One of the biggest issues I have with the PG era of WWE (and I have many issues with it) is the predictability of matches, shows and storylines. I really enjoyed the Attitude Era because it was unpredictable and that made me want to watch WWE more.

Without the edgy storylines and the catering towards a younger audience, I find WWE to be more predictable than ever before. Therefore, I ask, how can WWE be unpredictable, while we are still in the PG era? My answer is to walk the fine line between realism and fantasy.

One example of when the WWE walked the fine line between realism and storyline was the Montreal Screwjob. The Montreal Screwjob is one of the most famous incidents in WWE history and one that played a big part in ushering in the Attitude Era. The incident became such a big ordeal because it combined a real life incident with WWE’s on-screen storylines. The incident left fans wondering what was going to happen next and where WWE would go with this. As we all know, the Mr. McMahon character was created and gave us one of the best heels ever in WWE.

Another example of when WWE walked that fine line was CM Punk’s pipebomb in June 2011. His promo shook the foundation of WWE as no one was expecting anything like it and most people watching were not sure if it was planned or not. Punk called WWE out on a lot of issues that were real within the organization and when his mic went out, fans were left confused, but wanting more. Everyone wanted to know if the promo was a worked shoot or not.  Let’s also not forget that part of the storyline was that Punk’s contract was set to expire and he was number one contender for the WWE Championship, thus promising to take the title with him. This event also instantly made CM Punk one of the most popular superstars.

The final example I will discuss is when DX invaded WCW during the Monday Night Wars. Aside from it being generally entertaining as DX always was, fans were not sure what was going to happen. Would there be interaction between WWE and WCW? How far would Triple H and DX go in this invasion? It was exciting, interesting and unpredictable!

All of these examples obviously come from the past, so how does that help WWE today? WWE needs to learn from the past and create storylines just like these. Giving us tons of recaps, Santino jokes (like his U.S. title run) and other predictable situations do not make the product interesting. How often are we left with a cliffhanger at the end of RAW or Smackdown? This past Monday, the main event didn’t even close the show. The Brock Lesnar attacking Shawn Michaels segment ended RAW. Personally, although its not my favorite feud, the Brock Lesnar-Triple H match looks like it will be good, but in no way should it ever end a show. I will give credit, however, to WWE for allowing Michael Cole to mention the JTG twitter rant on RAW.

What do you think? How can WWE improve despite being in the PG era?

Seth Guttenplan is the writer and editor of GuTTWrenchPowerBlog, a brand new WWE blog. Seth also writes for PWPonderings.com. When Seth is not writing about wrestling, he is a Special Education teacher in New Jersey. To read more from Seth, follow him on twitter ( @sethgutt ) and visit http://guttwrenchpowerblog.com

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