9 Things Fans Will Probably Never See In WWE Again
WWE used to be the go-to destination for captivating wrestling content before the company went PG in 2008. While the company managed to produce entertaining content after the change, they completely eradicated certain aspects of the programming the fans grew up watching.
Now WWE is like a ghost of its former self and has fully transitioned into a sports entertainment company. While the hardcore fanbase remains loyal to them, some older fans and the younger demographics have switched over to other alternatives like All Elite Wrestling.
RELATED: 10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Randy OrtonWhat changes did the company make, and which aspects of their old-business style did they trash to reach the place they're in today? Let's take a look in detail at ten things the fans might never see in WWE again.
9 A Single Day WrestleMania Makes No Sense
The year 2020 turned out to be a tough year for WWE because of the pandemic, and the first blow they took from the restrictions was to cancel the planned WrestleMania 36 event at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The company had to hold it behind closed doors with zero attendance at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
However, what came as a blessing in disguise was WWE coming up with the idea of making WrestleMania a two-day event. Since then, WWE has continued to host the following WrestleManias as two-day events, and it has become extremely successful among the fans.
The two-day event structure saves the fans from having to sit for a long show on the same night, and it also gives more wrestlers to get opportunities to compete in the biggest payday of the year. So WWE will by no means think about making WrestleMania a single-day event again.
8 Bruno Sammartino's & Fabulous Moolah's Records Won't Be Broken
The current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is nearing a 2-year mark with the Universal Championship, but there's practically no chance for WWE to go ahead with Reigns crossing Bruno Sammartino's record for the longest world title reign in history.
No superstar has surpassed Sammarino's 2803-day record with the WWE Championship as of this date, and there might never be another superstar to beat the record, owing to the growing roster and the need to satisfy the impatient fans. The same goes for The Fabulous Moolah's 3,651-day record with the WWE Women's Championship.
7 At This Point, A John Cena Heel Turn Is Nigh-Impossible
Since his turn in 2003, John Cena played the role of a babyface and never embraced the dark side. While the fans were pretty vocal in their requests to turn Cena heel, Vince McMahon didn't listen to any of them as Cena already had a huge fanbase among the children and women, and was also the top merchandise seller for the company, hence they couldn't risk turning him into a villain. He has played a heel character in his early WWE career, but the fans have limited memory of him during that period, as his babyface character has overshadowed everything he did during his brief heel run.
RELATED: 10 Best John Cena Movies, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes
With Cena completing a full transition into Hollywood and only making sporadic appearances for WWE, the fans might never get to witness a John Cena heel turn in this lifetime.
6 After Owen Hart's Accident, No WWE Superstar Will Descend From The Rafters
No wrestling fan will forget Shawn Michaels' iconic entrance at WrestleMania 12, where the Heart Break Kid made his way to the ring from the rafters on a zipline. Vince McMahon himself tested the zipline before HBK would make the entrance, but the Owen Hart incident changed WWE's perspective on such entrances.
WWE faced severe criticism and backlash over the incident, and it still remains one of the darkest days in wrestling history. While WWE allows the superstars to do certain high-risk moves, the company will never allow the superstars to do an entrance similar to HBK's ever again.
5 WWE Will Never Be Truly "Hardcore" Again
When it came to hardcore wrestling back in the day, the matches involved every dangerous weapon a pro-wrestler was allowed to use on his opponent. From barbed wire bats, thumbtacks, sledgehammers, steel chairs, tables, ladders, gasoline cans, and everything they could find under the ring, the wrestlers used them to inflict pain on their opponents.
WWE's version of Extreme Rules matches has lost its value ever since the company went PG, and the fans cannot expect such violent matches to take place in a WWE ring ever again.
4 Bra & Panties Matches Were Demeaning To The Women Involved
When WWE used to be an adult-friendly content, they brought in female wrestlers, or divas, as they were called then, to produce some bold gimmick matches. Bra & Panties match is one of the common match types WWE resorted to when booking the divas' division storylines. The stipulation of the match is the first diva to strip their opponent to their bra and panties are declared the winner.
RELATED: 10 Strangest WrestleMania Gimmick Matches Ever
The last documented Bra & Panties match in WWE took place on the March 19, 2007, episode of Raw between Candice Michelle and Melina, and the stipulation never returned after that and possibly never will.
3 Abuse Of Women
As said before, WWE had the license to produce some bold content during their TV-14 days, and some segments and matches that involved female wrestlers would create a huge uproar if they happened today.
Some storylines looked too much abusive to women, and to point out some as an example, we can remind ourselves about the live celebration between Edge and Lita, the entire Kane and Lita storyline, The Undertaker abducting Stephanie McMahon, and many more. The fact that WWE allegedly threatened to fire Lita, if she didn't take part in the segment, gives more reason to believe that we might not see such segments in the future.
RELATED: Lita Claims WWE Threatened To Fire Her If She Didn't Take Part In Live Sex CelebrationWomen's wrestling has become more dignified over the years, and female wrestlers receive equal opportunities as their male counterparts. Hence, replicating such storylines is totally off the charts these days.
2 Chair Shots To The Head Are An Unnecessary Part Of WWE
Steel chairs are one of the most iconic weapons in pro wrestling history, and almost every promotion allows the usage of the object in certain match types and segments.
In those days, the WWE wrestlers used to take chair shots to the head like it was nothing and still stood up to finish the match. However after more knowledge was discovered about the long-term effects of concussions, WWE made the wise choice to ban chair shots to the head. But since WWE phased out the violent aspect of the in-ring competition after going PG in 2008, we can still see the superstars use steel chairs during the matches, but only use them on their opponents' backs, ribs, or anywhere other than the head.
1 WWE Wrestlers Intentionally Bleeding Won't Happen Again
To make the hardcore aspect of the matches look realistic, WWE used to have their superstars use blood capsules to imitate bleeding during the matches. The other method to get the same outcome is a bit extreme, as the superstars carry a small but sharp blade, which they use to cut themselves on the forehead to induce bleeding.
That practice was rightfully phased out after 2008, and whoever resorted to that method found themselves having serious repercussions, similar to the $100,000 fine Batista got for blading during a match against Chris Jericho on the 800th episode of Raw in 2008.
