Is the WWE Rousing Itself Off The Mat?

[Guest PowerPB13]

I'd LOVE it if the WWE could turn around again. They seemingly have the roster to do it, they just have to put faith in the next generation of stars like Orton and Cena.

 

Oh and I'd love to hear what guys like Patrick would say.

That I'll believe it when I see it?

 

(now seeing Downhome's post)

 

Look, if they can put on an entertaining product again and draw money with it, then more power to them. If they keep on following the same path and end up crashing and burning, then why should I shed any tears over something that was their own fault?

 

-Patrick

[Highland 0]

They totally overstate the growth.  If you look at their financial reports nearly EVERYTHING is smaller in comparison to the years previous.

The entire ecomony in general was bigger back then than it is today. The main point I got from this article was that the financial dark ages for the wwe are coming to an end and they are once again on the rise. It's not the heyday of a few years ago, but it's far better than the total disaster following the Invasion era.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

They totally overstate the growth.  If you look at their financial reports nearly EVERYTHING is smaller in comparison to the years previous.

The entire ecomony in general was bigger back then than it is today. The main point I got from this article was that the financial dark ages for the wwe are coming to an end and they are once again on the rise. It's not the heyday of a few years ago, but it's far better than the total disaster following the Invasion era.

Yeah but it shows they'll screw it all up again. They make just a little money and now they're off on side ventures again.

 

Not to mention the hundreds of millions they'll lose on the Triple H movies and why even bother talking about this?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Have you looked at their statements? They're "successful" because even though they're revenues aren't growing, their costs are lower than ever and they don't have things like WWE NY burning a hole in their pocket. The stock rise isn't really anything to write-home about, considering most of the stocks I look at a rising too.

 

Major stock market gauges have rallied since last March, as robust economic data and corporate profits have pointed to a strong economic recovery. - Reuters, United States - Jan 21, 2004

 

The WWE's stock is going up because the stock market is going up.

 

You're mistaking "rise" (as in, rise in sales) with rising profits (as in, shrinking costs).

[haVoc 0]

I don't want WWE doing huge numbers right now. Big business means less wrestling and more soap opera. I'm not happy about everything on the shows right now, but there is more wrestling and longer matches right now then there was two years ago.

 

I'm happy enough with WWE doing steady business at the moment.

[Downhome 0]

(now seeing Downhome's post)

 

Look, if they can put on an entertaining product again and draw money with it, then more power to them. If they keep on following the same path and end up crashing and burning, then why should I shed any tears over something that was their own fault?

 

-Patrick

You are the biggest IWC cliche of all time. You say the exact same thing in just about every single one of your posts. I hope you read my post, because that's exactly what kind of moron you come across as each and every time you "open your mouth". I just wanted to show you what it is like. Do you understand now?

 

-Downhome

[snuffbox 0]

(now seeing Downhome's post)

 

Look, if they can put on an entertaining product again and draw money with it, then more power to them.  If they keep on following the same path and end up crashing and burning, then why should I shed any tears over something that was their own fault?

 

-Patrick

You are the biggest IWC cliche of all time. You say the exact same thing in just about every single one of your posts. I hope you read my post, because that's exactly what kind of moron you come across as each and every time you "open your mouth". I just wanted to show you what it is like. Do you understand now?

 

-Downhome

cant we all jus get along?

[Downhome 0]

cant we all jus get along? 

I'm sorry, I should set a better example eh? I just can't help it, I can't stand this guy because he chimes into all of these different thread doing basicly just what I posted earlier. I don't care if you hate something, or want WWE to die, just use your head and put some thought into what you are saying, that's all I ask for.

 

It's why I respect guys like RRR and the such. They may complain a lot, with good reason, but they back up what they say and actually have some sort of point.

[Guest PowerPB13]

It seems like all I ever hear about WWE is about how bad it is...so if you could give me a reason to think differently, I'm all ears.

 

-Patrick

[Downhome 0]

It seems like all I ever hear about WWE is about how bad it is...so if you could give me a reason to think differently, I'm all ears.

 

-Patrick

For the love of all that is pure and good, take whatever the hell it is you have in your ears and LISTEN to what I'm saying to you. Could you do that just for ONE second please?

 

As I said in the post right about your latest post, I don't care if you hate something, or want WWE to die, just use your head and put some thought into what you are saying, that's all I ask for. Give reasons, use logic, just for the love of God USE YOUR HEAD.

 

If you hate WWE, explain why. If you, for some foolish reason, WANT WWE to die, then explain that also. Is that so hard to do? You just say the EXACT same thing over and over again, everyone thinks you are a moron by now, or at least everyone I talk to.

 

You've become the living cliche of the IWC.

 

Do you even watch WWE anymore?

[Guest PowerPB13]

Yes, I still watch WWE, because they employ people who entertain me. I just don't have a lot of faith in them being put in prominent positions in the company.

