4 Reasons the New Era Rocks

We are only in the first week of the New Era but the change could not be more apparent. Both RAW and SmackDown have transformed completely – from the roster, to the atmosphere, to the entire format of the shows. One episode each – the Red Brand and the Blue Brand are already rocking it. Let’s see what are the top four things that make the New Era awesome!

Quality over Quantity

The WWE finally seems to have taken a note of the success of NXT. The formula that turned what was meant to be a developmental show into the best wrestling show in the WWE, and practically into a brand of its own, was simplicity. NXT always offered less matches, less useless talk and more great wrestling and perfect storytelling in the ring. The RAW and SmackDown Live of the New Era seem to be doing exactly that.

Excluding the Nia Jax and Braun Strowman squash matches, which actually were strategically placed, every other fight on the card was of reasonable length. It felt as if the superstars were doing more in the ring and that has a lot to do with the amount of time they were given to work with. Both RAW and SmackDown Live felt like PPVs because of that.

Until now, the WWE fans were used to seeing great matches only on special events. The New Era promises to deliver the same experience every week.

Women in Focus

The first women’s match of the New Era was the championship match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks. It felt as if I was watching NXT TakeOver and that is a huge compliment. The ladies were allowed to wrestle and show what they are truly capable of. The emotion was so strong it was tangible. This raised both the credibility of RAW and of the Women’s Division.

SmackDown Live has no title to offer their female talent just yet, so the show compensated by showing off its entire Women’s Division. All names there are truly capable, excluding Eva Marie. However, this one is so terribly incompetent, she gets the biggest heel reaction out of all, so she’s still hugely valuable to the WWE. Either way, the women made their mark, one by one and it felt monumental.

The general feeling after this week of wrestling is that women in the WWE are getting the respect and the attention they deserve. That in itself is already a reason to love the New Era

New Opportunities Given

Everyone promises opportunities. This is what gets the hopes up and makes people tune in to the shows. However, more often than not, these promises end up, being empty words. Surprisingly, the WWE seem to be keeping their word with the New Era.

Both brands organized competitions for their main titles and people you’d usually see only as jobbers were involved in high-profile matches. You can’t have everybody win but as long as you manage to make it seem like everyone truly has a chance, then you’ve succeeded. The WWE made every superstar look credible and that’s a victory in itself.

Actually, the WWE were so precious of their own people that for the two squash matches on RAW, they hired random local competitors. That way, no one on the main rosters would look weak in their first week (Miz makes an exception but being a weasel IS his character, after all). That’s a great way to show that every person in the locker room matters.

If the WWE manage to keep this quality going, the New Era will be truly unpredictable and exciting.

The Voice of the Fans – Finally Heard

Dean Ambrose, in the center of the ring, surrounded by the entire roster, standing proud as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, proclaimed the face of the brand. A year ago that would have been only a whimsical dream. The guy had been booked to lose almost every high-profile match since the beginning of his solo career in the WWE and now he’s at the very top!

The Golden Boy – Roman Reigns, getting pinned in two high-profile matches, in two consecutive nights? You’d only dream of that happening until the New Era hit. But now, it’s reality. The guy the fans did not want to see on top actually got stripped of his superman status.

Ziggler, being recognized as a credible competitor and given a chance, and Finn Balor, getting a title shot on his first night on the main roster? It actually is a fact – Finn Balor and Dolph Ziggler both are #1 contenders for the respective top titles on their brands. What true wrestling fan doesn’t want to see Balor vs. Rollins in a title PPV match?

Looking at this and the other points mentioned earlier– it seems like the WWE finally are listening to their fans. Everything we asked for, we are getting. The New Era has begun with a roaring success and it promises us a great future!

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised