My letter to Fan Services

[ISportsFan 0]

I'm not breaking any new ground here, obviously, but hopefully if we get enough of these going then we might see some wrestling again. I'm not holding my breath for it though.

 

"Are you World Wrestling Entertainment? Or are you World Non-Wrestling Unentertainment?

 

Here's why people watch wrestling (and this may be a shock to you): to watch wrestling. Not to see 2 minute matches, watch newcomers be destroyed for no reason, have championship storylines where people are sprayed with feces, and most definitely not to see McMahons all over their TV.

 

When ratings were high and buyrates were exceptional in 2000-early 2001 (not when ratings were exceptional and buyrates were average in 1999 - you want money, right?), here was the formula that worked: Great wrestling (HHH when he wasn't 30 pounds too heavy with muscle, Rock, Austin, Benoit, Jericho, Angle, Malenko, Guerrero, good tag teams, etc.) and good storylines that didn't involve mannequin humping or HLA or BUTT-kissing or crap-spraying.

 

Why are ratings bad? Well, first, Raw just sucks. Sorry, but it does. There are no redeeming qualities. HHH has squashed any possible contender to his title. Booker T was so over he could have made mega-money, but he was humiliated throughout the feud with racist messages and then beaten CLEANLY after a one-minute stall at WrestleMania with a pedigree. Rob Van Dam, despite his shortcomings as a wrestler, is so unique that the crowd absolutely loved his act. He could have been world champion anywhere from late 2001 until mid-2002 and fans would have bought it (and bought PPVs). Instead, HHH squashed him at Unforgiven 2002 and he has been in the midcard ever since. Same with Kane at No Mercy 2002. Same with Goldberg at SummerSlam 2003. Same with Hurricane on an episode of Raw in April RIGHT after Rock put Hurricane over. Same with Jericho every single time he faced HHH. HHH is out of control.

 

Wait, I said Goldberg...

 

Yeah, I did. He was massively over despite attempts to make him not be (i.e. not having him do the same stuff WCW did to make him massively over, squash people - it doesn't hurt anyone if Goldberg does it to everyone), and then HHH beats him in the Elimination Chamber for no reason. What a waste. The people were ready for it, but it wasn't to be.

 

Now, on Smackdown, that show was consistently good. It wasn't getting ratings because Vince and Stephanie were the two most pushed characters on the show (and they're not wrestlers!), but the show at least had WRESTLERS doing their job every once in a while (Edge, Benoit, Angle, Eddie, Chavo, Mysterio, etc.). Now the higher-ups have decided to make Smackdown like Raw apparently - terrible skits involving wrestlers who are not actors and keeping matches short. Sorry, but poop does not sell tickets. Wrestling sells tickets. Nobody wants to see Eddie Guerrero drive a septic tank to the ring and spray a monster with poop. Nobody!

 

The only WWE show that looks to be worthwhile this week is Velocity (which, unfortunately, is placed at 10pm eastern on a Saturday night so most people don't watch it since they're not home), which will have Rey Mysterio and Kanyon in a seven minute match (which by all accounts is good).

 

I will not watch WWE again until there is wrestling on the shows again. Velocity appears to be that show, so I will watch that one.

 

Another question - Vengeance was one of the best shows of the year, but why did the buyrate suck?

 

Answer: What was the most heavily promoted match on the card? Not Angle v. Brock v. Big Show, as one might expect. No, it was Vince McMahon, a 50-something non-wrestler, versus Zach Gowen, a loser portrayed in storylines as someone who whined and had cheating occur to get a contract who also only has one leg.

 

Is this the circus? Or is this a professional wrestling promotion? Where was the promotion for athletes like Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero who went out for 20 minutes and had a show-stealer (until the awful run-in finish, of course)? Where was the hyping of Kidman and Rey Mysterio against Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, what many people consider to be the best tag team match your company has produced this year?

 

It was sacrificed for the promotion of Stephanie McMahon v. Sable and Vince McMahon v. Zach Gowen.

