WWE is (Finally!) Leaning into the Sports Side of “Sports-Entertainment”
There have been huge happenings in professional wrestling the past few weeks. You either had no idea, because you’re like most people and you think WWE is a joke, or you know exactly what I’m talking about, because you also find WWE hilarious and charming and classic. There’s not really an in-between, because wrestling is either at the center of your radar or off the charts completely—there’s no fringe territory in WWE.
Not too long ago, professional wrestling had a draft. It was WWE’s first draft since 2002, and it came as the result of what the company called a “brand split.” WWE as a parent company has in recent history put out two tentpoles of wrestling programming each week: RAW on Monday nights and Smackdown on Thursday nights. Each show pulled from the same roster of wrestlers, and each show functioned to further the storylines and narratives of wrestling’s various feuds, alliances, and title chases. In theory, there was no difference between the shows, though wrestling fans will say that RAW was always the more important story-driven program, while Smackdown typically served to just give the fans good pure wrestling (this is supported by the length of each program—RAW is a chunky three hours long, while Smackdown is only two).
The brand split, however, would in theory seek to put both shows on equal footing by dividing the WWE roster into two exclusive lineups between Smackdown and RAW, thus making each show more narratively important and distinct. WWE would decide which wrestlers went to which show based on the aforementioned draft, so if, say, John Cena was selected by Smackdown, he’d only appear on Smackdown each week, and wouldn’t meet up with the RAW cast of wrestlers until the monthly pay-per-view events. The brand split was exciting because it was a shake-up, and as any wrestling nut will support, a show with as much as ten hours of programming in a single week (lumping in wrestling’s minor-league division NXT and a Sunday pay-per-view with RAW and Smackdown) needs to constantly find ways to be fresh and inventive. It was a big deal.
The brand split happened in late July, and while there were the typical complaints about roster imbalances (the longer, more important RAW seemed to take all the young, best talent) and storyline flubs (both programs are now adding extra championships, because remember that wrestling is fake and you can literally just make up new titles whenever you want), it’s been great to see WWE take a new approach to its programming, and a big part of this new approach has been, advertently or inadvertently, an injection of legitimate sports angles into wrestling’s usual ham-fest proceedings.
The draft itself was a definite sportsy thing (though, yes, like everything in pro wrestling, it was rigged and staged and pre-planned), but WWE was smart to treat it with the levity and legitimacy of any other professional sports draft process. Commentators, who are usually content to yuck up mid-match play-by-play and shoot cringey zingers, aimed for more depth than we were accustomed to in their ringside discussions. They broke down the implications of tag teams being divided between the two shows, they speculated on the draft’s fallout concerning various rivalries and storylines, and they framed the title matches in a greater-stakes context that included things like “If Wrestler A doesn’t take the championship from Wrestler B before the draft, and they end up on different rosters, Wrestler A is gonna be in for a long wait before his next chance at the belt.” It was nuanced and interesting and not far removed from an ESPN roundtable desk or sportstalk radio. It felt smart. There aren’t many moments where wrestling feels smart.
WWE, though still rife with the spectacle and stuntmanship that makes it entertainment, feels more like a sports league now than it has in a long time. They need to keep leaning into that. Both shows now have commissioners and general managers who could play large roles in promoting their respective rosters, throwing disses and heat at the other program, and crafting unique, diversified experiences. Ringside announce tables have largely been done away with (perhaps to the chagrin of the old-school, who love a good elbow-drop through the booth) in favor of sleeker, grander commentary set-ups more akin to what we see in boxing or UFC, and this could mean guest-commentators, more authentic interviews, and greater authority in discussing the action. Little touches like Smackdown’s new intro graphic, that lists each wrestler’s height and weight and other specs during their entrance, give the whole package a feel that, while still firmly in the spirit of wrestling, doesn’t feel hokey or campy. A longtime defense of wrestling is that, yeah, while it’s fake, it’s still undeniably athletic and impressive. These are world-class athletes with world-class talent, and while WWE has always embraced the “entertainment” side of its self-imposed “sports-entertainment” moniker, the recent tweaks make it feel, mercifully, like it’s beginning to tilt in the other direction.
And that’s what makes this exciting in context of that peripheral dynamic touched upon at the top of the page. Presenting wrestling more like a sport, without betraying its entertainment aspects, can give it some serious crossover appeal. The stars can be presented like athletes instead of caricatures. The announcers can be depicted as experts rather than mouthpieces. The GMs and executives can be presented as their job titles would indicate instead of puppet masters. There’s a chance here to grow wrestling’s audience, and while WWE sometimes seems to be pedaling backwards—the recent invention of multiple new championships is contradictory and counter-productive to everything mentioned here—its general arch is moving in a positive direction.
Wrestling will never be a recognized sport in the way that the NFL or soccer or basketball is, but right now it finds itself in a rare position to gain legitimacy among people who have dismissed it as trash-television. For all of its over-the-top sensationalism and wild strutting, at the heart of wrestling are committed athletes, and WWE is finally giving them room to just be athletes. Wrestling has never asked anything more of us than loud cheers and loud boos. In the past, it was a plea for passion. Cheer because you love it. Now, it’s a bid for respect. Cheer because it’s awesome, bewildering, unlike anything else.