Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

WWE- The product today

  • 11-09-2015 4:07pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,758 ✭✭✭


    Long time follower of this forum guys, some great debate and some excellent posters on here it must be said. I thought I would post myself and get some opinions on peoples ideas on the business today, what is lacking in depth and what small/radical changes can be made.

    In a previous thread, I see folks reckon 3 hours is too long. Its painful to watch some of it, lots of filler, recaps etc..

    However, you could argue that the 3 hours allows more time for guys who simply wouldn't see the light of day on live tv if Raw was 2 hours long.

    Alot of the so called talent are failing to step up to the mark, and pass the buck blaming creative and poor writing. The entire culture in wrestling of having no major competition having cornered the market if you like, is its own downfall.

    None of the talent are willing to grab the game by the scruff of the balls and try something different for fear of losing their job/sliding down the card. Theres nowhere else to go, so we see this procession of talent coasting along banking their pay cheques.

    Creative and the powers that be are not blameless of course, for such a multi million dollar corporation with years of experience its really badly run in terms of output. Vince is no longer the genius he was without someone nipping at his heels. The comfort of having no competitor and having solid if unspectacular network money/tv revenue leads to the stalemate we see.

    So many little things just don't sit right. Too many in middle management perhaps, too many cooks spoiling the broth and all that.

    I guess the question i'm asking or the debate i'm looking to spark-

    If you were running the show at WWE today, what changes would you implement? How would you see these changes benefitting the business in the short term and long term?

    Who would be at the top of the card? who is grossly under used and who suffers from over exposure?

    My own take would be to get rid of the majority of the writers. People with experience in writing TV scripts (with no knowledge of the wrestling business) have simply no business being part of the creative process of a show. Experienced heads like Paul Heyman should be utilised in running shows from a creative standpoint. Its just one example.

    Scripted promo's should be thrown out forever. I know its a PG era and all that, but stars are made when they are simply being themselves with the volume cranked up (as the cliche goes). Give guys the fundamentals yeah, but let them sink or swim. You can do this without creating a culture of fear of losing one's spot for a balls up in delivery.

    Its not popular to say, but id like to see a brand split again (once changes have been made over the course of a year of 2). Maybe instead of 3 hours of raw and taped Smackdown you could have 2 hours live of each show.

    Guys on Raw and Smackdown will never cross paths, to me anyway it creates the anticipation of what happens when the top guys on each show eventually clash. The draft was entertaining in my opinion, seeing fresh blood challenge for the title etc.. Of course the issue of one world title throws a spanner in the works there, but it does need fleshing out in terms of being a viable idea.

    Have the shows compete with each other, really treat them as separate entities rather than competing with each other. If you have no natural competitor in the market then do the next best thing and allow rosters on both codes to force each other to raise their game. When Heyman ran Smackdown it was pretty great in fairness. Big PPV's maybe could see inter roster match ups.

    Those are just a few ideas broadly speaking, but feel free to add your own ideas, stepping in the shoes of being the guy running the WWE today.

    Oh on a side note, if I were in charge the terms "diva" and "WWE Universe" would be forever banned from WWE vocabulary. And Michael Cole would not be allowed suck the life out of matches :P


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 48,990 ✭✭✭✭Lithium93_


    For starters, if i were running the show, i'll put it in bullet points.

    • I'd lessen Vince's day to day, keep him away from the creative aspect, leave that to Hunter & Stephanie.. Bring him in for certain things IF needed.
    • Reintroduce the brand split.
    • Split the creative team, a team of writers each for Raw & Smackdown
    • Have Paul Heyman, when Brock is on hiatus, teach those coming through how to cut promos, no better man than Paul Heyman for the job.
    • Cut out the constant mention of things trending on Twitter
    • Send Cole & JBL to Smackdown commentary,
    • Remove Jerry from television altogether, make him a producer backstage.
    • Bring J.R back to commentary on Raw, maybe pair Corey Graves with him
    • Get rid of terms like Sports Entertainer, Divas.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,846 ✭✭✭Moneymaker


