Posted in: AEW, Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: aew, AEW All Out, Mick Foley, Vince McMahon, wrestling, wwe, wwe hall of fame

WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley Tells WWE, "We've Got A Problem"

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is never shy about sharing his opinions on the current product on his social media accounts.  Foley is always honest and straightforward, which fans have always loved and appreciated about "The Hardcore Legend".  And being such, Foley took to his official Facebook this morning to record a video where he spoke bluntly about the public bruising the company took this weekend as AEW All Out dominated the wrestling conversation around the world with a near-perfect pay per view event and the debuts of former WWE stars Ruby Soho (Ruby Riott), Adam Cole, and Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan).

Mick Foley made it clear with four words: "we've got a problem".  Over the course of 74 seconds, Foley laid out how WWE's inability to properly develop and book its talent has led to an exodus of not only regular viewers but now of the talent themselves.

Hello, this is the Hardcore Legend Mick Foley. I'd like to title this video "WWE, We've Got a Problem" because I think you do. And that problem is that WWE is no longer the place for talent to aspire to. Part of it is because AEW is doing a great job of attracting great talent, proven talent, building other talent, creating storylines. But part of it is a problem of your own making. I think younger talent sees the way that developmental characters are cut, or left by the wayside, or in the case of Karrion Kross, greatly watered down and even made a joke of when they debut on the main roster. If it's not broke, don't fix it. If I was an aspiring talent now, big-league talent with a major decision to make, I'm not sure that I would trust WWE Creative to do the right thing with my career. You guys did wonders with me back in the day. That was a different time, different place. If it was today, I'm not sure I would trust the powers that be with my career in their hands. And until that changes, WWE, you've got a problem.

When you watch the video, one thing is clear: Mick Foley isn't mad or trash-talking here, but rather genuinely concerned about the future of a company that he has not only loved his entire life but one that he made his name iconic and valuable in.  He's not piling on WWE with the internet wrestling fans that cheer on their presumed demise of the empire but instead is offering somber assessment from someone who's been on both sides of the camera and has seen the company and the industry as a whole in its highest and lowest points.

While WWE continues to make money despite its creative shortcomings, it's clear that something just isn't working here.  Ratings are at all-time lows, attendance is down unless a megastar like John Cena or The Rock returns, and it just appears that talented young wrestlers that are in their primes don't see WWE as the ultimate destination to hone their craft right now.  That's a problem and even though it's not a financial problem at the moment, you can look at the fall of any once great titan of their respective industry and you'll see that it was a series of cracks, not a singular crash, that brought them down.

I'm not (and I don't think Mick Foley is either) foretelling and certainly not wishing for WWE's downfall.  Like Foley, I've loved WWE my entire life and put it right there with comic books and films as the enduring entertainment sources that inspire me every day.

But as we've seen over the course of history, no empire is completely invincible and evolution in thinking and execution is paramount in survival.

You're a smart man Vince.  Listen to those who are actually trying to help you instead of those who are complementing the temperature in the room as the building around you burns.

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