Are WWE in Trouble or Nah?

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Sabretooth

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This is a question that has been on my mind for a while. Dean Ambrose appeared on Talk is Jericho and basically went into full detail on why he left and it wasn't exactly pretty. Long story short he said Vince and the creative team are impossible to deal with and he just became sick of all the games. It's now been reported that almost the entire roster feels this way and many superstars have looked at other options. Not to help things AEW was a massive success and looks like a good option for disgruntled superstars. Do you guys think WWE may be in trouble or it's all gonna blow over?
 

PHX

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The Punk interview was actually worse than this one as it put their medical staff on blast and even turned into a court case. So with that said I don't think they're in trouble because of this interview as the company has dealt with worse. All this does is add to the negetive perception the company already had among some fans. Best case would be it would make Vince step back and look at himself realizing he needs to back off some but the likelyhood of that happening is slim to none.
 
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Keith

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I don't think their in trouble just yet. They will want to cut down on negative press though. As it stands the WWE model is sustaining itself in the same way the Disney model is. How long that goes on is anybody's guess. Fingers crossed this AEW thing is for real and can prove an alternative to WWE.
 

Chris

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The Punk interview was actually worse than this one as it put their medical staff on blast and even turned into a court case. So with that said I don't think they're in trouble because of this interview as the company has dealt with worse. All this does is add to the negetive perception the company already had among some fans. Best case would be it would make Vince step back and look at himself realizing he needs to back off some but the likelyhood of that happening is slim to none.

Yeah this is a great point and WWE is even bigger now than they were at the time so I don't think this is a problem at all tbh. I actually wouldn't be surprised if the productgot better if some top guys left bc that forces them to be more creative with getting new guys over that step up like they did in 2000 when Austin and Taker were hurt.
 
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Bobby Barrows

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WWE is hardly in trouble. They've dealt with disgruntled employees for decades now and it isn't something new. Whether those employees had WCW, TNA, or AEW to go to in the past, it hardly changes a thing. WWE will continue chugging along with the top stars staying exactly where they are because they're being booked pretty damn well. If anything, it's more the undercard that will end up leaving more than anything.
 

Dale

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Seriously, I don't mind his usual reporting but fuck Meltzer for putting all this vague shit out there and people just eating it up. Not once did he mention a single name in that report when previously he's hung his hat on names before, it's pure click bait at it's finest and not to mention the way he talks about AEW as if he is in bed with them. It reeks of a huge ploy to put over how awesome AEW is and how everyone wants to be there, while the WWE is some sinking ship and everyone wants out.

One 'star' leaves, another will fill his spot and the wheel will keep on turning. Whether you liked Ambrose or thought he sucked, him leaving hasn't affected the WWE at all, he's just another spoke on the wheel like the rest of these so called unhappy, underutilised talent. If they want out, send them home and make them sit out the duration of their contract like with Neville. The Revival are easily replaceable, Luke Harper is irrelevant, Chad Gable, EC3 etc etc
 

Bobby Barrows

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Seriously, I don't mind his usual reporting but fuck Meltzer for putting all this vague shit out there and people just eating it up. Not once did he mention a single name in that report when previously he's hung his hat on names before, it's pure click bait at it's finest and not to mention the way he talks about AEW as if he is in bed with them. It reeks of a huge ploy to put over how awesome AEW is and how everyone wants to be there, while the WWE is some sinking ship and everyone wants out.

One 'star' leaves, another will fill his spot and the wheel will keep on turning. Whether you liked Ambrose or thought he sucked, him leaving hasn't affected the WWE at all, he's just another spoke on the wheel like the rest of these so called unhappy, underutilised talent. If they want out, send them home and make them sit out the duration of their contract like with Neville. The Revival are easily replaceable, Luke Harper is irrelevant, Chad Gable, EC3 etc etc

I mean, he is, y'know. He's best friends with the Bucks and Omega. At this point, any reporting or reviews from him regarding WWE should be thrown out and left boiling in the hot sun.
 

Chris

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Also I'd be very hesitant to call Double or Nothing a success. I enjoyed the show, but until we see the buyrate it's still up in the air. Looks like estimates rn say it got just under 100,000, which I would consider a success for them if true. Them getting the TNT TV deal is also currently a success, but until the show airs and we see how it does then we can get a good gauge on them as a promotion. But honestly, WWE is just so massively global at this point, I just can't see them failing, they're bringing in so much money and seem to be expanding even more.
 

Swamps

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No sir, the WWE is not in trouble. Yeah, the product could be better, but it is no where near the wrestlecrap it was in the mid 1990s. I mean, King Mable was main eventing for Christ Sake!

What I find hilarious is that so many people where talking about how boring and soft Dean Ambrose was a year ago, and now those same folks are saying he is the greatest thing since Sliced Bread because he went to another promotion. Man, get the hell out of here with that nonsense. He is still the same lazy, soft putz he was in The WWE. What does that really say about your upstart promotion when the guy who was going to be jobbed out to Nia Jax is considered one of your top guys? Yeah, some Anti-WWE Smarks will eat it up (those same ones who complained about Dean in WWE by the Way), but will John Moxey really bring in that many fans? This guy is so delusional, saying he was the most over baby face as a heel, at house shows during his program with EC3. No you wasn't pal. Some of us where in those arenas, and even Virgil would have gotten a bigger pop than you did.

Also, who cares if all of those disgruntled wrestlers leave? WWE have more than enough to cover down their spots. Most of them are boring jobbers anyway.
 

Cwalker

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Is the WWE in trouble? You mean, the company that just signed a $1 billion dollar television deal with Fox? You mean, the company that will probably get that same deal from USA when the time is right? I think they’ll be ok.
 