    1. Make RAW two hours. I can't stress this enough.
    2. Keep the product fresh. Constant rematches, seeing the same matches and feuds over and over again, bores me to tears.
    3. Make Orton, Cena, Kane and Big Show part time.
    4. Ditch the Diva's title.
    5. Stop scripting and micromanaging everything down to the smallest detail.
    6. Allow the wrestlers to be themselves.
    7. Get rid of this formula of key words and buzz words. **** like "ground breaking", "historic" blah blah blah. It comes off as so phony and try hard.
    8. Less writers.
    9. Push Cesaro.


  • Registered Users Posts: 838 ✭✭✭A Rogue Hobo


    It'll never happen but if they insist on keeping Raw as three hours then get rid of smackdown instead. It just dilutes all the feuds to the point where before most matches on ppvs you already feel like you've seen the match before. Look at Sheamus/Orton as an example of this.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 22,592 Mod ✭✭✭✭Bounty Hunter


    here are a few from me

    1. Make RAW two hours.

    2. Change Smackdown into it's own show with it's own identity

    How?
    different roster to start with - fill it full of Indy guys, guys raided from TNA and guys who aren't getting a shot on Raw. People like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles etc would be perfectly at home here and if they get over enough bring em over to Raw and in doing so have more fresh feuds. Give the show it's own story lines that aren't just continuations of Raw's and in now way allow the impression be given that it is the B show through the writing. (Maybe have a separate team of writers trying to shame Raw's team into bettering their show by outdoing them ala Heyman.)

    If you have to have one use main event as the Raw fallout/preview/recap show which I feel is all Smackdown currently is anyway

    3. Make a lot of the current big names part time and when they are involved have it generally not be for the WWE title. Orton, Cena, Kane and Big Show part time.

    Still make a big deal of them especially Orton who mostly just needs it to be freshened up from time to time but ideally use it to have them put over new stars... even John Cena. don't have him lose all the time, hell no but in a series like he had against Rusev, Wyatt or Owens letting his opponent win out could be huge.

    3. Re-Brand the Diva's title as the WWE womans championship. Have it defended on both Raw and Smackdown allowing for storylines to develop and more people to have shots at it.

    Actually put effort into Diva's storylines. You can call up the best of NXT who were first the best of the Indies if you want but if you book em like "Divas" it's a total waste

    4. Don't punish people for being internet darlings and don't fear what if they leave, i.e push more people harder and essentially just listen to the fans

    Ambrose, Cesaro etc could be huge stars if you let them

    5. More managers (inc Valets)
    Look how good Paul Heyman is with Brock or Zeb Coulter was with Swagger and like with Zeb you already have these people on the payroll. MNG wrote up a great idea for Regal managing Barett in ATH for example, Brad Maddox could def fill this role too, perhaps in a similar way to how Xavier Woods does for New Day.

    Lana shows Valets work too, look at Alexa Bliss's current role in NXT too, she's the New Trish Stratus and like Trish you can get you can get yourself noticed/known/over in such a role while developing your in ring style and ability. Even Lita debuted as Essa Rios's valet iirc

    these people both male and female push angles and superstars better than most so um let them!

    6. Less Writers - okay this one is just based on what we read online but it seems if you just had a few people to write the show it would be easier and the talent would know what they had to do. The talent could also do with a big more room to improvise and put their own touch on things which this would help with.

    7. Fix the commentary teams. Stuff like trending no.1 worldwide can be mentioned but don't ram it down our throats, infact stop ramming stuff down our throats full stop we get it! Instead keep it simple and commentate on the match, put over the in ring action and the competitors by keeping the vast majority of comments about that.

