RavishingRickRudo

I think Apocalypse Nowish has the best fight scene in the whedonverse. Just one awesome thing after another.

Know what would be cool? If they started off Smackdown with, say, right at the climax of a match, John Cena turning on Rey Mysterio and siding with JBL and the crowd cheering. Then, you get "2 hours earlier" and start the show off with JBL challenging John Cena to a tag match, where it would be Eddie/JBL vs. Cena/Rey, and what would lead to Cena turning on Rey and him and JBL being faces. (as an example of the concept at work)

YES! Shadow gets it! I have a secret dream/wish that after Shane McMahon was at the UFC show, he got so enamoured with it that he told his pops and they're going to take a look at leaning more towards that style of presentation. But... I think maybe they should go in the opposite direction. Screw the sport, totally play up the fantastical elements of it. Hurricane should be a superhero with superpowers. People should die, there should be time travelling, there could be mergers where HHH and Batista form to be Triple B, and bring in someone like Chris Masters to represent them both as one. Wrestling should play out like a comic book. The title should give the wrestlers added powers, like super strength, or super speed, and that's why wrestlers want it. They can use their slick production to make vignettes where people breathe fire and freeze each other and shit. Matches become this epic battle of good vs evil and the whole universe is on the line. They can have concept PPV's where the presentation is set like Kill Bill, or some Japanese Anime, and everyone acts accordingly.

but the WWE is a Pro-Wrestling Company. your saying the only way fans will be able to see any kind of wrestling at all is by paying for it?. If there arn't any matches on Raw or SmackDown than there will be no reason for fans to attend the events or watch their programs. taking away matches on a wrestling show is really a dumb idea IMO. might aswell not have a ring on the shows than. You're a bit of a fucking idiot, aren't you?

The purpose of this thread seems to be lost on people. It's not just about booking, it's about how they present their product. It's about their Identity. The theme I think would be interesting, is "You won't believe your eyes". The positioning would be what the WWE offers, you won't find anywhere else. I see the current trends on television being more focused on melo-dramatic, weaving, arc-based storylines. These feature well-developed, multi-layered characters with backstories. There is no reason why the WWE can't have this as well, storyline and character-wise. It just takes some effort from the writing team to come up with histories for characters and provide them with motivation for wrestling. Once this is established, pairing wrestlers-up to feud should be easy. Mcguffins can be used from time to time (a tournament perhaps) to get some rivalries, stables, etc. together. The WWE should be looking to put out an intelligent product, rather than the LCD shit that they've been spewing forever. The occasional smart twist and turn, revolving characters, long, draw-out, cohesive, tight, storylines and satisfying conclusions are all key. If they are able to successfully do that, word might get around that the WWE is putting on better storylines than major networks, people might tune in to see it just out of disbelief. Then comes the sport aspect of it. From the sound of the way I want the writing, it may sound like it would be a 30/70 thing... and it is. There shouldn't be so many matches on RAW. There's no point to them and they force the writing team to come up with lame reasons why the match is happening and it takes the importance off of wins. PPV's are where the matches should happen, because in the end it's what the fans ultimately want to see and they should have to pay to see it. Each match should be like a battle. Going into these matches, there should be the possibility that a wrestler won't come out in full-health. They should be built up with interviews, background pieces, lengthy entrances and introductions. The wrestlers on the TV show shouldn't be HHH and Batista. They should be used to build guys for future PPV's and contenderships, and the main events should feature popular b-level wrestlers. To hype the PPV's on TV, you have wrestler interviews, featurettes, promo-packages, etc. This means that the WWE has to trim the fat and get rid of a lot of the wrestlers. They should have, maybe, 20 wrestlers on the roster. The other wrestlers they can sign to short-term contracts and develop as they see fit. This may also mean going to smaller venues, but since they average 4000 fans per show, I don't see that as a big issue. This is working under the premise that RAW is a television show that is used to promote PPV's. The money doesn't come from house shows, it comes from ad revenue and PPV buys. There should be a wide-variety of styles featured in the matches. A cruiserweight match should be a cruiserweight match, not a cruiserweight-wrestles-like-heavyweight match. Each division should be defined as well. "You won't believe your eyes" becomes particularly true here, as wrestlers will go all out rather than holding back. Since there will be less matches per-show, they shouldn't run the risk of numbing the fans or injuring the wrestlers. Depending on what you want your outcome to be, matches could range from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. This is a better star-making system than they currently have, because it can allow guys to be "made" in 2 or 3 matches (or even 1) if it is worked right. The two guys in my sig are an example of that. I'd like a more fight-like atmosphere, because for me, that's simply more exciting. UFC does it very well, and they get me to buy their PPV's. I don't think JR and the King could support this through their announcing, but they are still needed for some familiarity. They could act as the "hosts" of the show, like Friday Night Fights, and then send it down to the better announcers at ringside. JR could participate as the 3rd man on PPVs as well. There wouldn't really be a need for general managers, however a governing body could be used, or a match maker for that matter. Each show would be used to get a different match at the PPV over, and maybe throw in some little hints at things to come (some of the more traditional wrestling aspects could be used, "who is that guy in the crowd and why is wrestler x so focused on him?") So when I say there is a 30/70 wrestling/entertainment division, that 70% would be primarily focused on getting the 30% over.

