Best & Worst Of WWE: 2010’s
So that’s the 2010s done. And boy, has there been a lot of wrestling. In fact, literally as I write this week’s Smackdown is on in the background – it literally never stops. But has it been a good decade for WWE? Well, in anything where there’s a much of everything as there is in the monolith that is WWE there are going to be some very good bits, some good bits, some bad bits, and some very bad bits. We’re going to have a look at some specific examples of storylines and some times where WWE has come up with some great writing and ideas which have made wrestlers look like badasses. We’re also going to look at the inherent problems within the company and some of the really terrible things they’ve come with in the past 10 years. There have been more than 500 Raws, more than 500 Smackdowns, plus more than 100 PPVS, a hell of a lot of NXT and an absolute shedload of social media to get through
We’ll look at the best first, as we’re positive types here. It is important to point out that I’ll be looking at ideas and concepts that started off as brilliant, rather than looking at how they ended or how they’ve been booked.
We’ll look at the best first, as we’re positive types here. It is important to point out that I’ll be looking at ideas and concepts that started off as brilliant, rather than looking at how they ended or how they’ve been booked.
The Best Of The Decade:
The Women’s Revolution
At the start of the decade, women’s wrestling was, well, a bit crap. Through no real fault of the performers, matches lasted for two minutes. It was fairly obvious no-one in WWE really cared. Some great performers like Beth Phoenix and AJ Lee fell by the wayside by never being given a chance. But as the decade went on, things were happening. Predictably, it took NXT to break the mould. As matches on Raw were lasting less than a minute ,the likes of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley and Sasha Banks were showing what they could do in in NXT. Japanese star Asuka and her supersonic winning streak suddenly showed what women can do. And when these stars joined the roster, women’s wrestling joined the modern world.
A lot of the eye-candy were left behind, as was the dreadful word “Divas” and instead we had proper matches, often better than the male stars.
We’ve since seen the Women’s Royal Rumble, the Women’s Elimination Chamber and the Women’s title main eventing Wrestlemania. You’d have to be a brave person to put money on any of those back in 2010. It’s not been perfect, there have been some strange booking decisions over that time and the WWE really needs some more women on its writing staff, but the change has been huge. It’s almost entirely down to the women themselves, who have forced the perhaps stubborn WWE powers that be to sit up and listen.
A lot of the eye-candy were left behind, as was the dreadful word “Divas” and instead we had proper matches, often better than the male stars.
We’ve since seen the Women’s Royal Rumble, the Women’s Elimination Chamber and the Women’s title main eventing Wrestlemania. You’d have to be a brave person to put money on any of those back in 2010. It’s not been perfect, there have been some strange booking decisions over that time and the WWE really needs some more women on its writing staff, but the change has been huge. It’s almost entirely down to the women themselves, who have forced the perhaps stubborn WWE powers that be to sit up and listen.
The Summer of Punk
The relationship between CM Punk and WWE is somewhat strained in 2019/20. It remains fairly obvious Punk pretty much hates the company and doesn’t give any impression he enjoyed being a wrestler. But in 2011, he went on a tear. Despite not having the “look” that Vince McMahon still seems to crave, Punk went on anamazing run through early 2011. He cut the best promos, including the infamous “pipebomb” where he tore into WWE, winning fans over by listing everything wrong with the company, which we were all painfully aware of.
I remember the contract signing skit, where one of his demands was the return of WWE ice cream bars!
Punk played it perfectly, and his contempt for the likes of HHH was so powerful (and clearly made easier by the fact it was based on what he actually felt in real life), he came across as a proper champion. It, of course, went wrong when WWE inexplicably decided the angle needed an interjection from one Kevin Nash. What followed was various silly conversations about who sent what text message and HHH and Nash taking centre stage (surprise surprise), and a red hot Punk suddenly found himself feuding with a part time veteran who was always seconds away from a torn quad.
WWE of course ruined this, but this angle for a while was perfect. The perfect use of “the outsider”, and Punk was brilliant at it. In 2020, rumours remain of a return, so who knows what will happen? NB, the way this was booked could also easily feature in the “worst of” section.
I remember the contract signing skit, where one of his demands was the return of WWE ice cream bars!
Punk played it perfectly, and his contempt for the likes of HHH was so powerful (and clearly made easier by the fact it was based on what he actually felt in real life), he came across as a proper champion. It, of course, went wrong when WWE inexplicably decided the angle needed an interjection from one Kevin Nash. What followed was various silly conversations about who sent what text message and HHH and Nash taking centre stage (surprise surprise), and a red hot Punk suddenly found himself feuding with a part time veteran who was always seconds away from a torn quad.
