How the Reality Era Has Ruined WWE Programming

Whether it's necessary or not, wrestling fans generally like to break WWE history into eras.

The most famous is obviously the Attitude Era of the late 1990s, but the current product has been dubbed by many as the "Reality Era" following CM Punk's famous worked shoot promo last summer. There have been some good moments, but the Reality Era has ultimately been bad for WWE.

The primary aspect of the Reality Era is that the superstars are supposed to blur the lines between storyline and real-life issues. Punk did a fantastic job of that during the promo that launched him to superstardom last year, but the company has failed to capitalize on that momentum ever since.

It hasn't been for a lack of trying as the creative team has attempted some angles rooted in reality, but many of them have fallen flat. Wrestling fans are generally too smart and savvy about the business these days, so something that might have tricked people 20 or more years ago simply isn't going to have the same effect currently.

The Reality Era is certainly an interesting premise, but here are a few reasons why it has fallen flat thus far and will continue to do so in the WWE.

Fans Are Too Well Informed to Buy In

As previously mentioned, a big reason why the Reality Era has fallen flat is that the fans know when something is legitimate and when something is storyline related. Perhaps that isn't necessarily true for younger fans, but the vast majority of the audience isn't easily fooled. Since basically everything is out there on the Internet, WWE fans in general are very well informed with regards to the ins and outs of the business and feel patronized when something is being passed off as real rather than kayfabe.

Punk's promo was one of the rare things that worked well in the Reality Era because much of what he said had some truth behind it. Punk was given the mic and free reign to say pretty much whatever he wanted because his promo skills are so trusted and respected. Not many superstars are given that type of freedom because there are very few guys who can pull it off. A wrestling era can't be a success when there are only a couple performers who excel in the area that it is supposed to be all about.

Things such as John Cena being fired or Vince McMahon being removed from power might have been believable years ago, but fans understand the business side of things and realize that the WWE would never fire its top draw and that its owner couldn't really be ousted. A lack of consistency doesn't help matters either as McMahon recently returned to WWE programming with his power restored despite the fact that Triple H had apparently taken over. If there isn't a commitment to the storylines, then the fans simply won't buy them.

Kayfabe Is Essentially Dead

One of the best things about wrestling used to be the presence of kayfabe, which involved the talent and the fans buying into the product as being 100 percent authentic. Deep down people probably realized that things were fabricated, but there was a real commitment from the wrestlers to ensure that everything was believable. Kayfabe has been on the ropes for quite some time, but it's fair to say that the Reality Era has killed it.

Punk and Cena in particular have been two of the biggest culprits when it comes to breaking the fourth wall and essentially admitting to fans that wrestling is fake. One thing that tends to annoy me is when past gimmicks of certain wrestlers are mentioned. When Punk was feuding with Kevin Nash, he made mention of his Oz character from WCW. Cena made an even worse error, however, when he was feuding with Kane and made a quip about his past as a dentist.

Glenn Jacobs, who portrays Kane, played evil dentist Isaac Yankem in 1995, which is what Cena was referring to. The issue is that Kane and Yankem are supposed to be two totally unrelated characters. Older wrestling fans are fully aware of the connection, but Cena making light of it likely caused younger fans to look into it and that, in turn, hurt Kane's credibility when he was supposed to be a dominant monster. Such mentions can be entertaining to some fans, but they hurt the overall product.

Fans Are Now Skeptical of Everything

Sometimes in wrestling, things happen that are actually legitimately real and not storyline driven. Since the Reality Era has blurred the lines, though, fans are constantly skeptical and think that everything is a work. Whenever there is an injury of some sort, it becomes an immediate point of discussion regarding whether the superstar was actually hurt or if they were selling or if it was simply something to help move the storyline along.

That can be viewed as a good thing in some ways since it keeps the audience mentally involved with the product, but it is damaging at the same time. Things were much simpler when kayfabe was accepted because the fans would just buy whatever the WWE was selling. If somebody does that now, however, they are labeled with a derogatory term such as "mark." The fact of the matter is, though, that believing in what is happening is admirable because it makes it easier to enjoy the product.

The company probably likes that fans are constantly questioning things since it fuels discussion, but it hurts the overall product more than anything. No matter how hard the creative team tries to make things appear as though they are real, the fans are going to turn their collective noses up at it. Wrestling has always been a business that is contingent upon the viewing audience suspending its disbelief, but the Reality Era has ensured that fans won't be doing that any longer.

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