Worst Decisions?

[Guest Jason]

What was the worst decision ever made by WWF/WWE? I don't think it's possible to name a single worst decision that the company have made, but just to name a few cock ups or major mistakes (in my opinion); The WCW "Invasion"; Diesel's 1 year title run; the "Katie Vick" angle. I'm trying to think of a few things from the 80's, but to be honest, I can't. I loved it all, lol.

[Guest bigm350]

How the Invasion was booked. As has already been said before. It was a sure fire money angle, but was destroyed by Vince's ego.

[Epic Reine 0]

XFL, 'nuff said.

[Guest Coffey]

Ted DiBiase not winning the World Title at Wrestlemania IV.

[Guest bigm350]

Ted DiBiase not winning the World Title at Wrestlemania IV.

How is that a bad decision? I thought Savage did a great job with his run with the belt, and it set up a money feud with Savage and Hogan. Now I know Dibiase was initially supposed to win the belt, but still I think Savage did a great job.

[Guest bigm350]

Maybe HHH marrying into the Mcmahon family, if the WWE is dead, in 5-10 years.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

The Invasion. The Invasion. The Invasion.

 

 

It was FOOL-PROOF and IMPOSSIBLE to fuck up...but like we learned so many other times..... EVERYTHING was possible in the WWE, including the complete DISASTER that was WWF vs. "The Alliance".

 

He should have waited until 2002 to run it, he should have done little vignettes here and there with "owner" Shane McMahon speaking very closely and very guarded about his plans for the new year, maybe sabotaging WM18 or breaking apart the Royal Rumble.

 

Could WWE have gotten some of the bigger names ready for January of 02, the Rumble could have ended in a way nobody ever would have seen, with WCW attacking the ring as the last two men survived, beating them apart and then as the WWE came to rescue section by section they too would be decimated, leaving a broken WWE underneath WCW's foot.

 

This could have EASILY led into the former ECW employees under WWF contract to feel let down, pissed off, and etc, and then they (along with Heyman) could have secretly brought in Dreamer, RVD, and others to form the third section, forming a gigantic angle of WWF vs. WCW vs. ECW

 

WWF and WCW would have the numbers, while ECW would have had the geurilla fighting tactics and extreme ways of war-waging in the ring, out of the ring, and everywhere else.

 

It could have been a story STILL RUNNING TODAY, but it was destroyed in less than a year.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Ted DiBiase not winning the World Title at Wrestlemania IV.

How is that a bad decision? I thought Savage did a great job with his run with the belt, and it set up a money feud with Savage and Hogan. Now I know Dibiase was initially supposed to win the belt, but still I think Savage did a great job.

I could've sworn Savage was actually making money on his reign, which made that a good decision, or at the least, a middle of the road.

 

Here's a few from the past... (although already noted)

1. The Invasion

2. Diesel's Reign of Torture

 

Will be's...

3. The ECW PPV (we know it's going to suck hard ass)

 

and DUH's...

4. Raw World Title/Triple H Feuds from 2003. Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, and Goldberg. Show me an even WORSE threesome of main eventers for the entire year and I'll eat dog shit.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

The XFL was a worse decision than the InVasion.

[Zack Malibu 0]

Having a developmental territory and not giving two shits about it or what it does for the talent. By this I mean the random callup's of guys not ready, sending guys to learn how to work face only to turn them heel, and not using it to its full potential.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

At least Vince got to cash in big time on the InVasion ppv but the XFL . . . well . . . it marked the return of Craig DeGeorge on the McMahon pay roll.

[Promoter 0]

Seriously, I think there is more than just creative where this company has shown itself to be complete idiots.

 

Well, if we are talking about BUSINESS decisions where to start?

 

2004-Lost the damn rights to use HULK HOGAN? Of course, this thing goes back to Vince Mcmahon's dumb idea in 1984. His biggest name of all-time and he can't even milk it anymore? I think he might have the same problem with Steve Austin. His two biggest attractions of all-time! This is suppose to help the 24/7 channel kick off? The whole Goldberg contract and appearance situation. Screwing up the brands.

 

2003- Mis-handling Goldberg. They tried to re-create the man they purchased to bring business back up, but he gets outfoxed by The Rock in his initial feud and went around wearing Goldust's wig? Did they want to make money off this acquisition?

 

2002- THE BRAND SPLIT--All I got to say is HORRIBLY DONE!

Losing the WWF NAME. MOST STUPID THING EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

2001-The INVASION and maybe purchasing wcw at all. At least not making it separate from the wwf. Was this the year of the XFL disaster as well? That was the bullet in the horse for Vince Mcmahon in mainstream media. He was at least winning against them when they were attacking his show's integrity and content with fans packing arenas and with high ratings.

