WWE doesn't have a talent problem; it has a storytelling problem

An old euphemism states "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." If that is the true definition of insanity, WWE's creative team must all currently write from padded cells.

Storytelling in general - and wrestling in particular - is built around tropes. There's only so many ways to tell stories around the battle of two or more people in the wrestling ring. Angles repeat, sometimes purposefully, sometimes not. But the key to good wrestling storytelling is to find new ways to keep things fresh. New Japan doesn't always succeed in this (see the endless matches between War Machine, Killer Elite Squad and the Guerrillas of Destiny), but usually can continue to tweak things in interesting ways (Okada/Omega, Okada/Tanahashi, Kushida/Takahashi, etc.) This allows them to repeat matches without it feeling like the same thing over and over again, generally with no clear conclusion.

Sometimes WWE storytelling leaves one feeling a lot like AJ here.
Image credit: WWE.

WWE has always had a problem with clear conclusions and feud blowoffs. But in the last few years, the company has fallen into a rut especially in the main event picture. Roman Reigns has worked the same match for years now: he gets brutalized for twenty minutes before pulling out a Superman punch and a spear (or eight) to turn things around. He's worked the same feud against Strowman, Big Show and Samoa Joe, all built around him being "the big dog". There's no good reason he picks half these fights, nor has his character ever been built around the spirit of competition. Instead, his blind heroism in an attempt to sell merchandise turns him into a blithering idiot.

At Money in the Bank, WWE will give us the fifth battle between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles under their banner. After the two men stole the show at Wrestle Kingdom a few years back, everyone anticipated their Wrestlemania encounter with enthusiasm. A lackluster showing ended with a Nakamura heel turn. But instead of paying off the feud with a heel title win by Nakamura, the company ended the next two matches with a double count out and a no contest. Nakamura picked up the win on Smackdown to pick the Last Man Standing stipulation for Money in the Bank, but at this point the once hotly anticipated feud between the two men feels like something we just want to end.

It seems like repetitive storytelling has become the norm for WWE. Whether it was the endless feud last year between the Usos and the New Day, Jinder Mahal picking up win after win, or the number of times The Miz fought Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins in the last twelve months, it just feels like the writing team build with holding patterns planned. It's especially frustrating for the weekly viewer, but even for a person like me that watches highlights and pay-per-views, it starts to feel tired after the third PPV in a row with the same people in the ring and the same false finishes to extend storylines.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that WWE is likely to change anything anytime soon. With two billion dollar deals for their two shows, the company looks like it will continue on the path that's clearly bringing them success.

That opens up avenues for companies like ROH, that have started to draw record numbers to events headlined by Cody, the Young Bucks and Dalton Castle. Impact has shown ratings increases on Pop as the company starts to solidify a roster after years in flux. Lucha Underground looks to return with more fanfare than in past years. Will all three companies continue to make storytelling decisions far stronger than those of WWE? That's anyone's guess, but I suspect the chances are good in the year ahead.

What do you see as WWE's main weakness in the days and months ahead? Let me know in the comments section!

Looking back at Extreme Rules 2016

Like too many WWE pay-per-views, Extreme Rules had some great moments but they were tempered by far too many terrible events that just hurt the show. And of course, the news of Cody Rhodes' requested release being approved darkened the night just a bit (but more on that later this week.)

Image credit: WWE.com.

The pre-show gave us another confrontation between Big Cass and the Dudley Boyz, another segment clearly designed to promote the eventual feud between Enzo and Cass and the veteran extremists. Cass has certainly come into his own as a solo star in the last few weeks though and I suspect Vince will have a big future in mind for him.

Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler's no holds barred match had exactly one normally illegal move as Corbin set up the End of Days with a low blow. It completely wasted the stipulation, but at the same time they didn't want to do anything that would hurt the main event, which has the exact same stipulation with a different name.

The main show opened with The Usos and The Club in a tornado tag team match. Jimmy and Jey set out to have another great match in their repertoire and their battle with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows did not fail. The two teams put on a classic match in a format rarely seen on WWE television. Hopefully this will convince someone that more tornado tags will be great in the future of the tag division.

NXT Advent Calendar Day 11: Proof of NXT's power with the TLC card

One look at the TLC card shows exactly how far former NXT talent have came in WWE. Out of the twenty-three talents announced as wrestling on the card, a full thirteen of them have served as NXT regulars at some point in their careers. Of those thirteen, four are former tag team champions, two are former women's champions and two are former NXT champions.

Image credit: WWE.com.

So here is the rundown of the card from bottom to top and a few thoughts on the NXT talents involved.