WWE Executive Says “Wins And Losses Don’t Matter”
Some wrestling fans might have been disappointed – to say the least – that Cody Rhodes didn’t defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 and finish his story but according to one WWE executive, that might be ok because “wins and losses don’t matter.”
Winning and losing to many is the entire point of wrestling matches but some companies – WWE in particular – have been criticized for what people see as “50/50” booking where stars can trade wins and losses on a weekly basis with one another.
While that might extend certain storylines, some critics see it as a strategy that stops people from building momentum and popularity as stars aren’t seen as dominant. An opposite strategy is best illustrated by Goldberg’s rise in WCW when he went on an unprecedented undefeated streak on his way to becoming a hugely popular star and winning the WCW World Championship.
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Speaking on his Oh You Didn’t Know podcast, WWE executive Road Dogg discussed 50/50 booking and says he’s used it in the past and thinks it serves a purpose despite its unpopularity:
“I know I did it when I was a writer and it serves a purpose though it’s hated. There’s very few people that can tell me that, that I’ll listen to. Very few of them have been in the shoes of writing 52 weeks a year and 12 PLEs in between those. So very few people have had that honor/burden, so I’ll only listen to some of y’all tell me that’s not hard and 50/50 is not necessary.
“I wouldn’t say it’s necessary, but I would say if you want to keep every character in a position to where they’re promotable, and look, it also goes into my bigger philosophy and this is going to break the internet of, wins and losses don’t matter. It’s about episodic television and that’s how I look at it now. You can look at it any other way you want to, but from an episodic television show, which is where we all know that’s where the money comes from now, that’s what rules the day.
“You got to keep the characters like Becky Lynch doing well, but you also got to use a character like Becky Lynch every now and then to make a newcomer look well. There might be an instance where I need Becky’s, and exactly what she is, a star. I need her star power to give said NXT upcoming star the carrot and the clout that he or she deserves when coming in. ‘Oh my God. They beat Becky Lynch.’ Right, wrong, or indifferent, it’s a philosophy and it’s a philosophical disagreement if you agree or disagree.”