WWE Not Splitting Up Couples To Not Seem Like ‘The Bad Guy’

We reported yesterday that Andrade was moved to Smackdown as a way to keep him and Charlotte Flair together. This is also why Aleister Black was moved over, as since Zelina Vega was moved with Andrade to not split up their act, Black was moved over to not split up the married couple.

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the previously reported reason that this was due to the request of FOX isn’t false, but it’s not the main reason. It was mostly done to keep the couples together, as if they broke up any couples, as the original decision would have, it would make those wrestlers unhappy or make the company look bad.

WWE is reportedly trying to listen to the audience now and not “look like the bad guy.” The Observer notes that this is “within reason” because they are still going to do things like go through with their Saudi Arabia deal, which received a ton of backlash after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Other than that, however, WWE has been running more focus groups than ever and trying to figure out why ratings and live event business are down, as well as how to keep their fans interested. It’s believed that they are “fully aware there is a wrestling war” and don’t want to be seen as the “bad guy promotion,” which would have fans going to other promotions as a protest vote against them.