 

So, in conclusion, Triple H is ruining Raw and the McMahons are ruining Smackdown. I didn't even touch on Shane McMahon because I have a multi-variable calculus midterm tomorrow, but suffice to say he made the rest of the roster look like a joke in the treatment of Kane over the past weeks. Self-promotion at the expense of promoting the people you're paying to wrestle is not only wrong, it's why Vince McMahon is now a $437 millionaire instead of a billionaire. And, I wish that McMahon were a trillionaire, because that would mean he's putting quality wrestling product on the television set. Unfortunately, he isn't right now.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jason Mead

Lifelong fan"

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Seriously, worst opening-line ever. I have no idea what you said after it because I simply stopped reading.

 

I expect they would too if they actually cared about what the fans think.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Having said that, I understand your need to vent.

[ISportsFan 0]

Seriously, worst opening-line ever. I have no idea what you said after it because I simply stopped reading.

You're right, it is terrible.

 

I've just been awake studying for a very long time and it seemed funny to me in a "been awake for 20 hours" mode.

 

Jason

[ISportsFan 0]

I'm just very frustrated though. Maybe it's because I've spent many thousands of dollars on their product, or maybe it's because I just like wrestling so much that I want to see it succeed in a great form in this country, but watching tonight's show just depressed me. I've not watched Raw in months (I still tape it, but don't watch it - I'm a completeist), but Smackdown was my haven for at least one good match a week. It looks like not anymore.

 

Sorry, I'm venting again.

 

Jason

[ISportsFan 0]

Oh, and if anyone wants the address (I found it in the WORKRATE REPORT thread and decided to write):

 

[email protected]

 

Hopefully you can come up with a better opening line than me on almost no sleep!

 

Jason

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I'm just very frustrated though. Maybe it's because I've spent many thousands of dollars on their product, or maybe it's because I just like wrestling so much that I want to see it succeed in a great form in this country, but watching tonight's show just depressed me. I've not watched Raw in months (I still tape it, but don't watch it - I'm a completeist), but Smackdown was my haven for at least one good match a week. It looks like not anymore.

 

^^^^^

 

You should have started off with that.

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

Wrestling.....the actual in-ring match....is what should be the entertainment.

 

Storylines and angles are supposed to enhance it and give the matches more depth.

 

Somewhere in all of this, there is irony.

[Kaertos 0]

I think perhaps they might listen to it if you didn't some off as condescending. What you are basically saying in your note above is that the people who built wrestling into the business that is is are wrong and you are right.

 

I guarantee you this will get circular filed when it hits WWE and it has nothing to do with the fact it is negative. It has to do with the tone and length of the piece. Right or wrong, you just cannot send a letter like this to corporate America and expect them to pay attention.

 

It's too bad too, because it is obvious that you are a fan and you want to watch the stuff, you just don't find it entertaining right now, and it is just as obvious that you are intelligent.

[Guest renegade v.1]

I feel the same way as you ISportsFan. I have been watching wrestling for many years now, i have seen it go through its glory days and i can definatly say the past 2-3yrs have been increasingly depressing. The shows keep reaching new lows which i didn't think were possible. NO body in their own mind wants to see HHH in a mask make love to a manikin and a septic tank sprayed around an arena. If wwe could just go back and recapture whatmade the 80's and 90's so good then they can turn their downward spiral around, they have the talent to do so they just need to rethinkout the way they use it, and the key definatly lies on longer matches and only using story lines to enhance the match. Also i miss the days where a big power move such as a powerbomb or something high risk would put away an apponent for a 3 count. Now days its very predictable as to who is going to win as each mach follows much the same pattern. Anyhows i hope they do get your letter and pay attention to what you have to say cause i feel the same way as you do mate, even though i am in a whole different country i know what ya mean.

[ISportsFan 0]

I think perhaps they might listen to it if you didn't some off as condescending. What you are basically saying in your note above is that the people who built wrestling into the business that is is are wrong and you are right.

 

I guarantee you this will get circular filed when it hits WWE and it has nothing to do with the fact it is negative. It has to do with the tone and length of the piece. Right or wrong, you just cannot send a letter like this to corporate America and expect them to pay attention.

 

It's too bad too, because it is obvious that you are a fan and you want to watch the stuff, you just don't find it entertaining right now, and it is just as obvious that you are intelligent.

