10 Most Defining Tropes In WWE History, Explained
WWE has been on top of the wrestling industry for decades now, and throughout that time there have been plenty of tropes that have been developed about how the company operates and how the shows are presented. These trends are something that people have come to know and expect when it comes to watching the company.
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This can be positive and negative with a real mixture of established tropes. These are tropes that many other promotions attempt to go against in a bid to change things, but many of them now take place in WWE without fans even thinking too much about what they mean overall.
10 Muscular Wrestlers
One trope that has always existed for WWE is having muscular wrestlers with great physiques as the idea has been that this is the way wrestlers should look. This is something that has changed slightly in recent years with different body types being pushed, but for the most part, those with great physiques still dominate the landscape.
The likes of Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, and Goldberg are great examples of jacked wrestlers that have thrived even when others have been technically better. Fans are preconditioned to expect to see wrestlers looking like Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley, which is because of this long-standing trope.
9 Darker Gimmicks
Fans expect to see jacked wrestlers, but they also always anticipate darker characters because this is another trope that WWE has established. The company always tends to have some eerie gimmick going on, and while they don't always work out, it's a story opportunity the creative likes to have to hand.
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Whether it be legends like The Undertaker and Kane, or less successful characters such as The Boogeyman, WWE loves to have them. Fans expect to see this on a show, and while it has created some of the worst storylines of all time, this trope has also brought many of the greatest.
8 David vs. Goliath
WWE tells specific storylines and the company is always looking to do fresh and unique ideas, but there are certain tropes that the creative team always falls back on. The idea of a David vs. Goliath angle is one of those where the company often puts much bigger wrestlers against smaller talent.
This can be for a full storyline or random one-off matches, and it has had mixed success over the years. When done right with the correct talent and a good background story this can be brilliant, which is why audiences don't mind this trope.
7 Flashy Production
A trope that WWE has always relied upon is having the best production possible with high-end cameras, big fireworks, and amazing video packages. It's something that plenty of wrestling promotions have opted to make secondary, but for WWE this is a crucial situation.
It's a trope that fans have enjoyed as it guarantees a great viewing experience. Even during the pandemic, the company pulled out all the stops by creating the ThunderDome, proving how much this means to them.
6 Authority Figures
Certain wrestling promotions just have matches take place without too much explanation as to who booked them, but when it comes to WWE that is rarely the case. That is because the company often has authority figures in place to run the shows from a kayfabe perspective.
Sometimes these can be great, although that isn't always the case. Either way, it is a trope that audiences have come to expect from WWE, having someone appear to make decisions whether that is in favor of the babyface or the heel to advance a storyline.
5 One Dominant Poster Boy
WWE always has a loaded roster that provides something for everyone, but a trope that the company often has is relying upon just one person as the ultimate face of it. Whether that is Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, John Cena, or now Roman Reigns, WWE likes to have one central focus.
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This is something that does seem to work well for the company as it allows them to build different rivalries around that talent in the main event scene while others try to push to be at that level.
4 The Ropes Create An Invisible Barricade
A frustrating trope that WWE often puts into place when a segment is taking place that sees wrestlers arguing will see a talent refuse to leave the ring as if there is an invisible barricade. If a situation was real then a person would go through the ropes to chase whoever they are talking to to physically hurt them.
It's something that often frustrates fans and doesn't make much sense overall, but it is mainly done to try and stop wrestlers from fighting so that people can become excited about them competing in a match.
3 Contract Signings End Physically
Contract signings are something that WWE tends to do regularly in a bid to build up the excitement surrounding a rivalry. It helps to make big matches 'official' for upcoming events, and it often allows for some great verbal exchanges to increase the heat in a storyline.
However, a trope that has been created in WWE is the idea that those signings always end in some form of physical altercation. Whether it's someone taking a cheap shot and running or an all-out brawl, it's something that fans do expect to see.
2 Losing In A Hometown
Because WWE is a touring company, most roster members inevitably get the chance to compete in their hometown at some stage. This normally leads to them getting a huge reaction, and most people would presume that would mean WWE would push them and make a big deal out of them.
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However, that's not the case as a trope that the company has created is for people to lose or be humiliated in their hometown, which is always strange to see. Whether it's to create heat for their opponent or just to irk the fans isn't clear, but this is a trope WWE is known for.
1 Foreign Stereotypes
There are many amazing foreign wrestlers from outside the United States, and WWE never has any problem in signing them. However, an odd trope is that WWE has often tapped into stereotypes from the country that they are from, which has sometimes been very disrespectful.
It's always risky from a company perspective, yet that hasn't stopped WWE over the years. Foreign wrestlers often end up being heels as well for some reason, which is another odd trope.
