The reason that WWE lacks interesting angles...

[Guest Downhome]

From 1wrestling...

 

If you wonder what it takes to be a writer for WWE, in addition to the Hollywood credentials that they are looking for, one major quality is to be able to go with the flow and not cause waves.  Stephanie McMahon is in firm control of the team and according to what we have heard from a number of sources, she doesn't like the boat to be rocked.  I will have more on this on my hotline today.

 

...now I know it's a Sean O'Haire quote, but still, "I'm not telling you anything you don't already know". I want someone here to explain this one thing to me...

 

...if WWE wants to actually produce a better product, why do they NOT want someone to come in and "cause waves"? Call me crazy, and I know you do no matter what, but would it not help to have some people on there that are not simply "yes men"?

 

Blah.

 

Sincerely,

...Downhome...

[rising up out of the back seat-nuh 0]

Ssssshhhh.

 

Logic bad.

 

Steph good.

 

That's all you need to know.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Because, of course, Joey Soandso really knows what's going on.

[Guest snuffbox]

From 1wrestling...

 

I will have more on this on my hotline today.

 

Anyone else get the Mean Gene flashbacks here?

[Guest MaxPower27]

Will the sun rise tomorrow?

 

CALL MY HOTLINE AND FIND OUT!!

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

From 1wrestling...

 

I will have more on this on my hotline today.

 

Anyone else get the Mean Gene flashbacks here?

1-900-909-9900

[Guest MaxPower27]

1-900-909-9900

that number is forever etched in my brain

[Guest iamsherm]

I'm guessing that the wrestling industry isn't the only ones experiencing this problem. As a 20 year old, I don't have much expertise in this field (so don't pay me no mind), but one would have to assume a vast majority of businesses operate this way. Those that are on top fear losing their position of power and therefore do everything they can to keep the status quo.

 

It's not good business practice if you're looking to make money, but that's the way it is - and sadly, probably always will be.

[Guest razazteca]

Less angles more wrestling is the formula I prefer.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Good point up there. I know Disney runs this way as well. Ever since Frank Wells died in a helicopter crash, there's nobody left in the company who can disagree with Eisner.

 

Usually this kind of thing in companies runs only at the top. Which is to say I'd expect this line of thinking at Vince's office, but not a smaller part of the machine like Creative.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Makes sense. The minute you start thinking about pleasing the fans rather than pleasing Vince your voice becomes VERY silent.

[Guest Showstoppa Icon]

by all means lets not rock the boat as far as the writing team is concerned, yet lets bring in Bill Goldberg

[Guest snuffbox]

1-900-909-9900

that number is forever etched in my brain

no shit...im so scared right now

[Guest Downhome]

1-900-909-9900

that number is forever etched in my brain

no shit...im so scared right now

I will forever have that number within my head as well, it will live on forever!

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

by all means lets not rock the boat as far as the writing team is concerned, yet lets bring in Bill Goldberg

i.e. Let's be lazy and extravagant.

[Bored 0]

After the whole Willie the Worker thing why do people bother posting anything from 1wrestling anymore? Ya ya ya Steph is a bitch we all know that now. Come up with some actual news beyond fake fights.

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

1-900-909-9900

that number is forever etched in my brain

no shit...im so scared right now

I double dog dare you to call it...........and see if Mean Gene answers.....

[Guest Trivia247]

From 1wrestling...

 

I will have more on this on my hotline today.

 

Anyone else get the Mean Gene flashbacks here?

Wonder if Mean Gene Burgers will Crossbreed with JR's BBQ sauce?

 

Say whatever happen to the Ross Report anyway?

[Guest Will Scarlet]

...if WWE wants to actually produce a better product, why do they NOT want someone to come in and "cause waves"?

 

1) I think they tried that. See also: the necrophilia angle and Billy & Chuck wedding angle.

 

2) I believe that is the popular logic lately. With a lot of things, you want to impress as much as the audience as possible. To do this, of course, you have to neuter the other elements of your product.

 

It's like when a rock singer makes a song to be popular. He will add some pop elements to it, but not too much. He may also add some elements of rap, country, techno, or some other genre, but not too much. It is all designed to get as many fans from as many genres as possible to like your music. It's a good plan, and usually can sell a lot of records. Even though, it will probably lead you to one hit wonderdom, and might cause your former fanbase to look at you as a "sellout" or whatever.

 

The WWE seems to be trying this approach to wrestling lately. They want to impress as many people as possible, so you will have people getting pushed to reflect that. They push Benoit, Angle, and the like to make the workrate freaks happy. They push Albert to keep the big guy freaks happy. They bring in big names like Goldberg and the like to keep the "OMG~! GOLDBERG IS COMING TO THE WWE~! THIS IS THE GREATEST NIGHT IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTZ ENTERTAINMENT~!" people happy. They will have the whole system of midcarders trading jobs to keep the locker room happy. They try to keep as many people as happy and watching possible. The problem with this approach is that they want to keep everyone happy, and not offend people, which basically leads to everyone being unhappy, but still watching to see the small amount of the show what they want to see, before losing interest totally or finding alternatives.

 

All this strategy does is give everyone halfhearted pushes, lest they push someone to the moon and piss off a segment of the fanbase or the locker room because they would have to put him over. Basically, the WWE is trying to keep it's head above water as long as possible, even though the only thing that will save the product at this point is the ratings and buyrates completely bottoming out. At that point, the WWE should finally try to fix the product by giving the guys they feel can do it real pushes, not worrying about keeping people happy who are no longer there or are already pissed at it is. I am not sure how long that will be though, as Vince seems to have lost his "grapefruits" after the failures of things like the XFL. Either way, it looks like things will only get worse.

[Guest Kid Kablam]

So, you want to make a product that will run wild, but you don't want your writers to stir things up? Good plan. Good plan.

[Guest Insane Bump Machine]

Great post, Will.

[Guest Lightning Flik]

And in one single post, Will Scarlet sums everything up nicely.

 

Good job.

[Guest AndrewTS]

I thought Vince demanded that people he hired shake the shows to their very foundation?

 

Oh yeah...character vs. real thing.

 

Although they're certainly choking the shows until they've spewed phlegm, and other bodily excretions.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

I thought Vince demanded that people he hired shake the shows to their very foundation?

 

Oh yeah...character vs. real thing.

Leave your Ruthless Aggression at home, man.

[Guest webmasterofwrestlegame]

Coming off one of the most boring modules I have ever done at Uni (Process of Organisational Change), I made be able to add a few cents of worthless theory crap here.

 

Basically, that Steph's writing team is a 'yes mam' team is not news. It has always been like that. The problem stems from the fact that they were successful in 2000/early 2001 with that system so when business is not good as it is now, they don't think they need to change anything that was a part of that successful period. One part of that period was Steph on top of the writing team. The variables they look to change are 'symbolic' i.e. the brand, wrestlers, etc. which is what they have done.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Yes, things were good in 2000.

 

I think they screwed up by not turning Trips face in his feud against Angle over Stephanie. They decided to cocktease everyone and by the time they got around to it 2 years later, nobody cared.

 

 

EDIT: Does ANYBODY know why they chose to have WM 16 at the (relatively) tiny Anaheim Pond in 2000? That card could have drawn quite a lot more, especially with Foley's very very really we mean it this time last match on it.

[Guest Mole]

Too bad Paul Heyman wasn't a good looking guy, he could marry Steph and have control.