WWE hiring staff writer

[Insane Bump Machine 0]

I'd try to take the whole product into a more 'real' direction, presenting it as more of a sports drama than a soap opera. That would include stuff like statistics and rankings, maybe even adding another weight class so that we have cruisers(London, Rey, Tajiri, Psichosis, Super Crazy...), middleweights (Benoit, Eddie, HBK, RVD, Benjamin...) and heavyweights (Batista, Kane, HHH, a returning Lesnar...). Bascally I'd steal some things from UFC and Pride, but there would still be storylines, promos and skits. But the storylines would be more like Eddie/The Rock, The Rock/Jericho, Batista/HHH stuff, and less Kane/Lita or Heidenreich/Booker. You know, feuds about respect, betrayals, jealousy and titles. Not about abductions, car crashes and rapes.

 

I guess that would be an old school direction, but with some new twists.

[CBright7831 0]

- Knowledge of WWE talent and story lines is required

 

One down, five to go.

[Guest Fook_Theta]

Let me ask people this. In creating better storylines. Would you go more old school direction, do something new, or mix it up?

I'd go the easiest route and use things that have worked and still work. The entire staff would watch tape after tape of the best 500 matches. My theory is that you can learn atleast one thing from every match, even if it is learning what not to do. This also carries over huge with the wrestlers being able to pick up their end if necessary, since pro wrestling is a drama play with peoples bodies as a major component.

 

We know you can inspire love in a product by not having the violence/physical interactions, just look at 90% of the stuff that is out there that sells. Once this is established, WWE/wrestling is a great product because there are things it can do no other program can do.

 

So basicly a mixture of all, but starting at what works then building from there.

 

 

Note: I'm minimizing some weaknesses that WWE/wrestling do have over the competition.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

I am trying to put what I am thinking into words, but it's hard.

 

WWE is a scripted television show in which the viewer at home can see the live studio audience. It's the only show like that of it's kind. If the WWE dropped away from trying to be totally 'real' and instead acted 'television real' it might make for a better product.

 

No fan can watch Cena acting all "street thug" on Thursday, and then switch to Experience on Sunday (or in the old days Confidential) and see him eating sushi or whatever. It's not in his character. It is telling the world "this guy is a big time wrestler...but it's just a character." and then we have to act concerned on Thursday when he gets beaten up by 10 guys.

 

On one level it works, but on another it is just stupid. I mean, people might freak out over the newest storyline twist for LOST or when Jack takes an evil boot to the face on 24, but when it isn't 8 or 9 on a Thursday or a Tuesday or whatever, you aren't seeing Jack Bauer going to movie openings...you are seeing Keifer Sutherland. In WWE land, we are seeing Randy Orton getting his shoulder torn apart by Batista, and then on the Tonight Show three days later acting as if nothing happened (but he's injured).

 

They need to take away the "THIS IS REAL" factor from their main four wrestling shows and instead treat it as a scripted yet very interactive television show. TRULY THE ONLY ONE OF IT'S KIND.

 

They are trying too hard to blur the lines between reality and television reality, and it has started to hurt them. They need to pay more and more attention to storyline and continuity, they need to bring in new characters and take away characters sometimes, they need to bring you in emotionally like sitcoms and dramas do, giving you those little laughs or those tear jerking moments or those "mark out" moments.

 

WWE is not good enough at that. Their central cast of characters is either too large or too small depending on your definition of central, and their use of peripheral characters is too wonky. I compare someone like the Hurricane to someone like Puddy from Seinfeld. Memorable enough that you give a shit and react when he appears, but not around often enough for you to get super-attached and disappointed when he isn't around.

 

That is basically Hurricane's position at present. He might get a little push now and then, but eventually it's Exit Stage Left.

 

 

WWE needs to completely reform their rosters. They need to cut down the TV rosters, at least, so that these extra guys aren't popping up at random for one-shot jobs. Fans don't care if you beat the crap out of someone they have never heard of. Benjamin and Hassan are getting/got over because they are challenging and defeating big shots like HBK and HHH. It might not mean much to the storyline they are in currently, and it doesn't hurt HHH or HBK at all. It stays on the back of the mind of the fans and in a year when they want to take Shelton all the way, they have a VERY nice way of doing it and getting a good feud out of it.

