The Top 5 Most Debated Issues in Today's WWE

Debates make the world go round.

Well, at least in the world of professional wrestling. This is especially true in the case of WWE, which is typically raging with one heated discussion after another.

They're not always pretty, and the truth is, they're not always civil, but when the debates begin, each side argues as if their life depends on it.

Hey, we fans are a passionate bunch, what can I say?

There are so many issues in WWE that keep us busy, and no matter what side you take, there is almost always one constant for every fan when debating.

You believe you're right, and the other guy is just dead wrong.

So, on that note, here are five such debates that consistently make the rounds in WWE.  

Whose side are you on?

5. Brock Lesnar's Value

We begin this little slideshow with the Next Big Thing.

Or, he used to be.

When Brock Lesnar first left WWE in 2004, he left behind a company that had pushed him to the moon. Vince McMahon had taken an amateur wrestling star and turned him into a pro-wrestling phenomenon, a true Superstar in every sense of the word.

Then, Brock took that notoriety to the NFL, and later UFC.  

Now, eight years later, Lesnar comes back, and we are expected to take him seriously. And, the truth is, we should.

The guy makes such an impact, every time he's on TV. Despite how much some may criticize WWE's decision to bring him back, there is no denying that everything he does gets attention from fans on every level. His match with John Cena at Extreme Rules is still being talked about, as is his match with Triple H.

And, the reemergence of Paul Heyman as his agent has done nothing but help his cause.

Is he wrestling full time? No. Will he ever return to a schedule even remotely close to that level? Probably not.

But, Brock Lesnar is a star, and in a company that thrives on booking stars in huge pay per view events, he will likely have a home as long as he wants it.

Does Lesner deserve the hype that surrounds him, and does he really wants to give back to the company that made him famous? Or, is he simply out of places to go, needing a payday and doesn't really care about the business?

Choose your side. It's a debate, after all.

4. CM Punk's Potential to Be "The Guy"

It's happened before.

When Randy Orton was the man on Friday Night SmackDown, running the program as the World Champion, John Cena was the WWE Champion on Monday Night Raw.

And, the chatter was happening then.

"Is Randy Orton the true face of WWE? Should he be?"

It was debated quite often during that time, and even though fans like myself were fairly comfortable with WWE using Orton and Cena as its one-two punch, many fans were really questioning if Randy could pull it off on his own.

The same can be said of the current WWE Champion, as CM Punk has reached a level that many, perhaps, never saw him attaining.  

Before his recent heel turn, CM Punk, on any given night, and in any given city, was out-popping everyone on the card. Just the mention of his name was enough to make the crowd go wild, and now that he has made the turn? Fans still cannot get enough of him.

He sells merchandise, he's talented in the ring, he kills it on the mic and he is beginning to achieve a modest amount of crossover success.

Add to that his title reign which is fast approaching one year and you have a worker who is being seriously debated as not just a top guy, but maybe, even the top guy.

Is he? In the minds of many fans out there, yes. But, for the majority of the WWE faithful?

Well, you will just have to wait for slide No. 1 for that little debate.

3. The Rock's Royal Rumble WWE Title Shot

This is a tough one.

Tough, because I am an old-school pro wrestling fan. My youth was spent watching Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, when Jim Crockett Promotions ruled the south, and arguably, the industry.

Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Wahoo McDaniel, the Horsemen, the Rock & Roll Express, Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, the biggest names the business has ever seen. This was the era when being a champion took on more significance than any other time in history.

Titles meant something. Championships mattered.  

For a wrestler to leave, come back after several years of nothing and get a shot at the top title, was just unheard of.  

A guy went to the back of the line. That's how it was. You want a shot? You earn it.

So, when Rocky announced that he was getting a WWE Title shot, just like that, the old NWA fan in me came out and immediately cried foul.

But, 10 minutes later, I calmed down. Why?

Because WWE is not the NWA. That's it. The old rules do not apply to the business today. It's a different time, a new era, and despite how upset we all get over this particular issue, the truth is, we are just wasting our energy.

WWE is entertainment. And, an entertainment company, like every other business on the planet, wants to make money. That's the purpose of going into business in the first place, right?

And, featuring The Rock—a proven star in Hollywood—in the main event of a pay-per-view, means more customers buy the product, which equals a bigger payday for the company. Featuring The Rock in the main event for the WWE Championship?  

I would say that maybe that would mean a few more dollars earned, don't you?

Again, I am one of those fans who is still not 100 percent happy about it. But, at the end of the day, making money is all that matters. Is that too easy of an answer? Yes. Is it the truth?

You better believe it. 

2. The PG Era

The answer is everyday.

The question? How often do you hear about the God-awful state of WWE, thanks to its PG rating?

The amount of time that we, as fans, have spent talking about the PG Era is absolutely staggering. Every forum, every comments page and every dirt sheet contains so many complaints about it that we now expect to see it.

Everyday.

The main reason why is obvious. A great number of fans feel that the WWE product has become too watered down, and so kid-friendly, that it has lost its impact. The real adult drama is all but gone, replaced by unoffensive, harmless storylines that make no sense and are in fact, being dumbed down to the point of bordering on ridiculous.

A main point of contention recently has been the firing of AW.

His release, over what many considered to be his Kobe Bryant joke on Raw, was deemed to be unfair and unwarranted.  His supporters feel that much worse has been said on the air by WWE Superstars in the past, and that AW's release was yet another example of a company who is scared of its own shadow.

The fact that Linda McMahon is once again running for Senator only fueled that theory.

The truth is, we are no longer in the Attitude Era. That was a moment in time when WWE had to be edgier in order to gain more viewers and to overcome the onslaught of WCW. Those days of the business were filled with some of the greatest moments that we have ever seen as fans, and it was a time that we will never forget.

But, time moves on, and with WWE being the media giant that it has become, Vince McMahon and company decided that the need to appeal to a much wider audience was more important than being "edgy."

Was it the right move? Should WWE incorporate more adult themes in its product to make it more exciting and more realistic?

Depends on who you ask. The debate rages on.       

1. John Cena's Spot

John Cena is the face of WWE.

How many times have we said that? How many times have we read it? How many times have we, on Bleacher Report, wrote those very words?

It's been repeated so many times for a reason. It's not speculation, and it's not one guy's opinion. It's a statement of fact. And, we seem to be all in agreement on it.

Yet, every time John wins a match, fans complain. Every time he stands up to a heel, being the "boy scout" once again, fans rush to their keyboards to criticize.  

And, every time John is in the main event of a pay-per-view, oh, how the vile and contempt begin to spew.

Why? Isn't he the face of WWE? How can we all be on the same page about this fact, but then, get so upset every time Vince and company assert Cena into that position?  

The top guy in any promotion will always win—period. Even when he loses, he is still the No. 1 talent and the No. 1 draw. Despite who he faces or why, win or lose, he will still be the man the company is centered around and focused on. That is reality.

Is it crazy that Cena seems to win so easily, so often? Is his routine in the ring stale and his character stagnant? Perhaps.

But, for fans to lose their minds because WWE is just doing for John what they did for every other top draw they have ever featured makes no sense.

It seems, as though, we understand who John Cena is, but we just don't want to be reminded of it.

The fact is, we want it both ways. We always have. And, as ridiculously frustrating as it can be, we probably always will.