10 Worst Things About Modern WWE

The modern WWE features an era full of newer big-name stars like Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, and Seth Rollins. Most of the wrestlers from the Attitude Era are gone and even Ruthless Aggression Era superstars are few and far between. The company as a whole grew stale until the "retirement" of Vince McMahon in 2022.

Triple H took over WWE creative after McMahon left (only to return a few months later), which led to massive improvements, but the current WWE is not without its flaws. Some issues are caused by the show itself. Others are just a product of the new era of social media. This list will examine the 10 worst things about modern WWE.

10 Spoilers

"Surprises" were once one of the greatest weapons in the WWE. It doesn't matter if they take place within a story or if they are a shocking superstar return, a good surprise is always a reward for wrestling audiences. Surprises were also much easier to pull off before the age of the internet.

Although social media has made the world smaller, it also leads to massive spoilers. It's nearly impossible to be a WWE fan, today, without having at least one big-time surprise spoiled by the internet or social media. Uncle Howdy should have been a massive surprise for WWE fans, but reports of Bo Dallas backstage have sucked some of the life out of the great story.

9 The Lack Of Pay Per View Event Power

The addition of streaming has made the entire WWE library more accessible than ever. Gone are the days of buying DVDs and VHS tapes to live in the solid nostalgia of Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin. The age of streaming has also forced pay-per-views to become premium live events.

It's great to not have to pay 60 bucks to watch a storyline pay off, but the storylines have taken a hit due to the loss of pay-per-view events. After WrestleMania 1, most WWE storylines paid off at pay-per-view events. This forced WWE creative to create stories that would intrigue audiences enough to fork out extra money to watch PPVs like SummerSlam or Backlash. Since there is no pressure to sell pay-per-views, certain events on the calendar are there merely for the sake of being there.

8 No Entrance Videos

Along with great entrance music, the WWE was well known in the 1990s and 2000s for the highlight footage that played when a wrestler entered the arena. The WWE has changed the highlight videos to an animated backdrop that is fun, but much less exciting.

It makes entrances feel far more manufactured and inorganic, and the poor-quality AR that some stars receive just makes things worse.

7 Raw Is Too Long

In 2012, Raw became a three-hour television program. Three hours is way too long for a weekly show of any kind. For Raw, specifically, three hours is a bad idea, because it adds a ton of fat to the television program.

There is almost always an hour of content on Raw that could easily be cut. While Triple H has done a lot to make the show more enjoyable, fans will still really feel the length of the show. Jim Ross has even criticized the move.

6 The Power Of Rumors

The era of social media and the internet has not only led to spoilers but also leads to rumors that carry way more weight than they should. A Twitter or internet rumor can lead to endless unnecessary speculation by fans.

It's also tough to tell what is a rumor and what has been confirmed as fact. "Dirtsheets" used to be a weekly or monthly occurrence. In modern WWE, dirt sheets are an endless cycle of mostly unsubstantiated claims. The WWE was "sold" to Saudia Arabia for a few hours according to the rumor mill in 2023.

5 Lack Of Title Defenses

The WWE's World Championships were separated from other major belts in MMA and boxing because they were often defended on WWE television. They felt like prizes that were precious because they could go away at any moment.

The Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar era of the WWE has featured much fewer title defenses. Long title reigns aren't bad, but few title defenses are. It makes the world titles seem just inaccessible instead of valuable.

4 Brand Supremacy Debates

Ever since the Monday Night Wars, some fans have clamored for a competition between two top-tier wrestling programs. In all truth, the WWE hasn't had competition since WCW. Impact Wrestling and AEW are great, but they aren't an entire industry on their own at the level of the WWE.

Modern wrestling features too much comparison among wrestling companies, which is a waste of time and a remnant of a great era of wrestling. The age of social media has intensified these pointless debates.

3 Scandals Away From The Ring

Vince McMahon's scandal away from the WWE has been one of the biggest wrestling scandals of all time. It's never fun for wrestling fans to have to give their opinions on sexual misconduct and the ethics of the founder of the WWE when they watch Raw to see Chad Gable say "shoosh."

The scandals away from the WWE about CTE and unions make modern wrestling more "instantly political" than ever.

2 Predictability

The WWE is rare in terms of the kind of content it creates. It's difficult to create wrestling storylines and matches that haven't been done (by the company itself) at one time or another.

Although great moments do happen, for any longtime fan at least half of the show is too predictable. Triple H shook things up when he first became the head of creative, but a few months after his arrival predictable segments also returned.

1 PG Content

Braun Strowman and Nicholas as tag champs

The Attitude and Ruthless Aggression Eras featured blood, chair shots, and a ton of risque content. It's often considered the "good old days" of wrestling for modern audiences. Today, the WWE features PG-friendly content that restrains the company that built its legacy with over-the-top segments and insane statements.

The WWE's "family friendly" filter has held back a ton of great segments like The Fiend, Matt Riddle's extracurricular activities, and WWE heels in general. The PG Era appears to be here for the foreseeable future despite rumors in 2022.