• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • WWE
  • Podcasts
wildcard

Hot Take Wrestling 2: Wildcard Rule Wasn’t A Bad Idea

October 3, 2020
AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: March 3, 2021

AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021
WWE Raw Results, Grades & Opinion: March 1, 2021

WWE Raw Results, Grades & Opinion: March 1, 2021

March 1, 2021
ADVERTISEMENT
NXT TakeOver Draft: Who Can Build The Best All-Time TakeOver Card?

NXT TakeOver Draft: Who Can Build The Best All-Time TakeOver Card?

March 1, 2021
Crossbody of Work Episode 52: Jacqueline

Crossbody of Work Episode 52: Jacqueline

February 27, 2021
WWE: The Latest Performance Center Class & Debuts

WWE: The Latest Performance Center Class & Debuts

February 26, 2021
AEW Signs “The Big Show” Paul Wight

AEW Signs “The Big Show” Paul Wight

February 24, 2021
WWE Raw Results, Grade & Opinion: February 22, 2021

WWE Raw Results, Grade & Opinion: February 22, 2021

February 23, 2021
WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 Results, Grades & Opinion

WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 Results, Grades & Opinion

February 21, 2021
Crossbody of Work Episode 51: The Rock Part Three – Hollywood Star

Crossbody of Work Episode 51: The Rock Part Three – Hollywood Star

February 20, 2021
AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: February 17, 2021

AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: February 17, 2021

February 17, 2021
WWE Raw Results, Grades & Opinion: February 15, 2021

WWE Raw Results, Grades & Opinion: February 15, 2021

February 16, 2021
Crossbody of Work Episode 50: The Rock Part Two – The People

Crossbody of Work Episode 50: The Rock Part Two – The People

February 13, 2021
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Want to Write For Us?
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Full Press Coverage
  • FullPressHockey.com
  • Full Press Shop


Thursday, March 4, 2021
Full Press Wrestling
  • Home
  • WWE
  • AEW
  • Ring of Honor
  • Indies
  • Podcasts
    • Crossbody of Work
    • Talkamania
    • Boot 2 The Face
    • Ringside Rant
    • Chaos Theory
    • Irish Whip
  • Full Press Coverage
No Result
View All Result
Full Press Wrestling
No Result
View All Result
Home WWE

Hot Take Wrestling 2: Wildcard Rule Wasn’t A Bad Idea

Kaden Hanafi by Kaden Hanafi
October 3, 2020
in Featured, Opinion, WWE
Reading Time: 3min read
249 5
0
wildcard
493
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Welcome back to Hot Take Wrestling. Thank you for not giving up on me after my first hot take. Today I’m giving another hot take, but this one focuses on one period of time. WWE viewership has continued a downward trend over the last few years. The McMahons addressed the low numbers on the December 17, 2018 edition of Monday Night Raw, stating that Raw and Smackdown would be taken over by them as a unified front. The low viewership kept coming, however, forcing Vincent Kennedy McMahon’s hand once again. Thus, the “wildcard rule” was born on the May 6, 2019, episode of Monday Night Raw. The rules were simple: up to four wrestlers could appear on the opposing brand via invitation only (if someone showed up without invitation they would be penalized).

The wildcard rule would last the summer of 2019, with its demise coming shortly after Summerslam weekend. WWE faced massive criticism for the wildcard rule. The overexposure of stars like Roman Reigns, Kofi Kingston, and Becky Lynch did not help viewership. This also led to dismay among the fans with certain superstars such as Seth Rollins. Rollins was coming off a Royal Rumble victory and conquering Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 35 when the wildcard rule went into place. The Beast-slayer paired with his fiance Becky Lynch in June, proving to be the turning point in his white-hot push. Brock Lesnar cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Rollins at Extreme Rules 2019, winning the title. Rollins lost all of his momentum. He did win the title back at Summerslam, however, but he was forever damned. Many believe that the wildcard rule might have been one of the worst ideas that creative ever thought of. I disagree.

More FromFPC Wrestling

AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: March 3, 2021

AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021

WWE Raw Results, Grades & Opinion: March 1, 2021

March 1, 2021

NXT TakeOver Draft: Who Can Build The Best All-Time TakeOver Card?

March 1, 2021

Crossbody of Work Episode 52: Jacqueline

February 27, 2021

Why? Here’s Why

The wildcard rule might have been one of the biggest mistakes creative has made, but that’s only because they screwed it up so badly. Vince also set in place another rule during that dreadful summer: no wrestling during commercials. This ended up being exactly as terrible as it sounds. Every match would last about 5 minutes, with tons of non-finishes, matches becoming multi-man tag matches, and ⅔ falls matches. This rule was in place at the same time as the wildcard rule, increasing the overexposure of the top superstars as every match had some sort of janky finish.

Vince’s new rule was not the only reason the wildcard rule failed in the long run. As stated earlier, the wildcard rule had certain rules. The creative team never followed those rules. I believe that if the rules had been followed, the era of the wildcard rule would not be nearly as bad as it was. Let’s be real for a second. It would be awesome to have crossover’s from time to time, especially with the shows being majority garbage as of late. I would much rather see the King’s ransom come to Raw one week than watch Miz and Morrison do voiceovers for Mandy’s hair. Instead, the same people used the rule every week, causing it to go stale. The idea was not the problem, it was the booking. Becky and Rollins tagging together, Kofi vs Dolph (ugh), the horrific tag division, and all those non finishes made the wildcard rule much worse.