Does this patch fix the fact that you can get tossed off a cage and get right back up?

Then please, if you don't have anything to post, GET THE FUCK OUT. There's been some absolutely worthless posts in this thread. I'm asking how to make a better watch, and I'm getting why the old watch doesn't work and why a better watch can't be made. Neither of which answers my initial question. Please people, let's step it up.

"Desire" would have been a temporary fix, and doesn't take into consideration a lot of the stuff I feel is relevant when positioning your company. It's a nice way to get loyalty from the fans by showing how badly the wrestlers want to perform for them and it's great at elliciting an emotional response. It also highlights some classic moments that gives fans the warm-fuzzies. But that is a fan-keeping measure, and something like "Attitude" was a fan-getting measure. They've been keeping their guard up for far too long, it's time to take a risk and change the companies position and make a move.

They are in a down period. Look at the business cycle and that's where they are. They are doing all their classic down period moves; international touring, cost cutting. This is besides the point, it isn't _why_ the WWE is at where it is at, it's _what_ the WWE is right now, and what it CAN be and what it SHOULD be.

Which is why I put in the "Come up with something" part. It can reflect what you want out of the WWE, or what the WWE should be (which may or may not be two different things). For example: Slogan: "See the Evolution" Concept: For many families, wrestling has been passed down through the generations from father to son, and going to WWE shows has been a family experience. As life goes on, the son gets married and takes his kids to watch WWE shows. In essense, why attract one or two people when you can attract four? Wrestling % / Entertainment %: 80% / 20% Key Wrestlers: HHH, Batista, Flair, Orton.

Then why is Carlito/Heidenreich/Taker on Smackdown an Benoit/Benjamin on Raw? The Smackdown = Sport and Raw = Entertainment has been a myth, as both sides have enough of the other crap in it to make for a blend. Please give this more thought. It's a simple question, the answer is difficult.

Define it. And then define their vision. I thought of this post when I was watching the ECW DVD and in the beginning you get the WWE ID with "Attitude" and "Entertainment" flashing up. They're still holding on to something that died 5 years ago. I've brought this up in other posts, but never actually focused on the matter. Personally, I don't know what the WWE is now, and I think that's because they don't even know what they are now. Are they a wrestling show? Well, they do have a lot of matches. A TV show? Well, the promos are scripted and they continually look for people who have experience in the TV industry. Vince McMahon used to (and still does) call the WWE a mix of action adventure, comedy, soap opera, drama, and all that crap. Can they afford to be all-things in a time where their identity is non-existant? Even when the WWF was faltering in the mid-90's they still had the "New Generation"/"Unbelievable" position. WCW had Hogan, Savage, etc. aka "the old guys", so WWF in-response (and out of necessity) focused more on the "younger" wrestlers like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels (and, sadly, lots of gimmicks). It sucked and was out-of-touch with what their fanbase desired, but at least it was SOMETHING. In 2002 they tried "Ruthless Aggression" and it fell flat, mainly because it (a)Sounded stupid, and (b)Wasn't reflected in their product. People kept on saying "ruthless aggression!" but it was never really shown, and it kinda would be hard to show it anyways. They tried the "Smack your TV" and "Break the Rules!" ad campaigns last year and they were awful. They tried to play up the "escapism" aspects of their product which was something said about wrestling in the late-90's. It was out-of-date with what the current fans wanted. Plus, they were cheesy in a really bad way and their product-at-the-time didn't really support the campaign very well. With "Attitude~!" you could transfer the concept over to magazines, videos, etc. It also meant different things to different people, and allowed the WWE to be those things. It was indicative of the times and they had the right guys to play it up in Austin, Rock, and DX. It was also in a time when WCW was slowing down and there were fans to steal who were getting bored with the guys like Hogan on top and wanted something fresh. Today, they don't have WCW to position themselves against. Their competition is both sports like Monday Night Football, and TV shows like CSI and Survivor, and they can't compete effectively trying to be both. The competitive aspects of professional wrestling in the WWE simply isn't there, so fans really aren't caring about who wins or who loses like they do with sports. And the writing and acting (for the most part) in the WWE is not even at cable-access levels, despite having these so-called "Industry Professionals" involved. Paul Heyman said that the music scene at the time in the early 90s dictated what ECW was, where Nirvana had changed tastes and he tried to put his promotion on that level. I think this is a valid point and should be considered today. I also think the trends on television should be considered as well. But most of all, I think the WWE needs to consider who they are in the television world and what they offer, because if they continue to walk an undefined path, they will always be wandering. So, if you can't define what the WWE is... what should they be?

