The ticket selling promo

[Guest Dangerous A]

Recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Meltzer commented on the Best Damn Sports Show Period episode the night before the UFC 40 match between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. I saw the exchange Shamrock and Ortiz had and there were sparks a flyin. Meltzer stated that although the men were in a real shoot situation with real bad blood between them, that what they did on BDSSP was cut promo's. Call it an unintentional promo. He said it was the best exchange since Rock and Hogan before WMX8. Most WWE promos are now to push storylines that are whack or get a character or catch phrase over. What happened to the ticket selling promo? If you can, go back and watch the build up for Rock vs Hogan, specifically their first showdown. That was a ticket selling promo. If you can, go back and watch Judgement Day 2000 and watch the video package and listen to HHH and Rock's ticket selling promos. You never see those kind of promos now a days. Besides Rock/Hogan, Brock vs Rock had the training videos, which in a sense were like ticket selling promos because you saw two men training like hell hounds and getting ready for something special. Sure the match was just OK, but the hype was there and the videos helped a lot. Do you think the writing team and Vince need to start looking at doing more ticket selling promos instead of, say, Edge calling his opponents dork type promos? While cutting a promo isn't the easiest thing in the world, guys that don't have that shining personality i.e. Benoit could probrably cut a way better ticket selling promo than a here is my persona shoved down your throat type promo.

 

 

Discuss.

[Guest Brian]

I read that whole thing and it was great. And true. There vare too many campy style promos where they try to fit in humor and catchphrases. There was alot of talk about nobody being able to do that anymore because to get an effective promo like that, you have to really be involved or emotionally invested with what you do. Flair can do it. Heyman can do it. Vince can do it. Austin can do it. Hogan can do it. And a few others can do it to a lesser extent. Didn't Meltzer also mention that these were also contributing to the poor house show business?

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

This has been a problem ever since Steph took over as head writer in 2000.

[Guest Retro Rob]

I think that the ticket selling promo is overlooked by the WWE bookers. I think the big problem here is that no one in the WWE is currently able to cut any kind of good promo period. You HHH who bores the hell out of people. RVD is stoned. HBK lost his edge. Booker is barely understandable. Kane is well Kane. Y2J could do a good job, but he hasn't been involved in a main event angle in months. Besides that, I would say Bubba Dudley is one of the most emotional promo guys in the WWE now. I think that tells you that something is wrong. Bischoff did a decent job promoting the Elimination Chamber, but it could have been better.

 

Whereas on SmackDown, Heyman is pretty much the only guy that cuts promos anymore. He could be great, but as of late they have been pushing Brock's face turn more than any specific match.

[Guest FeArHaVoC]

Like someone said, this all happen when Steph took over.

 

WWE cares more about getting pops and cheap heat, like "What" chants, more then selling tickets.

 

Well, I guess that came back and bit them in the Ass.

 

No one is buying tickets now.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

BBBUUUUUURRRNNNNNNN!!!!!!!

[Guest godthedog]

i've seen very very few guys who really know how to hype a show well in a promo.

 

austin can do it. flair can do it. rocky can do it. that's really about it. i'm sure jericho and angle could do it, but i haven't really seen them shine. hbk has been trying, but i really don't buy it. the thing is, you have to get yourself over before you can put the show over, and 90% of the roster has enough trouble with putting themselves over. hence, only the guys who can REALLY cut a promo have the ability to push the show.

 

pushing the show isn't mainly the wrestler's job anyway. a booker takes wrestler A and wrestler B & puts them together for a pay-per-view match, it's primarily his job and the writer's job to make the fans want to see the match. the wrestlers ARE a big part of it, but the responsibility is mainly with the bookers & the writers.

[Guest Brian]

It's going to be tough for Angle since he's been trained to do things one way, and that's work in the comedy and the catchphrases. Rock can. Jericho has in the past with his Rock matches. HHH can but he has totally negated that. Bubba can, but it's not worth putting him up at that level. Guerrero can deliver, and Chavo seems to have that. Knoble probably can; he could in HWA.