the WWE has been entertaining fans for nearly fifty years. The company helped take wrestling from live entertainment to addictive television. Although not everyone on Earth watches or likes WWE, it is still one of the most recognizable brands out there.
WWE audiences are also unique in that they include both casual and hardcore viewers. With such a wide audience, there are a lot of misconceptions about the company. Some of them are rumours. Some are urban legends. Either way, this list will examine 10 things everyone is wrong about WWE.
10 WWE is all about wrestling
Triple H, WWE’s new chief creative officer, made it very clear during his podcast conversation with Logan Paul that WWE is about more than wrestling. While of course an important part of the appeal to the public, the content exists primarily to create characters and stories that are united by wrestling.
History shows this, as WWE’s biggest stars like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior aren’t considered “the greatest in-ring fighters of all time,” but they are some of the brand’s most iconic. There are plenty of other platforms to watch wrestling better, but the lack of production value is evident in those 5-star matches.
9 Hasn’t been popular since the attitude era
Although WWE’s Attitude Era had the largest television audience, the fanbase hasn’t receded as much as some like to assume. No TV show works as well now as TV shows did in the ’90s.
Sure, house shows and some pay-per-views are hit or miss, but as recently as WrestleMania 38, the company sold more than 100,000 tickets in one weekend. Seven of the ten highest-attended WWE events have taken place in the last ten years.
8 The chair shots were fake
The WWE has made great strides in protecting its wrestlers. One of the biggest changes to WWE content is the removal of chair shots. The long-term effects of concussions are well documented and the WWE banned chair shots in 2010.
Even though WWE has a reputation for being “fake” because the results are written, the chair shots were never faked. Every hard blow to the head in the ’90s was 100 percent absorbed by the wrestling star’s skull, no gimmick.
7 Every fighter is filthy rich
Although the big names on the WWE roster like Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are very well compensated, not all wrestlers are swimming in the money. Triple H has said that the main roster stars earn at least $250,000 a year.
There are a lot of WWE wrestlers who aren’t on the main roster who don’t make that kind of money. Also, the length of a run on the main roster varies. Earning six figures for a few years is big money, but it’s not the millions of dollars that people assume each fighter receives as compensation.
6 WWE has an off season
WWE may have a Superbowl like the NFL (WrestleMania), but they don’t have an off-season. Actually, it is not uncommon for a fighter to work all year without taking a day off, outside of the hours when the company does not organize an event.
In fact, WWE has run as a year-round show for so long that Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are often criticized for not wrestling every week all year.
5 Compete Against Other Wrestling Programs
WWE competed against WCW in one of the biggest ratings battles in television history. Since then, many still assume that the company wrestles with other fan wrestling shows, but it doesn’t.
In all honesty, WWE has such a brand and legacy that it would take decades for shows like AEW to have the reach of WWE. Today, a television program can be recorded and still attract the viewer if it is viewed within seven days of broadcast. Going head to head will only be an inconvenience for fans, not a choice between which show to watch. It is unlikely that WWE will ever compete with another company.
4 The content is extremely violent
WWE became famous for how hardcore the content got in the ’90s. With so much blood and violence, many associate those things with the show itself. Casual fans even assume that the WWE ring is still a place of brutality. Today, WWE content is tamer than ever.
As of July 22, 2008, WWE programming became PG. Although he has pushed the bar with stories and allusions, the violence has receded. Blood has basically disappeared from WWE and “brutality” means harder wrestling moves and not “crazy weapons” like they did in the ’90s.
3 Smackdown is recorded
WWE’s live programming has tied it to sports shows like the NFL and NBA. Throw in live pay per view and many fans were shocked to learn that WWE’s Smackdown show was taped for a long time. Although Smackdown had some live shows, for almost twenty years it was taped on Tuesdays and aired later in the week. To this day, some assume that Raw is WWE’s live show, with Smackdown being filmed the next day and airing on Friday. Actually, Smackdown has been broadcast live since 2016.
two The women’s division is all about looks
WWE’s early treatment of women was not great. Many remember the “Bra and Panties” and “Santa’s Little Helper” matches which were wrestling matches that showcased the look of her WWE diva division. The show has come a long way and today, the WWE women’s division might just be the best in the world. The women’s division competes at the same level as the men’s and many times time organizes better matches.
1 It’s a fashion for teenagers
Although many fans discovered wrestling in their younger years, WWE is not a show reserved for children. Some see the show as childish or “cartoon-like”, but that assumption is not true. The estimated average WWE viewer is usually between the ages of 18 and 49.
Dave Meltzer once estimated the average age of WWE viewers to be 50 years old. Either way, the show is not a show that appeals to teenagers who have nothing else to do on Monday nights.