 

2000-Changing the creative team with having Stephanie Mcmahon lead!!!!!!!!

 

1999-Going to the stupid "Get It" campaign and going to more hollywood/action adventure approach. It worked for about a year before it started to turn fans away. They should have stuck with the "Attitude" approach. Remember the Attitude commercials where the wrestlers spoke about "this isn't real? try lacing my boots" with the wrestlers going through all the dedication they put forth and even having some guys like HBK challenging people from other sports to do what he did.

 

1989-Breaking kayfabe!!!!! This is a whole thread for itself and I know the arguments against it(everyone will say most knew it was fake and so on, but that is not what I'm talking about here) but basically it changed things in a bad way with the approach to the business for YEARS until the attitude era took off. Basically Vince got cheap one year to avoid sports taxes and it cost him dearly for years afterward.

[Zack Malibu 0]

Breaking kayfabe is part of the evolution of the business, and society as a whole. With information on hand 24/7 about anything and anything thanks to things like the internet, it was only a matter of time. Kayfabe can and does exist in some form, but I'd take a more realistic approach to things rather than cartoon characters and car crashes (although those aren't totally gone, and likely never will be).

[SuperJerk 0]

1999-Going to the stupid "Get It" campaign and going to more hollywood/action adventure approach.

I thought "Get It" was just one commerical, not an entire reapproach to how they market themselves/run events/do matches/whatever it is you mean.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Of course, there's the Fully Loaded 2000 decision to job Angle, Benoit, and Jericho to Taker, Rock, and HHH respectively and therefore not elevate any new stars when they were hot. Which is the mistakes of almost every promotion on earth.

[razazteca 0]

Bringing in the NWO.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

Of course, there's the Fully Loaded 2000 decision to job Angle, Benoit, and Jericho to Taker, Rock, and HHH respectively and therefore not elevate any new stars when they were hot. Which is the mistakes of almost every promotion on earth.

I can't even watch "Foley Loaded" anymore... it's just horrible booking all around. When I first found my copy of it buried in a closet, I said "OH! I remember this!" and then I popped it in and watched it for a moment.... and it quickly went in the garbage.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

The NWO PPV got a big buyrate, though.

[Zack Malibu 0]

If they carried out the whole Invasion right, a huge crossover could have been done with WWF, WCW, ECW, AND the NWO. Hogan, Hall and Nash could have come in claiming that they were responsible for WCW's success, and wanted in. WCW could have refused and said no, so NWO tries to sell their services to WWF, who know their game and want nothing to do with them. Same deal with ECW, who know the NWO will only want spotlight for themselves. Then you could have the NWO managing a few acquisitions from the three opposing sides to gain a litle more interest, until they built things to come to a head. In no way would I have signed Hogan, Hall and Nash to three year deals or whatever, but for 6 month-1 year, if it were in a scenario like I had explained, I'd have lived with it.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Of course, there's the Fully Loaded 2000 decision to job Angle, Benoit, and Jericho to Taker, Rock, and HHH respectively and therefore not elevate any new stars when they were hot.  Which is the mistakes of almost every promotion on earth.

I'd say this is the exact point where the WWF shot their leg off and still haven't recovered. Everything seemed to slowly but surely fall apart after this PPV. I'd also say this is where the inmates got too much control of the asylum.

[Promoter 0]

Yep. I knew that was going to be the argument about kayfabe. I know about the evolution and so on, but it's how they did it. When I'm talking about kayfabe I'm not talking about them trying to pass everything off as real, but insulting the aesthetics of the industry. Hell, the admission in the courts in 1989 doesn't even really give leeway that it's fake, but more performance based. They actually went the opposite approach that you speak of. Look how the wwf booked characters and angles pre-1989 and look how they did post WM 5. They went MORE cartoonish than ever with Earthquakes, Doink The Clowns, Macho Kings, etc. Hell, they even helped to hurt Hogan's drawing power with the cartoonish "IMMORTAL" Hulk Hogan crap. Great angles such as the Buschwhackers and so on. Vince used the admission in court as carte blanche to turn everything into a zoo. The guys like Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan failed to draw as well post Mania 5 because of it. When Vince kept to the rule of trying to be realistic with his storylines such as the Mega-Power Explosion and Andre/Orndorff turning on Hogan it was a lot more plausible and entertaining.