You are so right too. Once again, I just lacked patience to make sure the letter was all "positive and uplifting" after a lack of sleep and the suckitude that was Smackdown.

 

Jason

[Guest Coffey]

Seriously, worst opening-line ever. I have no idea what you said after it because I simply stopped reading.

As did I. My Christ that was bad. It made you come off as a twelve year old using "your mama" jokes.

[Guest Razor Roman]

I think we should launch a campaign to get as many people as possible to send emails to Fan Services that just say

 

"Dear Vince,

 

Make WWE More Gooder!

 

 

Sincerely,

...."

 

 

 

I bet if we get enough emails sent to him, he'll give some OVW guy a gimmick as a computer nerd who sends emails to everybody complaining about wrestling, even though he is 12 years old and using his parents computer... smell the parody!

[haVoc 0]

You guys are something. You criticize, rip apart and make fun of ISportsFan's email even though he stepped up and sent his complaints into the WWE while you complain about it on a forum board where the suits in WWE never read it?

 

Hell, at the end of every week we should take the best threads and send the links into the WWE so maybe they will read what we all have to say.

[Kaertos 0]

I wasn't criticizing his action of writing the letter. I think the WWE would be lucky to get more e-mail saying what we think about the shows. I was making an observation about the way it was written.

 

I generally don't complain about the shows these days because, to be honest, I enjoy 90% of it. While most people are focused on the Eddie - Big Show goofiness the last couple of weeks, I prefer to think about the Tajiri v. Dragon match (heck, the whole Tajiri / Rey feud), the return of Spanky and the set-up of a sure-to-be-entertaining Spanky/London tag team, and Mattitude in general.

[Guest Ghettoman]

You offer no proof or even buyable logic that for the WWE to start doing better business they need to put on longer better matches. Hell I don't even believe thats the cure for there problems...

[ISportsFan 0]

You offer no proof or even buyable logic that for the WWE to start doing better business they need to put on longer better matches. Hell I don't even believe thats the cure for there problems...

My attempted proof (as is the best anyone on here can do unless they own a ton of Observer back issues) is to state that in 2000-2001 they made money hand over fist and their formula was great wrestling and good storylines.

 

Jason

[Boner Kawanger 0]

Here, I'll write the reply you may or may not receive.

 

"Dear Loyal Fan,

Thank you for watching our exciting television programs! Boy is that Brock Lesnar dastardly or what? Damn that Mr. McMahon! Let's hope Stephanie makes him quit at No Mercy, live on pay-per-view Sunday, October 19, 2003! Check out the ShopZone! Maybe you can buy something if you get HHH's $100,000 Bounty on Goldberg (Warning: Fans may not attack Bill Goldberg and expect any reward or compensation. Do not bring laser pointers or video cameras to live events)! Keep watching!

 

Signed,

WWE"

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Hey now, heeey nooow

don't dream its over

 

//Crowded House

 

Wrestling is dead. Face it.

[Guest Loss]

Wrestling will not turn the company around, but creating relatable and compelling new characters and hyping matches and making fans want to see them will do the trick. I don't expect WWE to give me more wrestling, I just expect the old generation to finally pass the torch to the new one and then go away.

 

I think television should be a glorified infomercial for house shows and pay-per-views with the (very) occasional great match going long. Most of the time, I think it should be squash matches and promos just because that's what makes the most sense. Any angles run should be few and far between so they maintain their meaning.

 

Ratings would go down, but only temporarily. Once finishers started getting established again and they put guys on top that can start talking people into arenas, then half of the work is done.

 

The other half is finding stars to build toward the future that are accomplished enough and established enough with the audience not to be rejected while not being overexposed as main eventers.

 

We know who those people are, so no reason to name names.

[dpac 0]

I think we all have to accept that Vince wants to make the WWE the greatest B-level of entertainment ever. His crowds have evolved to something very similar to a Jerry Springer crowd. The good days are gone, especially with them thinking they have a chance in hell as a movie production company. I for one will no longer bitch, but rather just hope TNA takes off.