For the next round, based on my picks: Shogun vs. Vovchanchyn Sakuraba vs. Henderson Silva vs. Belfort Arona vs. Randleman (might as well pair em together).

From Dur Murltz... Pride line-up and thoughts. I kicked ass on UFC, only missing the main event (7-1) and did really strong on New Year's Eve. The February UFC wasn't so hot, but nobody did well on that one since the favorites lost almost every match: *Kevin Randleman vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura: Randleman should win. Nakamura has never beaten any top fighter by submission, and only beats the people he can outwrestle. Randleman is too powerful, much better standing, and too good a wrestler for Nakamura. However, you can never underestimate Randleman's power to lose. Therefore, when the odds are with him athletically, he's always ripe for getting submitted. Still, I'm picking Randleman, probably via decision. I don't see him stopping Nakamura as better men than Randleman have only decisioned him. *Dean Lister vs. Ricardo Arona. Arona should win by decision. He's just the stronger grappler and this will come down to a grappling match. Arona's style is such that he has a solid chance of beating anyone in the tournament. *Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Yuki Kondo. Vovchanchyn should win via knockout. If Kondo can get him down, he is better on the ground so it isn't like he has no chance. *Vitor Belfort vs. Alistair Overeem. This comes down to who gasses first. I'm picking Belfort to gas first, but hang on until the end and lose a decision. *Dan Henderson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. This is a pick-em if ever there was one. Standing, Henderson has the harder punch, but Nogueira is the better puncher. On the ground, Nogueira is more skilled and physically stronger, but Henderson himself is a world class wrestler. Although they'll weigh-in within a few pounds of each other, Nogueira is physically bigger. I see a close decision, and maybe a controversial one, but my pick is Nogueira. *Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Yoon Dong Sik. I hate picking a match with a newcomer. If Sakuraba was healthy, he would win by battering the guy standing up and versatility on the ground. But he's not healthy. Yoon has never done MMA, but he's very strong in judo. He's past his prime and inexperienced, but Sakuraba has no knees. Most are picking Sakuraba just based on experience. I really can see him getting hurt and losing, but can't bring myself to pick someone who has never had a real fight over him. *Quinton Jackson vs. Mauricio Shogun Rua. This could be a war. One thing for sure is Jackson has the wrestling edge. If the Jackson who showed up last time is in this match, he could lose, because realistically, he probably did lose to Rua's brother Ninja. If the Jackson who fought Silva last year shows up, I'd make him the favorite. The one thing about this match is we'll find out which Jackson is the real Jackson going forward. I'm hoping last time was an aberration based on lack of training, since he's had plenty of time to get ready for this one. Picking Jackson, but knowing this, like most of the fights, can go either way. *Wanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida. Yoshida gave Silva his toughest battle at 205 pounds in years back in 2003. This was that year's match of the year, Silva winning by decision, but Yoshida won the first round. Since that time, both men have suffered numerous injuries. The age and injuries are going to hurt Yoshida far more, particularly since he's coming off a broken foot on New Year's Eve which put him behind in training here. Plus, Yoshida usually wilts in a long match. I'm pretty confident Silva will win, possibly by a second or third round KO, if not a strong decision while being dominant at the end.

