Ehsan Zain

The WWE has been lacking in 2 crucial areas for a number of years now: 1) an inability to push talent toward iconic status 2) an inability to create compelling storylines. As an avid fan during the 80’s and 90’s, and as an intermittent viewer from the 2000s to the current day, I’ve seen the ups and downs of the product. Looking back over the last 30 years, I realize the late-90’s Attitude Era set an improbable bar that has yet to be matched by any era that both preceded and followed it. The key difference between the Attitude Era and today's product is that the former had hooks that constantly kept you engaged throughout weekly episodes. It played out like a serialized television show, and knew exactly how to pace itself with peaks, troughs, and — dare I say it — suspenseful plot lines to keep audiences glued to their TVs. Sure, it was silly sports entertainment, but it was also a “thinking man’s” show. Looking back, it's clear why the 90s era (along with WCW's NWO era) drew record high ratings that have never been duplicated; the product was able to crossover to casual audiences. Some wrestling purists may resent the mass appeal of this era, but for me, wrestling was at its creative peak during the Monday Night Wars.

It was okay overall. I liked the angle with Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury. That was fun to watch. It was nice to see Strowman humoring himself. Roman Reigns flying over the top rope onto the lumberjacks was a nice spot. It seemed more natural as opposed to the many other times it's been done. I hate when it's obvious they're setting up the spot. This came off as right place, right time. These spots are ok every now and then when done like this. Otherwise, the fewer the better. I wish the men would watch the women on in-ring psychology. They know how to work a match. Especially Charlotte Flair. I think WWE needs to tell us why we should care for Cain Valasquez before his apparent match with Brock Lesnar. That ending came off flat to me. I hated that Kofi Kingston had to get jobbed out for the angle at the end. It did nothing for either Kingston or the other wrestlers who helped trying to put him over until this point. I'm looking forward to see if more comes out of the Strowman/Fury angle. I'm hoping for WWE to let Kingston use his rematch clause against whomever is champion when he does. I think they can do angle where he takes time away to train and becomes more serious than his partners in The New Day. Not just an angle, but really let him do that. Have him come back to challenge Brock Lesnar, champion or not, possibly at the Royal Rumble. Knowing WWE, that won't happen.