WWE of course ruined this, but this angle for a while was perfect. The perfect use of “the outsider”, and Punk was brilliant at it. In 2020, rumours remain of a return, so who knows what will happen? NB, the way this was booked could also easily feature in the “worst of” section.
The Nexus
To be clear, this is also the worst of WWE as the writers utterly screwed up something that was over, brilliant and presumably making them a lot of money. In July 2010, run-of-the-mill episode of Raw was coming to an end when all of a sudden all hell broke loose. A load of guys most fans had never seen before suddenly arrived at ringside. The match was between Punk and Cena, and then Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Daniel Bryan, Skip Sheffield (later Ryback) David Otunga, Heath Slater, Darren Young and Michael Tarver arrived.
(This was when Punk was the Straight Edge Saviour, and wearing a very fetching leather mask)
What happened next? Chaos. Unbridled chaos.
Matt Striker on commentary and Jerry Lawler were both attacked and the entire ring area was smashed up. And the performers may have got a bit carried away, with Bryan famously fired afterwards for choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his tie!
But what an impact they made, in one of the most memorable skits of the decade. The group were red hot, and attacks on legends like Ricky the Dragon Steamboat and Dusty Rhodes, gave them even more momentum. And then it was decided that Cena would make them all look like chumps, and that was that. But at the start, and particularly that debut, it was awesome stuff.
(This was when Punk was the Straight Edge Saviour, and wearing a very fetching leather mask)
What happened next? Chaos. Unbridled chaos.
Matt Striker on commentary and Jerry Lawler were both attacked and the entire ring area was smashed up. And the performers may have got a bit carried away, with Bryan famously fired afterwards for choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his tie!
But what an impact they made, in one of the most memorable skits of the decade. The group were red hot, and attacks on legends like Ricky the Dragon Steamboat and Dusty Rhodes, gave them even more momentum. And then it was decided that Cena would make them all look like chumps, and that was that. But at the start, and particularly that debut, it was awesome stuff.
Daniel Bryan
All of Daniel Bryan. From the Nexus member, to the underdog, to the Yes Movement, to THAT Wrestlemania moment, to Team Hell No, to that weird angle with the Wyatts, to retirement, to his non-wrestling feud with The Miz, to his emotional in-ring return, to being a self-righteous vegan, to feuding with The Fiend in 2020, Daniel Bryan has taken whatever WWE, and indeed life, has thrown at him and largely made it brilliant.
He’s one of the best in the ring, and one of the best on the Mic – and he refuses to go to Saudi Arabia. He’s a great man.
He’s one of the best in the ring, and one of the best on the Mic – and he refuses to go to Saudi Arabia. He’s a great man.
The Shield
The Shield – Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins, exploded on the scene at Survivor Series in 2012 (seven years!) They caused mayhem as they battled “injustices” and had a badass move of the triple powerbomb through the announce table.
The fact all of the group’s members became world champions, and stars in the company (despite questionable booking – again), shows its power.
The fact it’s had at least three different incarnations over the decade, also shows how popular The Shield is. A great idea, done by great performers to great effect. It was even broken up well. One of the best booked angles of the decade.
The fact all of the group’s members became world champions, and stars in the company (despite questionable booking – again), shows its power.
The fact it’s had at least three different incarnations over the decade, also shows how popular The Shield is. A great idea, done by great performers to great effect. It was even broken up well. One of the best booked angles of the decade.
Ronda Rousey
WWE in 2019/20 lacks top stars. Ronda Rousey is a top star. I’d go as far to say her first year was as good, if not better, than Kurt Angle’s. From the world of real fighting, she took to WWE with the same characteristic determination shown during her run in UFC. Unlike previous MMA stars, she’s bursting with charisma alongside being an absolute badass and WWE needs her back in 2020.
NXT
I’m a relatively new convert to NXT, and understand it has moved on considerably from its early incarnation where it was little more than a talent show where the contestants were humiliated by having to ad lib about moustaches. Now, matches at Takeover are phenomenal, and the performers are phenomenal. I’ve not been excited about a wrestler in years as when I learned about Keith Lee, or Adam Cole, or Tommaso Ciampa, or Shayna Baysler, or Rhea Ripley. The level of performer is as good as anywhere, and those performers should be propelling the main roster into the new decade with huge momentum. But we’ll get to that……..
