WWE: Wins and losses need to mean something

Victories and losses in professional wrestling are important. They can be used to set up and move stories forward, regardless of which wrestler comes out on top. When that value is ripped away from the bell-to-bell action, wrestling loses a major part of what made it destination viewing for millions. All Elite Wrestling and the WWE are two sides of the same coin, making for an interesting conversation around why wins and losses matter in the industry.

One of the frequent complaints about current WWE content is that much of what occurs does not matter in the long term. This is exacerbated by the incessant use of rematches, non-finishes, and non-title matches from one network special to another. Even after WrestleMania season ended a few weeks ago, many of those same angles are still going on across main roster WWE television. That diminishes the value of the big matches that occurred at the annual showcase. If those matches were not special enough to end feuds and lead into new storylines, then nothing that happens week-to-week is important.

Champions are frequently pinned in non-title matches. Individuals like Sami Zayn or the Miz are elevated to title programs even though they rarely win singles matches to earn those positions. It is not that the WWE does not know how to create strongly booked characters. Karrion Kross has not been pinned since joining NXT. Bobby Lashley rarely tastes defeat, losing only once in 2021 to date. Then there’s Roman Reigns, who is riding a 500-day streak where he has not been pinned. Three of the strongest characters booked in the entire promotion.

To compare, look at how AEW handles not only its champions but the challengers as well. Take Darby Allin, who has not lost a singles match since July of 2020. Or Hikaru Shida, who has not lost in singles action since December of 2019. The booking of Allin and Shida has helped elevate them to important members of that roster – especially for Allin who defends the AEW TNT title every week.

But it does not end just with the champions, as the challengers get an equally good booking in their build to the title shot. Take Tay Conti for example. She was on quite a streak before losing her title shot against Shida earlier in April. Before that match, she lost only one other time this month – a title shot against Serena Deeb and her NWA World Women’s title.

While AEW does not always stick to the rankings system, the promotion does a good job building up individuals with victories across Dark, Elevation, and eventually Dynamite. Those runs may not always turn into title victories, see Scorpio Sky, but they do help in building these individuals into performers that fans want to see. The proof is there in the promotion’s steady rankings that continue today.

So why is this such a challenge for the WWE? That is a question with a multi-layered answer, but the proof that there is an issue is clear. Take names like Matt Riddle, Shayna Baszler, and The Miz. All three of these individuals get ample television time on the WWE product, but they struggle to keep their shoulders off the mat. Still, they are presented as big names on the roster, even remaining in the title picture often. It is hard for viewers to take these individuals seriously, as there is no telling when they will take yet another needless defeat.

WWE has an uber-talented roster of men and women across each one of their brands. Sadly, those individuals are not seen as such because the promotion fails to make them look like world-beaters, they should be on television each week. A big part of the issue is the devaluing of wins and losses, which hampers any growth in interest for the product.