*Kevin Randleman vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura Ack. Randleman has the power advantage and The Nak hasn't really faced anyone like him before. Randleman has shown himself prone to kimuras, armbars, and chokes in the past which The Nak could capitalize on, but they were mainly against guys who he couldn't power out of (cept for Sakuraba). Dammit. I don't want to pick Randleman, but I'm doing it anyways. Baroni, in his TE05 predictions, said that Randleman was looking for the KO and Nakamura has shown a willingness to stand. I love The Nak, but I don't think he has the tools to take The Monster. Randleman, Decision. *Dean Lister vs. Ricardo Arona Zzzzz. Arona via Dec. *Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Yuki Kondo I think everyone and their mother is picking Igor as a dark horse in this tournament, and it's a pretty good pick. Igor only loses when he is overpowered (Rampage, Herring, Coleman), and there is no way Kondo overpowers him or outstrikes him. Igor via TKO RD1 *Vitor Belfort vs. Alistair Overeem I love this match. Vitor showed against Tito that he was willing to throwdown, and this fight should be no different. I think the way Vitor throws will fuck Alistair right-up and he'll get KO'd. However, if Alistair is able to weather the storm, a tired Vitor against a knee-throwing Alistair could make for some nice HLR material. Belfort by TKO RD 1 *Dan Henderson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira I will make a bold prediction. Henderson by Decision This could be the FOTN, if Hendersons previous match with Big Nog was any indication. I can imagine a longer-than-you-think amount of stand-up time, but ultimately this will be won on the ground and I think Hendo will do more damage there and win on points. *Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Yoon Dong Sik Sakuraba showed against the Gracies that he knows how to fuck with traditional martial artists, this should be no different.. especially if YDS wears a gi. Judo guys typically have more power, so that is where this fight may differ from the Gracie fights, but Sakuraba still should be able to pull through. Sakuraba by TKO, RD 2 *Quinton Jackson vs. Mauricio Shogun Rua This is Shoguns coming out party. No more Japanese filler fights, it's time for him to step up and knock Jacksons head off. I think this guy is the dark horse of the tournament. He's a wilder version of Silva, and Jacksons problem in his 2 fights with Wanderlei was trying to contain the madness. Shogun by Murderizing. RD 1 *Wanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida Yoshida/Silva I was fucking amazing and was one of the first fights I saw where I jumped up and put my hands on my head and said "Oh god, Oh god, Oh god, this is awesome". Yoshida looked like crap against Gardner, and Silva is looking to make an impression after his loss against Hunt. This is not good for Japanese fans, but is good for everyone else. Silva TKO RD 1 Awesome card, and I think there are 3 FOTYC. Can't wait to download it

Plus, Wes knew he was going to die anyways. Even when he said he didn't expect to die, he wanted to. He was also the only one in the group who knew any magic, so he'd at least have a chance. Plus, he's the only one who knows who Cyrus Vail is and knows the secret about Connor and the mind trick. Plus, there's the whole thing with the Black Thorn being interested in him, which meant he would be able to get up close to Vail and surprise him.

I liked the Bren and Alex Buddyship. Tana and Other Chickie seem to be the front runners to win this thing, but they better watch out for Alex in the boardroom, because I don't think any of them could beat him 1 on 1.

My empty pockets say something different, though

Guys, Business is about to pick up. I was watching the show tonight and was like "hmm, the girls out-number the men", and shit be happenin next week. The look Coby gave Steph and Steph gave back was PRICELESS.

It's hard to power your way out of a triangle choke, much harder than just lifting someone up from the guard.

The final four will be Vozelle, Carrie, Bo, and Constantine. I think it's a toss-up after that, where even though Carrie and Constantine are the frontrunners, a bad performance by them and a good performance by the other two could shift things dramatically. That's probably one of the better final fours in idol history, imo. Scott is done next week. Sergei is done after that. He's like the red head from last year, he just squeeks by because other people on the show suck more than him and he has enough fans to keep him alive. Anwar was just creepy.

Wrestlers, in general, are fucked up in the head. It's the nature of the business. In other generation it may change.

Lance Storm has a commentary on this subject, I dunno if it transferred over to his new layout, though. He says that generally, wrestlers dislike being called by their "real" name, and that even backstage the wrestlers call each other by their kayfabed name for the most part.

If you can't look at the last 21 years since the first Wrestlemania and call it anything but a success, you need to come down off of your high horse. Sure WWE has had its up periods and its down periods (just like MLB etc), but it has remained in business at worst and extremely profitable at best since the company went national and there is nothing "whacky" about that. This is all completely, totally, and utterly irrelevant when it comes to Vince McMahon "knowing what he is doing" when it comes to booking. The amount of booking failures Vince has made in the past 21 years must outweigh the amount of good booking decisions by a 20:1 margin. It's just with wrestling, and his business support model, he is able to get a helluvalot out of that 1 good booking move. Plus, wrestling fans tend to be forgiving for those 20 bad booking moves, more than any other fan on the planet. The "21 year" thing is whacky because rather than just looking at his booking moves you decided to rest your hat on the companies success as if that's a satisfactory explanation. It isn't. Being the only company left standing isn't because his booking was superior to other companies, it's because his marketing and business model was. It also didn't help that most wrestling promoters are retarded when it comes to having good business sense.

That's pretty badass. ... I guess. BTW, The Osaka Dome is going to look AWESOME.