WWE Embraces Evolution

By Tom Clark

If anyone wanted to know how much WWE has attempted to evolve, they need only watch the product. The company that at one time elevated only its own manufactured Superstars now features AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and Shinsuke Nakamura as their three major titleholders.

Who could have predicted that?

Triple H is known as the best friend to the boys, because he is one of them. He knows how to assemble talent, just as he surely knew what direction the company should take. He may not be in charge at the moment, but he is undoubtedly the best man for the job when it comes open.

Of course Vince McMahon is still calling the shots, but Hunter's fingerprints are all over this New Era.

That's a good thing, because the mood surrounding the company right now is a very positive one. WWE has become exciting again, as it's become the destination for indie talents from all over the world. What began with The Summer of Punk led to the rise of Daniel Bryan, which has brought the company where it is now.

Muscled up bodybuilders press slamming their way to pay-per-view have become a thing of the past. Now it's all about the matches, and the diverse stars that deliver those matches. It's all about the wrestling again.

Even the women are finally being treated with respect on TV. Who saw that coming?

Much of the credit for all of this indeed goes to CM Punk, whose "voice of the voiceless" storyline spotlighted the problems in WWE. His job was to get over, which meant he had to say whatever it took to convince fans he deserved their attention. But it really didn't take much; fans were already sick of WWE in many ways.

Punk just opened the conversation to everyone, and that changed everything. The company ultimately may have dropped the ball with him, but he laid the foundation for the excitement that fans are seeing now.

The wrestling is what matters. WWE is the biggest wrestling company on the planet. When those two facts are ignored in favor of too much Hollywood showtime, fans immediately cry foul. This is about WWE finding its way as the leader of the pack, and that is exactly what's happened.

Not everyone is happy, and that's to be expected. Some talents may not get what others do, and some fans may not be as pumped up as others are. It's not a perfect business, and it never will be. But WWE is moving in the right direction, and the brand split is working right now.

How long will it last? Will WWE be able to maintain this momentum over time? No one knows.

But WWE as a company is evolving beyond anything fans could have ever predicted. Styles, Owens and Nakamura are proof positive of that.