 

I think WWE needs some kind of change, badly, but unfortuantely Vince reportedly surrounds himself with yes-men nowadays who only tell him what he wants to hear. Say what you will about Vince Russo, but he had the guts to go up to Vince and say "things need to change". It also "helped" that he was dealing with WCW signing a lot of former WWF wrestlers. Vince may seem to fear competition, but he's at his best when competing with someone else, as the WWF vs. WCW era produced some great TV at times.

 

So, basically, Vince seems to be doing everything that's counterproductive to putting on the best possible product. One of the main reasons WCW died out, IMO, was that they kept the same people on top for far too long, and by the time they finally did push new people, they were already past the point of no return. I see the same thing in WWE, as they continue to fall back on Triple H, Undertaker, Rocky(who spends most of his time making movies), Austin(who can't even wrestle any more), etc. I can deal with Shawn since he's apparently now able to work a more regular schedule, can still bring it in the ring, and seems willing to put the up-and-comers over.

 

There's no other company even close to being competition right now. NWA-TNA isn't it until they get a free-TV show.

 

You may not believe this, but a part of me does want them to improve, because the WWF/E has BEEN great in the past. It's just a matter of whether or not Vince is willing or able to bring about the necessary changes.

 

-Patrick

[Downhome 0]

Now was that too hard? I agree with just about all of that, just about everyone should agree with it.

 

It does nothing for your case when all you do is spout cliched lines over and over again, saying shit like "OMG I hope and pray WWE dies, it'll be the best thing ever, it's going to happen, I know it will happen, it's the best for everyone". You know that it's fucking stupid to say such things just as well as I do.

 

I'm not saying say you love stuff when you don't, I'm not saying don't post and don't express your hatred...just do so using thought, and explain everything.

 

You know, something how you just did for the first time ever that I've seen.

[Guest PowerPB13]

But it's so much easier to call people "Suckbag" and say stuff makes baby Jesus cry, or something witty like that...

 

-Patrick

[Downhome 0]

But it's so much easier to call people "Suckbag" and say stuff makes baby Jesus cry, or something witty like that...

 

-Patrick

Other shit may "make baby Jesus cry", but saying cliched asinine tripe like "Suckbab" makes ME want to hurt people.

 

Badly.

[spiny norman 0]

Interestingly, I haven't watched WWE since about December 2002. I began watching on Raw this week, and I watched Smackdown too, and I'm beginning to think of maybe ordering the Rumble (my first PPV since Survivor Series '02). And then this article comes along. I must be a bandwagon jumper.

[Guest Olympic Slam]

Interestingly, I haven't watched WWE since about December 2002. I began watching on Raw this week, and I watched Smackdown too, and I'm beginning to think of maybe ordering the Rumble (my first PPV since Survivor Series '02). And then this article comes along. I must be a bandwagon jumper.

It's weird that people are coming back because I gave up for good in October. Not just WWE, but wrestling all together. I started to notice my dislike for WWE and wrestling in general at Wrestlemania 19 and it started to dwindle more and more throughout the summer. The Kane v Shane storyline ended it for me. I just gave up caring and gave up on trying to watch the shows. I haven't watched an entire episode since November and I haven't gone out of my way to watch an episode since October. I still read the Scott Keith rants if I get around to it, but my brain doesn't register that "Monday 9pm = Raw" and "Thurs 8pm = Smackdown" anymore. I moved onto to bigger and better things I guess. Anybody else who has just given up? Anyone at the brink of giving up?

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

And Vince is interested in a late-night franchise that he describes as "a little racier and a little more wild West" than the current two brands.

 

I can't be the only person that immediately thought "ECW" when I read this, right? Of course, it will NEVER happen, because Vince hates us all (hmmm...sounds like I have a good Slayer/WWE parody with "Disciple" as the basis), but just imagine if Vinnie Mac brought back ECW and let Heyman go all-out with it, and let the workers go all-out in it...

 

...dammit, I got my hopes up again. Okay...if ECW was restarted with Heyman booking and Vinnie Mac as the financial backer, then we'd get "future legends" such as The Bashams, Matt Morgan, and Rodney Mack (when back from injury) all over the place. But hey, it might be worth it to see Rhyno do the "hickory dickory dock, I'll make her suck my fucking cock" bit again.

[Highland 0]

I am. I'm definately in the dwindling interest stage; I don't even watch full episodes of Raw or SD anymore and when I do it is mainly to see a match I have an interest in, such as Benoit vs Lesnar.

Angles like Shane vs Kane serve only to drive me away, but because of the rare (but good) matches, I still watch occasionally.

What may bring me back into the fold is that wwe is finally starting to push its younger talent, and yes that includes the bad (Orton, Batista), but also the good (WGTT, Cena. Conway, Dupree, etc). Already signs that the old guard is dwindling can be seen.

[Guest PowerPB13]

But it's so much easier to call people "Suckbag" and say stuff makes baby Jesus cry, or something witty like that... 

 

-Patrick

Other shit may "make baby Jesus cry", but saying cliched asinine tripe like "Suckbab" makes ME want to hurt people.

 

Badly.