 

So, as I was saying, they need to cut down on the rosters, and keep those wrestlers that fans already care about, along with a few that have the potential to be big names. The others should appear only when they are going to be a part of a storyline and not as small cameo jobs, even on the B shows. Save tryout matches for the dark matches and house shows. Jobbers should be done away with. Either make something of them, or don't let them on tv to waste time.

 

 

I am ranting again, but I think you get the point. I'd rather see WWE Raw and Smackdown play to the television reality than the "real" reality, and use their programming time ALOT more efficently as it pertains to character and storyline development, not Joe Davis from Passaic, NJ getting pinned in 12 seconds because Kane is angry.

[Jingus 0]

I just wish they'd spend more time on matches.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

- Knowledge of WWE talent and story lines is required

 

This is new. I remember when prior knowledge of the product was discouraged.

LOL -- I remember that, too. Weren't they looking for soap opera writers before?...

[Guest Hass of Pain]

The sad fact is that if anyone with a writing credit on "The Mullets" applied for the position they would probably be hired immediately.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Wrestling is so many things, so that would be my style of writing for it. You can have an extremely whacky storyline, and you can have a straight-up serious storyline. It's about providing variety, because different people tune in for different reasons. And that variety will show up in the ring. The fans already believe that two guys in their underwear are really hitting each other, so why not take it further? The WWE universe is so big and they never take it to its full potential.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

No fan can watch Cena acting all "street thug" on Thursday, and then switch to Experience on Sunday (or in the old days Confidential) and see him eating sushi or whatever. It's not in his character. It is telling the world "this guy is a big time wrestler...but it's just a character." and then we have to act concerned on Thursday when he gets beaten up by 10 guys.

It does work with the old adage that gimmicks are the people themselves "with the volume turned up," ala Rock and Stone Cold. Of course, recently, we've stopped basing characters on people's natural charisma for the most part, although Cena is an exception since the guy really is into rap.

[Insane Bump Machine 0]

I just wish they'd spend more time on matches.

Even more? I think the matches they're having right now are often too long. Not on PPV, mind you. But do they really need to put on a 20 minute PPV quality Eddie/Angle match on Smackdown just to end it in a DQ to further the Eddie/Rey miscommunication angle? Matches of this quality and intensity should be saved for PPVs where they can actually make money. Putting it on TV is just a lazy way for the writers to fill 25 minutes without having to think much. The same story with the exact same finish could have been told in 10 minutes, leaving the fans wanting more of Eddie/Angle while still furthering the Eddie/Rey storyline. And you would have had 10 more minutes to give somebody else promo time or put on another quick but good match to showcase other talents.

[cabbageboy 0]

I think the big issue is mainly "Who are they pushing?" Booking Raw is an exercise in futility since it's going to be the HHH show no matter what. SMDN is probably in worse overall shape, but I think their problems are more based on who they are pushing and that sort of thing. The whole Bradshaw thing is a failed experiment and it's time to pull the plug on it, make the guy return some of these jobs. If they are serious about Cena, they need to put him in there with some guys who can actually wrestle to carry him. Eddie, Angle, maybe a returning RVD. Putting Cena in with the Bradshaws and Renee Duprees of the world does him no good since those guys suck and he can't improve.

 

Another thing I'd change is the matches themselves. They need to let guys bust it out more. There are far too many matches with boring headlocks and resting, punching and kicking, etc. Some of these guys just can't do any better, but let the guys who can actually tear it up. Let Rey go out and do a wild spotfest...I am sick and tired of a Rey or Kidman match following the script of "So and so grounds him and takes away his aerial game." Let's SEE the fucking aerial game!

[Guest DeputyHawk]

Another thing I'd change is the matches themselves. They need to let guys bust it out more. There are far too many matches with boring headlocks and resting, punching and kicking, etc. Some of these guys just can't do any better, but let the guys who can actually tear it up. Let Rey go out and do a wild spotfest...I am sick and tired of a Rey or Kidman match following the script of "So and so grounds him and takes away his aerial game." Let's SEE the fucking aerial game!

