Growing up, I would hear stories about “the good old days” of wrestling. I would immediately dismiss these old farts and their stories of “true wrestling.” My hubris was too big to be swayed by these Gandalf-looking dudes and their tales of old.
Now, many years later, I have become the old fart, and my stories sound musty and stale to my young son. Could it be that I lost touch with what is “clutch”? Especially, when it comes to wrestling, and the WWE?
Oh Yeah!, Snap Into The 80’s
During my childhood, I preferred to watch the WWE over WCW. The WWE just felt younger, hipper, and more electric. It was lively, macho, and oozed testosterone. Jacked up on candy and coca-cola, I’d dive from the sofa onto a mound of pillows mimicking what I saw on the screen.
This era of the WWE appeased adults and children alike. It was designed to be fun, funny, and fantastical. I mean where else would you see a 14-foot cobra gnawing on the arm of an opponent, the planet-exploding creation of the Mega Powers, and giants being defeated? It was pure gold.
Back then, the good guys and the bad guys were easily definable, and most of the characters were based on jobs. The Undertaker wasn’t riding around on a Harley to a Kid Rock song. He was a pale-faced, urn-powered, deadman that put you in a casket and buried you alive!
The Attitude Era Sends Panties Flying
As I matured into my teen years so did the WWE. The attitude era was by far one of the wildest, sexist, and over-the-top wrestling ever. Looking back, I can’t believe they got away with half the stuff they did. Monday Night RAW became a must see movie every week.
Without fail, my best friend from high school and I would pick up a Big New Yorker from Pizza Hut, head over to my cousin’s basement, and flip on the telly to watch the next installment of craziness.
While chowing down on carbs and slugging back Mountain Dew, we saw HHH marry Stephanie McMahon, Kurt Angle role out in a milk truck, Debra flashing her puppies, and the list of zaniness goes on and on.
One of the biggest things WWE had going for itself was the fact that it was relatable to men going through puberty and divorced dads. The storylines were mainly about hating your boss or the girl that got away. Also, the machismo hit a whole new level with the introduction of The Rock.
COVID Dropped the Leg on the WWE
Shortly before the pandemic, the WWE was running out of steam and interesting storylines. The Rock, Stone Cold, and others had moved on, and their replacements were less than thrilling. Not only that, the storylines were terrible. The WWE had lost its E.
When the pandemic hit, wrestling got even worse because there was no crowd. The pop of millions, and millions, of fans cheering or booing wasn’t there, and it left the theatricals less appealing to watch. Unlike other sports, wrestling needs to play off the reaction of a live audience.
Is Netflix Boosting WWE Ratings?
Getting back to my son and his eye rolling when I tell him that wrestling isn’t like it used to be. I was able to bring receipts using www.Wrestlenomic.com.
The premiere episode of RAW on Netflix reached an estimated 5.9 million viewers. However, viewership has tumbled from the top rope since then, and has settled around 3.0 million. Honestly, the WWE has nobody to blame but themselves because the premiere episode really didn’t have a hook.
Consider this: in January of 1998 RAW had a viewership of the same amount (3.0 million) and by November 2000 settled in around 6.0 million. Peaking at 9.0 million in April of 2000.
So what do these viewership numbers show? They show that people tuned in to the premiere episode hoping to experience an attitude era of wrestling. They were promised something new, something exciting, and a product without TV network limitations. Think of the number of puppies we could have seen? Instead, we got a boring monologue by The Rock, Hulk Hogan soliciting beer sales, Undertaker barely able to take a corner on his motorcycle, and most of the rival matches finishing with the fan favorite as the winner.
Cody Rhodes Drops the F-Bomb, John Cena Turns Heel
Of late, two of the biggest WWE trajectory changes have been Cody Rhodes dropping an f-bomb and John Cena joining The Great One as a heel. Although shocking and creating headlines, is it enough to get us back to an unexpected era of wrestling that is fun to watch? Time will tell.
If you are interested in hearing my full take on RAW on Netflix, and my friend’s take (yes, the same one that watched RAW with me in my cousin’s basement), head over to here and listen to our Podcast episode.
I blog and podcast with my life-long friend. Enjoy the ride before it’s over!
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