Although I knew the product was at its worst, I still hung on. There are still a bunch of talented wrestlers in the company. There were a couple storylines that I actually enjoyed. There was still hope — or so I thought.
I can confirm that after almost 16 years of watching, WWE has finally broken my resolve. I no longer have the will to watch a product that so vehemently despises its audience. It's not worth wasting my time, money, and brainpower on a wrestling show booked by an out-of-touch lunatic that has no desire to change with the times.
So what got me to this point? What made this rabid wrestling fan turn on the company that got him into pro wrestling in the first place?
Well, it was the main event of Hell in a Cell 2019. Seth Rollins was set to defend his Universal Championship against "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in the titular structure.
Leading up to this match, Wyatt's Fiend persona was built up to be a movie monster. This meant he was both physically unstoppable and psychologically terrifying. In fact, The Fiend's mask looked to be inspired by horror movie classics and he carried a lantern made of his former self's severed head. The aesthetic was there, his debut match blew everybody away, and he was used sparingly to build the mystique. There was no way in hell WWE could have screwed this up.
Long story short, they did. And in glorious fashion too.
Objectively, Seth Rollins vs. The Fiend was a good match. Hell, it was an excellent match.
Built around making The Fiend look absolutely indestructible, the match did its job to perfection. Rollins literally hit The Fiend with everything but the kitchen sink — and The Fiend kept kicking out. Fifteen plus curb stomps, kendo stick shots to the ribs, multiple weapon shots to the head, nothing could put The Fiend down for the count.
Then the ending happened.
With The Fiend's head buried under a ladder, steel chair, and metal toolbox, Rollins decided to take a sledgehammer to his opponent's cranium. Before swinging the sledgehammer, the referee stepped in to tell Rollins that "This is not who you are". After a minute of inner turmoil, Rollins used the sledgehammer to strike The Fiend's head. As Rollins made contact with the pile of weapons, the ref called for the DQ — in a fucking Hell in a Cell match where there are no rules!
While the ending was horrid, the post-match was even worse. As chants of "AEW", "Restart the match", and "Refund" rang through the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, The Fiend would resurrect to attack Rollins. This attack ended with The Fiend applying the Mandible Claw as fake blood poured out of Rollins like a fountain.
At that very moment, the entire mystique, terror, and wonder surrounding The Fiend dissipated as I began to laugh. Not the reaction you want for your horror movie monster.
The Fiend officially jumped the shark. And with that, I officially jumped ship.
I've been angry at WWE booking before. Hell, I lived through the 2014 and 2015 Royal Rumbles, Brock Lesnar's stranglehold of the Universal Championship, and the insufferable Roman Reigns push. In fact, you can look back into the archives of this very blog to find most of them.
What makes this one different is WWE isn't the only game in town anymore. Look at NXT, AEW, New Japan, Stardom, Impact, PWG, or many others around the globe. There is a promotion to satisfy any fan of professional wrestling.
So, I'm done clogging up my time to keep up with supposed "big leagues" when it doesn't satisfy me anymore.
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