This is possibly the main problem with the product at the moment, every single match is pretty much interchangeable. There's a 'house style' which every worker conforms to. This of course isn't something the writers (especially staff writers) dictate, though.

 

I'd personally love the challenge of coming up with a storyline for Mark Henry or Torrie Wilson and trying to make compelling TV out of it. If Vince Russo can do the job, anyone can. If I lived in the US, I'd apply for this job in a heartbeat. I've worked in and around media enough to bluff the application and see where it went from there.

[Promoter 0]

Well, I'll add my two cents here about writing for the shows. I don't think they should go the tv show route. They have done this since 1999 and it has basically sunk them. Yeah, 2000 had its moments, but maybe that Royal Rumble-Backlash stretch success hurt them in the long run(along with the peak popularity of The Rock at the time, while Austin's peak was 1999). The Mcmahon storyline of dysfuncitonal family ran the company into the ground that just ruined stuff like the much anticipated Invasion angle. Seriously, both wcw and the wwe got carried away with the nonsense.

 

The way the wwe should do their shows is in a sports show presentation. Believe it or not, I think the years of 1986-1988 and 1996-1998 the business had it right. The show needs diversity as mentioned, but there is a scope to which it should be done. Look at some of these examples and notice how the masses took notice and were drawn to the product. I know times change and whatnot, but there is an underlying attraction that can be done in any generation.

 

Hulk Hogan defeating The Iron Shiek. On the surface, it seems simple, but look at the entire build up intentional or not to Hogan's victory. He was in the AWA and came close to winning the title. Over in the wwf, Bob Backlund was the perrenial All-American babyface on a monster reign. Hogan was previously in the wwf and never got the strap. He returned as a hero and conquered the Iron Sheik who upended Bob Backlund.

 

Now, the wwe has done this in the year 2005 with John Cena being a character the fans can latch onto for this generation. He went over JBL who represented "The Man". WOW! The wwe writers got this right as Cena is basically the top babyface going over what some claim was the top heel. In both instances, the writers/bookers wrote for the wrestler positions instead of just writing for the sake of writing. Cena was the top babyface, so they created a story that would work for him getting the title. The same was done with Hogan in 1984.

 

In other words, they should write towards the wrestlers heat and talent rather than just writing to get people over. There's a difference. Look at Randy Orton as an example. They were writing for him as a babyface champion when he was a heel IC champion. They didn't write towards his talents, but try to write a storyline to get him over in a fashion they wanted him to get over. That works in some cases with guys they KNOW that can handle a switch. Some things they write for feuds are just plain ridiculous and I don't know how they expect it to have heat. They also got to stop writing like a regular tv show in one segment and then write it in a sports show format. An example was the night Batista turned babyface. Batista in one segment is hiding and listening over HHH's comments to Ric Flair and we all see it on tv and in the arena. The next segment we don't hear JR or King talk about Batista hearing HHH's scheme which in itself is silly because why would a cerebral assassin blurt out his masterplan for all to hear. He couldn't see a big ass camera there? They have to make the show in a fashion where they acknowledge what we see the wrestlers and announcers see. They are inconsistent with the writing.

 

The perfect example of writing in the last boom was the USA/Canada angle that dealt with reality and the talents of the wrestlers. NWO/WCW was also well written up until Starrcade '96.

[Guest DeputyHawk]

In other words, they should write towards the wrestlers heat and talent rather than just writing to get people over. There's a difference. Look at Randy Orton as an example. They were writing for him as a babyface champion when he was a heel IC champion. They didn't write towards his talents, but try to write a storyline to get him over in a fashion they wanted him to get over.

Exactly. Writing and booking to people's strengths is an extension of the fact workers only tend to get really over when they portray an extension of their own characters. Trying to completely change Orton into a hero when he had already shown himself to be a smug, arrogant prick who irritated fans was just incredibly foolish. You find what people are good at, amp it up to 11, and then run with it as far as it'll humanly go.