Why did WWE stop using Pyro? WWE stopped using pyro for their entrances around 2017. It was a hugely disappointing move, as many fans loved to see the fireworks go off as their favourite WWE superstar entered the fray. Some entrances were simply not the same without the flashy lights and loud explosions letting you know that “hey, this guy is a big deal”.
Batista without his machine gun pyro would be a sad sight to see. Imagine DX without their green “X” fireworks in the ring. How could we ever respect Ryback without his fake explosion while the camera zoomed onto his face because he was scared of fireworks? Pyro is an important part of a wrestlers character and helps bring the larger than life characters to life.
However, WWE didn’t seem to think so. Despite pyro being a key part of their show for decades, they decided to get rid of it in 2017. This left many wrestlers entrances looking rather bare, even though it had been phased out slightly over the years. While top stars like Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose had never had fireworks accompanying their entrances, others like AJ Styles and Chris Jericho sorely missed out upon their removal.
While many were shocked by the decision to remove pyro from WWE, the explanation is a simple one. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported the WWE is no longer using pyro in entrances because the company feels they aren’t necessary, and it didn’t make financial sense to continue paying for something the saw no value in.
Not that the company was short of money, that is. Year on year they have been announcing record profits, with the Saudi Arabia deal alone netting them $50 million per show. They will rank in a billion dollars once their contract with the regime is up, meaning that they could probably afford a few sparklers for entrances if they wanted.
Former WWE Tag Team Champion Road Dogg, who now works as an executive under new head of creative Triple H, argued with a fan on Twitter about why WWE got rid of pyro. He claimed that pyro “wasn’t a priority in life” and that people would forget about it after a few months.
Based on the reactions even now, five years on, fans have not forgotten about how WWE took the pyro away. It remains a constant bugbear for the fans, and joins things like swearing, blood and raunchy storylines to things fans miss from their childhood watching wrestling.
We are all-too reminded of what we are missing out on when Roman Reigns comes out to a fireworks display that Guy Fawkes would think is a bit much, every year at Wrestlemania. If they spent a fraction of his pyro budget on other areas then at least Dolph Ziggler could have a fog machine or something when he comes out.
While it isn’t the biggest issue in the world – poor storylines and lack of interesting wrestlers has been a much bigger deal over the last few years – having their own personalised entrance pyro made wrestlers feel like a big deal. I can’t imagine Batista without his classic fireworks or Kane without setting things on fire. Without it, we miss out on some key character moments and lessen the connection to wrestlers on screen.
Bring back pyro for everyone.
