Did WWE give up on Armageddon?

[Guest The Tino Standard]

Looking at this card right now, it is far-fetched to think that the WWE basically threw in the towel as far as promoting this PPV?

 

How can anybody be fired up for this PPV? Right now, I don't think there is a single match to really look forward to. Even the brilliant Smackdown 6 have been broken up (good), but fed to AWFUL opponents. The result? One unapologetically bland and worthless card.

 

It seems like the WWE has realized that with their numbers of late, they really can't expect people to buy EVERY PPV they put out, which they might have been able to do back in the 2000-early 01 era. I think now they've begun to choose their spots and hype the shit out of some shows (like Survivor Series) and then be content to take the gas pipe on some other ones (like this coming Sunday).

 

I guess what it all boils down to is this: It has become readily apparent that the WWE doesn't care about this PPV. So... why should we?

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I just hope they don't waste Benoit and Eddy on this crap o rama that no one will watch.

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

I wonder what would happen if they cut back their ppvs to just the main ones. If they put out only 6 per year, would the buyrates go up since they could do some build up or does having 12 even if they have low buyrates equal more cash for them?

[Guest The Tino Standard]

I was wondering the same thing...

 

Say you go back to having 5 PPVs a year and say you can draw 150,000-200,000 buys per PPV for four of them, then around 800,000-1 Million for WrestleMania. Would that be a more cost-effective measure than promoting 12 PPVs a year that average half as many PPV buys? I guess you'd lose out on half as many live gates, but still, I think you'd be making as much PPV money without spending as much to put on shows.

[Guest Kinetic]

I still think the best course of action is doing joint PPVs at four major shows (maybe drop KOTR or do the tournament twice for each show) and then splitting the remaining eight between the two rosters. That'd give them more time to develop meaningful storylines and would force them to build a whole roster full of viable contenders on each show.

[Guest Redhawk]

The December PPV usually sucks and/or has a weak lineup. Remember the In Your House: DX? Or the 6-man Hell in a Cell? Or the Vince-HHH match? I think WWE feels not a lot of people (especially parents) are going to shell out $35 for a PPV when they just spent hundreds of dollars on Christmas gifts, which makes sense. Of course, they don't HAVE to do a December PPV, but you wouldn't ever convince Vince McMahon of that. But I agree, they should cut back on PPVs. If they did six instead of twelve, with two months of buildup instead of one, they'd do a lot better and compensate for weak PPV months. The six PPVs to keep? Royal Rumble in January, Wrestlemania in late March-early April, Backlash in early May, KOTR in June, SummerSlam in August, Survivor Series in November

[Guest Youth N Asia]

They should cut back to 6 ppvs a year...so they could build up decient stories for the shows. None of the recient ppvs have had a decient build up.

 

Plus when you factor in the brand split it's impossible to pull of a monthly ppv right.

 

They have exactly one show to build Show/Angle...you can't count last week really...and that's mainly just to push Show/Brock.

 

And knowing HHH is going to win his belt back kinda sucks...he's been putting his buddy Shawn over the last bunch of times, so it has to go around so he can win now.

 

They're giving too many of their ppv matches away on tv before they can make it to the ppv...and cramming too many people in 3 and 4 way matches.

 

This has been a very lame ppv year

[Guest nikowwf]

They can't go back to 6...where would they make up the lost revenue?

 

Even if it would help buildup the shows, its not even an option for them.

 

niko

[Guest Redhawk]

Do you really think they made THAT much money on Judgment Day, No Mercy, and some of their other lame-duck PPVs this year? How much money do you think Armageddon will really make? I think the extra buys they would get by building up the six PPVs, in addition to other cutbacks would make it just fine.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

They can't go back to 6...where would they make up the lost revenue?

 

Even if it would help buildup the shows, its not even an option for them.

 

niko

I for one would order a couple shows if they only had the big ones. But I can understand how the ppvs are the only shows they sell out these days.

 

But the shows would be a lot better this way...but it's not about good shows, it's about money.

[Guest FeArHaVoC]

I wonder what would happen if they cut back their ppvs to just the main ones. If they put out only 6 per year, would the buyrates go up since they could do some build up or does having 12 even if they have low buyrates equal more cash for them?

I doubt it. Ever since Vince went public, with stocks and other crap, there is an obsession and demand for high Ratings and "Good" TV. They would just blow all the matches on "Free" TV and by the time the PPV came around, people would be sick of the feuds and figure "Why buy the PPV? Seen enough of it on free TV."

 

Or, if they didn't give away good matches on TV, then everyone would bitch the shows were boring and "Dragged on."

 

It's a lose/lose situation.

 

Stick to the "Game Plan," and I'm not talking Hunters plan. Build New stars, and give us something worth a shit.

[Guest nikowwf]

Wrestling is always about making money. Wrestling companies that are not about making money tend to become memories. (ECW)

 

I would argue right now its not about making money by the WWE, as the wishes of certain talents seem to be of more importance than giving the public something its willing to pay for.

 

And as crappy as the PPV's are doing, you are still talking millions of dollars the WWE makes on each one even if it does a bad buyrate.