You know, "Suckbag" ranks right up there with "Assclown" on the not-so-scathing insult list...

 

-Patrick

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I prefer "asshat".

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I'm a fan of "cuntbox," personally.

[2GOLD 0]

Let Heyman get his hands on Orton. If Paul Heyman can't design some character to get you over, then no one on the planet can get you over.

 

But ECW is dead and buried and splitting off into a third branch would severely hurt the WWE.

 

The only thing this article made me do was rub my head. The movie division could REALLY sting the company very badly. Think of all the money you have to toss at a movie in terms of production, editing, advertising and then just the cost to get the film into the theaters. Not to mention the time it will take to make the film, taking away a star from a company for many months and setting their character back. One poorly made film could end up costing the WWE anywhere between 50 and 100 million dollars if it fails. That is a HUGE chunk of cash that would turn into lay-offs and releases for wrestlers who had nothing to do with the film.

 

The bright side is if it does work, the company gains 20-50 million which could be used to hire better television production people.

 

But does anyone see a horror film with KANE as the star doing well?

 

Here is hoping though since three failed movies (Triple H, Austin and Kane) and the WWE WILL be in deep trouble.

[Guest PowerPB13]

I guess I can see how someone getting a huge push right out of the gate could rub some people the wrong way...

 

I mean, I remember one guy who entered the WWF and his first two televised matches were a Smackdown main event and a Raw main event. Less than a month after his first WWF appearance, he got a win over The Rock. He was put on pay-per-views right away. Two months into his WWF career and he won his first title belt. Six months in and he was already in pay-per-view main events.

 

Talk about an overpush.

 

Whoops, sorry, that was Chris Benoit. My bad.

 

-Patrick

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

Now there's a difference between pushing an established wrestler coming in than people like Cena and Orton who haven't really been seen by anybody outside of OVW's promotional radius.

[Guest PowerPB13]

Point taken...any time you push a "new" guy that the fans aren't familiar with(even if he IS coming from WCW or some other somewhat-known organization), you're taking the risk that the fans won't react to him because they're not familiar with him.

 

If the poor initial reactions to the WCW guys in the Invasion said anything, it was that far fewer people were watching WCW toward the end than the experts thought. More wrestling fans than you'd think watch WWE and ONLY WWE, so whether a guy's been wrestling for a decade or a month, if he hasn't been in WWE he's still "new" to the casual fan.

 

-Patrick

[Tawren 0]

If the poor initial reactions to the WCW guys in the Invasion said anything, it was that far fewer people were watching WCW toward the end than the experts thought. More wrestling fans than you'd think watch WWE and ONLY WWE, so whether a guy's been wrestling for a decade or a month, if he hasn't been in WWE he's still "new" to the casual fan.

I'd say it more due to the biggest name coming in being DDP, with no Nash/Hogan/Hall/Steiner/Flair/Sting/Goldberg/Luger/MAIN EVENTER in the Invasion aside from DDP and Booker.

[Guest PowerPB13]

That was a Catch-22 that WWE found out about the hard way in the Invasion...on one hand, they didn't want to bring in the big names due to the ego problems. On the other hand, WITHOUT bringing in those big names, the WCW guys didn't have the star power and credibility to spearhead a major angle like "WWF vs. WCW".

 

They also had the mistaken perception that by merely having Shane on their side, the WCW crew would be over by association.

 

They could have made Booker, DDP, and any number of incoming guys into stars right out of the gate, but then the "pay your dues" BS kicked in and they all looked like schmucks against the WWF guys.

 

-Patrick

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

What if Flair had come into the WWF the first time with the belt and started off in the low card?

 

Besides, Benoit had been in WCW for a few years through their days when they were actually winning the ratings. People knew who he and the Radicals were.

 

This isn't like the territory days anymore. No one was going to cross over from one major promotion to another without being somewhat of a known commodity.

 

The internet and the Monday Night Wars made the wrestling world smaller.

 

And the Invasion....I still contend the biggest thing that stalled that wasn't the lack of star power. It didn't help but the fact that they were never made to look like any kind of serious threat ruined it. Booker losing to Rock at Summerslam was the first booking mistake.

[Guest PowerPB13]

As a mark at the time, I had trouble taking Flair seriously till he won the Rumble. I speak as someone who had near-zero knowledge about WCW/NWA at the time. It was one of things that was huge for fans "in the know", but to casual fans, it was along the lines of "Huh?"

 

Booker and DDP were in WCW at the same time as Benoit(heck, Benoit feuded with both of them)...so what was the problem there?

 

-Patrick

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

As a mark at the time, I had trouble taking Flair seriously till he won the Rumble. I speak as someone who had near-zero knowledge about WCW/NWA at the time. It was one of things that was huge for fans "in the know", but to casual fans, it was along the lines of "Huh?"

 

Booker and DDP were in WCW at the same time as Benoit(heck, Benoit feuded with both of them)...so what was the problem there?

 

-Patrick

Um....you were a too young mark?

 

The point about Booker and DDP being in WCW the same time as Benoit? I'm not following that.