For the past few years, a metaphorical hurricane has been sweeping the WWE reception. It began in 2020 as a constant hemorrhage of talent releases, contract expirations, and staff departures disguised as “budget cuts”. Since the calendar was turned, it has become a multi-faceted carousel of nonsense.
The last six months have hosted the most baffling game of the McMahon family’s music chairs. Shane was reintroduced and then fired when he began playing his own game at the Royal Rumble. Triple H retired from the ring and returned to the office after a heart attack. Stephanie left for about two weeks before taking over the reign of interim president and CEO. Meanwhile, the current president and CEO of Talent Relations is facing its hottest legal waters in 30 years and an ongoing investigation by the WWE Board of Directors. Worse, this is not his only current public relations nightmare.
There’s also the random shoulder of the hugely popular women’s team champions. Leaving the company amid creative frustrations in mid-May, Sasha Banks and Naomi literally put their championship belts on the desk before a major event scheduled on RAW and never looked back. Although the subtle tracks have come down intermittently, the WWE still refuses to issue an official statement confirming its departure.
Things are almost as incoherent in front of the camera. Given the circumstances, however, this whirlwind of chaos is almost enough for WWE to be forgiven for dropping the ball several times in its image of the main event …
Almost.
WWE’s most admirable feat of ineptitude this year may have occurred during the first four hours of the 2022 broadcast.
When the ongoing pandemic sent universal immunocompromised champion Roman Reigns momentarily on the sidelines, rival Brock Lesnar entered Atlanta on New Year’s Day without an opponent. Then the powers that be are called audible.
Another laudable six-match letter was reserved for an 11 a.m. announcement of Reigns ’absence and Lesnar’s reassignment to the WWE Championship match. While the closure itself was a captivating demolition derby, the writing was on the wall. Indeed, the night ended with ‘The Beast Incarnate’ once again as WWE Champion. The most reprehensible, however, was the one who took the fall in the contest.
He most likely suspected that the then WWE Big E champion would come out empty-handed in the evening. However, the free-for-all of five people created the opportunity to crown a new champion without sabotaging the current champion’s trajectory. Instead of fixing the defeat on Seth Rollins or Kevin Owens, whose path to WrestleMania had not yet materialized, Lesnar massacred a promising reign by defeating the champion himself.
Even then, the main event of Big E WrestleMania was not inconceivable. A win at the Royal Rumble four weeks later and the subsequent pursuit of the WWE Championship would have been a story easy enough to tell. Unfortunately, the WWE had much bigger and much more silly plans in mind. Another cruel twist of fate saw Big E change the WWE Championship for a neck pain two months later.
Stay tuned soon, E. We all miss you.