 

niko

[Guest dreamer420]

I'm looking forward to it. The HBK/HHH match might be good. I'm wanting to see what kind of a match Angle can get out of the Big Show. The Raw tag team title match should be good considering the wrestlers involved. Plus a Victoria match! I'll be watching.

[Guest The Amazing Rando]

If the WWE built up EVERY single new star that had potential and killed EVERY single new star that did not......

 

well...wait...that is almost the exact opposite of what is going on now...

 

but I think that if they gave us EXACTLY what we wanted, then we would find new things to bitch about. If they gave us God's Team fueding over the WWE Title with....say...Brock and Eddie fueding for contendership...we would say "FINALLY...we get what we want......but now we want Mike Sanders back!"

 

see...nobody bitches about the loss of Sanders or even Killings anymore even though it seems like they would be good additions to have back on the WWE roster because we have so much to complain about now...

 

I guess what we really want is for the WWE to start weeding out the bad and concentrating on giving the Smarks what they want...even if the casuals might hate it.

 

See...the casuals LOVE Jeff Hardy...but smarks love to see him pummeled to hell every time he appears on TV... maybe that would be good to give someone heel heat or something, but after a while we would say "oh boy...here comes Jeff...he's gonna get his ass whooped...yawn" and we would have something more to complain about. Saying "why are we watching 5 minutes of Hardy when we could get 5 extra minutes of Benoit/Angle or (on RAW) RVD/Jericho/Booker T/etc/etc/etc...

 

I'm glad never being happy at the product...as long as I have something to say "eww...that sucked" I'll keep watching. I guess that is the MST3K in me coming out.

 

Oh well....

 

This has been Departure Boy...signing out...

[Guest nikowwf]

I disagree 100% the WWE is giving casuals what they want. The casuals like RVD and Booker T, look at the pops. The casuals don't like Big Slow. The casuals tuned out seriously when they did that Katie Vic crap.

 

I think there needs to be a balance. My wife watches Raw with me and she is a casual fan, and she has almost no interest in the crap they've been putting out there the last 2 months.

 

niko

[Guest jessecartieri]

Heh, I thought this was about how Armageddon's name was removed because of 9/11. (A kind of toned down Orwellian act, like removing the WTC from all movies)

[Guest buffybeast]

Edited because I didn't read the last post clearly.

[Guest Hybrid420]

I think the WWE just puts the wrong people in their PPV's sometimes. They surprised me at the last PPV. It was actually pretty good, then... no RVD?!?!? Wassup wit dat?? I think HHH and HBK might be able to pull off a good match. I dont think they can afford to make a 2/3 falls match boring. Angle and Show might be entertaining at the least with Brock at Kurt's corner. The tag match should be an ok match and the three women have pretty good matches.... I just hope at least RVD wrestles on Raw... or wrestles Kidman for the cruiserweight title... GIVE ME SOMETHING!!!

[Guest Brian]

Maybe someone nixed a three-way for the title?

[Guest AndrewTS]

I just hope they don't waste Benoit and Eddy on this crap o rama that no one will watch.

I missed SD last week--but have they even, you know...built that match up?

 

Have they even, you know--gave a reason for it being booked?

[Secret Agent 0]

RVD isn't booked in a single damn match for the PPV! That could only mean one thing... They are going to add him to the HHH/HBK match. 3 way 2/3 falls match to be announced on heat... we can hope anyways.

[Guest Goodear]

Secret Johnny,

 

You are the most optimistic person about the WWE since me. You also have no hope of having your proposal come true. ZIP!

[Guest nikowwf]

responding to the initial post..i dont think the wwe is intentionally tanking a show. I think that someone high up (very misguided obviously) thinks this is actually a good card.

 

niko

[Secret Agent 0]

 

Leave it to Mr. Magnificent to ruin my hopes and dreams. I still think a 2/3 falls 3 way match would be intresting. After all HHH could loose the match without ever taking a single fall. Sounds like a "Game" plan to me.

[Guest nikowwf]

someone told me this when i posted my idea for the raw title match - that i forgot one thing...

 

HOW DOES THAT SITUATION HELP HHH WIN BACK HIS TITLE?

 

so i guess the RVD thing has the same problem, HOW DOES ADDING RVD TO THE MATCH HELP HHH GET BACK HIS TITLE?

 

niko

[Secret Agent 0]

Since when do we want to make it easy for HHH to win his title back?

[Guest bob_barron]

I think RVD will team with either-

Hurricane

Spike

Jeff

Dreamer

 

to take on 3MW

[Guest nikowwf]

Since when do we want to make it easy for HHH to win his title back?

I mean thats how the booking committee thinks, which is why we will not be getting RVD in the title match.

 

niko

[Guest notJames]

I think RVD will team with either-

Hurricane

Spike

Jeff

Dreamer

 

to take on 3MW

Looks like they've already sown the seeds for a Kane/RVD v. Batista/Flair match. Besides, I think a memo was passed around to ensure that neither the Hurricane nor Dreamer (y'know... guys who are decent and somewhat popular) will ever be on a PPV barring a run-in, sporadic battle royal or hardcore melee.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

So much optomism.

 

All these different ways to get the top babyface on RAW onto the ppv.

 

And he's at the World.

 

Just two days ago...so much hope...