Jerry Springer’s appearance on WWE’s RAW this past Monday night is absolute proof that WWE has lost touch with its audience.
WWE brought in the dated d-lister for a trashy segment on RAW with the two of the least talented Divas on the roster in a bit which wasted far too much time and did more to expose how creatively bankrupt the writing team is than possibly any other segment in recent memory.
Jerry Springer pulled out all the stops in a segment which felt reminiscent of some of the worst parts of the beloved Attitude Era, bringing in members of the Bella Twins’ family to try to mend the rift between the estranged sisters. The problem with this? Virtually no one cares. The Bella Twins, though improving in the ring of late, continue to be horrible actresses who cannot cut a promo to save their lives (or their segment). Both Brie and Nikki are far too wooden on the mic, delivering a parody of genuine emotion that would be laughable if it wasn’t so cringe-worthy. Dragging family members that the WWE Universe neither know nor care about does little to add to a storyline that is already drowning in the ineptitude of those performing within it.
Possibly the only entertaining moment in the entire Jerry Springer segment was when Springer himself tossed a thumbs up to the crowd as he was being hauled off on a stretcher.
While it has been noted that E! has requested this feud to add sizzle to Total Divas, the WWE based reality show which airs on the E! Network and features the Bella Twins in a central role, one has to wonder just why this much time and energy is devoted to something which seems to have little to no overlap with WWE’s core viewing audience.
Bringing in Jerry Springer was a needlessly risque move that felt like a poor attempt to achieve some middle ground between WWE’s current PG product and the aforementioned Attitude Era of yore, an era which fans continually clamor for on social media and poorly conceived YouTube comments. It was yet another embarrassing celebrity appearance on RAW that did little for the product except take time away from deserving individuals who work incredibly hard on a regular basis to try to develop their own brand.
If WWE is going to do trash TV, then they need to go all in. It can’t be like dropping the f-bomb once in a PG-13 movie. They have to rehire Vince Russo and go completely insane, turning off the entire idea of the “family friendly” product and committing to adult-oriented “Crash TV.” If the Bella Twins are going to feud, make the Bella Twins feud over things far more idioting than “Brie was picking on me,” and for the LOVE OF GOD if Brie is going to be the face, don’t show video of Brie actually treating her sister like garbage. It is in complete contrast to what WWE has been trying to project of late.
Then again, when is the face NOT acting in contrast to what WWE tries to project as their public image?
Last Monday’s RAW was not all bad, far far better than the week before’s effort, but it was still a gimmicky show that felt off, much like every RAW since Summerslam.
WWE needs to choose a direction and stick with it. This identity crisis is doing no one any favors.
