The creative death of Marvel’s MCU left a huge hole. One that in my case is filling WWE on Netflix

Twice a week I like to live a cathartic experience, and it is something that I strictly adhere to since the beginning of 2025. WWE and Netflix they started a million-dollar collaboration (a decade at a rate of 500 million dollars a year) so that their star shows could be seen around the world.

Gone are those weekend mornings in Four with La Bomba Batista, Rey Mysterio or Randy Orton who starred in the childhood of an entire generation, but thanks to the platform of streaming, nostalgia hits harder than ever by allowing us to experience nothing less than the farewell tour of the greatest of all time: John Cena.

But beyond the trip to childhood, my religious weekly ‘Raw’ and ‘Smackdown’ have helped me realize that with a ring and a handful of wrestlers they are scratching the same part of the brain as I expected the MCU to activate during these last years.

The interrelation of the character arcsinvincible enemies, unexpected turns of a hero and alliances on the horn is something that Marvel has lost since ‘Avengers Endgame’ and that I find almost every week in wrestling. All that is needed is a suspension of credulity that is generated by the cathartic nature of the slaps (choreographed, not fake) and by how dedicated the public is to an event that also has the added bonus of being held live.

Perhaps it sounds ridiculous for those who have not known about this world for 20 years, or for those who have barely entered it, but once you are part of the wheel, it is difficult not to get hooked by multiple aspects: combats measured to the millimeter with a physical preparation from another planet, soap opera stories between the stars where the distance between reality and fiction is separated by a bad fall or a word out of the script, or demonstrations of aura with entrances like those of Penta either Roman Reigns.

But everything has its dark side and, as often happens, being a woman places me (even more frequently) in a dilemma.

Triple H is not spared either

The eternal “separating work and author” that does not prevent the bitter taste in the mouth produced by wanting to see the new Woody Allen or Roman Polanski movie or refusing to continue reading to JK Rowling. And the WWE is an almost inexhaustible source of controversies that makes it very difficult to draw the line and be able to simply enjoy a high-quality show and wrestlers who give their all in vibrant fights.

The WWE has suffered under the previous management of Vince McMahon and their continuous scandalsbut with the arrival in 2022 of Paul Levesque (known as Triple H for wrestling lovers, and also McMahon’s son-in-law) as the new content director, they wanted to sell a new post-Vince era, establishing a gender equality policy on the roster and moving away from wrestlers with whom racial stereotypes were promoted.

Since the replacement took place, there is no doubt that the female presence has increased in WWE, and continues to do so year after year; In its annual report we can see that of its superstars a 40% are womenin front of the 35% from previous year. And not only does it increase in number, but in quality; offering us stories and combats that are often infinitely superior to those perpetrated by male stars on the roster. Names like Rhea Ripley either Becky Lynch They are the female reference and those who lead the way for new recruits.

The combination of global streaming thanks to Netflix and the growing number of female talentshas been the key factor that has managed to boost the increase of this audience. And, already in the documentary ‘WWE: Unreal’, the creative director that high percentage stood out: “WWE women have become an integral part of what we do. 40% of our audience is female.

So, when you start down the road to ‘WrestleMania,’ you try to approach it with them the same way you do with the guys, you approach the narrative in the same way. “However, at the same time, this reality is continually clouded by putting its stars against the ropes beyond the ring itself.

And the figure of Triple H is not exempt from controversy either. It is not only that he has visited the oval office alongside Trump this summer to join the Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, reminding us once again of the US president’s relationship with the world of WWE and, inevitably, being a reminder of what political side the company joins.

Not in vain, when the worst of the pandemic forced bodies to pile up in refrigerated trucks, even in New York, the WWE was one of the first sports practices to resume thanks to an exemption from Republican Florida. But the bulk of the excesses during his mandate are directed at the female public.

