The WWE was originally founded 67 years ago, and it is currently the most popular wrestling promotion in the world. This was achieved because of Vince McMahon's vision, but that vision would have amounted to nothing if he did not have talented wrestlers in the ring.
The WWE has revolutionized the entire wrestling industry more than once by coming up with ideas that other promotions did not think of, but they also found ways to improve upon existing ideas that failed elsewhere. For all the advancements it has made, there are also certain areas in which the WWE refuses to modernize.
10 Ahead Of Its Time: The WWE Network
In the past, if fans wanted to watch a pay-per-view long after it originally aired, they needed to buy a physical DVD, but that all changed in 2014 when the WWE decided to launch its own streaming service.
The WWE Network has been a resounding success, and it contains every single PPV in existence-including those that no one should bother re-watching. It offers original shows and self-produced, in-depth documentaries that give fans a behind the scenes look at the personal and professional lives of WWE's athletes-which is something that no other sports-related subscription service offers as of yet.
9 Stuck In The Past: Vince At The Helm
WWE became a global phenomenon because of the vision of one man-Vince McMahon. If it wasn't for Vince, the company would have folded 20 years ago, but what worked in the late 90s and early 2000s, doesn't really work now because most of those fans have grown up and have a better understanding of the business.
Vince may be a brilliant promoter, but he has become stuck in his ways, and that is not a good thing seeing as he makes all of the final decisions-and he has been wrong quite a few times.
8 Ahead Of Its Time: Not Focusing Solely On Wrestling
Wrestling promotions have always focused on wrestling, but Vince McMahon opened the door for promotions to use their talent to make more money through other means. Thanks to Vince's business acumen, the company created a movie studio that has released several films, and it has since entered a deal with Netflix to make original content.
The company also led the way in terms of action figures and wrestling video games, and even though it failed twice, the WWE will always be responsible for bringing the XFL to life.
7 Stuck In The Past: Hogan-Style Babyfaces
Hulk Hogan is regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and he carried the WWE through the 80s. Hogan had the type of babyface charisma that comes around once every generation, and although he was a good worker, he was never the best wrestler.
Vince had so much success with Hogan that he has tried to replicate the formula several times-which is why predominantly babyface superstars like John Cena and Roman Reigns have been shoved down fans' throats, except unlike with Hogan, these superstars get heavily booed.
6 Ahead Of The Time: The Hall Of Fame
Every single professional sports league has its own Hall of Fame to celebrate the accomplishments of its best athletes, and 27 years ago the WWE decided to create its own. Andre the Giant was the very first wrestler to be inducted, and since then many of wrestling's biggest names have received the same honor.
Many still do not consider pro wrestling to be a real sport, and the creation of the WWE Hall of Fame was seen as a way to further legitimize it. Many promotions now have their own Halls, but none of them would've existed if the WWE hadn't made theirs a major celebration.
5 Stuck In The Past: Talk Show Segments
Roddy Piper had a great career with many villainous and heroic moments, but he also made talk shows a permanent fixture in WWE. Piper's Pit was ahead of its time, and several of the shows that followed it were also well done, and they actually served a purpose because it built a good amount of tension and heat.
Unfortunately, WWE has used it so much that it has now become a painstakingly predictable waste of time. These shows have also become incredibly derivative, as Miz TV, The KO Show, A Moment of Bliss, and The Highlight Reel all follow the exact same format with different hosts.
4 Ahead Of The Time: Becoming A Global Brand
When the WWE was initially founded, it was a promotion that mainly did business in the Northeastern United States, but Vince wanted to turn the WWE into the country's go-to promotion, which is why he signed deals to air matches on regional TV networks.
This exposure eventually caught the eye of national broadcasters, and once that happened, WWE was able to broadcast its product to a global audience. Thanks to the popularity of the Golden and Attitude Eras, WWE was able to gain a foothold in Canada, the UK, and Japan, and there are now hardcore fans throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
3 Stuck In The Past: Relying On Older Talent
In terms of pure skill, the WWE has never been as stacked as it is right now, but the company has not seemed interested in pushing many of its younger stars.
Every single wrestler scratches and claws their way onto the card, but every now and then, WWE decides to bring back a well-known veteran like Kurt Angle, The Undertaker or Goldberg-Hall of Famers who are past their primes. This usually leads to poor matches that are extremely short and filled with mistakes, and for some reason they sometimes involve titles.
2 Ahead Of The Time: The Developmental System
There are many WWE fans who think that NXT is the company's best brand, and they think this because the superstars there usually put on consistently good matches. Despite having a stacked roster filled with superstars who have achieved a great deal of success, NXT is still considered to be a developmental system.
Not every NXT superstar who gets called up to the main roster succeeds, but there are plenty who do, and the reason for this is because the WWE teaches them how to train, execute moves, and cut proper promos.
1 Stuck In The Past: Never Halting Production
The entire world has been rocked by the pandemic, and the WWE received a lot of criticism for not shutting down completely, but this is nothing new because Vince believes that the show must always go on no.
This is the same company who refused to take a night off when Brian Pillman suffered a fatal heart attack, and in 1999, they continued the Over the Edge PPV after Owen Hart's tragic accident during the show. At some point WWE needs to understand that no one would blame them if they took some time off during uncertain/dark times.