Guest Downhome Report post Posted April 21, 2003 This is from the Various Writers section of 1wrestling... My name is Marcus Dowling, and I've had enough. I have been a fan of pro wrestling for 21 years, and I'm this close to deciding to stop watching WWE altogether. Vince McMahon has created a universe in which everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong, and will continue to go wrong forever in my opinion. I remember Mae Young giving birth to a hand, as well as Uncle Elmer getting married. I sat through that, and hoped that it would get better. Now, after seeing the return of cheeseball ethnic heels, decrepit athletes in matches, and other signs of a company clearly in deep trouble without anything out there to save it, I'm dreaming of a fall with Monday Night Football and winter nights filled with Must See TV. Last night, I watched as a friend of mine, a 15-year WWE fan, left my apartment just prior to the Smackdown main event. He stated, It's fake, I see right through it, and I'm not entertained. I think I'm done with wrestling. Many WWE fans have echoed this sentiment recently, as the company is currently mired in its worst slump in nearly a decade. How did a company that was once untouchable become a sinking ship in three years? I plan to explore the five reasons below. #1 Competition This has been discussed ad nauseum, however, I feel that it has never been approached from the idea of fan retention. When WWE went through its previous depression in 1993, many North American wrestling fans did not leave the product entirely, as World Championship Wrestling existed, and provided an alternative for fans , using Vince's old recognizable names (Hogan, Earthquake, Savage, Tugboat, Beefcake, Duggan, etc.), mixed with a blend of existing, exciting talent that WWF fans either had not seen before (Sting, Steve Austin), or remembered from previous WWF runs (Steamboat and Flair). Wrestling's true boom period occurred when the fans retained by WCW (and a lesser extent WWF) mixed with mainstream outsiders enamored with new stars the New World Order and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Once the McMahon family purchased WCW, they may have brokered a deal for their own destruction. A mainstream TV fan will only watch large amounts of TV if there are numerous channels to switch between, because, as the old adage goes, "variety is the spice of life." In the same vein, mainstream wrestling fans will only actively watch when there are many major companies, to satisfy the human need for alternatives. In previous periods where WWE has purchased their competition off the map, brief success and a painful demise have been what has followed. However, this period is different than before because WCW started the decline of wrestling's popularity and destruction of the total fan base before April 2001, so this period of demise has been quicker because there are fewer fans to retain. #2 Star Development The key to any resurgence in wrestling's popularity is the development of new stars. However, WWE currently lacks the three main traditional resources to make this a possibility. Let's take a look at these individually. a. Titles WWE now only has three titles to use to create a new star. This is counterproductive, as there need to be small tests of popularity along a superstar's path. Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Triple H, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock were multiple time holders of the Intercontinental title before becoming WWF champion. Also, on the flipside, there is the story of Billy Gunn, who was a King of the Ring (more on that later) winner, and thought to have an undeniable connection with the crowd. However, when placed in feuds for any great number of belts during his ill-fated singles push, he only ever ended up as an ill-prepared Hardcore champion, a true sign that he was indeed over with the crowd, but not quite on the level of other top WWF superstars. People may have not understood the purpose of European or Hardcore titles, but they did serve their purpose, to prepare stars for bigger things, or to acknowledge that they were top performers. Many may want to argue that neither Hulk Hogan nor The Undertaker were secondary champions before winning the WWF title. But, it should be notes that in retrospect, these individuals proved to be industry defining, larger than life characters, the types that come along once per generation. Now, without numerous titles, there are no true chases to create a new star. WWE has never operated on the premise of ranking athletes, and presently does not operate on the premise that new stars have gradual, difficult builds to the top of the card. So, we are stuck with a star being created by a predictable ascension to the top of the card without intrigue, and also lacking crowd interest at key points along the path. The push of Brock Lesnar suffered from being poorly handled, as he were given championship gold before he was a fully realized character. A star needs an identity that the crowd can latch on to. They need to know how their new star will react in a situation, and have proof to back up their belief. Stone Cold bristles under authority. The Rock is egomaniacal. Triple H is smart and violent. Kurt Angle is a great athlete. Shawn Michaels is cocky. Bret Hart is honest. Brock Lesnar is strong. What does he like to drink? Does he like the ladies? How difficult was his past? He was an amateur wrestler, but he doesn't do amateur moves, why? These are all questions that were answered about the other individuals mentioned as they went through the trials and tribulations of gaining titles in their ascension to superstardom. Brock is good, but he clearly is not at the level of Hogan or Taker. If there