[buffybeast 0]

Isportsfan, I actually think you made a lot of good points in your letter. Sure, your opening line was kind of crappy. But I found your letter to be accurate and truthful. Unfortunately, it won't change a thing. But you already knew that.

[iamsherm 0]

Here's why people watch wrestling (and this may be a shock to you): to watch wrestling. Not to see 2 minute matches, watch newcomers be destroyed for no reason, have championship storylines where people are sprayed with feces, and most definitely not to see McMahons all over their TV.

 

Now, on Smackdown, that show was consistently good. It wasn't getting ratings because Vince and Stephanie were the two most pushed characters on the show (and they're not wrestlers!), but the show at least had WRESTLERS doing their job every once in a while (Edge, Benoit, Angle, Eddie, Chavo, Mysterio, etc.). Now the higher-ups have decided to make Smackdown like Raw apparently - terrible skits involving wrestlers who are not actors and keeping matches short. Sorry, but poop does not sell tickets. Wrestling sells tickets. Nobody wants to see Eddie Guerrero drive a septic tank to the ring and spray a monster with poop. Nobody!

I've highlighted my only beef with your letter.

 

Please don't generalize the entire WWE fanbase by saying "nobody" wants to see this or "people" don't want to watch this. Just insert "I" in there and let the ratings and attendance do the rest of the talking.

[SamoaRowe 0]

I sent a shorter email to the same address. Mine was a lot shorter and I tried to give them a feeling that I really do care about their product and what I think was wrong and why. Try not to say things like "Nobody wants to see..." because that just sounds ignorant. It's putting your own opinion into the mouths of everyone else and the WWE will surely not listen to that. In my email, I merely stated that I personally did not enjoy Raw anymore and I gave them some reasons (primarily the quality of matches). I then mentioned that I enjoyed Smackdown most of the time, and I went on to discuss my problems with the short matches.

 

To be honest, I'm at a point where I don't care what kind of stupid shit the writer's are giving the non-wrestlers to do ONLY if there is a nice deal of actual in-ring work to supplement it. I say this only because I know that it will draw ratings and I really want the ratings to go up.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I enjoyed a Here's why people watch wrestling (and this may be a shock to you): to watch wrestling. Not to see 2 minute matches, watch newcomers be destroyed for no reason, have championship storylines where people are sprayed with feces, and most definitely not to see McMahons all over their TV.

 

Now, on Smackdown, that show was consistently good. It wasn't getting ratings because Vince and Stephanie were the two most pushed characters on the show (and they're not wrestlers!), but the show at least had WRESTLERS doing their job every once in a while (Edge, Benoit, Angle, Eddie, Chavo, Mysterio, etc.). Now the higher-ups have decided to make Smackdown like Raw apparently - terrible skits involving wrestlers who are not actors and keeping matches short. Sorry, but poop does not sell tickets. Wrestling sells tickets. Nobody wants to see Eddie Guerrero drive a septic tank to the ring and spray a monster with poop. Nobody!

 

 

I've highlighted my only beef with your letter.

 

Please don't generalize the entire WWE fanbase by saying "nobody" wants to see this or "people" don't want to watch this. Just insert "I" in there and let the ratings and attendance do the rest of the talking.

 

I found his letter to be truthful and eye-opening that I enjoyed reading. And I would have replaced "nobody" with "a majority of fans". Just makes you think where is the wrestling? If WWE dies, I won't sorry for Vince at all. He would have brought it onto himself.

[KTID 0]

Hey now, heeey nooow

don't dream its over

 

//Crowded House

 

Wrestling is dead. Face it.

 

 

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Hey now, heeey nooow

don't dream its over

 

//Crowded House

 

Wrestling is dead. Face it.

 

 

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!

What part of that post did you not understand?

[KTID 0]

Two points:

 

1) Why did a sane human being quote Crowded House?

 

2) Why exactly is wrestling "dead"?

[syxx2001 0]

I still dont think that stupid chain, mat wrestling stuff will draw. Spotfests get more fans than any other matches. Spot matches and hardcore matches. Maybe Im wrong.

[KTID 0]

^^^^

 

You're not wrong!