WWE was all about getting fans to buy a ticket or tune in to see that one star who was larger than life, but does that still work today? Are we tuning in simply because of someone like Cody Rhodes, or is it the name WWE, or shows like WrestleMania, that are the selling point?
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CM Punk & Colt Cabana Debated WWE’s Selling Point
Is The Rock Or The WrestleMania Name Bigger?
- CM Punk had a controversial interview with Colt Cabana after being fired by WWE in 2014.
- Cabana thought that The Rock’s Hollywood stardom brought in outside fans.
- Punk argued that the WrestleMania name is the true draw.
CM Punk is back in WWE now, but after leaving the company following the Royal Rumble in January 2014, he gave a shocking interview with his then-best friend Colt Cabana on the Art of Wrestling podcast. The two covered a variety of topics that allowed Punk to voice his displeasure with the company that had fired him on his wedding day to AJ Lee, but among his criticisms was quite an interesting discussion about what draws fans to today’s era of wrestling.
This was the time when The Rock had returned and main evented two WrestleManias in a row against John Cena. Colt Cabana thought that The Rock, because he’s a big Hollywood star, was bringing in outside people to watch the show, but CM Punk countered with:
“WrestleMania is the draw, not The Rock. I don’t care what anybody says, that is how I feel.” (h/t Cageside Seats)
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Hulk Hogan & Steve Austin Made WWE More Well Known
John Cena Carried WWE Even As The Content Suffered
- Vince McMahon made Hulk Hogan the face of WWE.
- “Austin 3:16” took over the Attitude Era.
- John Cena led WWE through some bad times during the PG era.
Professional wrestling became a juggernaut in the 1980s as it went national with Vince McMahon’s WWE. The increased exposure was huge, but none of it would have happened without Vince taking one of his names and making him the face of the company. If we compare wrestling to comic books, WWE wouldn’t have succeeded without a Superman. That came in the form of Hulk Hogan, the ultimate hero, who was on the level of Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man to millions of kids. If Hogan had let any number of stars share the main event, WWE might still have been decently popular, but it wouldn’t have crossed over into pop culture. Hulk Hogan was the symbol the promotion needed.
That continued on into the Attitude Era. Sure, fans wanted to tune in to the new, edgy WWE, but without “Stone Cold” Steve Austin leading the way, the Monday Night Wars might have been won by WCW. Every week on Raw it was “Austin 3:16” shirts and signs everywhere. And when Austin went down with a serious neck injury, The Rock was there to take the torch.
WWE has also relied on main event draws during the bad times. As the Attitude Era stars left, the promotion changed, entering a more family-friendly era. John Cena was chosen to lead it over Batista. Half of the fans hated Cena, but the other half of the crowd loved him like he was the reincarnation of Hulk Hogan. As ratings and attendance decreased, Vince McMahon depended on Cena to carry the the company. WWE may no longer have been cool to watch, but even non-wrestling fans knew who John Cena was.
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WWE Is Now A Juggernaut Name In Entertainment
WWE Can Now Plug In Alternating Main Event Stars
- Roman Reigns failed when Vince McMahon made him the face of WWE.
- WWE succeeds without Cody Rhodes and Reigns with stars like Jey Uso and Punk.
- John Cena’s retirement tour shows that big names can still carry WWE.
As John Cena got older, WWE needed a new face of the promotion. Fans wanted it to be Daniel Bryan, but Vince McMahon insisted that it be Roman Reigns, even if the crowds booed him relentlessly as a babyface. In the late 2010s, WWE went through one of its worst times. They tried to create their new Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and John Cena with the Big Dog and it failed. That has led to a change in approach that is working.
WWE is now not about having one main event draw. It’s about the company name, which has become even bigger after the TKO formation. Even during the bad times, the WWE name still carried a lot of weight. Those years of a babyface Roman Reigns main eventing a dull WrestleMania may have been frustrating, but despite how bored fans were, tens of thousands still showed up to a football stadium every year because it was WrestleMania!
Today, no one man or woman carries WWE on their shoulders alone. Cody Rhodes is the face of the company, but it doesn’t revolve around him. He was just able to take time off because WWE has a plethora of stars they can plug in. It’s the same reason why Roman Reigns can disappear for months and WWE doesn’t suffer in ratings or attendance. If the American Nightmare or the Tribal Chief isn’t there, WWE still has Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, and so many more, including CM Punk. As beloved as they are though, none of them, not even Cody, come close to the popularity of Hogan, Austin, and Cena. Punk once thought the WWE name was bigger than the star. That could once be debated, but now it’s true. John Cena has returned to WWE, and arenas are no doubt selling out faster on the cards he’s announced for. This proves that big-name main eventers still matter immensely. But when Cena retires at the end of 2025, the company will move right along without him. Today, it’s not about a wrestler but the brand. WWE is the star.
