The Problem with World Wrestling Entertainment

Many of you remember the second Golden Era, if you will, of Professional Wrestling. This era lasted from around 1997 to around 2000, although many argue the dates vary. During this time, pro wrestling became as popular as it had ever been in its history, as the what was then WWF and the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) battled it out on Monday nights for ratings, which were very high. In fact, in 1999, the WWF garnered an 8.1 television rating, the highest prime-time rating in the history of the business, with over 8 million viewers watching a "This Is Your Life" segment involving Mankind and The Rock.

How I miss those days. Now, in 2007, things have changed dramatically. WCW is long gone, having been bought out by the WWE in 2001. The closest competitor now to the WWE is Total Nonstop Action, and even though they do run regular PPV events and have landed some former WWE stars such as Kurt Angle and Christian Cage, are still a long way from competing head to head with the WWE. Ratings are very low right now, with WWE Raw on USA Network only at a 3.5, which is about 3 to 4 million viewers less than their average ratings during the "Monday Night Wars." People, it seems, are not that much interested in the product these days. But why?

The answer is that the WWE has become too much about entertainment rather than presenting itself as a gritty, edgy company willing to go out on a limb to impress fans. During the late 90's, on any given RAW, you could find such edgy gimmicks as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (a middle-finger poppin', swearing redneck who was against authority) and The Rock (A man with incomparable charisma whose catchphrases such as "If you smell what The Rock is cookin'" are household phrases). You had Kane, a masked maniac who would fight his brother, The Undertaker, in an Inferno match (where the ring ropes were on fire). Even the introduction to each RAW featured a hardcore music song with wrestlers fighting in a war zone full of flames and rubble. It was pretty edgy and had that badass feel to it, and that what was so great about World Wrestling Entertainment in the 90's.

Now, RAW and its sister show Smackdown, feature advanced, state of the art graphics with an intro piece showing the wrestlers among city skyscrapers. It is very flashy and very Hollywood. Its stars are hardly as cool, edgy, and controversial anymore. "Stone Cold" is retired, The Rock has left for Hollywood stardom, and Kane is unmasked and a good guy, and hardly scary. The Undertaker is still the Undertaker, but not as dark in personality. The World Champions (yes, there are two now), The Great Khali, a 400 pound, 7-foot tall Indian giant who cannot wrestle, and John Cena, a white rapper type character who is unfunny as he is annoying. The closest thing the WWE has to "edgy" is Randy Orton, a young 3rd generation wrestler who gets off on destroying other wrestler's careers. Now we have boring, silly gimmicks like The Boogeyman and Big Daddy V.

Not to say the company doesn't have any great, up and coming stars. Including Orton, there is C.M. Punk, a popular straight-edge wrestler who has some brutal moves; Mr. Kennedy, an awesome wrestler whose interviews and promos are brilliant, and Brian Kendrick and Paul London, a tag team who is not getting the attention or push they deserve. There are other good things about the current state of the WWE, but with the shocking death of Chris Benoit and current steroid controversy, the company may not be in position to be as edgy and controversial as it once was. I can only hope for the day when the WWE goes back to being shocking, stunning, and of course, edgy.