Years of watching WWE have familiarized us with some of their usual practices, both inside and outside the ring. The promotion makes the same series of decisions every year, and yet, it somehow manages to shock us as if we have seen a unicorn flying a spaceship. That might be an exaggeration, but you get the point.
In this article, we will take a look at five knee-jerk decisions that WWE made this year and their overall impact on the product.
#1 Repetitive booking on WWE RAW
WWE RAW has been in hot water for a long time now, and the response to the show is pretty evident from the massive drop in its viewership. Despite being the promotion’s flagship show, the Red brand has struggled to retain interest from the WWE Universe. One of the many reasons behind its recent downfall is its repetitive booking across all divisions.
While WWE RAW has a plethora of unmatchable talent, the creative team often pits the same superstars against each other with little to no change in their storyline. In hindsight, a long-term booking is a great idea, but it requires equally sincere dedication towards the build-up. Without that, even the most interesting feuds are bound to lose their charm by the end.
Time and talent – WWE RAW have two crucial resources at their disposal. The creative team can use them effectively and get the Red brand back on top within weeks. Instead, we see a handful of names entrusted with the burden of carrying the three-hour-long show. Even if they do their best, things can and will go wrong when they inevitably have an off night.
Drew McIntyre has transformed into one of the top superstars in not just WWE but the entire business. However, his image takes a hit when he is booked in monotonous world title feuds for months at a stretch. Randy Orton has been one of the best performers on WWE RAW since WrestleMania last year. Until recently, he was involved in extended feuds with the likes of Edge and The Fiend, where the same things happened to him over and over again.
Earlier this year, Sheamus faced either Drew McIntyre or Bobby Lashley or both for five consecutive weeks. Now, McIntyre, Orton, and Sheamus deserve credit for elevating their respective WWE storylines to a whole other level with their unbelievable performances. Unfortunately, some of their biggest moments stopped seeming special because they transpired every other week.
Both the WWE RAW Tag Team division and the women’s division were also stagnant for months. Until last week, only two teams were involved in the tag team title picture. Since last year, the women’s division’s two biggest highlights include Asuka’s unbeatable sense of humor and former WWE Superstar Lana’s resilience to go through the announce desk ten weeks in a row. Again, ‘in a row.’
At times, it gets difficult to separate the thoughts of a fan from that of an analyst. The two perspectives don’t always align, as it is tricky to hold off on expressing disappointment while offering constructive criticism.
It would be a huge error on our part, as viewers, to ignore the talent on the WWE RAW roster or to undermine the efforts of top WWE Superstars who have carried the show in the last year and a half. The only bigger mistake than that would be to limit their potential by suffocating them in mundane storylines.
#2 Controversial WWE releases in 2021 since WrestleMania 37
WWE has released a long list of superstars this year. These included a few shocking names such as Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, The IIconics, Ruby Riott, Buddy Murphy, and more. The news took the internet by storm, and several speculations were drawn about the plausible reasons behind their release.
Strowman won a world championship in WWE last year. He was back in the title picture once again and was involved in a feud with Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley when he was released. Aleister Black’s return was promoted on WWE SmackDown for weeks, and he was released one week after coming back on the show. After his release, Black thanked Triple H and Paul Heyman for always trusting his talent.
Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, and Ruby Riott were also released just as they started gaining momentum. Samoa Joe’s in-ring return was reportedly delayed once again due to his head injuries. Several other names were released and while some were understandable, others came as unwelcome surprises.
#3 Charlotte Flair’s involvement in the WWE RAW Women’s Championship picture
WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair has certainly earned the title of The Queen owing to her athletic prowess. She has already established herself as one of the best female wrestlers to step inside the WWE ring and is the most decorated superstar in the women’s division. While she deserves all these accolades, one can’t ignore the way she is booked in title pictures.
Charlotte Flair returned after a prolonged absence and immediately won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Asuka. After losing the title, she once again went off the television, and upon her return, she immediately entered the WWE RAW Women’s Championship picture. She is now scheduled to challenge Rhea Ripley for her title at WWE’s upcoming pay-per-view, Hell In A Cell.
While no one denies Charlotte Flair’s hard work, it gets monotonous to see her enter and win titles all the time in the same fashion. She is brilliant at playing a heel, but she is somehow limited to the talks about her legacy. At times, her dominant run has taken a serious toll on other superstars’ momentum, who are also desperately looking for a push.
#4 Shane McMahon’s return and jump off the steel cage in WWE
Shane McMahon returned to WWE television earlier this year for a brief period of time. He feuded with Braun Strowman on the Red brand because he wanted to prove that The Monster Among Men is stupid. After weeks of humiliation, Strowman got the opportunity to face Shane McMahon in a Steel Cage match at WrestleMania 37.
The match went as one would expect, with Strowman putting up a dominant display inside the ring. Of course, it led to the inevitable spot where he threw Shane McMahon off the top of the steel cage to secure his victory. Unfortunately, this feud did nothing to help Strowman on WWE RAW. Instead, it felt as if the entire storyline was constructed to lead up to the spot, as mentioned earlier.
At this time, Strowman was getting pushed once again and was close to going after the WWE Championship on RAW. The feud derailed his momentum, and Strowman struggled to win back more credibility. Unfortunately, he was released before he could entirely get back on track. It would be safe to say that the storyline was bizarre at best and tedious at worst.
#5 The entire booking of RETRIBUTION on WWE RAW
The RETRIBUTION had a good start to their run on WWE RAW. They were built as an anti-WWE stable, and they helped the creative team in dropping storylines without explanation. Remember the first few weeks when everyone had high hopes for this group? Back then, T-Bar was handling RETRIBUTION's social media accounts, and he was brilliant at trolling fans and competitors alike.
Soon, the magic began to fade when RETRIBUTION took repetitive losses against The Hurt Business. Even witty tweets couldn’t help save the group that was continuously subjected to weak bookings. Later, Mustafa Ali was revealed as their leader, and that didn’t work out well either. It led to an inevitable fight for the leadership of the group, and the whole angle was conveniently swept under the rug by WWE RAW.
This group could have done a lot more on the Red brand. An intense feud between Ali and T-Bar over the leadership of RETRIBUTION could have worked wonders for both their careers. Looking at the positives, T-Bar and others now have the option to start again on WWE RAW.
For those who don’t know, T-Bar (fka Dominik Dijakovic on NXT) played a crucial role in Keith Lee’s rise to the top over the last couple of years. He deserves a lot more attention on WWE RAW, and hopefully, the creative team will have better things in store for the promising superstar.