RavishingRickRudo

Who are the right people? What does GTG mean? How many licks does it take to get to the centre of the tootsie pop? Where's the beef? Why is it what you drive on is called a parkway but what you park on is called a driveway? ... I swear to god I thought today was Monday.

SERIOUS Randy Orton~? I dunno man... that's crazy. CRAZY Randy Orton~??? That's how things get started And Czech, I did NOT just hear you diss "Heaven" by Warrant. "How I love the way you move And the sparkle in your eyes There's a color deep inside them Like a blue suburban sky When I come home late at night And your in bed asleep I wrap my arms around you So I can feel you breathe I don't need to be a superman As long as you will always be my biggest fan CHORUS Heaven isn't too far away Closer to it every day No matter what you friends might say We'll find a way (Yeah!)"

This Mad Lib thing has potential. I suck at the English Language so perhaps someone else could help in that regard. Biblical Smackdown is too easy. Orawlian WWE would rule.

Hot Shots! Hot Shots! Part Duex Loaded Weapon 1 Space Balls .. are my particular faves (with Airplane) "I'm surrounded by Assholes!" - Dark Helmut.

I miss Brock. If that doesn't say he was successful (in one way, that may not be a financial way), I don't know what does.

I think what I mentioned above could be done by a dozen+ posters here, none of whom have any experience in hollywood, but all of whom understand professional wrestling and it's history, characters, and successes enough that they could successfully write for WWE television (and along with that have the creative resources to bring in something fresh). This goes back to what I originally said: A Wrestling Show is not hard to write for. It's just a matter of what is focused on.

I don't doubt the success they had under that system then (ok, I do, but that's another story), but times have changed -even in four years- and they clearly are not having that success with that system now.

A wrestling show can contain amazing characters and storylines, I don't see why it couldn't. Infact, the simplistic environment that writing for a wrestling show provides would allow for deeper storylines and better characterization. Without having to worry about every little thing a wrestler says in a promo and writing out scripts, a writer could spend time with other wrestlers developing their characters beyond the 1 dimension that we see every week.

I think the only role a Hollywood writer should play in the WWE is as a consultant. A writer who knows the current trends and styles in television/film/entertainment that could keep the WWE up-to-par in terms of content and visuals. I think part of the reason the WWE was successful in the late 90's was because they were part of a wave of sleaze-tv that was the hot shit for a period of time, and when that wave died down the WWE was so firmly entrenched in that style that they could not change with the times. That's a typical Vince-thing and it would be nearly impossible to tell him otherwise. Coincidentally (or not), the one person who could tell him otherwise but never would -Steph- was put in charge of the writing team when that change was needed.

The WWE may have needed the TV show structure back when they were head-to-head with Nitro, but they don't need it any more. They don't need that fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat, YOU MUST WATCH US NEXT WEEK, 'attitude' because the fans who are watching now have proven they are in it for the long haul; because it's been a long, long time the WWE has been "edge of your seat", yet the fans have stayed. How they are losing the fans now is by not delivering on what they promise; by not living up to their potential. I think a big reason why the WWE is failing to do this is because they still have the TV show mentality - that they are too "boxed in" by a format that has become out-dated and no longer needed. When I look at what the television audience wants today, it is either something "real" (insert reality show here) or something "well written" (CSI), and the WWE does not offer either, and they probably can easily offer both.

The purpose of hiring Hollywood writers is that they have proven they can write for television (which is how RAW and Smackdown are scripted), that they can be given an idea and elaborate and put it on paper, and they prove they can write for long periods of time. Whereas hiring other wrestlers as writers, you won't get those proven skills. I can understand why Hollywood writers are hired, but I do not think they are needed for writing a wrestling show.

Kizzo, you are not getting it. Friends = TV Show ER = TV Show CSI = TV Show Raw and Smackdown = TV Show OVW = Wrestling Show ECW = Wrestling Show Which are the easiest to write for? OVW and ECW. Why? Because they didn't script out every little thing. They are written as Wrestling Shows rather than Entertainment shows. Which is the hardest to write for? Raw and Smackdown. Why? Because on top of the fact they have to write out every little thing, they have to do it every week for 50 weeks whereas ER/CSI/Friends only has to do it for 22 episodes. The writers for RAW and Smackdown would be better off writing a wrestling show rather than a television show. I am not denying that writing for RAW and Smackdown is hard, *because they are written AS A TV SHOW*. It's all there in the original paragraph.

Have u ever wrote or was head of the creative team? Yes.

Having Heyman lead the charge is like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. It will mask the problem, but it won't fix the problem. Heyman did not fix _anything_ on Smackdown. He just knew who the good workers were and put them in matches together again and again and again which made each individual show better, but it didn't make Smackdown as a whole better. He didn't create anything that was long-lasting; it was a very short term fix.

I think Vince never "had it", so he could never have "lost it". The majority of the times Vince showed he lost it are just things that Vince has always done and believed in. If he sees something successful on one level, he will try it again and again and again on other levels in hopes that it will duplicate the success of the original.

