April 6th 2014; it’s a historical day in sports entertainment history that die-hard members of the WWE Universe painfully remember. It was the night of Wrestlemania 30, the grandest stage of them all. The challenger was “The Beast” Brock Lesnar against “The Phenom” the Undertaker. No one could ever conceive the thought of the Undertaker failing, but Brock Lesnar shocked the world by conquering the Undertaker’s legendary 21-0 undefeated Wrestemania streak. In a time that is known as ‘the reality era’ by fans of the promotion, it is a well-known fact that WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is a pre-determined sport with a creative team who work with script-writers and producers on the development of character storylines.
WWE is one of the most successful companies in the entertainment world today with over half a billion followers on their social media platforms and more than one million subscribers to the WWE Network. Behind its success are the wise booking decisions made by its creative team and CEO Vince McMahon, which have undoubtedly contributed to it being the million dollar company it is in 2015. In its success the company has often made controversial decisions causing a ruckus among WWE fans. In this case it was the corporation’s decision to give Brock Lesnar the regal title of being the 1 in 21 and 1.
From the heart-stopping sound of the gong opening his chilling entrance to the dead-man’s impeccable ring
presence both on the mic and on the mat, the streak was the definitive point of the Phenom’s Hall of Fame worthy career. Over his 21 year reign, countless superstars attempted the almost impossible feat, but never succeeded. From the likes of Hall of Famer Ric Flair to “Mr Wrestlemania” Shawn Michaels, none were ever able to defy what was known as “the greatest streak in sports”. Undoubtedly this was a major factor behind why the “show of shows” grosses millions for the corporation annually and it is no surprise that many WWE fans were outraged at the decision to end the streak. After all, money-hungry Lesnar only participates in major pay-per-view events such as SummerSlam and Wrestlemania. His absence is despised by WWE fans as in between these events he disappears and is rarely ever on WWE’s weekly episodes of Monday Night Raw. However, the undying love and attachment to certain superstars that comes with being a WWE fan is the simple reason behind the WWE Universe’s blinded anger. If you take a look into history books, this
is a common technique that WWE’s creative team utilizes often, just as an author of a novel would use in literature to manipulate their audience.
WWE’s creative team have been successful in developing the storylines they create which is apparent as fans continue to indulge in the hard hitting entertainment and despite their momentary sadness, they’ve done exactly this with the development of Brock Lesnar’s character. Since his debut in the company in 2002, WWE have put him forward as a powerhouse and a major main eventer worthy of such a deed. In fact, his Wrestlemania win was the catalyst for Lesnar’s WWE championship run in 2014 where he went on to headline Summerslam, the Pay-Per-View second to Wrestelmania that is dubbed “the biggest event of the summer”. Evidently, despite fans who at times are angered with the concept of Lesnar’s inconsistent return to the company, WWE’s decision making pays off as any main event Lesnar is a part of sells tickets, big time!
In fact according to Forbes, Wrestlemania 31 that featured the main event billed as “The Beast vs the Streak” grossed $12.6 million. After all, WWE is a business and the aim of a business is to make money, which they do very well. So now WWE is able to bill the weight of being the “1 in 21 and 1” on Lesnar’s shoulders and every future pay-per-view he participates in will do nothing more but gross higher returns as fans would love to watch the beast destroy his opponents. For what it’s worth if this isn’t good enough, fans would be enlightened to see Lesnar have a surprise loss and lose this prestigious title to another superstar who could be billed as “the 1 who defeated the 1 in 21 and 1’.
When you strip away the millions of dollars WWE makes annually from merchandise, films and live events, the WWE fans are the sole reason behind its success. Therefore what’s best for business, is to keep the fans interested. WWE’s creative team could follow the protocol of giving the fans exactly what they want in their episode creations but there’s no doubt the company would burnout in no time. Just take a note from WWE’s former rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which went out of business in 2000 for that exact reason. Thus WWE loves to twist storylines to toy with their fans and find a balance between giving them what they want or don’t want, as a successful promotion should.
Sure, the streak was a definitive point in the Undertaker’s career and it will always remain this way, However,WWE and Mark Calloway, the man who performs as the Undertaker and the WWE creative team have worked effectively to build a legacy for his character as a Phenom and supernatural entity that will remain forever. WWE fans can never remain upset as the Undertaker, will always be viable for surprise returns, as many retired superstars do. Yes, the end of the streak was a heartbreaking moment, but it definitely wasn’t the end of an era as we see now through the Undertaker’s return to WWE on July 19th 2015. Now fans are preparing to witness their beloved Phenom battle Lesnar in a vengeful bout at the forthcoming pay-per-view Summerslam on August 30th 2015. WWE is projected to double both ratings and ticket sales in another creative booking by the most entertaining company in the world after the wise decision to end the legendary 21-0 streak.
(Both Image Credits: WWE.com)
