught Six:

Since when do you have the authority to declare what title is a World Title or not" The NWA WORLD Title is not a promotional title. In fact, the WWE RAW and SMackdown titles are because they are not defended outside of the WWE.

The NWA World Heavyweight title is a belt that represents the top wrestler of more than 24 promotions. Contrary to popular belief, it is defended outside of TNA, especially when Jarrett was World Champion. The belt also is 56 years old... if anything defines this belt as a World Title, I think these criteria do.

Joe L. wrote:
The WWE is a company we want to succeed. The WWE is a promotion we all want to survive. The WWE is the only wrestling organization in town for television viewers to watch. But as long as the WWE continues making mind-numbingly retarded mistakes and mishandling the proper talent, then there is no way that they will be able to avoid bad criticism. If anything, the WWE has lost most of their hot steam coming off WrestleMania X-7.

Since then, the Attitude Era deteriorated greatly and the popularity of wrestling dramatically decreased. Why" Not because fans didn't like wrestling anymore but because they didn't like the errors and blunders the WWE has made. I mean, look at all these failures and catastrophes: the botched Invasion angle, utilizing lesbians and gays in desperation of high ratings, the same wrestler on every single PPV(**cough**HHH**cough**), pushing non-wrestlers at the expense of others, burials of wrestlers going over, nWo, the nevernending DIVA Search segments, the necrophilia storyline and hundreds of releases a year. These are the same mistakes that sent WCW sinking in a cesspool akin to idiotic sharks and now it seems conicidential that the WWE is heading towards that direction.

I know it hurts a lot of pro-WWE fans but it's the truth. I mean, come in...the WWE has the deepest talent pool in the world and what do we get in a house show main event" Stephanie McMahon vs. Vince McMahon"!!! This coming from a company that had the audacity to blemish WCW for being second-rate when they're doing the exact same mistakes that caused the death of WCW and the loss of an astronomical $80 million.

Also, you've got the lack of respect towards secondary titles like the Intercontinental and United States championships, two prestigious belts that made careers out of the likes of Don Moraco, Honky Tonk Man, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper, Lex Luger, Rick Rude, Sting, Steve Austin, Diamond Dallas Page and most recently, Randy Orton. Championships, regardless of their level, should be treated with respect and if they're poorly booked, no one cares about the champion and no one cares about the belts. That's why no one cared about the tag division in WCW because the tag titles didn't mean anything and were rendered useless. If you don't believe me, read my WCW's 25 Biggest Mistakes article and you'll understand why. Most recently, the Cruiserweights come out to zero reaction as opposed to the World Heavyweight Champion. That is a visualization of what's wrong with the title pictures.

But still, for every blunder the WWE makes, they still thrive in other sections. Despite all the ridiculous catastrophes that unfolded over the past three years, we all should be thankful for the WWE as long as they've got John Cena, Batista, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit and of course, Kurt Angle under their wing. Batista and most specifically Cena, are the futures of the business and Kurt Angle is my pick to be the new Millennium's Ric Flair, as long as he is healthy and willing to stay loyal to the wrestling industry. Ditto Shawn Michaels, who has impressed the hell out of me since his return in 2002.

So there are a lot of things bad about the WWE and a lot of things good about the WWE. But as long as stays on cable television, then it will still be watched by millions, regardless of how diminishing the fanbase was. Surprisingly enough, even several anti-WWE fans will watch the show for the sake of curosity. That goes to show that the effects of the Monday Night Wars still exist in this company. So far, the connections between the legendary Monday Night Battles and today's recent events are taken effect...Back in 1998, Steve Austin led the wrestling industry to supreme popularity. In the next couple of years, it will be John Cena or Batista. In 1995, despite being the Intercontinental champion, Shawn Michaels was the best pure athlete back at that time that enthrall fans with his amazing performances. Today, it will be Shelton Benjamin, who will one day rise above the IC title and win a World Championship.

Is the WWE the best in the world" Of course, not. Neither was WCW or ECW or TNA. Do we want it to succeed" Duh. OF COURSE. Will it strike to failure" Who knows" But as long as the company continues to run its course through the good times and the bad times and strike curious notes along the way, it will always be watched by its fans and its critics. And that's what sets the company apart from other promotions as of this day.

wrote:

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