WWE Today: Fleeting Moments?

In the past WWE has provided some extremely addictive television. Pulling yourself away from an episode was not easily done, and as soon as it was over, the excitement for the next week’s developments would begin.

This fan found himself always asking questions. Did Shane really own WCW? Was Lita’s child really Kane’s? What was Degeneration X going to do to the McMahons next? Why did Matt Hardy turn on his brother?

Things are different today. Watching a WWE program is not the same addictive experience anymore. Each episode doesn’t demand my undivided attention, which is why I’ll often also be in the kitchen, on my computer or elsewhere around the house.

WWE may still provide weekly episodic shows, but they no longer end with cliffhangers and developments that ensure I’ll right back there next week. Wrestling is something I will always be a fan of, but I asked myself “why do I watch WWE today?” The answer was “for the moments”.

Fans of WWE literally are given hundreds of hours of content per year. It’s a lot. Largely I watch simply to know what’s going on, because a lot of those hours are not comprised of great content. Other times there are great moments which are simply too good to miss, and you never know when they will happen. Watching WWE is a lot of waiting and sifting through content, but several times a year you’ll strike gold.

Golden moments like in 2010 when the Hall of Fame career of Shawn Michaels came to an end, or when the Nexus debuted, putting everyone on notice and leaving the ring in a scene of devastation.

Those special moments like in 2011 when the Rock walked back through the curtain and heralded that he was “home." Or when CM Punk sat down at the top of the ramp and changed everything with the greatest worked shoot of this generation.

Those memorable moments like in 2012 when Brock Lesnar returned to WWE and for one night only gave fans a much-craved bloody match.

It is moments like these that catch my attention. They get me interested again, until the Nexus vanishes having accomplished nothing. Until CM Punk stops dropping pipe-bombs and becomes a relatively generic baby-face.

My interest remains until the Rock is revealed to only be “home” on a less than part-time basis. Until the pay-per view main event to follow Brock Lesnar and John Cena’s classic is Cena vs. John Laurinaitis. It speaks for itself.

Every year has its great moments, but once upon a time, these moments were the core of WWE’s programming week-in and week-out. The phrase “few and far between” has likely never been more relevant than it is to exciting moments in the WWE today. 

As WWE’s creative team reportedly works upon their next big angle for the summer of 2012, fans are left waiting for that next standout moment to be crafted. Hopefully it won’t be too long.