When did you stop watching WWE, if you did?

[Roadster]

By this I mean full time. So if you watch one show once a month, I still count that as not watching WWE. I'm referring to going from watching, at least, one of their shows each week to inconsistent or not existent viewership.

 

[Roadster]

I'd say 2017 was when I stopped watching consistently. I'd still put the shows on for some background noise, but I stopped watching almost completely around 2018-ish. My interest was already waning prior to 2016, but the brand split got me excited again and for the first year of the brand split the shows, both RAW and SmackDown, were great. When the 2017 draft happened, they tore apart SmackDown and changed the rosters to random nonsense, breaking apart existing stories for no reason. It just became a chore to watch, especially since the shows suck ass anyways.

I remember thinking back about how many changes occurred from 2010 to 2000 or 2000 to 1990 and just how different those years felt and how constantly WWE was changing. Compare the changes in roster, presentation, product, style, production and feel to how WWE has been from 2020 and 2010, and you'd be hard pressed to find absolutely any difference other than maybe 5 newer stars and an LED ramp, they even had the same set for 8 years.

 

[Jacob Fox]

I stopped watching completely in 1998. It was mainly due to the Attitude Era and the overuse of gimmick matches. I also was pissed at the way WCW was treating Ric Flair. The shows began focusing more on stories and talking and less on matches.

Hell, when I grew up on wrestling, you only ever heard the wrestler's talk in the ring or during an interview segment.

I got sucked back into it when I rented a Royal Rumble I hadn't seen and loved it.

 

[Tyler2]

I know I stopped getting emotionally invested in WWE around ending of 2006-08. I had started watching in 2004 and liked the bad storylines at the time. Kane and Lita, Eugene(until I found out it was just a gimmick I was 12 at the time) stuck around for Randy Orton vs Evolution and other talents. I just remember getting sick of DX's gross jokes and expecting more from the new ECW. So eventually I watched bits of Raw and Smackdown. Got back into it after Undertaker vs Shawn at Mania 25. Got sick around 2013-14 when they kept messing with the fans who liked Daniel Bryan. And it was getting kinda boring. Got back into it 2016. And honestly since 2018 it's been background noise. But I still leave it on. Raw, Smackdown and NXT flip with AEW. Sometimes some parts are good others are so bad it's good

 

[IndyWrestler1]

I stopped watching shows in full at around late 2017, I kinda moved towards the YouTube clips right at that time which helped me to continue to follow it but not watch the shite in between. A little highlight reel of sorts! I stopped doing that in 2019 altogether as well, especially when AEW came up and my tummy finally got filled with good sports entertainment again! (I'm a dub mark)

 

[CM Punk]

2014

 

[Jacob Fox]

I hate to sound like a typical Chicagoan, but WWE has gone downhill ever since CM Punk left.

It's hard to watch Raw. It's so long and they really fucked the show up. When it becomes a chore to watch a show, it's a problem.

NXT and PPVs are really the only things WWE can do right.

Thank God for NJPW and AEW

 

[Roadster]

I hate to sound like a typical Chicagoan, but WWE has gone downhill ever since CM Punk left.

It's hard to watch Raw. It's so long and they really fucked the show up. When it becomes a chore to watch a show, it's a problem.

NXT and PPVs are really the only things WWE can do right.

Thank God for NJPW and AEW

NXT has become another WWE brand since moving to the USA Network. NXT when it was still NXT was good because it felt different, and the wrestlers wrestled different and the show was produced different to the other shows. WWE's uniform feel, standardization and production is such a negative imho. They have a cooler arena, and the lack of the abhorrent LED lights is a positive, but they've really gutted NXT too.

I just don't understand why the developmental brand needed to be on national television. Isn't the point of NXT to be a low-pressure situation for guys to gain experience, improve their ring and promo work and learn without the fear of intense scrutiny by a national audience? If WWE wanted to combat AEW, they could've just made a third brand, take 1/3 of the midcarders from SmackDown, 1/3 from RAW add Balor and Charlotte and throw in a bunch of NXT guys and have it be the pure 'wrestling' show. The AEW audience would readily watch a show with the likes of Akira Tozawa, Chad Gable, Kalisto and others drowning in the midfield.

 

[Jacob Fox]

NXT has become another WWE brand since moving to the USA Network. NXT when it was still NXT was good because it felt different, and the wrestlers wrestled different and the show was produced different to the other shows. WWE's uniform feel, standardization and production is such a negative imho. They have a cooler arena, and the lack of the abhorrent LED lights is a positive, but they've really gutted NXT too.

