What is the WWE?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Define it. And then define their vision.

 

I thought of this post when I was watching the ECW DVD and in the beginning you get the WWE ID with "Attitude" and "Entertainment" flashing up. They're still holding on to something that died 5 years ago. I've brought this up in other posts, but never actually focused on the matter. Personally, I don't know what the WWE is now, and I think that's because they don't even know what they are now. Are they a wrestling show? Well, they do have a lot of matches. A TV show? Well, the promos are scripted and they continually look for people who have experience in the TV industry. Vince McMahon used to (and still does) call the WWE a mix of action adventure, comedy, soap opera, drama, and all that crap. Can they afford to be all-things in a time where their identity is non-existant?

 

Even when the WWF was faltering in the mid-90's they still had the "New Generation"/"Unbelievable" position. WCW had Hogan, Savage, etc. aka "the old guys", so WWF in-response (and out of necessity) focused more on the "younger" wrestlers like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels (and, sadly, lots of gimmicks). It sucked and was out-of-touch with what their fanbase desired, but at least it was SOMETHING. In 2002 they tried "Ruthless Aggression" and it fell flat, mainly because it (a)Sounded stupid, and (b)Wasn't reflected in their product. People kept on saying "ruthless aggression!" but it was never really shown, and it kinda would be hard to show it anyways. They tried the "Smack your TV" and "Break the Rules!" ad campaigns last year and they were awful. They tried to play up the "escapism" aspects of their product which was something said about wrestling in the late-90's. It was out-of-date with what the current fans wanted. Plus, they were cheesy in a really bad way and their product-at-the-time didn't really support the campaign very well.

 

With "Attitude~!" you could transfer the concept over to magazines, videos, etc. It also meant different things to different people, and allowed the WWE to be those things. It was indicative of the times and they had the right guys to play it up in Austin, Rock, and DX. It was also in a time when WCW was slowing down and there were fans to steal who were getting bored with the guys like Hogan on top and wanted something fresh.

 

Today, they don't have WCW to position themselves against. Their competition is both sports like Monday Night Football, and TV shows like CSI and Survivor, and they can't compete effectively trying to be both. The competitive aspects of professional wrestling in the WWE simply isn't there, so fans really aren't caring about who wins or who loses like they do with sports. And the writing and acting (for the most part) in the WWE is not even at cable-access levels, despite having these so-called "Industry Professionals" involved. Paul Heyman said that the music scene at the time in the early 90s dictated what ECW was, where Nirvana had changed tastes and he tried to put his promotion on that level. I think this is a valid point and should be considered today. I also think the trends on television should be considered as well. But most of all, I think the WWE needs to consider who they are in the television world and what they offer, because if they continue to walk an undefined path, they will always be wandering.

 

So, if you can't define what the WWE is... what should they be?

[JoeDirt 0]

Great post.

 

I'm gonna have to think about this one...

[Guest TheLastBoyscout]

Two words for two brands: "Sports Entertainment"

 

SmackDown emphasizes the sports aspect: The Tale of the Tape; Tazz and Cole's commentary is "smarter"; guys like Guerrero and Angle emplying a more "realistic" style; frequent tournaments and Number One contender matches to establish who will face the Champion instead of arbitrarily naming someone.

 

RAW is the opposite. It's all about the entertainment: Every old timer they've signed usually ends up there. The Rock makes his quarterly appearances there; the gimmicks are goofier; the interviews are longer. Raw seems to be a wild synergy of Crash TV and JCP circa 1986.

[JoeDirt 0]

I really don't see the post-Heyman Smackdown as more "sports" than RAW, really...

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Then why is Carlito/Heidenreich/Taker on Smackdown an Benoit/Benjamin on Raw?

 

The Smackdown = Sport and Raw = Entertainment has been a myth, as both sides have enough of the other crap in it to make for a blend.

 

Please give this more thought. It's a simple question, the answer is difficult.

[JoeDirt 0]

It's hard to really define anything because compared to the Attitude era, it's much different. Back then it was the "rebel" mentality. We're going to be over the top, in your face, a little risque, and more entertaining than the "old" guys. But there's nothing to rebel against anymore. WWE has become the old, out of touch entity that they rebelled against in the late 1990's.

[iliketurtles 0]

I think the WWE doesn't have an identity. They are just literally there. Nothing controversial, nothing amazingly intresting. People say they are in a down period, but they are making $$$. That's all that matters. Until those numbers are in the red, WWE is going to be what it is.

