Posted By James Walsh on 12/19/20
WWE RAW ratings are falling fast and a recent report suggested the USA Network wants to remedy the problem by having WWE shake off the "PG" style and go more towards adult content. You know, like how they did in the Attitude Era.
That won't work!
There are 3 reasons why this won't work. Stick with me, this could get lengthy.
1. The writing was good during the Attitude Era. Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of the Attitude Era as much as many are. I was a WCW and ECW fan and felt WWE just borrowed the best elements from thsoe and presented it in their contrived way. But, their writing and stories were good. Do you believe there is any angle that could rival the popularity of Austin versus McMahon? Come on.
2. There are no more stars. I know there is Roman "I Film Movies While Battling Cancer" Reigns and the black hole of charisma and talent that is Braun Strowman. But who considers them stars? The last star WWE created was John Cena. And, that was a step down from the Attitude Era's The Rock, Steve Austin, and (though I hate to admit it) Triple H. You can't shine shit. And, there is a whole lot of shit on the present WWE roster.
3. In 1998, the teenaged audience had not all discovered the Internet and even if they had, adult content online was not as available as it is now. So, tits and ass based stars like Sunny (who was more talented than just T&A) and Sable (who wasn't) were able to be highly rated segments. Terri Runnels did well for herself too with her large ass for her frame amazing viewers. But, when i can go online and literally type in whatever fetish I have in my mind at the time and watch it play out in high quality video, do I need to watch wrestling to see girls in bikinis? And, with the "evolution" of wrestling, would they even do it? Or, would that offend the somewhat overhyped liberation claims of the female persuasion?
I'm pretty sure you could have Mandy Rose, Liv Morgan, and Paige slide thongs right up their cracks and have the smallest tops possible for FCC guidelines and crawl across the ring as Trish Stratus did 20 years ago and it wouldn't pop a number. Why? Because I can watch Paige lick man jam off a title belt with little effort more than a google search.
Society has reached a crass stage where even Howard Stern content has toned down because there is nothing that can be considered shocking given our relaxed standards via the Internet's wide open content creation standards. In other words, if I could watch a pornstar who looks just like Leah Remini get reamed, why do I need to watch her on a sitcom? Sex might sell but I think the age of the "hot diva" (which is what they mean by adult content, don't get that twisted) is long over because there are more ways to get your rocks off....
Hell, just type in any random female performer's name and the word "hot", "ass", or "bikini" after it and you'll get a more revealing shot she uploaded herself on Instagram than WWE would ever be allowed to air on TV. It is a society problem and not something I'm a big fan of. But, it is reality.
In conclusion....
The writing sucks, there are no stars, and society has moved on beyond "boy that girl looks hot in a bikini."
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