When did the quality of WWE programming go down for you?

[psychokiller]

I’d say for me 2010 started it probably right after Mania 26. So I guess I can say when HBK retired I noticed the quality for me got worse & worse as each year has gone by. I was still even enjoying things at the beginning of the PG era but than as the time went on it just started getting worse & worse to me. Now I can barely even get through Raw these days even though they have so much good talent. Smackdown is more tolerable though since it’s only 2 hours at least & Styles is the best in the company.

[The Heartbreak TWERK]

There were and are rises and dips.

I can say I truly haven't been excited since Daniel Bryan was shelved.

[Dean-o]

2009 was a pretty crappy year. Between the aftermath of the Benoit incident, going PG to extreme measures, and them moving to HD, the product has not been the same since.

[BorneAgain]

Its had ups and downs, but I recall in the Raw Supershow era a gradual eerie sameness and formula starting to settle in that I think Raw (and to a lesser degree SD) has never quite escaped from. Its the time in which I couldn't really justify doing any sort of consistent viewing of the show anymore.

[thetower52]

Around 2002 is when I started noticing the shows going on a downward trend

[Bub (BLM)]

When WCW died. Vince has pretty much been ignoring the audience since then.

[Slingshot Suplay]

Raw Guest Host. That's when they went from an episodic show to a comedy variety show.

[madness50]

Jan 12, 2018 14:29:07 GMT -5 Bub (BLM) said:

When WCW died. Vince has pretty much been ignoring the audience since then.

Same way I feel as well. Vince has gotten complacent with no true wrestling competition left.

[Fade]

2003/2004, the bloom was off the rose for me.

[King Devitt: What Plants Crave]

Jan 12, 2018 14:29:07 GMT -5 Bub (BLM) said:

When WCW died. Vince has pretty much been ignoring the audience since then.

This.

And then it took another huge dip with the rise of Super Cena, and the "you're gonna accept it dammit!" mentality from Vince after Brock broke his heart and made him batshit paranoid.

[fw91]

when Punk left. There have been some great moments, Dean on SDL, Yes Movement, but other than that, there really hasn't been a consistent character like Punk that keeps you tuned out. That's not to sell other talent short, but if I could tune out and not miss much

[chronocross]

I’d say around 2013 is where I stopped watching the weekly shows actively and follow d the shows through YouTube and Facebook clips, the whole Authority storyline was boring and haven’t regretted it since.

[Allie Kitsune]

When Suplex City became a thing, and we were left with an invincible part-time Champion who was gonna mail it in whenever he showed up.

[Chiral]

Smackdown and ECW were awesome in 09, but Raw was so bad that I'd say there. 2007 was bad too but that had...yeah. 2009 is probably where a lot of the current badness originates.

[Deleted]

Definitely 2001. The Angle milk truck segment, which I believe had the Alliance singing to Austin in the ring right before it, was a huge Jump the Shark moment for me. That year had a bunch of those moments, but that one really stands out.

2002, especially after the brand split, was the nail in the coffin.

[Eunös ✈]

Raw going 3 Hours is what killed it for me..

as Someone who used to watch Raw religiously, I really struggled to get through 3 hours every week to the point I just tapped out.

I have made the odd attempt to get back into it but I just can't.

[GuyOfOwnage]

Jan 12, 2018 13:24:29 GMT -5 The Heartbreak TWERK said:

There were and are rises and dips.

I can say I truly haven't been excited since Daniel Bryan was shelved.

Bingo. I've been watching this company for 27 years now, and it is neither consistently exciting nor consistently boring. It ebbs and flows.

[AlexaBliss4Life]

Some Raws can drag for me, thats why I usually have a headset on with it in the background, this way if I hear something interesting or am engrossed in a match, I can put my full focus on it. I'd say this didn't really start until probably this year. I still never miss any show though.

[Deleted]

I agree that there's been dips here and there and with that said honestly the last time I wasn't really upset with the product was before the 2015 Royal Rumble. Once Bryan was eliminated, once Reigns won, once The Rock gave his endorsement I had a horrible feeling. Since then it's only gotten worse considering one man's booking is impacting a lot of talent. Thankfully we have the brand split but shit besides that it's just caused me to be mostly negative to the point where I skip whole Raws now.

[BrodietheSlayer]

Jan 12, 2018 14:29:07 GMT -5 Bub (BLM) said:

When WCW died. Vince has pretty much been ignoring the audience since then.

Yeah, I remember watching during the point where the Monday Night Wars ended, and thinking to myself, "Man, I hope this doesn't go back to the utter shit of the 1995-6 period," and while it never went back to that point of horrible gimmicks and lameness (well, as an overall thing), it's come pretty close in its own way. Heck, in some ways, 95-96, even being as lame as that era was, at least was a solid direction, while the last few years have just been a sterile, corporate-ized mush.