 

I also believe one of the main problems is the brand extension. They don't even try to make it seem like they are two different companies. And that's why it hasn't worked as well as it could of been. They needed to do WCW one company and WWF/E one company. Raw vs. SD is just not believable, especially when they constantly put over the fact it's WWE WWE WWE WWE WWE.

 

A company more worried about wearing suits and ties then what is being produced to the public.

 

It's not going to change either, for a long time. I'm talking years.

[JoeDirt 0]

I think the WWE doesn't have an identity. They are just literally there. Nothing controversial, nothing amazingly intresting. People say they are in a down period, but they are making $$$. That's all that matters. Until those numbers are in the red, WWE is going to be what it is.

 

A company more worried about wearing suits and ties then what is being produced to the public.

Yeah, I guess that's it. They're a company. They produce wrestling-related content and try to make money.

 

Sort of faceless, really.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Which is why I put in the "Come up with something" part. It can reflect what you want out of the WWE, or what the WWE should be (which may or may not be two different things).

 

For example:

 

Slogan: "See the Evolution"

 

Concept: For many families, wrestling has been passed down through the generations from father to son, and going to WWE shows has been a family experience. As life goes on, the son gets married and takes his kids to watch WWE shows. In essense, why attract one or two people when you can attract four?

 

Wrestling % / Entertainment %: 80% / 20%

 

Key Wrestlers: HHH, Batista, Flair, Orton.

[Guest Fook]

I always thought Desire would make a good successor to Attitude, and the various "My Sacrifice" video packages seemed to indicate they were headed in that direction. Then, for no reason I can think of, they just stopped. Shame too - those videos were great.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I think the WWE doesn't have an identity. They are just literally there. Nothing controversial, nothing amazingly intresting. People say they are in a down period, but they are making $$$. That's all that matters. Until those numbers are in the red, WWE is going to be what it is.

 

A company more worried about wearing suits and ties then what is being produced to the public.

They are in a down period. Look at the business cycle and that's where they are. They are doing all their classic down period moves; international touring, cost cutting. This is besides the point, it isn't _why_ the WWE is at where it is at, it's _what_ the WWE is right now, and what it CAN be and what it SHOULD be.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

"Desire" would have been a temporary fix, and doesn't take into consideration a lot of the stuff I feel is relevant when positioning your company. It's a nice way to get loyalty from the fans by showing how badly the wrestlers want to perform for them and it's great at elliciting an emotional response. It also highlights some classic moments that gives fans the warm-fuzzies. But that is a fan-keeping measure, and something like "Attitude" was a fan-getting measure. They've been keeping their guard up for far too long, it's time to take a risk and change the companies position and make a move.

[iliketurtles 0]

It can be alot of great things, but it isn't. I really don't see the sense and talking about it (though this is discussion board...) just because it's not like it's going to happen anytime soon.

 

Until they have the politics cooled down, the morale up, and put the right people in power, everyone is going to be complaining how much the WWE sucks and nothing is going to be new. They focus more on characters instead of performers. You can't be yourself anymore, and that's how guys like Austin, Rock, HHH became who they are...by being themselves. It's been like this since they bought WCW. Remember JR proclaiming that "Booker T...HE'S NO RIC FLAIR!"

 

Thats' their mindset for the past 4 years. They shove people like Batista and Cena down our throats EVERYWHERE in the media, and it's going to be someone like Christian that accidently becomes the next big thing.

 

You hear about Jericho admitting he's stale......watching Austin at Mania and realizing he's stale...Cena's act is stale...Eugene is stale...Edge is beyond stale...It's not particular guys.

 

It's just that WWE = stale. Period. Talk amongst yourselves.

[Gary Floyd 0]

The WWE is a place that was once called the World Wrestling Federation, but had to change it's name because if it didn't, a panda would rape Vince McMahons asshole.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Then please, if you don't have anything to post, GET THE FUCK OUT.

 

There's been some absolutely worthless posts in this thread. I'm asking how to make a better watch, and I'm getting why the old watch doesn't work and why a better watch can't be made. Neither of which answers my initial question.

 

Please people, let's step it up.

[Brett Favre 0]

The direction I see is keeping an old guard and trying to mix it up with the youth. It's up to the viewer to decide if it's worked or not. Unlike the Attitude, New Generation, or WCW during the nWo era, they aren't sticking to a specific group.

 

Personally, I think Smackdown! is doing a better job of it than RAW, and I think most agree. While RAW has had Triple H at the top for the last 3 years or so, Smackdown! has kept it fresh in terms of who's the number one guy in the company. It goes Angle, Brock, Eddie, JBL, and now Cena. So you can say that SD! is doing a better job than RAW. I don't know.

