WWE looking to change in-ring style

[Guest humongous2002]

Given the recent spate of injuries in WWE, as we have talked about here in the past, Vince McMahon is serious about changing the company's ring style so that the use of "big spots" are toned down. The company realizes that there is a problem in doing so, given the fact that the fans have come to expect higher impact matches in recent years, but they plan to slowly implement changes in the ring style that will de-emphasize the big bumps that have led to the wrestlers' high injury rate. The company realizes that the injury situation is their number one problem at this time and wants to address it right away. Given the style that some of the wrestlers work, there is concern from all sides whether they can effectively adjust to a less high impact style and not lose something in the fan's eyes. This will be in an interesting story to follow and certainly won't be going away any time soon.

credit:1wrestling.com

 

More kicking,punching and restholds instead of high spots, Vince McMoron doesn't realize that when a wrestler is constantly traveling w/o getting a chance to rest and heal he will eventually get injured.

[Guest jester]

This is exactly what I was worried about when I posted in the countdown to WWE extinction thread. The product is about to get more boring. I'll bet we'll also see more sketches and longer promos, because nobody can get hurt while talking (well, maybe Kevin Nash).

[Invictus 0]

"So Kevin Nash, how does it feel to be back after that terrible quad injury?"

 

"Well, I--GAHHHHHH"*pulls hamstring*

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

Does this mean more Albert and Big Show and less cruiserweights?

[Zorin Industries 0]

It's time to get back to actual WRESTLING, theres no way fans are going to buy the punch and kick main event style. With guys like Benoit on the roster theres no reason not to program the fans to accept the technical style.

[MooreMark 0]

The recent injuries weren't because of high spots were they?

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Just what WWE needs to boost business; crappier wrestling. The brawling style that was predominant during the Austin era doesn't cut it anymore.

[Guest Rob Edwards]

When was the last time Batista or Orton took a big bump. I don't feel bumping is the problem unless it's taken to extremes (see Jeff Hardy) switching to cables from ropes to make top rope moves easier would be a start

[Guest humongous2002]

Vince is using this excuse so smaller guys won't be able to look better than the HOSSES.If he really didn't want his wrestlers to get hurt then he would cancelled these freakin' tours to third world countries.

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

This is the perfect time for Bill Watts to come in as the commissioner and ban all off the top rope moves.

[Invictus 0]

This is just another "How can I keep working them to death, but have them remain healthier but entertain people less so I can do more house shows?" sort of thing from Vince.

[Guest Redhawk]

Isn't part of the problem that these guys are working almost every day? Of course less house shows equals less money, so it's not like they'd ever cut back. I suggest they give guys more vacation time. I proposed this a couple years ago in order to prevent guys getting stale (i.e. Jericho as a babyface, the Dudleys, Austin-Undertaker feuds) -- You can't have everyone on vacation at once, but do some kind of staggered system where you've always got guys being able to rest.

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

I think they are actually working less now. They have a few days off each week where they fly home. Its not like back in the 80's where they wrestled well over 300 days a year with 2-3 shows per day on weekends.

[Guest teke184]

I'm a fan of the "less is more" theory about house shows... if you have fewer of them, it makes them more likely to sell out when they happen because they're a big deal, meaning you make about as much for far less work.

 

Seriously... how many times have they run certain arenas like MSG in the past year? They usually draw well at MSG but in late 2001 they couldn't even come close to selling out there with Rock-Austin headlining the card.

[Guest El Satanico]

In a perfect wrestling world this actually wouldn't be that bad as it would mean they'll focus more on wrestling and less on big spots. Now I have no problem with big spots and in fact I enjoy "spot monkeys", but WWe not focusing on them would be good.

 

However of course this being WWe means that hoss friendly matches will replace all fast paced entertaining matches.

 

I'm sure JR was the one to give Vince this "great" idea.

[Guest Redhawk]

I agree. One reason they always sell out and always get a hot crowd when they come to Seattle/Tacoma is because they only come here once or twice a year. That's why football games get more fans than baseball (well, one reason), because they feel more special.

[Guest candie45]

Stupid. The injuries hardly ever come from high spots. I suppose no one can walk a step now because that's how trips and kev got their injuries. They get injured by silly fuck ups and people who don't know what their doing in the ring.

[Guest The Tino Standard]

This is just another step in the process of scaling back what they offer the fans. Consider how many things would happen in the WWE 3 or 4 years ago, but almost never happen now...

 

- Championship matches on Free TV. Granted, the title almost NEVER changed hands on Free TV, but big-title matches were a fairly frequent main event on Raw or Smackdown.

