Line #2 YMMV/WWEPGEra


1	* AudienceAlienatingEra: ''Oh boy''. To say this era is not controversial is an understatement. To kickstart, the sudden shift to LighterAndSofter was seen as an obvious attempt to aid Linda [=McMahon=]'s senate bid after the Wrestling/ChrisBenoit scandal. Midway through, ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' is getting several guest hosts, feuds are [[ArcFatigue dragged for too long]], the women are gradually DemotedToExtra, and [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the overall predictability of everything]].
2	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
3	** Wrestling/JohnCena slipped into this category, to the point where he was acknowledging it in interviews. In its basic components, he was disliked by smarks and older males - but popular with kids and females. It became a RunningGag for there to be duelling chants of "Let's go Cena" and "Cena sucks!"
4	** Wrestling/MichelleMcCool for the women's division. She became the first Divas' Champion over Wrestling/{{Natalya\|Neidheart}}, and later the first to have held that and the Women's Championship - which she won back a second time weeks after losing it. This got accusations of her being overpushed - especially when it got out that she was married to Wrestling/TheUndertaker. While agreed to be a good wrestler, she had detractors for her DullSurprise on the microphone (though some of these went away when she went DenserAndWackier in her Wrestling/LayCool gimmick). Others felt Michelle was a great asset to the division - producing some stellar matches with Wrestling/{{Melina}} in particular (one of which even got them a reprimand for being too good).
5	* BrokenBase: The shift to LighterAndSofter programming is a controversial subject among fans to this day. Its detractors blame it for stiffing both the wrestlers' in-ring and mic performances. Its defenders (or at least sympathizers), on the other hand, argue that the change is necessary for the wrestlers' well-being, especially coming-off from the Wrestling/ChrisBenoit [[PaterFamilicide fiasco]].
6	* CreatorsPet:
7	** Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} was the most notable one, with fans complaining that he was put over far too soon as a top guy - getting to win the title when he'd only been in the WWE for six months. While his reign was short (and the win itself was an underdog style win in a Tables match), he ended up getting to wrestle Wrestling/TripleH at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' and was champion again a few months later. It was felt that he was being pushed largely because he was friends with Triple H, and it took until a HeelFaceTurn in 2011 to shake some of this off...only for it to return full force when he defeated [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] in a SquashMatch at ''Wrestling/WrestleMania''.
8	** Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre was another one - who was disliked for monotonous promos, being quite average in the ring and getting a huge push very early (albeit just for the Intercontinental Championship). The creative team seemed aware of this, and even incorporated Drew getting Wrestling/VinceMcMahon to {{Retcon}} his losses so he could maintain his undefeated streak. Unlike Sheamus, he'd drop down on the card and be considered a {{Jobber}} by the next year - getting released in 2014. Thankfully, his return in 2017 provided a full on CareerResurrection.
9	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
10	** Wrestling/{{Layla}} of all people. While she had her niche of Diva fans, she transformed from {{Jobber}} to BetaBitch to the top heel to the final Women's Champion! She was always a favourite in Wrestling/LayCool, and transformed into a good wrestler as a result of the push. She then got put over as the one to retire Wrestling/MichelleMcCool - a huge deal, considering Michelle's status as the top woman for the past three years.
11	** [[Wrestling/MattCardona Zack Ryder]] ended up attracting an insane fan base from his web series ''Z: True Long Island Story''. By 2011, crowds were clamoring for him to be pushed. WWE sadly buried him in 2012 and he never fully regained those heights again.
12	* EvilIsCool: Wrestling/RandyOrton's antics throughout the era are what solidified him as one of the greatest {{Heel}}s in the business. Want specifics? Beating Wrestling/JohnCena's father in the audience; beating Wrestling/CMPunk before his match to cost him the World Heavyweight Championship; beating the entire [=McMahon=] family and kissing an unconscious Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon; humiliating Wrestling/KofiKingston ("STUPID! STUPID!")...
13	* FetishRetardant: A lot of the attempts at having {{Fanservice}} segments fell pretty flat, considering the PG rating limited how far they could go. Thus we had swimsuit matches where the Divas wore one-pieces, a pyjama pillow fight that wasn't anything but degrading, and a baffling battle royal in evening gowns.

Context YMMV / WWEPGEra