Former WWE star reveals reasons behind end of WWE's boom period
(Courtesy : WWE)
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The wrestling world has been debating for months why WWE’s creative momentum has started to slow. Former WWE star Donovan Dijak may have just given the most honest answer yet.
In a post on X, Dijak argued that the boom period was never purely about better creative. It was about fans. Specifically, fans who were so relieved to be back in arenas after the COVID-19 pandemic that they cheered everything in front of them. And now, five years on, that honeymoon is over.
What did Dijak say?
Dijak put it plainly in his post: It is a simple but sharp observation. The boom period did not happen because WWE suddenly started writing perfect television. It happened because the audience was emotionally primed to receive it warmly. Now that goodwill has faded, the product is being judged on its own merits again.
“I think a lot of current fans/wrestlers don’t realize that when live fans returned in 2021 there was a massive shift from the way it used to be. From 1996-2019 good guys got booed and bad guys got cheered constantly. We really had to earn the right to get the desired reaction. After 2020 fans were honestly just so excited to have live wrestling back that for the most part they loudly supported whatever story was being provided. It’s been 5 years now and I think we are beginning to see the shift back in that previous direction.”
Dijak’s reading of the situation tracks with what fans have been seeing in arenas. Roman Reigns, once positioned as the ultimate villain, was openly cheered for years. Cody Rhodes built a massive babyface movement on the back of post-pandemic crowd energy. Even mid-card acts received reactions far warmer than their booking deserved.
That era is shifting. Crowds are more selective now. They boo who they want to boo and cheer who they choose to cheer, regardless of what WWE scripted for them. It is organic, unpredictable, and precisely the kind of atmosphere that defined the Attitude Era and the peak years of the early 2000s.
Dijak did acknowledge there are merits on both sides, but added that for wrestlers, this shift is a positive one:
“In my opinion there are pros and cons to both sides, but as wrestlers I think this kind of trend is wonderful because it forces us to listen and adjust to the voices of the fans at all times and that’s what this craft is really all about.”
That final line is the most important. The best wrestling has always been reactive. The performers who thrive are the ones who read a room and adjust in real time, not the ones who stick rigidly to a script regardless of what the crowd gives them.
What does this mean going forward?
If Dijak is right, WWE is entering one of the more challenging and exciting phases of its recent history. Creative will need to work harder.
Performers will need to earn reactions rather than rely on crowd goodwill. Stories will need to hold up under genuine scrutiny. That is not a bad thing. It is what professional wrestling is supposed to be.
Who is Donovan Dijak?
Donovan Dijak is a former WWE superstar who spent several years with the company, primarily on NXT, before departing in June 2024. He is currently active on the independent circuit and in Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he competes as part of The New Skyscrapers tag team alongside Josh Bishop.
When did Dijak leave WWE?
Dijak’s final day under a WWE contract was June 28, 2024. He publicly announced his departure the day before, revealing that WWE had never made him a formal contract offer and had informed him of the non-renewal at the eleventh hour. He had been with the company since 2017, spending most of his run on NXT before being drafted to Raw in April 2024, where he never once appeared on the main show before his exit.
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