 

What they should do is seperate Triple H, HBK, Taker, Angle, Big Show, Flair, Edge and Jericho from Cena, JBL, Eddie, Rey, Orton, Batista, Shelton, Carlito, and Benoit. The latter on Smackdown and the other on RAW. The guys on the bottom are the guys they are trying to mix up into the main event scene right now, and some of them are getting road blocked by those guys on the top. Why not just give them an entire show for themselves, since getting buried and job backs from HBK and HHH isn't working. This way they can also see what the problem is, and what the people want to see. They can see if the new product of wrestlers they want to mesh with the old really is the problem; and aren't ready. Or if the old is the problem. You'll find that out, or if both shows produce the same ratings, you can keep it this way and give the fans an alternative. Well, a real alternative.

 

Sounds a little confusing, but I tried to give it a shot.

[Taker666 0]

The WWE is Sports Entertainment. which means its a mixture of both the sports aspect(Championship Belts, Tournment, trained atletes, Referees etc) and the Entertainment aspects(Gimicks, storylines, charaters, entrance music, pyros etc).

 

the WWE is its own unique brand of Entertainment. theres the music industry, the movie industry, the videogame industry, and the television industry. the WWE falls under all these catogorys which is why its kinda hard to argue what the WWE really is. so like I said, the WWE is just sports entertainment. its own brand of Entertainment.

 

It might not make much sence, but the best I can do.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

The purpose of this thread seems to be lost on people. It's not just about booking, it's about how they present their product. It's about their Identity.

 

The theme I think would be interesting, is "You won't believe your eyes". The positioning would be what the WWE offers, you won't find anywhere else.

I see the current trends on television being more focused on melo-dramatic, weaving, arc-based storylines. These feature well-developed, multi-layered characters with backstories. There is no reason why the WWE can't have this as well, storyline and character-wise. It just takes some effort from the writing team to come up with histories for characters and provide them with motivation for wrestling. Once this is established, pairing wrestlers-up to feud should be easy. Mcguffins can be used from time to time (a tournament perhaps) to get some rivalries, stables, etc. together. The WWE should be looking to put out an intelligent product, rather than the LCD shit that they've been spewing forever. The occasional smart twist and turn, revolving characters, long, draw-out, cohesive, tight, storylines and satisfying conclusions are all key. If they are able to successfully do that, word might get around that the WWE is putting on better storylines than major networks, people might tune in to see it just out of disbelief.

 

Then comes the sport aspect of it. From the sound of the way I want the writing, it may sound like it would be a 30/70 thing... and it is. There shouldn't be so many matches on RAW. There's no point to them and they force the writing team to come up with lame reasons why the match is happening and it takes the importance off of wins. PPV's are where the matches should happen, because in the end it's what the fans ultimately want to see and they should have to pay to see it.

 

Each match should be like a battle. Going into these matches, there should be the possibility that a wrestler won't come out in full-health. They should be built up with interviews, background pieces, lengthy entrances and introductions. The wrestlers on the TV show shouldn't be HHH and Batista. They should be used to build guys for future PPV's and contenderships, and the main events should feature popular b-level wrestlers. To hype the PPV's on TV, you have wrestler interviews, featurettes, promo-packages, etc. This means that the WWE has to trim the fat and get rid of a lot of the wrestlers. They should have, maybe, 20 wrestlers on the roster. The other wrestlers they can sign to short-term contracts and develop as they see fit. This may also mean going to smaller venues, but since they average 4000 fans per show, I don't see that as a big issue. This is working under the premise that RAW is a television show that is used to promote PPV's. The money doesn't come from house shows, it comes from ad revenue and PPV buys.

 

There should be a wide-variety of styles featured in the matches. A cruiserweight match should be a cruiserweight match, not a cruiserweight-wrestles-like-heavyweight match. Each division should be defined as well. "You won't believe your eyes" becomes particularly true here, as wrestlers will go all out rather than holding back. Since there will be less matches per-show, they shouldn't run the risk of numbing the fans or injuring the wrestlers. Depending on what you want your outcome to be, matches could range from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. This is a better star-making system than they currently have, because it can allow guys to be "made" in 2 or 3 matches (or even 1) if it is worked right. The two guys in my sig are an example of that. I'd like a more fight-like atmosphere, because for me, that's simply more exciting. UFC does it very well, and they get me to buy their PPV's.

