WWE has long had a problem with being a bit too formulaic with its creative on Raw and SmackDown each week. That’s understandable, considering there are so many hours to fill and they quite literally never get time off, but it’s always nice when they break from the norms in a new and interesting way.
That’s what we got with the contract signing involving Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns this week.
The usual set up would entail the three wrestlers meeting in the ring, typically with a commentator presiding over the signing, usually with a table and chairs, putting pen to paper, and then getting into a massive brawl with furniture thrown all about.
It’s fun enough, depending on the participants, but there are only so many times you can see that formula without feeling like it’s stale.
That’s why I was so pleasantly surprised when they switched it up so much this week.
Instead of doing anything in the ring, Adam Pearce was called into Vince McMahon’s office and tasked with getting signatures from each wrestler to ensure the match goes forward as planned. He spent the entire show trying to get those signatures.
First, he had to go to the Firefly Funhouse to get one from Wyatt:
Then, he had to sacrifice Drew Gulak to get one from Strowman:
Finally, he had to figure things out with Reigns, who surprised us with an advocate who played hardball before dropping one of the bigger surprises of the year to end the show:
This was a fantastic show long story that proved WWE is willing to think outside the box when they need to. Let’s hope they do it more often going forward.