 

The wwf did not "get it" until Eric Bischoff with Hall/Nash started to get away from this nonsense in 1996 and giving people storylines that seemed much more plausible or less insulting. They matured the product or at least brought it back to what it was about creating an illusion that what you were watching was real. Vince followed suit with the "Attitude" campaign by trying to show guys like Austin not being puppets of the boss. Nash(as tweener Diesel post Survivor Series '95) and HBK(with the bar room brawl and "collapsing on raw") were trying to get Vince to follow this in 1995, but he quickly nixed the idea. Then when the shit hit the fan with the nWo storyline that maybe Vince sent Hall and Nash down to wcw he came up with more insutling crap like the faux Diesel and Razor. Why insult the damn audience like that? Hopefully, they got their brains right by summer of 1997 and fall to create the "attitude" era where they blurred what was "show" and what was "real"(smark angles/comments) and the fans responded quite well.

 

Then in 1999, they went with "Get It". It was a re-approach as listen to Vince Mcmahon during the commentary during the Superbowl half-time title match with Rock/Mankind. That year they went BACK to more silliness like Vince holding his daughter's teddy bear that UT struck on fire. It worked that year because of the momentum of 1998 and that in 1999 they went to media outlets "outing" the business and speaking more about action adventure. In 1998, they did not do this with the "attitude" campaign as they let things up to the viewers and wrestlers respond on outlets like "if Nascar is considered a sport I think we're in". Even the commentary was different in 1998 with JR giving wink wink and nudge nudge comments, but then still keeping kayfabe by asking "how can you know how to fall like that?". The Rock was also on OTR in 1999 talking about this new approach when he was champion "leading the charge".

[Promoter 0]

If they carried out the whole Invasion right, a huge crossover could have been done with WWF, WCW, ECW, AND the NWO. Hogan, Hall and Nash could have come in claiming that they were responsible for WCW's success, and wanted in. WCW could have refused and said no, so NWO tries to sell their services to WWF, who know their game and want nothing to do with them. Same deal with ECW, who know the NWO will only want spotlight for themselves. Then you could have the NWO managing a few acquisitions from the three opposing sides to gain a litle more interest, until they built things to come to a head. In no way would I have signed Hogan, Hall and Nash to three year deals or whatever, but for 6 month-1 year, if it were in a scenario like I had explained, I'd have lived with it.

Unbelievable as this angle could have still be going on today, but they are stuck with trying to use the brand split. I think it's safe to say if all things were protected the company brand names would work and draw better than "raw" and "smackdown".

[Promoter 0]

Of course, there's the Fully Loaded 2000 decision to job Angle, Benoit, and Jericho to Taker, Rock, and HHH respectively and therefore not elevate any new stars when they were hot.  Which is the mistakes of almost every promotion on earth.

I'd say this is the exact point where the WWF shot their leg off and still haven't recovered. Everything seemed to slowly but surely fall apart after this PPV. I'd also say this is where the inmates got too much control of the asylum.

You guys may have a point as I never really noticed that before. I think in hindsight WM 16 may have been the beginning of the end as the Trips Era really started. Even mighty Steve Austin returned and said he couldn't get Vince's ear. Austin and Rock were passed in favour of Triple H in 2000 and 2001 when it was VITAL for the guys mentioned to become stars. Of course, the argument is Trips being on his "game" back then. The point being having the ear of the boss though. He learned well from his teacher At least in 2000 and 2001 the main event scene seemed much more open and even. Nowadays......

[{''({o..o})''} 0]

Jason, you said you were quitting the board. Leave voluntarily, or be shown the door.

 

Anyway, can't really beat the XFL and the Invasion.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Making the decision to have Stephanie McMahon head creative.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I think putting Steph as the head of creative was a bad choice but I think the company was heading south with or without her. I don't think anyone could've saved the Invasion or the disaster Triple H has been causing since he came back from the quad injury.

[jester 0]

The XFL was a worse decision than the InVasion.

Agreed. The Invasion had potential to be brilliant. The biggest wrestling angle of all time. And it did produce some great moments, like the ECW resurrection.

 

The XFL didn't have a hope in hell. They went ahead with it anyway. And what did it give us to remember. "He hate me"?

[Guest Phenom]

The XFL didn't have a hope in hell. They went ahead with it anyway. And what did it give us to remember. "He hate me"?

[MillenniumMan831 0]

And it was that fucker who just had to beat The Browns in the 2002 Playoffs.

 

Thanks Vince.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Nearly a full page, and no one mentions Hogan/Flair? The WWF had the other company's headline star cross over, with the championship belt no less. It was a match 10 years in the making, and it never made it to television until two years later, in WCW.