Bruce Prichard Talks Wrestling's Overuse Of Gimmick Matches

Executive Director of "WWE Raw" and "WWE SmackDown," Bruce Prichard, is starting to find gimmick matches tiresome. In a recent Q&A episode of his "Something to Wrestle" podcast, Prichard was asked which gimmick match he thinks is overused to the point of losing meaning.

"I think they all have been. I think that overall gimmick matches are overused," Prichard said. "In the old days, you got a cage match maybe once, maybe twice a year."

Prichard placed the blame for today's more gimmick-heavy landscape on ECW. He said that ECW's style of "nothing means anything" hardcore wrestling has led to gimmicks being overly relied on. He mused that the usage of gimmick matches could be creatively easier, or that they could be used when wrestlers aren't good in the ring.

Prichard's thoughts on the usage of gimmick matches are interesting given his creative position within WWE. But, when viewed alongside WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque's recent comments on the future of gimmick-based Premium Live Events – where he stated that the company may re-evaluate certain gimmick Premium Live Events — Prichard's comments provide a glimpse into an interesting possible future for WWE's gimmick matches and gimmick-based Premium Live Events.

Between Hell in a Cell, Extreme Rules, and Money in the Bank, WWE has no shortage of gimmick-based Premium Live Events. Although the likes of TLC or the one-off Fatal 4-Way event have fallen by the wayside, WWE's usage of other gimmick-based Premium Live Events has stayed strong. But, Prichard and Levesque's recent comments may indicate WWE moving in another direction and using these events sparingly.