    He was o so great but... Jerry Lawler would be moved off the announce team (SD & PPVs) but I'm sure we would find a role for him maybe as a Jack Tunney style SD GM and I'd never have him endorse things as the moment Jerry thinks something is cool it stops actually being cool (Fandangooing anyone)

    8. More Big Angles: Not suggesting sh!tloads and Maybe it's just me but it seems like we used to get a lot more of these. Maybe they feel they have been burnt too many times with things like Mr McMahon's death and his illegitimate son (Mr Kennedy) but if done right they can make stars megastars


  • Registered Users Posts: 480 ✭✭EdmondShiels3


    I don't watch smackdown because if anything happens it's on raw.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    Alot of the so called talent are failing to step up to the mark, and pass the buck blaming creative and poor writing. The entire culture in wrestling of having no major competition having cornered the market if you like, is its own downfall.

    None of the talent are willing to grab the game by the scruff of the balls and try something different for fear of losing their job/sliding down the card. Theres nowhere else to go, so we see this procession of talent coasting along banking their pay cheques.

    ah, the good old brass rings.
    the reality is that if anyone tries to get over by themselves, Vince shuts them down, or at best gives them five minutes of fame.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,166 ✭✭✭Stereomaniac


    I've only realised it from reading this thread how true that is. People aren't stepping up to the plate because they know they have nowhere else to go that's anywhere near the WWE level.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,592 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    ah, the good old brass rings.
    the reality is that if anyone tries to get over by themselves, Vince shuts them down, or at best gives them five minutes of fame.

    Mizdow got about 2 minutes before the big show went over :( I'm still amazed and annoyed at how that went down


  • Registered Users Posts: 28,725 ✭✭✭✭CastorTroy


    Let things happen without forcing/highlighting them to the point of overexposure.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,166 ✭✭✭Stereomaniac


    If they had just left Roman Reigns do his thing in his own time, they'd've gotten what they wanted.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,543 ✭✭✭Mick Murdock


    I was typing a long post but realised almost everything was already said by BH.

    Send Vince off to Connecticut to run the business. Get rid of or at least demote Michael Cole. Everybody is sick of him.

    If JR isn't available offer a packetload to Mauro Ranallo. Maybe get him to scale back a bit but at least he sounds enthusiastic! I watched the Mayweather fight last night. He is exceptional and worthy of presenting any mainstream show.

    I am not a regular watcher but I also think Kevin Kelly does a real good job for RoH. Perhaps use him for SD.

    Fire all the Hollywood and career people or at least spend the money on a few quality Hollywood people rather than a bunch of ex Big Brother and soap opera people. Creative should come from current, former wrestling people with a diverse mix. Separate teams for Raw and SD.

    Hire less Miz's and more Kevin Owen's. Guys that actually look like they could win a fight. More variety is needed.

    Give everybody at least a chance to succeed. Bringing guys from NXT to Raw and giving them feuds with Randy Orton and Big Show (P45) within a month is killing them.

    They need a constant cycle in and out of talent to occupy 5 hours a week. I would have it so it's not too predictable but have guys like Orton disappear for 6 months so they mean something when they return.

    Rollins (who I was completely wrong about) is awesome. His promos and in ring in the last while are blowing the competition away.

    Cena has been really good this year but he has to lose more often than not to new guys.

    At this moment in time you could have much stronger Cesaro, Owen's, Rusev, Ambrose, Bryan (if he's not finished), Ryback. I think I'd fire Reigns as I can't stand him but I guess he had potential too.

    Bully Ray is one of the best heels in the industry and he should be back to TNA persona in a few months but I seriously doubt it will happen for any sustained period.

    Kayfabe is dead but you don't have to ram it down people's throats. Some of the most exciting tv in the last 10 years was Rock/Cena and Punk. At least keep some air of mystique.

    Less Twitter. More managers and guys who can talk like Regal and Zen involved.

    They need to adjust the language. The PG swearing is embarrassing for grown men. Doesn't have to be Attitude Era but 'bullcrap' etc. need to be gone. Less 'humour' in promos.

    Sorry was a bit long anyway.


Advertisement