The Streak Ending
Right, let me be clear, whether this is one of the best moments, or one of the best decisions, is completely open to debate. JUST TO REITERATE, I’M NOT SAYING THIS WAS GOOD. But, it’s certainly one of the most memorable. As fans, we moan constantly about crap decisions, at a lack of surprises, at things that don’t make sense. And then this happens, at Wrestlemania, and the whole wrestling world explodes. For anyone who may have missed it, the Undertaker lost his massive winning streak at Wrestlemania to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30 in 2014. A sad side note is that the Dead Man suffered a massive concussion in the match and was in La La Land when the pin fall was made. But it was monumental, as that famous picture of the man with the look of shock on his face, proves. It was a stunning moment, whether you like it or not. I think it’s also important to point out that a lot of the streak matches were crap. Giant Gonzales anyone? The one against the Dudleys where he killed Paul Bearer? The Big Boss Man Hell in a Cell? The phenomena was more than the matches, of course, five star classics against Michaels and HHH helped contribute to the aura. It was one of just a handful of astonishing moments over the decade. The fact the debate still rages on certainly puts it down as one of the bravest decisions they’ve made.
The Quality Of Wrestling
WWE has its best roster in terms of wrestler possible ever. Even if the characters are dull, what the athletes are doing is more spectacular than ever. Ricochet, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Chad Gable (As someone of 5ft 8ins, I refuse to call him Shorty G), Cesaro, Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre, the New Day, the Revival, Shinske Nakumura, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn. Monsters like Braun Strowman and Lars Sullivan (if he ever comes back). Asuka, Kairi Sane, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley. Even the second tier of women, the likes of Alexa Bliss and even Dana Brooke, are streets ahead of where WWE in ring was 10 years ago. If you watch a match, and try not to consider anything else, the quality of performer is out of this world.
The WWE Network
All of wrestling for a tenner a month, what more could a fan want? Learn what wrestling was like in the 1980s, watch the cheesiest gimmicks of the early 1990s, marvel at how every promo was yelled, note how “muscular” wrestlers were, and watch WWE in 1995 to see just how awful that particular year was. You can even watch old ECW, Smoky Mountain, and WCW PPVs too. Re-live all the very best matches of all time as many times as you want. It used to have a really terrible search facility, which has now been replaced with a slightly less terrible one. It’s really rather good, fair play to Vince for learning about this modern innovation.
The Worst Of The Decade:
Honourable mentions go to: Terrible commentary, especially the modern version of Jerry Lawler, the Wildcard Rule, how Dean Ambrose was treated and Bray Wyatt’s feud with Randy Orton.
Saudi Arabia
Terrible shows in terrible heat in a place where people get treated terribly. The Undertaker v Goldberg, DX vs The Brothers of Destruction, The 50 man Royal Rumble And of course, Titus O’Neill falling over. And of course, the roster mysteriously getting stranded at the airport as Vince took the luxury private jet option. I don’t watch the shows for moral reasons, but I’ve seen clips, and I had to watch the really crap matches out of morbid fascination. But morally it stinks, and for WWE to be part of a propaganda exercise for the Saudis to show off their new “liberal” values, stinks even more.
Sting
Another thrilling moment which was ruined by crap booking and bad luck. Sting debuted at Survivor Series in 2014 where he saved the team led by John Cena from a beat down by HHH. What happened next was a match with HHH at Wrestlemania 31, which he lost. He then met Rollins at Night of Champions of August that year, which he both lost, and suffered a career ending injury. So WWE finally managed to land a legend of the business, had him job out to a bloke who had nothing to gain from winning, apart from his inherit desire to massage his own ego at Wrestlemania, and then had him lose again in a match where he was seriously injured. Gee thanks, guys. Crap, WWE, really crap.
Who’s The Champ?
Throughout this decade, I’ve constantly found myself having to try to remember who has what belt? For example, right now I had to look up who was Intercontinental Champ, and only know that Andrade is US Champ because he won it last week.
What this means is that WWE has made its own titles so worthless that avid fans can’t remember who is holding them? John Cena’s US Title run is the exception, but this needs to stop. The IC title bout often used to be the show stealer in the past, and it should be that again. The 24/title can stay as it is until WWE inevitably scraps it at some point in 2020.
What this means is that WWE has made its own titles so worthless that avid fans can’t remember who is holding them? John Cena’s US Title run is the exception, but this needs to stop. The IC title bout often used to be the show stealer in the past, and it should be that again. The 24/title can stay as it is until WWE inevitably scraps it at some point in 2020.