were more titles around, this would be a very easy thing to do. b. Mainstream Exposure The key to gaining mainstream acceptance for professional wrestling is interaction with mainstream stars. I wouldn't be writing this article and hoping to have it appear on a privately-owned website if it weren't for Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T, Mike Tyson, Jay Leno and Dennis Rodman. When people perceive that wrestling is "cool" then people are more likely to follow it closely. John Cena is a fine example of this. Given his natural talent for rapping and his pigmentation, I'm quite certain that Vince McMahon believed that he could use the success of Eminem and 8 Mile to create John Cena as a new mainstream wrestling star. However, when Vince McMahon mortgaged his company's success on such mainstream flops as the Invasion (WCW was made to look weak from the start to mainstream fans because the actual stars who carried the company were nowhere to be found. Mainstream fans couldn't pick Lance Storm and Bill DeMott out of a police lineup if surrounding them were the San Diego Chicken and the Philly Phanatic), the marriage of Billy and Chuck, Hot Lesbian Action and necrophilia, he kissed mainstream exposure goodbye. This was never more evident than at Wrestlemania, where John Cena was left to perform with cardboard cut outs of Jay-Z and Fabolous with their faces superimposed on bodies of Dr. Evil and Mini Me. Obviously, advisers decided against wrestling involvement for these celebrities, as it would do nothing to increase their cache as major stars. Now, Cena, who has legitimate MC skills, is forced to look like Too Cool, Rikishi, K-Kwick and the Road Dogg, another poor attempt at getting over with the increased urban music demographic, only with a more current wardrobe. Noting the advertisements for new film Malibu's Most Wanted, it was mentioned to me by my friend that they could bring Jamie Kennedy (the Caucasian star of the film who plays a pseudo "gangsta") into the company to feud with Cena to put over his urban gimmick. I laughed, and reminded him about the last time a wrestling company brought in a marginally popular actor that many find to be slightly annoying and inserted him into a main event feud. c. Key Events The one thing that WWE did not make a mistake with Brock Lesnar with is that he had a memorable role in the five key WWE events. He won the King of the Ring, won the title at Summer Slam, got screwed by Heyman at the Survivor Series, won the Royal Rumble, and regained his title at Wrestlemania. However, with the brand extension, the King of the Ring is apparently being scrapped. A few years ago, the traditional Survivor Series format was scrapped. This only leaves three true big events in which a new star can shine brighter than the rest. In order for a star to be made, he needs greatness to be thrust upon him by the company. These shows used to allow the company an opportunity to build a star. At present, their importance has been lost because there are no titles to go after following a major victory at a major event. WWE has attempted to fix this by using the brand extension to allow for each brand to have four specific events with four events held between brands. However, WWE has done such a poor job of enforcing the brand extension (random trading, inter-brand commercials, etc.) that it still equals out to twelve PPV shows that all generally mean the same thing. In the second of these articles, I plan to focus on the other three causes of demise (in my opinion), nostalgia, acting, and backstage politics. If there are any questions or notes to be discussed, please send them to [email protected]. Thank you for reading. ...as always, I respect people when they do speak their mind, it's the right of everyone as a Pro. Wrestling fan. I simply do not understand why so many people are just saying the same thing over, and over, and over, and over again. I mean, this is an alright write up and all, and it does get the point across, but it's nothing new. Every one of us here have said the exact same things, it's nothing new at all. I just wanted to share this, and to give you guys who are trying to do something some hope, in knowing that there ARE others out there like you (Rudo & Curry!), and hell, maybe you should contact this guy, I bet he'd be willing to lend a hand. Sincerely, ...Downhome... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RavishingRickRudo Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Come Fall there will be a HUGE drop off in fan-interest in professional wrestling. You can see it now on these boards. The replies in each *official* threads are dropping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Lord of The Curry Report post Posted April 21, 2003 That's Curry with 2 "R's", brah. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bps "The Truth" 21 Report post Posted April 21, 2003 "...as always, I respect people when they do speak their mind, it's the right of everyone as a Pro. Wrestling fan. I simply do not understand why so many people are just saying the same thing over, and over, and over, and over again" ...because it's the problem Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Trivia247 Report post Posted April 21, 2003 perhaps if more people write up the same points at the same time it would be like a petition and series of grivances against a company we all know wouldn't listen to even if was to save their business. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sakura Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Everyone says the same stuff over and over because it's true. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Downhome Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Come Fall there will be a HUGE drop off in fan-interest in professional wrestling. You can see it now on these boards. The replies in each *official* threads are dropping. I still say that the ratings will remain in the 3-4 range, regardless of what they put on TV. Untill they go under 3.0 or over 4.0, and actually remain there, I'm not concerned either way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RavishingRickRudo Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Oh they are not even close to being levelled off yet. They will dip below 3.0 within a year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Downhome Report post Posted April 21, 2003 That's Curry with 2 "R's", brah. Sorry about that, it's all fixed up now, heh. I know why it's said over and over, what I meant is I don't understand why so many complain and the such and yet they do not do anything about it. Emails, articles, and other such write ups are fine and dandy, but I still say that this alone will never sway WWE in any way, this isn't the first time fans have been ticked off at the product. A mass boycott is the only way to go, a mass boycott of EVERYTHING that is WWE. If someone could put something like THAT together, then WWE would listen, but untill then, simple talk is pointless. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Lord of The Curry Report post Posted April 21, 2003 DH- They brought in GOLDBERG and the ratings DROPPED and have continued to drop. That should tell you what the current trend is like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SP-1 Report post Posted April 21, 2003 *starts plotting to collect tapes of all the good stuff* The end is near. j/k Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Lord of The Curry Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Who's kidding? Not me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Downhome Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Oh they are not even close to being levelled off yet. They will dip below 3.0 within a year. We shall see I suppose. The ratings have been rather constant for the past while though, going up for a week or two, then back down for a while, back and forth week after week. I still say that the problem will never be fixed, untill they ditch the entire idea of having soap writers and the such on their writing teams. We need industry people, both those who are actually IN the industry like former workers and the such, along with people who have been life long fans of the sport. Would someone here tell me just why they decided to go in the soap dirrection in the first place, in terms of the writers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sakura Report post Posted April 21, 2003 The worst part is all of the problems they have are all connected by one thing: the writing team. Getting rid of them and Vince accepting that his vision of wrestling isn't what the fans want would go a long way in improving their business. Oh, and not frequently insulting a portion of the fanbase would also be nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Memphis Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Sadly it took extremely low numbers for WCW to finally get the picture that the young guys were who the fans wanted to see, not Hogan & Nash competitions over who can suck dick and use the nWo label the most. However, by the time WCW realised it, it was already too late. Despite the fact WWE is fucked right now I would hate to see it go under, mainly due to all the memories and past times I, as well as many other Smarks, have associated with it. Hopefully Vince will start listening to fan reactions, such as the guy who wrote that rant above, otherwise the NWA is the only big league we'll have. As long as guys like Triple H and people such as Stephanie McMahon are in power the whole federation is fuckin' doomed. Serves them right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MrRant Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Eh... just another fan that is fed up... but STILL WATCHES. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Memphis Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Eh... just another fan that is fed up... but STILL WATCHES. Going off Mr Rant's comment, is everyone actually going to go through with the May 5th thing? Messages from fans like that mean shit unless actions back them up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sakura Report post Posted April 21, 2003 I've reached the point where it's just becoming comical. I find it funny that Goldberg is bombing. I find it funny that Jericho lost at Mania. I really loved Crips beating Booker clean in the middle of the ring at Mania. That was just hilarious. It's just like a parody of itself by now. Just look at Piper! I also take pleasure in the fact that Vince is failing. If he wants to not care what I think, or make fun of net fans, then I will take much joy in the fact that he's pulling his hair out wondering why SHOCK TV~! isn't working. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SP-1 Report post Posted April 21, 2003 May 5? I may not watch tomorrow. Or tonight, as it may be here on the East Coast. My friend has fixed his drums and, doggonit, I feel them calling me. Perhaps more so than the sweet song of Chris Jericho kicking arse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BoboBrazil Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Things will never change, because Vince won't remove Stephanie and her writing team from power. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Downhome Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Exactly, talk is one thing, but it'll never solve anything. Action must be taken by those who feel so strongly against WWE, it's the only way to help anything at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Amazing Rando Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Would someone here tell me just why they decided to go in the soap dirrection in the first place, in terms of the writers? I think this came about due to a few things: 1) Survivor Series 97.... that was serious drama even for a casual fan. And it lead into more of a dramatized show than a "sports entertainment" show. The writers said "instead of building feuds around "i hate you gimme that title" they thought they could add drama to it and draw more people...like the people that would watch Friends or something. 2) I am doing a study on primetime ratings over the last few years...and my figures have shown me that the drama genre is above EVERYTHING in terms of how many shows are on TV, how long they are played, and how many people watch them. I mean...an episode of Joe Millionaire might get 18 million viewers...but shows like CSI stay steady no matter what....even during reruns... Drama sells...at least on the networks....on cable...it's more of a niched media...so people can pretty much do what they want. Vince needs to see that people watch cable to get away from the networks and do not want to see other shows copying them and doing a bad job when they can watch the shows that are SUPPOSED to be like that and doing a good job... the WWE can only do drama in 2 ways: 1) the BASIC heel vs. face feud...wondering who will strike next. We know WHY...because they HATE EACH OTHER 2) a title feud.... why are they fighting....CAUSE THEY BOTH WANT TO BE CHAMPION.... if the WWE brought back two lower belts...say IC and US or something.... then had that midrange belt feud surrounding by basic feuds and the World Title feuds then people would watch... I do not care that Booker wants to fight HHH because of racist comments...all I want to hear is Booker say "gimme that damn title" and whoop his ass... I do not care that the Dudleyz joined with StorMorley because of not having a job...just let them be 2 vs. 2 vs. 2 ....and let them ALL fight...it's more fun that way.... if they want to allign.....make it simple..... I hate such heavy drama inside the WWE...it's not really needed at all...or at least not to the point of necrophilia, birth of a hand, screwing a guy on his last day of work, firings, boss vs. employee.....just give me a bad guy and a good guy and let them beat the fuck out of each other.... isn't that pretty much what ROH and other indy feds do.... all indy storylines are simple and to the point... and if they do get a bit of depth...it's easy to understand and there is LOGIC behind it... Forget the drama, WWE...give me some damn LOGIC... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Memphis Report post Posted April 21, 2003 I've reached the point where it's just becoming comical. I find it funny that Goldberg is bombing. I find it funny that Jericho lost at Mania. I really loved Crips beating Booker clean in the middle of the ring at Mania. That was just hilarious. It's just like a parody of itself by now. Just look at Piper! I also take pleasure in the fact that Vince is failing. If he wants to not care what I think, or make fun of net fans, then I will take much joy in the fact that he's pulling his hair out wondering why SHOCK TV~! isn't working. Well i cannot watch Smackdown anymore. Due to the fact the wrestlers i respect the most because of their work and dedication are stuck between Hell and The Undertaker. I almost throw the remote through the TV every RAW having to watch Rob Van Dam in his current position too. It's fucked and it's gotta change. M Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Downhome Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Would someone here tell me just why they decided to go in the soap dirrection in the first place, in terms of the writers? I think this came about due to a few things: 1) Survivor Series 97.... that was serious drama even for a casual fan. And it lead into more of a dramatized show than a "sports entertainment" show. The writers said "instead of building feuds around "i hate you gimme that title" they thought they could add drama to it and draw more people...like the people that would watch Friends or something. 2) I am doing a study on primetime ratings over the last few years...and my figures have shown me that the drama genre is above EVERYTHING in terms of how many shows are on TV, how long they are played, and how many people watch them. I mean...an episode of Joe Millionaire might get 18 million viewers...but shows like CSI stay steady no matter what....even during reruns... Drama sells...at least on the networks....on cable...it's more of a niched media...so people can pretty much do what they want. Vince needs to see that people watch cable to get away from the networks and do not want to see other shows copying them and doing a bad job when they can watch the shows that are SUPPOSED to be like that and doing a good job... the WWE can only do drama in 2 ways: 1) the BASIC heel vs. face feud...wondering who will strike next. We know WHY...because they HATE EACH OTHER 2) a title feud.... why are they fighting....CAUSE THEY BOTH WANT TO BE CHAMPION.... if the WWE brought back two lower belts...say IC and US or something.... then had that midrange belt feud surrounding by basic feuds and the World Title feuds then people would watch... I do not care that Booker wants to fight HHH because of racist comments...all I want to hear is Booker say "gimme that damn title" and whoop his ass... I do not care that the Dudleyz joined with StorMorley because of not having a job...just let them be 2 vs. 2 vs. 2 ....and let them ALL fight...it's more fun that way.... if they want to allign.....make it simple..... I hate such