So What?

I believe that WWE ratings would have increased if creative booked the wildcard rule correctly. Instead, we got the summer of hell in 2019. I would love to eventually see this concept done correctly. WWE dropped the brand to brand invitational, the closest thing to the wildcard rule, after only three weeks earlier this year. Don’t forget to let me know how you feel about this hot take!

Share197Tweet123Share49
Next Post

AEW Dynamite Recap, Grades, & Opinion: September 16, 2020

Kaden Hanafi

Kaden Hanafi

Next Post
AEW Dynamite

AEW Dynamite Recap, Grades, & Opinion: September 16, 2020

Naomi

WWE Missed The Mark Again By Passing Over Naomi

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Brodie Lee Passes Away at Age 41

Brodie Lee Passes Away at Age 41

December 26, 2020
WWE Survivor Series 2020 Results, Grades & Recap

WWE Survivor Series 2020 Results, Grades & Recap

November 22, 2020
Wrestlemania 37 Card Prediction

Wrestlemania 37 Card Prediction

October 29, 2020
WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 Results, Recap & Opinion

WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 Results, Recap & Opinion

2
Randy Orton is The Best Heel of My Generation

Randy Orton is The Best Heel of My Generation

2
Wrestling Roundup: November 16, 2020

Wrestling Roundup: November 16, 2020

1
AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: March 3, 2021

AEW Dynamite Results, Grades & Opinion: March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021
WWE Raw Results, Grades & Opinion: March 1, 2021

WWE Raw Results, Grades & Opinion: March 1, 2021

March 1, 2021
NXT TakeOver Draft: Who Can Build The Best All-Time TakeOver Card?

NXT TakeOver Draft: Who Can Build The Best All-Time TakeOver Card?

March 1, 2021

  • Boot 2 The Face "Bruan Strowman Sucks"
    by Boot 2 The Face on March 1, 2021 at 10:00 am Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://chtbl.com/track/F36228/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/43679213/b2tf126.mp3
  • Ep. 188 - Potato Head / Wrestlemania Predictions
    by Talkamania on February 27, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    We're talking life, WM predictions, and more.

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdcn.co/e/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/43665499/talkamania_episode_188.mp3
  • Ep 52: Jacqueline
    by Full Press Coverage on February 27, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    This week we’re covering the WWE Hall of Famer Jacqueline. One of the most consistent performers […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/track/G481GD/traffic.megaphone.fm/ADV7559085259.mp3?updated=1614399614
  • Irish Whip Podcast - The ROAD to 'MANIA, ROH Law Suit, and of course #FreeFigFriday!
    by The IRISH Whip Podcast on February 27, 2021 at 1:43 am

    Road to MANIA This week we got joined by Chris Rucker of @boot2theface and @eightyproofpod to talk […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://chtbl.com/track/8CCBCD/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/43658278/irish_whip_podcast_the_road_to_mania_roh_law_suit_and_of_course_freefigfriday.mp3
  • Episode 30 Military minded
    by CHAOS THEORY on February 23, 2021 at 3:09 am

    this week is all about superstars in the military! find me at […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://pdcn.co/e/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/43593106/episode_30_military_minded.mp3
  • Boot 2 The Face Episode 125 "Halloween Havoc"
    by Boot 2 The Face on February 22, 2021 at 12:00 am

    We are back with another episode from Santana Garrett's fav wrestling podcast. We are talking […]

    Your browser does not support the audio element. But you can check this for the original link: https://chtbl.com/track/F36228/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/43574733/b2tf125.mp3
All Shows

  • Jacksonville Jaguars Eye Familiar Faces in Free Agency
    by Brad Harvin on March 4, 2021 at 10:00 pm

      The 2021 NFL Free Agent period begins in less than two weeks. Typically this time of year does […]

  • Saints Free Agency: Tight Ends
    by Alec Salas on March 4, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    We continue our dive into Saints free agency options with our look at the tight end position. The […]

  • Saints Free Agency: Offensive Line
    by Alec Salas on March 4, 2021 at 9:50 pm

    We continue our dive into Saints free agency options with our look at the offensive line position. […]

  • This Or That: Derrick Johnson Or Tamba Hali?
    by Braden Holecek on March 4, 2021 at 9:49 pm

    This Or That: Derrick Johnson Or Tamba Hali? Which former Chiefs defender would you add to today's […]

  • Raiders Opinion: The Jackson Release Questions
    by Terrance Biggs on March 4, 2021 at 4:24 pm

    In releasing Gabe Jackson, the Raiders freed up needed cap space. Now, how will they spend this […]

Full Press Wrestling

Copyright © 2020 Full Press Coverage

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • WWE
  • AEW
  • Ring of Honor
  • Indies
  • Podcasts
  • Full Press Coverage

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • WWE
  • AEW
  • Ring of Honor
  • Indies
  • Podcasts
    • Crossbody of Work
    • Talkamania
    • Boot 2 The Face
    • Ringside Rant
    • Chaos Theory
    • Irish Whip
  • Full Press Coverage

Copyright © 2020 Full Press Coverage

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In