WWE: Sports Entertainment Or Tasteless Shock TV *contains armageddon spoiler*

gimmick

I really want to see what peoples thoughts on this are. Is the WWE really going down the gutter, or is it merely following trends of making television cheap claptrap designed to shock rather than entertain? Is the WWE attitude becoming machiavelian in so far as, the end (ratings) justifies the means (shock TV).

I am of course referring to the rather tasteless segment done during Armageddon where former WWE referee, Tim White, was 'interviewed' at his bar, and decried how Hell In A Cell has left him a ruined man. After his little promo you are led to beleive that White shoots himself just off camera. Leading to this

Partial Source: WrestlingObserver.com

Several fans who went to Tim White's bar, The Friendly Tap last night saw a sign on the door that said "Closed due to a family emergency." which means they are playing up the storyline.

Supposedly this is going to be played out a bit more in weeks to come.

However, the publicity can be seen already. See this link.

Now add this too storylines including Dawn Marie shagging Al Wilson to death, the Katie Vick idea, Edge/Matt/Lita (I know there are many other examples which are not springing to mind), Im sure you will agree that WWE is plunging the depths for ratings. Personally I can see sense nor meaning to any of it, as it is certainly beginning to turn me off wwe tv.

(as a side note, what actually happened White?)

Chong

What actually happened on Armageddon and how does a Tim White sketch tie in.

rebelsbells2005

[QUOTE=gimmick
(as a side note, what actually happened White?)[/QUOTE]

he got a shoulder injury taking the bump in the Hell in a Cell match between hhh and jericho in 2002 ended his referee career

Chong

Ya but excuse me for my ignorance how does this relate to the undertaker/Orton match, because the only relation I can see is the actual Hell in the cell match itself. But oh why would they want to give a former referee/booker a storyline like this.

Devon

It was bang out of order if you ask me. They're allowed to do whatever the hell they like and mask it as entertainment. Hope they get an enormous fine and the writers get taken out and branded.

OY

It is getting a bit ridiculous. And a little embarrassing to watch TBH... this current Boogeyman thing is an example of just being plain over the top!

Fozzy

It's nothing new in my view. Since the mid 90's they've been going for shock tv. They try to push it further now because it takes more to shock the audience. A big factor in a lot of this, in my opinion/speculation, is that because a lot of these new writers are the "Hollywood/sitcom" type, they try to apply storylines that might fit in fine on a crap tv show (if the sitcom writers are so good, why aren't they writing sitcoms?), but it fails miserably in a wrestling context. I've read numerous reports on how the writers were never wrestling fans, and that would easily suggest that they just don't get it. TNA and ROH bookers certainly seem to get it in terms of wrestling storylines

Ya but excuse me for my ignorance how does this relate to the undertaker/Orton match, because the only relation I can see is the actual Hell in the cell match itself. But oh why would they want to give a former referee/booker a storyline like this.

They were trying to get over the idea of the cell being something that can end careers, change lives, etc. White's career was pretty much ended when he took a bump against it on his shoulder. He tried to make a few comebacks but his shoulder kept popping back out of place. Pity, cos I really liked the guy for whatever reason

I have to laugh at that link though. Any wrestling fan watching it would know that despite being tasteless, White obviously didn't shoot himself. You'd have to be an idiot to think otherwise!

Mr.Nice Guy

I thought it was tasteless and idiotic. White was very popular in that area as was his bar and apparently alot of people in the audience were disgusted. I read a review of the event on PWInsider in which one fan said his friend wanted to leave the arena after the angle.

They're a bunch of clowns. To think that they're debating whether or not to give Heyman a new contract! He could turn things around if given backing by a certain female McMahon...

Dragan

They have done several interviews with Tim White like this in the past. The last one i can remember is when Taker and Brock went at it in the cell. I just have a few points i would like to make.

1) Tim, when you agreed to take the bump, you lost your right to bitch about it.
2) The writing in WWE has gotten so bad it's pathetic, what the **** happened to Vince Russo?
3) Look what happened to Foley and he never bitched about it. That crazy bastard.