 

- How many times did we have to read JR's Ross Report where he told us they were "encouraging the talent to slow down in the ring and 'tell a story'" with each match. Translation: scale back what you offer the fans without being straightforward about it.

 

Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind scaling back high-spots. I think mat-based matches have all sorts of good drama when done right. The problem is, I think about 5% of the roster actually knows how to use PSYCHOLOGY in a match. Thus, taking away their high spots just leaves the majority of the roster lost at sea.

 

- One more thing in the 'scaling back' department: The week of Austin's return to Raw a couple weeks ago... There was a buzz going around about how the show was 'loaded' because you had Austin, Rock, and HHH all on the same show. Have we forgotten that just a couple years ago, we got that much AND more on EVERY SHOW?

 

We're being conditioned to accept less of what the company has to offer. It sucks.

[Guest razazteca]

So what will RVD do now? Win a match with a Super Kick?

[Guest candie45]

So what will RVD do now?  Win a match with a Super Kick?

No, that move is reserved for Shawn only. Shame on you for thinking someone else could use the same finisher as he!

[Guest BoboBrazil]

I think people are getting hurt more, because they are actually told to hold back on moves. There were alot less injuries when they were allowed to do anything they wanted in the ring. In TNA the wrestlers go out there and bust their ass, do tons of highspots, and drop each other on their heads and the only injury so far in 9 months has been Jason Cross's broken hand. Alot of these guys work a 3 or 4 day a week indy schedule too, just like WWE wrestlers.

[Guest BoboBrazil]

So what will RVD do now?  Win a match with a Super Kick?

No, that move is reserved for Shawn only. Shame on you for thinking someone else could use the same finisher as he!

Remember during the Invasion where WWF gave like every WCW guy the superkick as a finisher? Like 10 guys were using it as a finisher.

[Guest razazteca]

So is WWE going to devolve back to the good ol days of when the Sleeper was accepted as a credible finisher and the consisted of nothing but jobber matches that barely lasted 3 minutes, oh boy I can't wait for potential Main Events of Maven vs Kane.

[Guest EricMM]

Do any of you think that there is a chance that the WWE will ever scale down the number of house shows? I don't think the wrestlers would like it either because they would make less money, right?

 

But I think the reason the Indys and Japan (?) can wrestle more brutal matches is because they wrestle less often. Am I wrong?

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

YAY!

 

More promo time! Less Ring work! 3 minute matches cut down to 1~! 30 minute promos lasting for 45!

[Guest ShooterJay]

I think people are getting hurt more, because they are actually told to hold back on moves. There were alot less injuries when they were allowed to do anything they wanted in the ring. In TNA the wrestlers go out there and bust their ass, do tons of highspots, and drop each other on their heads and the only injury so far in 9 months has been Jason Cross's broken hand. Alot of these guys work a 3 or 4 day a week indy schedule too, just like WWE wrestlers.

He's got a point. Guys on the indys take insane head-drop moves on a regular basis, yet never seem to get hurt or put out with an injury.

 

I agree that this is more of a product of the schedule, sloppy training (*cough* Cornette *cough*) and accumulated wear-and-tear.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

The WWE needs to train their wrestlers better, not just those like Nathan Jones who is a liabiliy to his opponents but also those who bulk up too much and bcome injury prone. RVD has taken alot of abuse over the years and the only serious injury has been a broken leg from a botched baseball slide. He has been dropped on his head/neck in the WWE and ECW yet is still healthy because his training was so good. Japanese wrestlers are less injury prone even though their style has greater impact because they do an insane amount of neck excercises and such. Instead of lifting weights so much to build muscle mass WWE wrestlers should focus more on flexability and conditioning to prevent injuries.

 

The schedule is obviously grueling and promotes injury. Wrestlers are going to be injured which is a fact of life for them. It's made worse by the face that they're never being given the proper time to heal which puts them in a position to sustain new injuries.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

They just have to work smarter. Don't get rid of any moves, just put more importance on them.

[Guest FeArHaVoC]

This has it's good and bad parts.

 

People like Benoit, Eddie, Chavo and even Team Angle and Brock in a old school mat wrestling match is great.

 

But, are they gonna also put Rikishi and Palumbo in a mat wrestling match to?

 

I didn't want to go here, but this is just another way to make Triple H's and Taker matches more interesting and so they can tell people how to "Really work the mat."

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Had the WWE actually given their fans variety rather than the same watered-down style, this never would have happened.