The Cliffhanger Style of Booking

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

One of the best things about WWF Booking from WrestleMania XIV till WrestleMania XV, was the suspense of "how's he gonna get out of this one?" Simalar to a Flash Gordon serial, where Flash would get into a scrape and the episode would end, then people would go see the next episode to find out how he escaped. They used this formula with Austin v. McMahon feud, and it was an entertaining split from "Face chases heel champio" each cliffhanger had a resolution, each was more dangerous than the last, and each soulution was more ingenious than the last.

 

OVER THE EDGE: Austin must face Dude Love, a man who cannot feel pain! How will he keep his title?

 

He DQ's himself by hitting Mick with a chair.

 

UNFORGIVEN: Austin must face Dude again, but this time his arch-nemesis, Mr. McMahon is the referee! How will he survive?

 

He uses McMahon's hand to count the 3, just while McMahon is out cold.

 

And this would go on and on. Why can't we get something like this, the last time we really got it was for three monthes in 2000 when Mick Foley chased HHH's title.

[Guest bob_barron]

McMahon was the ref at Over the Edge not Unforgiven.

 

I don't like bullshit endings on PPV and obviously didnt the fans didnt since the buyrate for OTE was way below Unforgiven

[Guest IB2BLACK]

It's hard to do stuff like that now, considering people will figure out the ending before you do it. It's hard to fool people nowadays. Last time I can recall was with Bischoff at the gay wedding, and the Rock coming back.

[Guest TheArchiteck]

I guess they consider that HHH run in a cliffhanger.

I really wanna see how RVD gets revenge on the unstoppable HHH. And how will HBK respond??!

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

It's hard to do stuff like that now, considering people will figure out the ending before you do it. It's hard to fool people nowadays. Last time I can recall was with Bischoff at the gay wedding, and the Rock coming back.

Rock coming back wasn't surprising. He was the only one that could distract people from the Austin thing.

[Guest bob_barron]

I was hoping it'd be Rock- I was afraid it'd be midget Austin or Goldberg.

 

When I heard if ya smeeeeeeeeeeeel I went: thank you god

[Guest IB2BLACK]

But nobody expected it to be him, at that time. Most people were thinking Goldberg, since Austin had just left.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

I'm not talking about fooling people. Just building to a showdown where it looks like our hero has no chance in hell of winning. And forcing the public to pay 30 bucks to see him do it.

[Guest bob_barron]

It worked well in 2000 when they did Rock v. HHH with Shane O as the ref with Austin in Rock's corner.

 

The problem is that the only way to really do that is evil owner v. wrestler and that's been done to death

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

It worked well in 2000 when they did Rock v. HHH with Shane O as the ref with Austin in Rock's corner.

 

The problem is that the only way to really do that is evil owner v. wrestler and that's been done to death

Or you could do it li ke they did with Hulk Hogan. Where Hogan faced a NEW, DEADLIER FAT FUCK every two months.

[Guest Ravenbomb]

just as long as they don't go too far with it. Remember in ECW on TNN where they had Steve Corino vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Justin Credible for the title and they ended just before the match started? I was pissed.

[Guest bob_barron]

That worked well when there were only a few PPVs a year.

 

Now with monthly PPVs it's hard to book like that

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

But nobody expected it to be him, at that time. Most people were thinking Goldberg, since Austin had just left.

Everyone I was with immediately knew it was Rock.

[Guest bob_barron]

I didn't expect Rock- I was hoping for him and was relieved when it was him

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

That worked well when there were only a few PPVs a year.

 

Now with monthly PPVs it's hard to book like that

Not so muych, more PPV's as it is no one has the charisma of Hogan to keep fan's attention long enough.

 

 

But you could book some schock title switches and float back to the main guy to keep the fansd on their toes. (Kane in 98 for example)

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

I didn't expect Rock- I was hoping for him and was relieved when it was him

You were probably too excited because of the Austin. If you sat down and thought about, you would have probably figured out it who it was. I was getting emotionally detached from the product by that point.

[Guest AndrewTS]

It would be nice, as opposed to now when we've been trained to expect at every show and every PPV that the faces get screwed over. So no one cares anymore.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

The art of the swerve has been spoiled due to the Russo era.

 

Now we can sense a swerve from a mile away, and the current writing team/bookers are not creative enough to disguise one appropriately.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

The art of the swerve has been spoiled due to the Russo era.

 

Now we can sense a swerve from a mile away, and the current writing team/bookers are not creative enough to disguise one appropriately.

Did you see Big Show's title reign coming?

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

Yes. I was not surprised at all. It was also quite obvious that Heyman was going to turn on Brock due to the obvious hinting.

[Guest bob_barron]

Big Show's title reign was so obvious the minute Paul told Brock he's gonna make sure his client wins the title.

[Guest IB2BLACK]

"Smarks" will always figure that type of stuff out. Cause they tend to look at the small things, but people in the crowd, will be fooled.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

I know. Damn me for actually thinking during a wrestling show! I'll try my hardest to make sure it doesn't happen again.

[Guest bob_barron]

Not true IB2-

The minute Paul told Brock he was gonna make sure his client wins- the whole MSG crowd went ohhhhhhhhh shit.

 

Cause they knew Show was gonna win

[Guest godthedog]

predictability isn't really a problem, i think. the fans always knew hogan would win in the end, the fun part was in the drama of it. in every tag match in north america, the fans all know the face in peril will eventually make the hot tag, but they gasp and cheer anyway because there's something timeless about that storyline. had it been done correctly, the return of triple h to win the title would've been along those lines. they only started getting it right a week or 2 before wrestlemania when jericho would attack his leg and trips would look vulnerable. face goes through great adversity to get to a noble goal, and just when it looks like he's about to give in, he attains it. that's almost every great wrestling storyline ever, and that's all they really need.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

Yes. I was not surprised at all. It was also quite obvious that Heyman was going to turn on Brock due to the obvious hinting.

That wasn't till two weeks after the intial challenge. Did you know on the episode where Big Show initially challenges?

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

predictability isn't really a problem, i think. the fans always knew hogan would win in the end, the fun part was in the drama of it. in every tag match in north america, the fans all know the face in peril will eventually make the hot tag, but they gasp and cheer anyway because there's something timeless about that storyline. had it been done correctly, the return of triple h to win the title would've been along those lines. they only started getting it right a week or 2 before wrestlemania when jericho would attack his leg and trips would look vulnerable. face goes through great adversity to get to a noble goal, and just when it looks like he's about to give in, he attains it. that's almost every great wrestling storyline ever, and that's all they really need.

*EXACTLY*

 

 

In a James Bond movie. You KNOW Bond will escape from Goldfinger's laser. But how will he do it? Ah, there's the fun of it.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

I guess not. What's the point?

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

I guess not. What's the point?

I guess there is none. In fact, I don't see what swerves have to do with cliffhangers anyway.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

Because we see far more swerves than cliffhangers these days, probably due to the creative bankruptcy.