Wrestlers and female audience against the ropes

The WWE, through a agreement with Saudi Arabia which began in 2018 with the celebration of one of its events in the Middle Eastern country, was added to the list of sports that participate in the sportswashing strategic to whiten the image of the regime. This agreement, reprehensible for all that it implies on a political and social level, becomes even more flagrant and uncomfortable if we highlight what it means directly for the women of the company.

In those first three events since 2018, the participation of the women’s section was totally prohibitedneither could they compete nor, of course, were female audiences allowed. It seems that, therefore, with that agreement of 100 million dollars annually Triple H easily forgets about that high percentage of female spectators that he brags about.

It was not until 2019 when the Saudi authorities, in a display of modernity, allowed female wrestlers to compete, as long as they wore wrestling clothing that completely covered their bodies. This clause remains in force in full 2025 even after Netflix’s foray into the broadcast of sport. Year after year we see how in each event held in the Saudi country, women have to change their clothing and cover themselves completely to compete in a fight in the ring.

And this does not seem to be changing, the agreement is still more alive than ever and, what’s more, in 2027 the biggest and most important show of the year for the company, ‘Wrestlemania’, will leave American soil for the first time in its history to be held. in Saudi Arabia.

We live in two parallel realities as spectators, it is as if we have to put on a blindfold during these events and then return to the illusion of equality that the company boasts. We are continually between two waters since it is true that during the rest of the year, in other locations around the rest of the globe, this inequality between the female and male roster is not appreciated at any time.

But, at the end of the day, beyond being happy about what this implies, it reveals a hard and painful reality: equality is perfect until money tells us otherwise.

The agreements with Saudi Arabia are not the only thing that clouds WWE

And I wish it were only Saudi Arabia, because then it would be on par with sports like football or basketball. But the company adds, once again, reasons for controversy towards the female sex, especially demonstrating that McMahon’s trail is still valid.

Despite resigning after being accused of sex trafficking and coercion, there are still gaps in his figure, leaving that wound unhealed due to the continued sexualization of women and the misogyny that was the company’s daily bread. In the middle of 2025, Triple H can’t think of anything better than bringing back the wrestler Brock Lesnar and, not content with that, he doubles down by placing him in a fight within the retirement tour of the company’s most important figure: John Cena.

In the complaint filed by Janel Grant (former WWE employee) against McMahon, where she accuses him of sex trafficking and inappropriate sexual conduct, Brock Lesnar is mentioned up to 44 times. The plaintiff alleges that McMahon used her as a sexual favor for Lesnar in exchange for him signing a new contract with WWE.

After this, the fighter was not seen for two years and Triple H had declared that until the situation was clarified, Lesnar would not return. But it seems that he has eaten his words and ‘SummerSlam’ marked his return, with what seems like a creative director more than satisfied with the decision:

“We’re thrilled to have ‘The Beast’ back. We contacted him and said, ‘It’s time to come home.’ He liked the idea and here we are. It’s a very, very important moment for our WWE fans, something they thought they’d never see. We’re thrilled to have him back.”

So, it seems like a clean slate and Lesnar returns as if nothing had happened, even being part of the posters and promotional ads for ‘Wrestlemania 2026’. This return has brought criticism, but the truth is that his appearance at the MetLife Stadium in New York was the most acclaimed with an ovation thunderous noise from the 70,000 fans who were in the venue.

It is fair to say that the situation for female fighters continues to improve, with more jobs, better pay and greater exposure. The numbers don’t lie in his case, and they don’t lie in that of the female viewers, who continue growing as explained in previous paragraphs. However, the nuance is in the comfort, or rather lack thereof, that both groups have.

The specialized medium Wrestling Observer She already spoke of the displeasure of a good part of the women on the roster with the return of Lesnar, but as a spectator the problem is more in the responsibility that WWE’s creative direction places on our shoulders. What should be cathartic and even empty entertainment in the best possible sense of the word ends up alienating you and, what is more dangerous for wrestling itself, makes you break the fantasy and connect with the most unpleasant things in the real world.

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