 

I don't think JR and the King could support this through their announcing, but they are still needed for some familiarity. They could act as the "hosts" of the show, like Friday Night Fights, and then send it down to the better announcers at ringside. JR could participate as the 3rd man on PPVs as well. There wouldn't really be a need for general managers, however a governing body could be used, or a match maker for that matter. Each show would be used to get a different match at the PPV over, and maybe throw in some little hints at things to come (some of the more traditional wrestling aspects could be used, "who is that guy in the crowd and why is wrestler x so focused on him?")

 

So when I say there is a 30/70 wrestling/entertainment division, that 70% would be primarily focused on getting the 30% over.

[Taker666 0]

Then comes the sport aspect of it.  From the sound of the way I want the writing, it may sound like it would be a 30/70 thing... and it is.  There shouldn't be so many matches on RAW.  There's no point to them and they force the writing team to come up with lame reasons why the match is happening and it takes the importance off of wins.  PPV's are where the matches should happen, because in the end it's what the fans ultimately want to see and they should have to pay to see it.

(more later)

but the WWE is a Pro-Wrestling Company. your saying the only way fans will be able to see any kind of wrestling at all is by paying for it?. If there arn't any matches on Raw or SmackDown than there will be no reason for fans to attend the events or watch their programs. taking away matches on a wrestling show is really a dumb idea IMO. might aswell not have a ring on the shows than.

[Guest Shadow]

What they need is a complete change in every sense of the word. Even with the multitude of "slogan" changes and differing campaigns, be it "Attitude" "Desire" "Smack your tv/break the rules", all that even dating back to the cartoonish "New Generation" era, it was always the same thing. Same format, same concept. Just in the "new generation" era it was pushed towards a different market then the one they strived for and got with the "attitude" drive. Today they dont even know what they are trying to attract. Escapism isn't appealing anymore and the company hardly even knows how to properly do escapism anymore.

 

What about The Atheletic euthusiasts market for them to attract? If that was the case, gimmicks would be thrown out the window and a more intense focus would be focused on the "SPORT" aspect they currently dont bother to really push. If they wanted that, they would rid themselfs of the eugene gimmicks and build the company around pure wrestling and build a "league" type feel for the quest for the title. Make it UFC designed, you can keep your stories but have a more structured balance in that it's ALWAYS about the goal. No more of this arbitary design. Matches have to have a goal. Be it financial, for a "spot". No more of these over the top soap opera storylines. A ranking system, would be desired. Create a fictional power that is, but no Eric Bischoff/Theodore Long type power or a character "power".

 

A true power that truely runs the business for the benifit only for the quality and importance they can offer. No more obvious ratings grabs or fan pleasers. Strip the notion of HEEL/FACE. Bury the concept. They tried to, briefly due that with Attitude but ultimately, all they really did was change the characteristics of who a face is and what a heel was required to do. Before Faces were heroic and epic(Hogan, Hart, Diesel, Shawn) while the heels were rarely deeply drawn with the rare exceptions of people like Dibiase and Savage. Never gave the heels a characterzation other then being the "bad guy". They tried with the attitude era to change the perception of what a face was, creating a "shades of grey" aura they attempted to turn faces into characters, and they did, now the faces were simply instead of being "heroic" were more complex(Austin and Foley), Heels slowly got more character(Undertaker, Kane, Rock). It worked because it was fresh but as we all know, along with declining entertaining storylines, the current design they employ now slowly reverted back to the older face/heel dynamic.

 

I.E Batista as the cheery epic heroic big man with a warrior like complex...Triple H attempts a traditionalistic formula for what a heel is. Fans are tired of that. They currently mix the new generation design with horrid gimmicks with no meat to them and hardly any complexities, they continue to try to appear edgy despite being a completly generic version of their own creation from years past.

 

Which means a TOTAL removal of the past is required here. Thats my belief. This Heel/Face, Epic escapism design is dead. Look at what ECW did with themselfs and the business as a whole in 1994, completely changing the dynamic of what a wrestling company does by creating deeper, complex stories mixed with a assualt of physicallity that had never been witnessed before on a consistant basis. It's now time for WWE to re-create what Professional Wrestling is all about. Reality escapism is dying and for wwe, it expired awhile ago.

 

What's the new change? Total Emphasis on Sport. In a era where NFL is the only king in sport, basketball trying to maintain a "street urban" image, baseball trying to hold its moral americana values and neglecting any sense of a marketing and business model. Professional Wrestling can revive itself by priding itself on sport. This doesnt mean turn into a shoot company. That wont work. However, the days of gimmicks and fake complexities are over for the WWE.

