Subhojeet Mukherjee on July 6, 2025
Chris Masters hasn’t been part of the WWE family for a long time now but he does keep up with the current product. That’s why there are things he doesn’t necessarily like and it appears he criticized WWE’s current trend of blatant ad placement during matches.
While speaking on The Wrestling Classic, Chris Masters believes WWE shows have become too flashy and overproduced, comparing them to something you’d see on America’s Got Talent.
Masters believes wrestling needs to get back to being gritty and raw, where the focus is on the wrestlers and their stories, not on polished production and digital effects. He does appreciate that WWE has recently simplified their entrances, which he feels is a step in the right direction.
“I think it’s gone a little under — it got very America’s Got Talent looking. And I’ve been saying for a long time it needs to be grittier, which I like — the one thing they’ve done now is they’ve simplified the entrances. Yes, they toned it down because you don’t need all that. Like, you don’t need all these digital — like you’re overly doing the digital.”
Masters also pointed out how some advertising is way too obvious and takes fans out of the moment. He used an example where CM Punk went through a table and a Slim Jim logo was positioned perfectly for the camera.
Masters feels moments like that clearly show it was rehearsed to highlight the ad, which breaks the natural flow and ruins the emotional connection fans have with the action. He believes wrestling should be about authentic moments, not blatant product placement.
“Honestly, one thing that I hated was when CM Punk went through the table and you just had that Slim Jim like right in your face. It was so positioned blatantly as an ad that, to me, I felt like as a fan it would take me out of it. Because I knew they rehearsed it in a way like, ‘Let’s make sure we have this Slim Jim ad right through the broken table up on the camera.'”
The Slim Jim table has been a regular part of WWE programming for a month now and it’s gotten mixed reactions from fans so far. Regardless, WWE’s modern-day productions aren’t liked by everyone and it’s clear Chris Masters isn’t a fan and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
Do you agree with Chris Masters that WWE has become too flashy and commercialized, or do you enjoy the spectacle and big-brand feel? Sound off in the comments.
July 6, 2025 4:33 pm
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