If you ask Bully Ray and Dave LaGreca of the Busted Open podcast, it appears WWE is on the verge of ushering in a new era of wrestling, but one that isn't too unfamiliar to long-time wrestling fans. Labelled the "non-smart" and the "gimmicky gimmick" era by Bully Ray, the suggestion is that this era will be highly character driven.
Vince McMahon created the best gimmick in the wrestling business when he created The Undertaker. Both hosts of the show think WWE is headed there again and trying to capture kids and their parents, revisiting a period that was highly successful for the company. Bully called it the "gimmicky gimmick" stage and he pointed to Alexa Bliss, Nikki A.S.H, and new teases from Karrion Kross and Elias that provide examples of Vince trying to create characters that are more cartoon like as easily recognizable.
Bully said, "We have heard rumors that the birthday boy [Vince] wants to get back into those gimmicky characters that people easily, I guess understand." He added that changing Kross' presentation down from NXT, as they did with Rhea Ripley's, this is Vince trying to create more of an image kids will remember and latch onto.
LaGreca said, "... we are on the cusp of a brand new era in WWE and it's going to be Superstar driven." He mentioned all the same names Bully did but added a Drew McIntyre and Doudrop to the list. Saying that comic book characters are in again and the over-the-top gimmicks are popular, WWE may have recognized this is a business model that will work for them, even if it doesn't resonate with older wrestling fans.
This Is For WWE Fans, Not Wrestling Fans
Both acknowledge that just because they don't necessarily love the idea doesn't mean it's a bad one. This is WWE deciding which direction they want their characters to go and which audience they want to cater to. They are investing in families and characters and aren't reaching out the "smart fans" who only want reality-based personalities.
If AEW is going for that older, smart wrestling fan, WWE is going to go in the opposite direction and trying to get children, moms and dads. Let AEW reach the 18-49 year-olds and WWE will cater to global audiences by capturing the kids with characters.
Will it work? If Bully and LaGreca are right, we're about to find out.