I think everyone in the creative process is to blame for the storylines and angles that goes on in the WWE. From the bookers, to the writers, to Vince McMahon himself. The way I see it is that each episode of RAW and Smackdown are scripted - there are actual scripts to these events - and it goes right down to the letter of a word in a promo. The writers are the ones who do that, they are the ones who make up those scripts (along with others in production) and IMO the scripts are the problem. There is an attention to detail, but the attention is going to the _wrong_ detail. They spend so much time drafting these point-by-point pieces of paper that they (a)lose focus of the big picture and (b)don't have enough time thinking of alternatives just-in-case something goes wrong.

I agree with 99% of that, the 1% being the See, being a woman isn't a problem part. The rule is Women Shouldn't Write Wrestling. I am sure there is an exception to that rule, but the rule is still a good one. But good job. You hit the nail right on the head in that regard. Steph keeps trying to recreate Savage/Elizabeth and doesn't realize that what makes Savage/Elizabeth(/Hogan) so special was that it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing; there wasn't any other love triangles that were being done at the time or at any time before or after it was done. There have been more Love Triangles since Steph has been involved with the WWE (from Test/Steph-on) than there have been before 1999. Excellent Point. Great stuff. I am very, very impressed. I wish to read more of your throughts in the up-coming weeks and months ahead. *sees who wrote it* AW You ain't nothin but a girly gurl! Get outta here with your barbie doll opinions and leave the big time wrestling talk to the real men!

There has to be a fundamental, structural, problem in regards to storylines and booking. I can't imagine a so-called "entertainment" company being so inept when it comes to writing. Seriously, a 4th grade class could write better, more coherent, television. It has to be a WCW-like thing where there is miscommuncation and it becomes a constant game of 'telephone' where "Let's have Angle vs. Eddie" becomes, "Let's have Angle and Luther vs. Eddie and then Chavo comes out and then Taker chokeslams him and then JBL and Orlando dance and then Vince comes out and fires everyone and then Paul Heyman cries and then Teddy Long gives the title to Booker T" - you have so many voices having their input and trying to further their own politcal agendas that the message gets lost and there are so many useless, counterproductive, storylines making its way on television. It's the job of the Director of Creative to make those voices as clear and distinct as possible and that simply isn't being done and hasn't been done in a long, long time. That's why HHH's storylines tend to be the most focused, there are no other voices being added to his message - what he wants and what gets on screen are very much the same .

No. A TV show goes through several drafts, and every bit of dialogue, camera angles, action sequences, etc. must be written and rewritten and rerewritten. A Wrestling show, really, should only have one draft (it IS wrestling, after all) and there really shouldn't be _any_ dialogue because that should be up to the wrestlers to do and whatever goes on in the ring shouldn't be written because, again, that's up to the wrestlers to do. So really, the majority of the show (promos and wrestling) _should_ be incredibly easy to write. Segments are the only thing they have to really concentrate on, and even then that shouldn't take long because there shouldn't be a whole lot of segments on a show. Key Words here are "should" and "shouldn't". The main focus should be on long term booking and whether or not what they're writing falls in-line with what has been going on (aka continuity). Wrestlers getting injured is a problem, but the company should be "tight" enough that there is another person who could easily take the injured wrestlers place. Unfortunately, in todays WWE there is such a wide gap between the upper card and the midcard and some guys are so entrenched in their positions that it's incredibly hard to do that. Smart writers would have back up plans and back up plans for their back up plans. The writers you listed write under the "TV Show" format; I am sure Heyman didn't have nearly as hard of a time writing for ECW -a wrestling show- than he has writing for the WWE -a TV show-. I don't feel sorry for Steph at all. I look at the WWE Writers job as a very easy thing - a very political and very unrewarding thing - but the task of writing a show is very easy (the hard part is the politics - which Steph, as bosses daughter, dictates rather than placates).

The HILARIOUSLY Edited RAW Preview~! MAD LIB STYLE~! 1. Verb 2. Body Part 3. Another name for Jean Paul Levesque 4. Verb 5. Another name for JPL 6. Verb 7. Noun 8. Adjective 9. Noun 10. Verb 11. WWE Shill 12. Adjective 13. Another word for Tramp 14. Noun 15. Biblical Figure 16. Adjective 17. Verb 18. Another name for JPL 19. Adjective 20. Another name for JPL 21. Adjective 22. Another name for JPL 23. Another name for JPL 24. Noun 25. Another name for JPL 26. Verb 27. Verb 28. WWE Shill 29. Dollar Amount 30. Another word for Tramp 31. Adjective 32. Verb KANE VS. ORTON, Triple H vs. Eugene in a STEEL CAGE! Sept. 6, 2004 First, Randy Orton 1. Verb in the 2. Body Part of 3. Another name for JPL. And if that wasn’t enough, the WWE Champion then 4. Verb the 5. Another name for JPL a victory over Eugene by 6. Verb with a 7. Noun on the latest RAW. Indeed, it’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Legend 8. Adjective, who now better shift his focus away from Evolution and direct it toward 9. Noun. The Big Red Newlywed will 10. Verb Orton on 11. WWE Shill. And Kane doesn’t figure to be 12. Adjective after learning his new 13. Another word for Tramp Lita secretly signed the Big Red 14. Noun up for a match with 15. Biblical Figure at Unforgiven. Of course, Orton probably had this coming. He didn’t exactly 16. Adjective himself to Eric Bischoff, who booked the match just moments after Orton 17. Verb on the RAW GM’s foot. Also, last week on RAW, Bischoff wanted 18. Another name for JPL to 19. Adjective Eugene once and for all. However, Randy Orton, who continues his defiance of 20. Another name for JPL and make life 21. Adjective, interfered in the match and cost 22. Another name for JPL the victory. This Monday night 23. Another name for JPL and Eugene will battle each other again. This time it will be in a 24. Noun Will 25. Another name for JPL finally get what he wants and 26. Verb Eugene? Or will Eugene 27. Verb once again? Find out 28. WWE Shill Also, the 29. Dollar Amount RAW 30. Another word for Tramp Search reached unreal heights this past week. It appears as though some of the contestants are developing a genuine 31. Adjective for each other. Watch this week to see who's next to be shown the 32. Verb.