 

This is the model I believe they should adapt.

 

+No Brand Seperation. Remember this isnt going to be what we know of wwe now, so the "but so and so will not get on tv" excuse is tossed out the window. Brand Seperation as a design hasnt worked. It worked in the sense it allowed more people to be used but that hasnt helped WWE a single bit now has it?

+4Titles. World Heavyweight Championship. Television Championship. World Tag Team Championship. Lightweight Championship.

+Three Divisons. Heavyweight Divison. Tag Team Divison and Lightweight Divison.

+Heavys/Lightweights arent to be used with/against each other. They need to cement that being the top of the lightweight divison is just as major as being the top of the heavyweight divison. Boxing and Shoot, dont bury smaller divisons. UFC promotes Middleweights just as effectively as Lightweights. Tag Teams however, can be floaters.

+Establish that everyone wants the title. create a fictional "point ranking system" for each television victory, you obtain 2 pts. for every pay per view victory, you obtain 5 pts. Establish rankings for each title. Top 5 for World Heavy, Top 5 for Televison, Top 5 for Lightweight and Top 5 For Tag Team.

+You can obtain bonus points for winning certain things, win a "special"(gimmick) match and obtain 5 pts. win the royal rumble, gain 10 pts. However a loss would result in a deduction of 2pts(for tv), 5 pts for ppv wins. A DQ results in -5pts(so it reduces DQs and when they do happen, they actually have consequences).

+Why do they want the title? Pride? Honor? Maybe but money is the root of all. Establish that winning a match also means making money. A win=$500, a loss=$50. PPV Win=$850. PPV Loss=$150.

 

No man can be in 2 seperate singles rankings, no man not on the ranking can obtain a title shot. However, you can be on a tag and 1 singles rankings(ie, mysterio on both LW and Tag rankings)

 

Basing off what they got currently, they would strip away all outlandish gimmicks, characters are fine. Characters are great, this isnt going to become a boxing style company but gimmicks no longer determine the game. You can still have blood feuds. You can still establish why Wrestler A wants to fight Wrestler B.

 

This is a mock of how the ranking system would be

 

Heavyweight Rankings

Champion-Triple H

1. Batista

2. John Cena

3. Kurt Angle

4. JBL

5. Edge

 

Television Rankings

Champion- Shelton Benjamin

1. Chris Benoit

2. Booker T

3. Chris Jericho

4. Christian

5. The Big Show

 

Tag Team Rankings

Champions-Dudley Boyz

1. Eddy Guerrero and Mysterio

2. MNM

3. Bashams

4. Tajiri and Regal

5. Le Resistance

 

Lightweight Divison (Weight Max=225)

Champion-Paul London

1. Chavo Guerrero

2. Akio

3. Mysterio

4. Kidman

5. Tajiri

 

Again, no power hungry general managers or ratings obsessed owners, just a universal fair balanced head of the council.

 

Who is the council? Simple, a little gimmicky but it's more realistic and truly old school.

 

Council is a group of 5 men who decide who gets title shots and match requests granted. Whose on the council? you can use currently employes and give them that honor.

 

Who is the head? Perferably a character actor with no serious history. It cant be bischoff, long, heyman, any McMahon, foley etc, it must be someone who can be protrayed as a intelligent and fair head. Just any actor off the street would be applicable.

 

There are serious flaws in my design because i havent speant intricate hours on formulating a idea but thats the rough of it. A more sport and competition based model rather then the entertainment soap opera

[Guest TheLastBoyscout]

Then why is Carlito/Heidenreich/Taker on Smackdown an Benoit/Benjamin on Raw?

 

The Smackdown = Sport and Raw = Entertainment has been a myth, as both sides have enough of the other crap in it to make for a blend.

 

Please give this more thought. It's a simple question, the answer is difficult.

Yeah, that's why Taker has incorperated MMZ moves, Heidenreich is dressed like he works for PRIDE, and they tried to tell Cena has "ground and pound" offense for months.

 

SmackDown DOES curve more towards the sport side.

[CanadianChick 0]

Then why is Carlito/Heidenreich/Taker on Smackdown an Benoit/Benjamin on Raw?

 

The Smackdown = Sport and Raw = Entertainment has been a myth, as both sides have enough of the other crap in it to make for a blend.

 

Please give this more thought.  It's a simple question, the answer is difficult.

Yeah, that's why Taker has incorperated MMZ moves, Heidenreich is dressed like he works for PRIDE, and they tried to tell Cena has "ground and pound" offense for months.