Hoss

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No sir, the WWE is not in trouble. Yeah, the product could be better, but it is no where near the wrestlecrap it was in the mid 1990s. I mean, King Mable was main eventing for Christ Sake!

What I find hilarious is that so many people where talking about how boring and soft Dean Ambrose was a year ago, and now those same folks are saying he is the greatest thing since Sliced Bread because he went to another promotion. Man, get the hell out of here with that nonsense. He is still the same lazy, soft putz he was in The WWE. What does that really say about your upstart promotion when the guy who was going to be jobbed out to Nia Jax is considered one of your top guys? Yeah, some Anti-WWE Smarks will eat it up (those same ones who complained about Dean in WWE by the Way), but will John Moxey really bring in that many fans? This guy is so delusional, saying he was the most over baby face as a heel, at house shows during his program with EC3. No you wasn't pal. Some of us where in those arenas, and even Virgil would have gotten a bigger pop than you did.

Also, who cares if all of those disgruntled wrestlers leave? WWE have more than enough to cover down their spots. Most of them are boring jobbers anyway.

This all just feels like you trying to be the anti-smark. People loved Dean Ambrose from the jump in WWE. He was the most over guy in The Shield in the beginning, but Vince made his mind up that he saw Reigns as the cornerstone for the future. Triple H took a liking to Rollins. Ambrose ended up being the odd man out for one reason or another and his career just steadily declined, particularly after his WWE Championship reign ended. Everything that people, generally speaking, grew to dislike about Ambrose were things that writers pushed on him. Even in 2018, people were excited for him to return from injury and were losing their shit when he turned on Rollins, only for WWE to hand him that germaphobe gimmick that went over like a lead balloon. A gimmick, mind you, that he didn't want to work. I don't know how you can think that him being BOOKED to job to Nia Jax after putting in his notice says anything about his star quality either, by the way. Says a lot more about WWE being bitter that this guy has enough faith in himself to walk away from the biggest company in the world, and maybe that they wanted to dim his shine a little bit more on the way out even.

I totally understand that these people on the internet, particularly the social media types, say a lot of dumb shit about WWE and AEW. And they can be annoying. And they can turn you against AEW. And I feel like that's what this boils down to. Dude had a great independent career and a hot start to his WWE career. There are some people like myself who have been a fan of him for over 10 years and are excited to see what he can achieve now that he's been left off his leash again. You'd have to be paying no attention to think that him coming to AEW didn't cause a huge amount of publicity because it did. It was the biggest thing that happened on the show. A show that had the highest PPV buyrate of any non-WWE company since WCW in 2000. I've personally seen a few fans online already saying that Moxley's surprise appearance has convinced them to check out AEW. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Vince is losing sleep over any of that, but that's nothing to sneeze at either.

And having said all that, I will address the original question. No, I don't think WWE is in trouble at all. I would imagine it would take a very long time for a company like WWE to crumble and for a company like AEW to become an actual threat. Anyways, the company is the biggest its ever been, they have a thriving streaming service and unprecedentedly lucrative broadcasting deals. WWE does have its issues and maybe if it goes long enough without addressing them, they'll find themselves in some hot water, but as of right now, they're going to keep on trucking along until they're forced to switch things up. There's a whole left to be seen as to whether AEW will be a successful company, much less any kind of competition to the juggernaut that is WWE.
 

Chris

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Also I really doubt the same people marking over Dean are the ones that were hating on him in WWE, it's not like he lost all his fans even if not very many people on this site still liked him. People are fickle af but the internet blows that out of proportion a lot of times when the popular opinion changes bc a lot of times those guys haven't changed their opinion, they're just being heard now when before the were lost in the shuffle of other opinions.
 
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Jimmy King

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I missed a lot of his pre WWE work but what I did see I liked a lot, particularly his “I’m a sick guy” promo. His WWE work is what made me a fan though, tbh he was my favorite out of The Shield. I liked them all but I liked him the most, because of his style and the way he carried himself. I’m excited for him now that he’s out on the indie scene again, and he seems rejuvenated and refreshed.

As for the question at hand, I don’t think WWE is in trouble as for reasons already stated above by others.
 

Keith

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Speaking of the WWE product. Sure its not the worst its ever been. From the little I've seen the last year I'd say its better than its been in awhile. But I think the problem is that its just very repetitive. Think what some people over look is that the quality is more down to good storytelling, character and psychology. Its all fine pointing to some of the top draw technical guys they have nowadays but if their not doing the basics and if the storylines and characters lack creativity the product will suffer.
 

Hoss

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Speaking of the WWE product. Sure its not the worst its ever been. From the little I've seen the last year I'd say its better than its been in awhile. But I think the problem is that its just very repetitive. Think what some people over look is that the quality is more down to good storytelling, character and psychology. Its all fine pointing to some of the top draw technical guys they have nowadays but if their not doing the basics and if the storylines and characters lack creativity the product will suffer.

That's really the big issue. There's such a shortage of long term story telling, too many matches being repeated while adding no stakes, wrestlers are seemingly required to hit their full array of signature moves and spots in every match they work, everyone has to squeeze in their catch phrases, no matter if it's organic or not, and there's definitely too much short term memory stuff where things that happen one week should be disregarded the next week. There's plenty of repetition in all eras of wrestling, don't get me wrong, but it just seems that the last few years it's been taken to a new level and it feels like there's so rarely anything truly engrossing that happens.

But yeah, WWE has been worse. Since last year's Rumble it seems they're at least trying to mix things up better. It's just a mix of hits and misses so far.
 
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