Yeah and no Edge, Jericho, Batista, or Regal either............. Not a former Champ, Hasn't been a champ in 2+ years, Not a former champ, not a former champ. HHH, when having just lost the title, was still all over the WWE previews and still held up in the main event, high profile, ranks. Benoit, having just lost the title, fell oh so very far. YET, he is in a very similar position (ie: matches with Flair and Batista, very little time on TV, no attention in the previews) that he was as champ. Which either supports my claim that he was a lame-duck champion and shows that most people were blind to how he was treated because he had the title around his waist OR what they've been doing with him since he lost the title is fantastic and they're giving him the god push. Hmmm, I think the former sounds better. Feel free to drop the 'RAW IS TEH SUXORS CAUSE IT ISN'T ALL BENOIT ALL THE TIME' act anytime............... Well jeez, I started back in December of 03, why should I stop now??

I'd rather see neither.

Let's not debate the merits of Vince Russo on the WWE writing or his past contributions to said writing team. His biggest coup was telling The Rock to speak in the Third Person - that was his high point in professional wrestling. I assume the people who want Russo to return to the WWE writing team are the same people who think Flair can out-wrestle 90% of the WWE roster. In other words, they overlook a certain (aka "most recent" and therefore indicative of any future possible work) period of time where the aforementioned SUCKED DISTURBING AMOUNTS OF ASS, and focus on whatever convenient high points and think that would be the potential standard of work. Hmm, what I just wrote seems to contradict what I first wrote...

I think they (the writers) spend too much time making Raw and Smackdown "entertainment shows" rather than "sporting events" - there's too much pointless scripting and, strangely enough, attention to detail, that they lose long-term focus and you get major logic-gaps happening. So every week they're writing like they're writing for a TV show rather than like they're writing for a wrestling show. The perspective is off. A TV show is hard to write for, a wrestling show is very easy to write for.

Vince is only as good as the people who surround him; and they are as good as Vince will let them be. Which means if he is open to ideas and doesn't make everyone compliment him on his new clothes, then the company is better for it. If he is in insane-mode where the world is against him and he's wearing tissue boxes for shoes, then the company is fucked. I have to believe that _Linda_ McMahon is the one who is keeping this company upright. As his wife, as well as a well-educated lawyer, I imagine she's the one who helped make the contracts, develop the corporation, and hire the right business people; plus she can talk to Vince on-level, rather than having to kiss his ass and tell him what he wants to hear. Where the creative end suffers, the business-side is still generally 'healthy' with them posting profits and her taking home almost the same about as Vinny Mac. Hell, she should be called "Linda MacBeth" This is speculation, but I can't imagine Vince being able to juggle the business-end when he's focused on the creative-end. But even then, I think they are dropping the ball in terms of their growth (movies?? music? Groan), and no doubt that end will sink within the next few years when they realise that "the cyclical nature of wrestling" just got a lot longer. The areas where the WWE is struggling now is in creative AND production (a topic that is never brought up). They are WAY behind the ball on production and Kevin Dunn - who was once the companies biggest asset is slowly but surely becoming their biggest liability. They need to bring in someone more in-touch with the current television and stage style, because Dunn is still stuck in 1999-mode in terms of how the programming comes off. Creatively, as mentioned many-a-times, Steph leading the team is such a bad idea on many levels. For one, she's a woman whereas the majority of the WWE audience is men. For two, she's Vinces daughter so there is no way she'd tell Daddy something that would upset him. For three, she has a major conflict of interest in her marriage with HHH. As soon as that happened she should have been given another role in the company. They have a wealth of great wrestling minds under them, but there is no way those voices would get heard with Steph in the way and Vince with the blinders on. I don't think Vince -on his own-, in this day-and-age could ever start-up a new promotion and have it become successful. He's not even intouch with what HE wants, let alone what the crowd wants. His view on wrestling -though 'revolutionary' in the 80's - is completely out-of-date for today. He still looks at the fans as 'marks', and he will never get out of that viewpoint. The consumer market has changed dramatically in the past 10 years, and he doesn't even know it.