If there is one thing wrestling fans love more than actual wrestling, it is complaining about the product.
WWE enjoyed a purple patch of support when Triple H was initially put in charge of creative, but that goodwill has now faded, especially in 2026.
Celebrity involvement in the lead-up to and during WrestleMania 42 did not go down well online, nor did the lack of actual wrestling during Night 1 of the showcase.
But Nick Khan has now made it clear that the company will not respond to social media criticism.
Nick Khan says WWE will never respond to social media criticism
Speaking in an interview released by Sports Business Journal this week (recorded in April), he said: “We will never respond to social media criticism.
“If ratings are down, if revenue’s down, if relevancy’s down, it’s up to us.”
Probably not what fans will want to hear, especially the more vocal section of the fanbase on social media, but those comments should not be that surprising.
WWE have never, despite what they may say, been that keen to listen to the audience and give fans what they want.
Over the years, we have been subject to some very questionable runs that lasted way too long despite nobody being interested in them. Just look at Roman Reigns’ first run as a babyface when The Shield split up.
However, in some more positive news, Khan was upbeat about the next generation of stars and WWE’s focus on developing them.
In the same interview, he spoke about the advice Shawn Michaels gave about what young wrestlers need to improve.
He said: “A year ago, we got together. Triple H, (Chris) Legentil, myself, a guy named Shawn Michaels, who runs our developmental system, Hall of Fame wrestler.
“We said, ‘Look, we have John Cena on his retirement tour, Rock came back and now he’s gonna be filming Jumanji and Smashing Machine at the time. Our other big stars, CM Punk’s 46, we’ve got a number of men who are 40 years or older and they’re performing at the high level. We’ve got to accelerate the next generation of talent. So what do we need to do to accelerate it?’
“Shawn Michaels said we need to take them on the road so they get the crowd response of a live crowd. That’s part of what makes wrestling unique. If you’re getting cheered, great. If you’re getting booed, great. If there’s no response, terrible.”
He also went on to single out Oba Femi as one of the next generation already impressing despite his brief stint on the main roster.
Khan continued: “So you need that live crowd to figure that out, so we made the investment in that. If you look at the acceleration of stars, even the opening match (at WrestleMania 42 night two), a guy named Oba Femi, former shot putter at the University of Alabama, against Brock Lesnar, it’s probably the most talked about match, and Oba’s only been on our roster for six months.”
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