All in all, the whole "career ending" aspect of the Hell in the Cell, and the "taking years of your life" thing is bull****, i'm sick of hearing about it. They tried the same thing with the Elimination chamber. Sure, these matches take years off your life but you'll be alright to wrestle on RAW the night after.

WWE needs to drop the headlines and get back to the talent.

D-FENS

Dragan wrote:

1) Tim, when you agreed to take the bump, you lost your right to bitch about it.
2) The writing in WWE has gotten so bad it's pathetic, what the **** happened to Vince Russo?
3) Look what happened to Foley and he never bitched about it. That crazy bastard.

All in all, the whole "career ending" aspect of the Hell in the Cell, and the "taking years of your life" thing is bull****, i'm sick of hearing about it. They tried the same thing with the Elimination chamber. Sure, these matches take years off your life but you'll be alright to wrestle on RAW the night after.

Dragan,
Forgive me if I’m taking up your post the wrong way, but are you speaking in real life terms or in angle terms?
Because if you are speaking in real life terms, I don't think Tim White has bitched at all about his injury, he's merely stated in the past he's never been the same since and emphasized his injuries (something Foley has never been shy of doing), and I’m sure he accepts the fact that it was a possible consequence of agreeing to do the bump as you said. I wouldn’t call it bitching.
But if you're speaking in angle terms, why not have him bitch? In story line terms, he's a ref who got caught in the cross fire of a HIAC match, he certainly didn’t agree to it.
Although I obviously don't agree to the way they've done this angle.
Same goes for the tag lines/promos they give HIAC and the Elimination Chamber, what's the point of having these or any other type of stipulation match if they can't build them up a bit by saying how dangerous they are?

Dragan

In ANY terms the whole thing is bollox. As an angle it has gotten old. Like i said, they did the whole Tim White thing before, showing the clip where he flies off the edge of the ring into the side of the Cell.

Wow.

I've taken worse bumps than that falling over. It was a freak accident and was most likely made worse by a poor rotator cuff to begin with. My whole point is why emphasis something like that, when at the end of that match the ring was scarlet with Takers blood??

Maybe it's just me but if i was a writer i would have Orton showing every time the Taker, or anyone else for that matter, got really messed up in the cell, from Foley flying off it, to Taker pumping blood, to Jericho getting the steps in the face.

THAT shows some possibility of getting hurt, instead of an out of shape ref mashing his elbow because he was never trained to take the soft bump he needed to take.

D-FENS

Dragan wrote:

In ANY terms the whole thing is bollox. As an angle it has gotten old. Like i said, they did the whole Tim White thing before, showing the clip where he flies off the edge of the ring into the side of the Cell.

Wow.

I've taken worse bumps than that falling over. It was a freak accident and was most likely made worse by a poor rotator cuff to begin with. My whole point is why emphasis something like that, when at the end of that match the ring was scarlet with Takers blood??

Maybe it's just me but if i was a writer i would have Orton showing every time the Taker, or anyone else for that matter, got really messed up in the cell, from Foley flying off it, to Taker pumping blood, to Jericho getting the steps in the face.

THAT shows some possibility of getting hurt, instead of an out of shape ref mashing his elbow because he was never trained to take the soft bump he needed to take.

Well, i suppose one person's idea of a cr*p angle is another person's idea of a brain storm.
And it's nothing new for the WWE to take a fairly small issue like Tim White's injury (although not as small an issue for him), blow it out of proportion and give it lots of air time, while down playing or ignoring other issues which would be considered a lot more important.
Personally, I haven’t got an opinion yet on how good or bad this angle is, other than thinking the segment on Sunday was distasteful and down right weird, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see how it plays out.
And a lot of other people on this board will watch Smackdown and be back here complaining about it again.

Cactus Col

Tim White, he was one of my favourite refs, rip.

oneofakind32

weather u like it or not wrestling is a soap opera. Caracters off them self all the time in soaps/dramas. Any wrestling fan who buys this needs to have there head examined. I think what upsets most people is the patronising why in which the WWE sell it and expects us to take it as fact which I have to agree is pritty tastless

Chong

Ya but there storylines have become so risque.