heavy drama inside the WWE...it's not really needed at all...or at least not to the point of necrophilia, birth of a hand, screwing a guy on his last day of work, firings, boss vs. employee.....just give me a bad guy and a good guy and let them beat the fuck out of each other.... isn't that pretty much what ROH and other indy feds do.... all indy storylines are simple and to the point... and if they do get a bit of depth...it's easy to understand and there is LOGIC behind it... Forget the drama, WWE...give me some damn LOGIC... Now this was a great ass post, thank you. 2) a title feud.... why are they fighting....CAUSE THEY BOTH WANT TO BE CHAMPION.... I think this should be the focal point of just about EVERY World Title match/feud every single time. Right now we have HHH as the champion, but as of right now there is no one wanting to take him on simply because they WANT THE DAMN TITLE, I miss that. Hell, even Brock/Cena is being built up more so as Cena wanting to just prove himself, there isn't enough focus on the TITLE itself. I miss that a lot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Memphis Report post Posted April 21, 2003 I think this should be the focal point of just about EVERY World Title match/feud every single time. Right now we have HHH as the champion, but as of right now there is no one wanting to take him on simply because they WANT THE DAMN TITLE, I miss that. That and the fact there's no one left. Nash doesn't count as he's not really a person. M Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Downhome Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Even with Jericho and Booker T, I wish they would start to focus more so on how much they DESIRE to climb to the top, and to hold the championship. I just want more focus on that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RavishingRickRudo Report post Posted April 21, 2003 I know why it's said over and over, what I meant is I don't understand why so many complain and the such and yet they do not do anything about it. Emails, articles, and other such write ups are fine and dandy, but I still say that this alone will never sway WWE in any way, this isn't the first time fans have been ticked off at the product. A mass boycott is the only way to go, a mass boycott of EVERYTHING that is WWE. If someone could put something like THAT together, then WWE would listen, but untill then, simple talk is pointless. How so? Simple Talk leads to Deep Thought. When conversations get going you start to realize certain things, when that dialogue starts it may not stop. Pointless? Hardly. You just don't want to/like to hear it. Shit, it's when everyone is SILENT that there is a BIG problem because then it means that they don't care enough to bitch about it. We shall see I suppose. The ratings have been rather constant for the past while though, going up for a week or two, then back down for a while, back and forth week after week. I am telling you, there will be a huge decline in the up coming months. Just look back to last year and the year before that, there is a big difference. There are certain things which spur them on to just stop watching, and the effects will be seen later on in the year. All the shitty angles in the past 6 months will show up in the ratings in next 6 months. I still say that the problem will never be fixed, untill they ditch the entire idea of having soap writers and the such on their writing teams. The problem won't be fixed until McMahon takes his head out of his ass. If he hasn't done that by now, he never will. We need industry people, both those who are actually IN the industry like former workers and the such, along with people who have been life long fans of the sport. Never will happen. Fans are Marks. This will never change until the carny mentallity is dead... and with guys like Vince around (Vince is Carny, no matter how he tries to dress himself up as a businessman, he is still sideshow sleaze) who are still teaching the 'old ways' of "working", it won't change until 2 more generations have passed. Would someone here tell me just why they decided to go in the soap dirrection in the first place, in terms of the writers? In wrestling you have to fill up 100 TV shows a year, and 12 PPVs with material. You need to have creative stamina for that. That's why the WWE needs people who have "proven" that they can last that long (3-5 years in script writing I believe is the criteria). They don't care about quality, they just care about quantity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Amazing Rando Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Now this was a great ass post, thank you. well I'm not a total post whore. Thanx. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Downhome Report post Posted April 21, 2003 I love your reasoning, but people who just TALK, and only talk, and never do anything, will never be of any use to anyone, period. You can talk all you want, come up with one of a million schemes to work on, plot out all of these various whatnots, but untill action is taken, talk is pointless. As I've told you before, it isn't very difficult to make yourself heard. All you have to do is start emailing a lot, writing a lot of letter, making a lot of phone calls, and spread the word. Oh yeah, it also helps if one backs up what they say by not partaking in the product that one is talking out against. If one person begins to do this and begins to recruit others, you would be suprised at how quickly it could snowball. But yeah, talk is pointless, it means nothing unless any action is ever taken. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Memphis Report post Posted April 21, 2003 Triple H fears May 5th Should it happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
