This Is the Most Polarizing WWE Has Felt in Years
No one hates WWE more than its own fans, but most of these fans are the same ones who just want it to be better.
There's also something to be said for those who unabashedly enjoy the current product, and that's okay, too.
It's commonplace for people in any fandom to be more motivated to criticize or complain about what they don't like than praise or defend what they do, especially online. WWE and pro wrestling as a whole are no exception.
For everyone referring to modern-day WWE as the "Ruthless Depression" era following Cody Rhodes' latest Undisputed WWE Championship victory on SmackDown, there are arguably just as many fans excited about this year's Road to WrestleMania 42.
There are no right or wrong answers, and everything is entirely subjective.
A variety of factors have made modern-day WWE the most polarizing it's been in years and have created a fascinating dynamic within the audience.
Triple H's Honeymoon Phase Has Long Been Over
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Fans often forget just how bad a vast majority of WWE programming was at the time Triple H took over for Vince McMahon as the head of the company's creative direction.
The Bloodline story dominated SmackDown and was largely fun to follow, but almost everything else about the product was subpar and left a lot to be desired. Superstars were either leaving or getting released at a rapid rate and the overall morale surrounding the shows among the audience was weak.
The goodwill Triple H cultivated with fans from his time running the NXT brand made him the easy choice to serve as McMahon's successor in the wake of the latter's abrupt "retirement."
WWE TV was by no means perfect at that point, but it was far more tolerable and booked much more logically in comparison to the McMahon regime. Fresh faces were afforded opportunities, familiar faces were brought back, and most stuff starting clicking.
Triple H's WWE peaked when Cody Rhodes "finished his story" by beating Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40. The remainder of 2024 had its bright spots, but 2025 saw a drastic decline in quality.
His "honeymoon phase" has long been over, but that doesn't mean Triple H, WWE and TKO can't reach those same heights again.
WWE's Overall Business Is Still Strong... For Now
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There were several strong indicators of WWE's big boom in business from 2022 onward, including the merger with UFC under Endeavor/TKO being made official, the lucrative deal for Raw to join the Netflix family, consistent sellouts, record-setting merchandise sales and more.
The shows themselves were also enjoyable and well received by most fans. The international premium live events in particular had hot atmospheres and that led to better crowds in the United States as well.
Of course, that was when tickets were infinitely more affordable, and that was only two years ago. Ticket prices have soared under TKO since then, making the product a lot less affordable and appealing to the average fan.
There's been much more frustration among fans with the creative direction over the last year. Certain stories are either not fully fleshed out or take too long to culminate, and the corporate vibe has carried over into the shows with a heavy emphasis on sponsorships, needless celebrity cameos and advertisements for everything but the wrestling.
That's in addition to WrestleMania 42 emanating from the same city as last year because WWE realized how much money they made from last year's WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas and wanted to capitalize on that by returning for the subsequent installment, something that had never been done under McMahon.
'Mania tickets aren't selling quite as quickly as they were a year or two ago, but that's to be expected considering the circumstances, and advance ticket sales aren't alarming enough to send the message to higher-ups in WWE that creative changes are needed.
Not Everything Is Awful
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Contrary to popular belief, not everything in WWE is awful at the moment.
The shows arguably aren't worth the premium prices WWE is charging for them (both in person and on the ESPN app for fans in the United States), but that doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a lot to like about the current product.
From a sheer depth perspective, the roster is as stacked as it's been in many years, both for the men and women. Most of the matches tend to be great, and very few if any of the storylines are egregiously awful.
Some things can fall somewhere in the middle and just be "fine"—not the best or worst ever, as the internet would have you think.
That's almost part of the problem, however. McMahon's WWE, especially toward the end of his tenure, was universally hated by so many that the audience was a united front and demanded change. Regardless of whether management relented or not, they knew what they wanted and didn't care about the criticisms.
Based on the booking, Triple H and company appear to be unsure of what they want out of the programming. They've been forced to pivot on a number of instances due to injuries and other factors, yet it's been a basic, formulaic effort that has left a certain segment of the audience feeling apathetic.
Unlike in the past, there are those who are very much entertained by everything they're watching or refuse to acknowledge any issues there might be. A polarizing product can create conversation, and that's exactly what WWE is dealing during this year's WrestleMania season.
The AEW Effect
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One drastic difference between today's WWE and the product of a decade or so ago is that the company finally has healthy competition. All Elite Wrestling is the ultimate alternative to WWE, and although their product isn't always white-hot and has its fair share of peaks and valleys, there's officially an incentive for both products to be better.
Granted, AEW's existence and growing momentum didn't seem to have any noticeable effect on the way McMahon ran his television shows between 2019 and 2021, but WWE has clearly treated them as much of a threat since Triple H took over in 2022.
Between counter-programming certain events and attempting to sign away many members of their roster, WWE has been aggressive in their approach to undermine AEW whenever possible. It's made WWE look like the "bad guy" in countless situations, which has hurt their perception but not their business in the interim.
The tribalism between the two companies has only added to the divide between fans in recent years, let alone within the WWE bubble. Fans should be allowed to like and dislike what they want without it devolving into a hostile argument online, but that split reaction is what WWE seems to be exploiting.
That One Central Story and Spark Is Missing
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Moreover than anything else, WWE is missing that one central story that shows are built around and leave viewers looking forward to what's next.
WWE struck gold with The Bloodline for five years and a ton of stories stemmed from that, even on the two-night WrestleManias in 2023 and 2024. Once that ran its course, the company didn't have anything remotely as interesting to replace it with.
John Cena's retirement tour could and should have been that, and in many ways it was, but the botched heel turn prevented it from being so much more. That wrapped up in December and WWE has been left without anything major for fans to sink their teeth into for WrestleMania season.
The card will come together and it will be decent, but there will be no real spark. Rather, it will be a bunch of matches that could exceed expectations but will lack the connective tissue that has made WWE's storytelling so stellar for the last three years.
Getting some new voices in the writer's room and not relying on the same stories that have been told for decades would be a major step in the right direction.
Constructive Criticism Is Key
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Anyone who is even the slightest bit critical of the WWE product should not be lumped in with internet trolls who complain simply for the sake of complaining. The constructive criticism from those who want to see the shows go back to being the best they can be is key.
It might be second nature for WWE to ignore anything that doesn't fit their narrative or align with what they want out of fan feedback, however. If numbers across the board are still strong, they likely see no need to take any of it into consideration.
Triple H and most people in a position of power at WWE are well aware of what's being said about the product than the previous regime, or at least they're much more inclined to care. Look no further than his flippant responses to legitimate questions being asked in past post-show press conferences.
That's because of how responsive they were to the praise they were receiving when the product was at its hottest, and now that it's polarizing, they'd rather turn a blind eye to the criticism and focus exclusively on the positive.
The beloved "black and gold" era of NXT enhanced his ego, and his critically-acclaimed booking between 2022 and 2024 on the main roster enforced it. Now he's coming to the conclusion that not everything he touches turns to gold, and thus how he responds to this animosity and backlash from fans will define the remainder of his run at the helm.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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