I just don't understand why the developmental brand needed to be on national television. Isn't the point of NXT to be a low-pressure situation for guys to gain experience, improve their ring and promo work and learn without the fear of intense scrutiny by a national audience? If WWE wanted to combat AEW, they could've just made a third brand, take 1/3 of the midcarders from SmackDown, 1/3 from RAW add Balor and Charlotte and throw in a bunch of NXT guys and have it be the pure 'wrestling' show. The AEW audience would readily watch a show with the likes of Akira Tozawa, Chad Gable, Kalisto and others drowning in the midfield.

You are completely correct.

One problem Vince has always had is when he sees something growing in popularity, he changes it. He gives it more exposure but molds it differently.

For example, Shawn Michaels was a cocky heel who was very popular. So Vince made him a face and he was still cocky, but his character was changed. He made him a parody of himself. He was both cocky but trying to be humble cocky at times. It was awkward and weird. His first title reign was absolutely BORING. He didn't become the HBK people liked until he turned heel again.

So Vince sees NXT being popular. Well, let's give it more exposure and let's change the things that Vince doesn't like. Let's make it like a third brand.

If it's not broke, he still tries to fix it.

 

[Zany Clowny]

mid 2010s is about when i checked out but tbh visiting forums was a last ditch effort to keep me checked in to wrestling in the first place. also it doesn't help that the games are trashcan shit.

 

[Vampire Quinn]

Mid to late 2019.... Around the time I wasn't here for awhile was when I basically quite watching.... Lost interest. When I heard about AEW being a thing, I only ever watched the first 2 episodes and that was it.

 

[The Fiend]

I stopped watching the day after mania
Lesnar vs Goldberg w/Austin as ref
I just couldn’t watch wrestling for years after that.
I heard Brock had returned and had to see what he was up to in the wrestling world and instantly was side swept by the women’s division in WWE mainly Charlotte Flair
Knowing her father by rep and being a huge fan I had to see how good she was and if she could live up to the family name
Now I just see her as the greatest women’s wrestler of all time and don’t link her to Ric as she doesn’t need the family name to trade on
She created her own legend over the years so much so you might start to ask
Is Ric now trading on her name on screen haha
Well seeing as he is probably the goat , I think a lot of people will shoot down that comment.
Since then I have watched every nxt episode and caught up with all the major story lines of past years and find myself wishing I had caught the CM Punk era and Daniel B but life takes priority and time was not something I had during my 20s
Now I find myself with a lot more time on my hands so wrestling has become my obsession once again
2004 - 2016 was quite a hiatus and thanks to the network ,I found myself binge watching years of wrestling in the matter of weeks
Now I find myself hooked on AEW and NXT but I only catch up with raw and smack down before major PPVs to see what story lines they are running but most of the time I’m bored senseless
AEW can be hit and miss but I love the roster there and want to see more matches between Rey Fenix and Kenny Omega
By far the greatest match they have gave us to date
Instant 5 star classic
Rey should get a push to face Cody at some point though
I would love to see him draped in AEW gold

 

[Roadster]

I stopped watching the day after mania
Lesnar vs Goldberg w/Austin as ref
I just couldn’t watch wrestling for years after that.
I heard Brock had returned and had to see what he was up to in the wrestling world and instantly was side swept by the women’s division in WWE mainly Charlotte Flair
Knowing her father by rep and being a huge fan I had to see how good she was and if she could live up to the family name
Now I just see her as the greatest women’s wrestler of all time and don’t link her to Ric as she doesn’t need the family name to trade on
She created her own legend over the years so much so you might start to ask
Is Ric now trading on her name on screen haha
Well seeing as he is probably the goat , I think a lot of people will shoot down that comment.
Since then I have watched every nxt episode and caught up with all the major story lines of past years and find myself wishing I had caught the CM Punk era and Daniel B but life takes priority and time was not something I had during my 20s
Now I find myself with a lot more time on my hands so wrestling has become my obsession once again
2004 - 2016 was quite a hiatus and thanks to the network ,I found myself binge watching years of wrestling in the matter of weeks
Now I find myself hooked on AEW and NXT but I only catch up with raw and smack down before major PPVs to see what story lines they are running but most of the time I’m bored senseless
AEW can be hit and miss but I love the roster there and want to see more matches between Rey Fenix and Kenny Omega
By far the greatest match they have gave us to date
Instant 5 star classic
Rey should get a push to face Cody at some point though
I would love to see him draped in AEW gold

WWE had a very quick resurgence in 2016, after the brand-split. It basically died again right after the 2017 draft, which is when I lost interest after an almost constant viewership from even before I can remember, around 2001.

 

[Jay-Ashley]

Last year after night 2 of Wrestlemania 36 when Charlotte Flair beat Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's title.

 

[Deadmanforever97]

I stopped watching full time at the peak of the Cena and Orton rivalry when they were in ironman, i quit, hell in a cell.

It sounds awesome on paper but it was repetitive as shit.

I started back watching around the Nexus storyline