 

SmackDown DOES curve more towards the sport side.

Taker is a guy who's dead and has mystical powers. Heidenreich reads poetry and isn't all there. Cena is a rapper, or was at least.

 

Cole and Tazz try to sell it as more sport, but it really isn't.

 

Anyways, didn't the Observer relatively recently say that the main audience is 35 ish? Then why not gap the two generations?

 

I think they should go back to heros and villians, but heros with character flaws. People like larger than life heros. Why have all the superhero movies been successful if that isn't the truth? With the exception of Elektra, all the comic movies have grossed a boatload of money, no?

 

WWE obviously shouldn't be targetting the older audience only, but they should give that audience a little attention. Draw parallels between the heros of today to the heros of yesteryear. Make simplistic feuds and angles. Let the characters make it interesting rather than the story be over the top. I'm not sure about slogan, but I think their focus should be bridging the gap.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Then comes the sport aspect of it.  From the sound of the way I want the writing, it may sound like it would be a 30/70 thing... and it is.  There shouldn't be so many matches on RAW.  There's no point to them and they force the writing team to come up with lame reasons why the match is happening and it takes the importance off of wins.  PPV's are where the matches should happen, because in the end it's what the fans ultimately want to see and they should have to pay to see it.

(more later)

but the WWE is a Pro-Wrestling Company. your saying the only way fans will be able to see any kind of wrestling at all is by paying for it?. If there arn't any matches on Raw or SmackDown than there will be no reason for fans to attend the events or watch their programs. taking away matches on a wrestling show is really a dumb idea IMO. might aswell not have a ring on the shows than.

You're a bit of a fucking idiot, aren't you?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

YES! Shadow gets it! I have a secret dream/wish that after Shane McMahon was at the UFC show, he got so enamoured with it that he told his pops and they're going to take a look at leaning more towards that style of presentation.

 

But...

 

I think maybe they should go in the opposite direction. Screw the sport, totally play up the fantastical elements of it. Hurricane should be a superhero with superpowers. People should die, there should be time travelling, there could be mergers where HHH and Batista form to be Triple B, and bring in someone like Chris Masters to represent them both as one. Wrestling should play out like a comic book. The title should give the wrestlers added powers, like super strength, or super speed, and that's why wrestlers want it. They can use their slick production to make vignettes where people breathe fire and freeze each other and shit. Matches become this epic battle of good vs evil and the whole universe is on the line. They can have concept PPV's where the presentation is set like Kill Bill, or some Japanese Anime, and everyone acts accordingly.

[Carnival 0]

Battle-Dome-esque

 

I agree with less matches. They get stale overtime. I might want to see Edge vs Benoit if i didn't see it a million times this year already.

[Brett Favre 0]

YES! Shadow gets it! I have a secret dream/wish that after Shane McMahon was at the UFC show, he got so enamoured with it that he told his pops and they're going to take a look at leaning more towards that style of presentation.

 

But...

 

I think maybe they should go in the opposite direction. Screw the sport, totally play up the fantastical elements of it. Hurricane should be a superhero with superpowers. People should die, there should be time travelling, there could be mergers where HHH and Batista form to be Triple B, and bring in someone like Chris Masters to represent them both as one. Wrestling should play out like a comic book. The title should give the wrestlers added powers, like super strength, or super speed, and that's why wrestlers want it. They can use their slick production to make vignettes where people breathe fire and freeze each other and shit. Matches become this epic battle of good vs evil and the whole universe is on the line. They can have concept PPV's where the presentation is set like Kill Bill, or some Japanese Anime, and everyone acts accordingly.

What the hell? Why not just make a cartoon series?

[Guest Shadow]

At least it would have a direction. Thats all we really want DIRECTION.

 

Are you a wrestling company? A entertainment company? a live action comic book? YOU TELL US VINCE!

[Brett Favre 0]

I guess being both isn't good. Wrestletainment has failed.

[JoeDirt 0]

You have to have entertainment. Whether it be through interviews and mic segments or other goofy shit, without it people won't care. It's not realistic to expect a product that's based on 80% wrestling and 20% entertainment to be really successful mainstream, IMO. Like anything else, it's all about interesting characters and good storytelling. And it's nice when the guys and deliver the goods with a great match when the time comes for it.

[Slayer 0]

It's not realistic to expect a product that's based on 80% wrestling and 20% entertainment to be really successful mainstream, IMO.

See also: Real Pro Wrestling