The Booking of Asuka
Asuka is an absolute badass of a wrestler. In NXT, she went on the rarest of rare things, a massive long unbeaten streak where she was booked to look like both a genuine killer and a real star. It’s the longest ever unbeaten streak in WWE. But, then she got on to the main roster. It started well, winning the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble, and it looked like she’d be at the forefront of the Women’s Revolution. She was undefeated for 914 days, getting on for three years, and then finally lost to Charlotte Flair at Wrestlemania 34.Then it all went wrong, she was booked to look like an idiot being transfixed by the awful James Ellsworth and then pinned by Carmella. She then joined a tag team with Naomi because they liked each other’s hair, and finally the first incarnation of the Kabuki Warriors with Kairi Sane, managed by Paige. WWE always seems to have a problem booking people they deem to not speak English, and this was no difference, despite her obvious ass-kicking ability. Now, in 2020, she seems to be on the way back, with a Raw Women’s Championship with Beck Lynch very promising indeed. The tag team main event of the TLC with the warriors vs Flair and Lynch was pretty good and the fued with Lynch has huge potential. This brings us nicely on to……
50/50 Booking
Asuka’s the only WWE star to have an unbeaten streak of the decade. And isn’t that a shame. Why doesn’t anyone go a Goldberg-style tear any more? Why does everyone have to win and then lose, so everyone gets a go. Apart from Curt Hawkins, obviously who had the gimmick no-one wants – a losing streak. The need for one wrestler to get their win back affects momentum, and affects the push of anyone. WWE should at least try in 2020 to send someone, say like Braun Strowman, someone who could have a very realistic tear through the roster, on a winning streak.
The Booking of Lashley
Lashley is a Vince guy, and in fact, a real candidate for a dominant winning streak.He’s huge, he’s super athletic, and he’s should be a wrecking ball. Granted, he’s not great on the mic, but since he has come back he’s given a load of absolute garbage since his return the night after Wrestlemania 34. That skit with his “sisters” and Sami Zayn (another guy constantly given utter rubbish) deserves a mention of its own, the latest is this ludicrous marriage to Lana, which culminated in a ridiculous wedding where his makeup left a brown smear on Lana’s face. It’s pretty easy to book Bobby Lashley – have him throw people around. He was best when he was posing with Leo Rush, so maybe needs a mouthpiece. But what he really needs is to ditch the Lana nonsense and start being a badass.
Part-Time Champions
Brock Lesnar is currently WWE Champion, and has not been seen for ages. Previously, he was Universal Champion, he’d not be seen for months. Then he’d show up, beat someone, and go again. I love Brock Lesnar, he’s a genuine star, but the WWE can’t keep going back to him as champ. Of course, it’s because they can’t book anyone to become a star they have to, but it’s not ideal having the holder of the most prestigious belt off TV for so long at a time.
The Booking of NXT Call-Ups
No Way Jose, Adam Rose, Neville, Emma, The Vaudevillians, The Ascension, Cedric Alexander, Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, Apollo Crews, Dana Brooke, Tye Dillinger, Mojo Rawley, The IIconics, Sanity, Ember Moon, Chad Gable and for ages, Bayley. These are all people who excelled to varying degrees in NXT now either released, never seen on TV, or rarely seen on TV and always lose if they do. Granted, the likes of Nia Jax, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn et al have done a bit better, but a hell of a lot of talent has gone to waste. Either joining too soon, or instantly arriving in a situation where creative can’t think of anything to do with them, has scuppered the careers of a lot of very good performers.
Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion
Sorry Jinder, I’ve got nothing against you, but this whole thing was ridiculous. A perennial jobber who suddenly got thrust into the spotlight as a cynical attempt to improve the market in India, Jinder’s reign was a disaster. Lacking the charisma, the ability and the look of a champion, Mahal’s reign was totally forgettable in every way. I can’t recall any matches, any promos, anything at all. He wasn’t over as a heel and certainly couldn’t perform at a main event level. Will go down as one of the worst champions of all time. To make matters worse, he’s been off TV having had knee surgery in the summer. There’s no guarantee they’d have anything for him mind you.
The Anonymous RAW General Manager
“May I have your attention please…..
“Shut up Cole”. This was awful. A super-load laptop to which the anonymous manager sent emails making ludicrous match stipulations read out in a pompous fashion by heel commentator Michael Cole. This lasted for ages, everyone hated it, and we never even found out who it was. They said it was Hornswoggle, but it clearly wasn’t. Pure unadulterated crap.
“Shut up Cole”. This was awful. A super-load laptop to which the anonymous manager sent emails making ludicrous match stipulations read out in a pompous fashion by heel commentator Michael Cole. This lasted for ages, everyone hated it, and we never even found out who it was. They said it was Hornswoggle, but it clearly wasn’t. Pure unadulterated crap.
