It's a good time to be a WWE fan. You've probably heard. The company can do no wrong at the minute. It's so good, in fact, that many fans and critics have compared it to the fabled Attitude Era. Given how problematic that era now looks in hindsight, they might even say that it's surpassed that golden age, but it probably has a bit of work to do before it can hold that title aloft.
One thing that the recent WWE boom has proven is that the company is durable. Scandal after scandal came, and weaker companies would have folded amidst the controversy, but it's somehow risen from the ashes stronger. One could even say they've gone from strength to strength, and the omnipresence of the company would back that claim up. Whether its on a mug or a t-shirt demanding that a story be finished - heck, there are even different types of WWE slots online - the company logo is everywhere.
So what's behind this revitalisation?
A changing of the guard is probably the biggest reason behind WWE's recent success. Vince McMahon was finally ousted and now the company seems to tell their stories through multiple voices, instead of one (deranged) voice. We won't dwell on the exit. Rather, look at the new kingmaker and focus on his role. That would be Paul Levesque, or, as many of you know him, Triple H. The former main eventer is now the key man behind the scenes, working as the chief content officer. In other words, the head of creative.
And Levesque commissions storylines in a different way to his predecessors. He prefers long-term booking, with plots unfolding over the course of months, sometimes even years. Cody Rhodes' WWE title win at WrestleMania 40 was almost two years in the making, following his prodigal return to the company from rival enterprise AEW. To the shock and disappointment of fans, he lost in the previous WrestleMania main event, when heel champion Roman Reigns retained with the assistance of outside interference.
Cue calls for Rhodes to 'finish the story' and win the title that his legendary father, Dusty Rhodes, never held. In a rare misfire of his time in charge, Levesque was going to ignore that expectation by setting up a 'dream fight' between Reigns and The Rock. The latter two are related, so this storyline would be a family drama. However, the fans were furious that a 'part-timer' like The Rock was showing up and taking a hard-working wrestler's main event, as he has been accused of doing in the past.
Now, if this had been the old regime, perhaps the feelings of fans would have been ignored. Yet under this new management, a U-turn was green-lit, the mistake acknowledged, and the story was finished. It just so happens that listening to fans is also best for business. And that's something Levesque doesn't get enough credit for - he's a shrewd businessman who knows what sells.
How things can get even better
It seems as though the buzz around WWE can't get any louder until you remember their upcoming Netflix deal. Starting in 2025, the streaming platform will become the exclusive home of WWE's flagship program, Raw, marking a seismic shift in how wrestling content is distributed and consumed. The deal is worth $10 billion over the following ten years and will undoubtedly generate even more money for WWE through the many new fans they can expect to acquire in the process, fans who never considered watching wrestling prior to seeing it on a service they were already paying for.
And we can expect Netflix to heavily promote their newest acquisition. After all, they're hoping for a return on their huge investment. What that means is likely a wide-reaching marketing campaign and multiple complementary TV shows and documentaries that give wrestling an even brighter spotlight. If they have access to WWE's content library (which we can safely assume they will), they can use that wrestling history to generate content. Perhaps they could even put older series of Raw up there.
Who are the next generation of top stars in the company?
Much of the company's future success will depend on who their top guys and girls are. Rhodes looks as though he'll be at the top for a while yet. Presently, he's a could-not-possibly-be-more-over babyface, but that will make an eventual heel turn all the sweeter. Gunther has been primed for a top spot for a while and looks destined to fulfil his world champion potential. LA Knight is a crowd favourite but it remains to be seen whether he has time to establish himself as a fully-fledged main eventer.
In the women's division, Jade Cargill is an incredible athlete whose best days are ahead of her, while Tiffany Stratton looks primed for greatness, and don't forget about Australian superstar Rhea Ripley, who's currently sidelined.
