The Wwe Is Overexposed

[Guest Redhawk]

From a creative standpoint, adding Smackdown to the TV lineup and running 12 PPVS per year has hurt the WWE. Whereas they used to have 2 hours of TV per week and not so many PPVS, now there is more time to fill. Of course from a business standpoint these choices make sense, but from a creative standpoint they haven't helped anything. It all leads to overexposure.

 

Remember how, when people were predicting who was going to win the Taker-HHH match at KOTR, they all considered what the winner would do next? HHH could go on to feud with Kurt Angle, or maybe Brock Lesnar, and so on? Almost every potential feud was met with, "We've already seen that." That's because the WWE has overexposed the product. I have no problem with guys having several PPV matches against each other, like HHH and Jericho, but each time doesn't have to be the result of a "new" feud. For example, Angle and Chris Benoit have fought at four PPVS, including three straight. Now, that's fine with me, because each time they were basically playing the same characters and fighting over the same thing. The same goes for, say, Steve Austin and Undertaker. But HHH and Jericho, on the other hand, isn't like that. You can't really say HHH and Jericho have a long-standing feud, because there isn't the same continuity that the HHH-Rock feud has.

 

The WWE doesn't want the PPVS to seem stale, so they need fresh matchups every month. That means that during the Free TV Period, they need to constantly develop new feuds and reasons for these new feuds.

 

Look at Edge & Christian as an example. Back in the day, Edge and Christian could have played out their feud from SummerSlam 2001 all the way to Wrestlemania 2002. And probably longer than that. But their feud was "old" by the time Survivor Series rolled around, so Edge ends up fighting Booker T over shampoo at WM18 and Christian ends up fighting DDP or something. Now, Christian's turning on Motivational Speaker DDP could have been played out over a much longer time. But two weeks into the storyline, Christian had already done a heel turn that would have been five times better if they'd waited a little longer. If you remember, Christian was just starting to get babyface pops when they had him turn. Imagine how much more of an event it would have been if Christian turned on DDP in like June instead of March.

 

But one plausible way to reduce overexposure (and injuries) is to give more vacations. If at least two top-level guys were allowed to be on a break at all times with a rotating schedule (i.e., RVD and Rock are one vacation one month or so, then HHH and Hogan go on vacaction when RVD and Rock get back, and so on) than everything won't get played out so much. I don't see why wrestlers have to work such a demanding schedule. I remember Jake Roberts in "Beyond the Mat" talking about how he had to work 30 days a month and twice on Sundays.

 

I mean, would it have killed them to give the guy a break for a little bit? Especially in today's WWE. They have at least 50 wrestlers on contract. The disappointment that fans would feel if RVD wasn't at a show could easily be healed by HHH or some other babyface. And then maybe guys like Crash Holly or Saturn can earn their money instead of doing nothing. Hell, they might even draw a buck or two if given the chance. Not in the main event of course, but just getting them on TV or in house shows.

[Guest The Superstar]

I agree with everything you said. They need to cut down on PPVs. Have maybe the "Big Five", and an occasional TV special, maybe bring back SNME (HA!) That way feuds will last longer. I also wish they would go back to just RAW and Sunday Night Heat, and maybe keep Velocity for the Cruisers.

[Guest Anubis Puppet]

One of the reasons everyone was so psyched about RVD winning KotR was that they would have had TWO months to build up a title feud, instead of the one month that has been the norm recently. All of these terrible feuds revolving around stalling motorcycles and no-selling tables have hurt the title immensely, and have been used trying to get quick heat for four-week long feuds. Plus, the history between the two (RVD and Undertaker) already spoke for itself. This could've been the best built up main event match we've seen in quite awhile.

 

Am I the only one who thinks that the Undisputed Title doesn't have to be defended at every single PPV? Having a main event feud between two guys that doesn't involve the title, especially at a minor PPV like Vengeance, will indubitably help get over guys that normally wouldn't have a chance to. It certainly wouldn't hurt them to try, since it looks like the Vengeance main event is going to be another "been there, done that" affair.

[Guest dreamer420]

they should go to only 6 pay per views per month and also drop smackdown from the programming schedule.

[Guest The Superstar]

they should go to only 6 pay per views per month and also drop smackdown from the programming schedule.

I think that would overexpose it more, Dreamer

 

 

But I know what you mean.

[Guest Austin3164life]

I have been saying this since this board was on ezboards. The WWE is very much overexposed, and that hurts the product, and the ratings. Too much of something is no good. The law of supply and demand plays into this. Right now, in North American wrestling, all you have is basically the WWE as a nationally broadcasted wrestling show. There's Raw, Smackdown, Velocity, Confidential, and what other small shows they have. That's A LOT of WWE programming in one week. Not to mention that there are 12 pay per views (all $40) in a year, and that constricts the time that writers and bookers use to plan feuds and matches. If the WWE limits their exposure to one main show (Raw) and for added value keep Confidential, people will want to see the shows more because there is less of it. People aren't watching because there is such an abundance of WWE that they're like "yeah big deal, we've seen this before". Overexposure and lack-of-good-product is leading to the downfall of the WWE. They should also cut down their pay perviews to the "Big 5" (Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring, Summerslam, Survivor Series). Less exposure (and more good product) = More demand from the masses. Let's hope Vince & Co. learn that equation.......

[Guest dreamer420]

they should go to only 6 pay per views per month and also drop smackdown from the programming schedule.

I think that would overexpose it more, Dreamer

 

 

But I know what you mean.

shit. six pay per views a month would kill the wwe. i meant to say six a year.

[Guest Nostril king]

If the WWE limits their exposure to one main show (Raw) and for added value keep Confidential, people will want to see the shows more because there is less of i

 

WHAT?? Yes it would make for a better product but to go from five shows (2 major, 3 minor) to 2 shows (1 major, 1 minor) - is too severe a solution and won't happen.

 

 

 

.  They should also cut down their pay perviews to the "Big 5" (Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring, Summerslam, Survivor Series).

 

That right there is business suicide and will never happen.

 

MY SOLUTION to the problem is to use the brand split to create 2 separate "promotions" each with their own belts and alternate pay per views between each promotion. Wrestlemania is when the 2 big champions meet to decide the "Undisputed" champion for the past year.

[Guest Karnage]

They could have a Clash of Champions type thing in the months where there are no Pay Per Views.

 

Funny thing, in Extreme Warfare Revenge, I tried to do that but Linda said "We Only Do PPVs!". I think she and Vince say that in real life too.

[Guest Redhawk]

If they cut it down to maybe 7 pay-per-views per year, and raised the price an extra $5-$10, then they wouldn't lose *that* much money. I like the Clash of the Champions idea (having a primetime event on like a Saturday or something), but that would still keep them in that "We need fresh feuds every single month" mode. So just keep the 7 PPVs: Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring, Summer Slam, Survivor Series, one in between WM and KOTR, and then one in the latter part of December.