The ratings problem

[Guest RickyChosyu]

Though the WWE seems to have fallen under nearly-desperate times, this is benaficial to us because it opens up their current direction for debate. What, in your opinion, is working, and what isn't? What can they do to salvage the show short term, and long term?

 

For example, the Brock Lesnar Experiment: Where is it going? They teased an elevation when he got more offense in the Austin/Booker Lumberjack match than Booker himself, but now he's back to helping Heyman with his lecherous escapades. As if Vince on Smackdown weren't bad enough.

 

Anyway, I guess that's the idea. Hell, I don't care, just tell me what you think can stop the impending doom of wrestling as we know it.

[Guest]

1. Do away with the owner vs wrestler angle. It is played out.

2. Take Vince McMahon off tv.

3. Take HHH and Stephanie off the booking committee.

4. Have actual consistant booking instead of throwing random matches on shows, cancelling and starting feuds every show, and actually give the wrestlers time to make the fans want to see the feud. Stop throwing PPV matches together the show before the PPV. Also, stop burying a wrestler and then trying to give them a push out of nowhere. It doesn't work. I've seen them do this 3-4 times in the last year. They'll bury a wrestler then all of a sudden try to give them a big push like RVD, Jericho, Hardyz, and a few others. RVD just jobbed for the IC title the night before and fans were supposed to believe he was going to beat UT last night and get behind him in the match?

5. Make the heels look strong. The faces shouldn't be getting their heat back right away every time a heel does something.

6. Have more violence and less comedy. Comedy doesn't make people want to order ppvs or see a wrestler feud with another wrestler.

[Guest]

7. Make shows as good as RAW was this past monday.

[Guest]

8. Have Taker drop the title to RVD. Atleast RVD's matches are Entertaining and WWE Marks Can do the Double Thumb Thingy.

 

9. Turn HHH Heel and Jericho Face.

[Guest Brian]

All they have to do is build a diversified wrestling product based around strong storylines. They basically now have or have access to anyone. They need to allow alot of different styles to flourish and mix. They need to let people shine.

[Guest]

Okay, this will NEVER happen, but what if?

 

Austin & Guerrero start a feud from this past Monday. Austin wants a match with Eddie. Flair says NO and just to piss Austin off, Flair makes a Taker Vs Eddie Undisputed Title Match.

 

NO ONE in their right mind thinks Eddie could or will beat Taker. Taker squashes Eddie during the whole match and then at the end, we get the "Sports-Entertainment" finish with Austin somehow costing Taker the Match. Eddie gets the PIN to becomes Undisputed Champion!

 

Eddie gets great heel heat so this could work in a few different ways. People hate Eddie and wanna see Austin on the chase. But first, Taker is pissed and somehow persuades Flair to give him the match with Austin the following Monday. Blah, Blah, Eddie costs Austin the match to continue their feud. Taker moves on to someone else.

 

Also, since Eddie becomes Champion he relinquishes the IC Belt and just for something different this year, KOTR becomes a tournament for that belt.

 

Plus, Eddie is champ and we could get some really good Title matches from the Smackdown group also. Eddie Vs Jericho, Eddie Vs Angle, Eddie Vs Triple H, Eddie Vs Edge, Eddie Vs the Returning Benoit. BUT, (Fuck you Triple H) Eddie wins all his matches so he can continue on with Austin for the belt for a month or two. Maybe more.

 

Would it hurt to try things like this?

[Guest Anglesault]

Well, they could Push Angle...oh silly me, if they did that, who would Maven feud with?

[Guest dreamer420]

shut up anglesault.  wasn't kurt getting his head shaved on sunday a big enough push for you?

[Guest Brian]

You know, for everything bad people say about Eddie, he's far more marketable than a lot of guys, is one of the best wrestlers in the world, has decent mic skills, and can wrestle lots of different styles to boot. He's got so much damn potential, and with Austin on lazy street he's almost head and shoulders above everyone else (maybe Angle his closest rival). He's got so much upside to him but everyone seems bent on the drinking and smoking issue. Well, we live in a world where few people look further than skin deep on issues and personalities.

 

Anyways, if I were going to do that type of storyline Fearhavoc with Eddie winning the title, I would shake it up by having Flair not grant Austin the shot but RVD instead. RVD has unfinished business, plus he never got a shot at the IC title. Stack up the rest of the card, give people something fresh, and it could be a really good show. Of course they'd have to find something for Austin. I don't even know if jobbing the title to Austin is a good idea at this point because the end result has to be Austin/Flair unless they hotshot it early, which isn't even that bad of an idea.

 

So let's say KOTR features Austin/Flair and Eddie/RVD as the main event. Let Brock pick up the IC title going over Buh-Buh and a SmackDown guy (or shove Benoit in this place in the finals and have him go over bringing a singles belt to SmackDown). That's five matches (two big ones, three KOTR). HHH/Edge goes down (6). Hurricane vs. mystery opponent (7). They'll probably do Rico/Rikishi vs. Billy and Chuck (8). Jericho vs. Hogan, retirement match (9). Angle vs. someone (10). I'm sorry, I just can't tell where to go with him. Booker and Golddust vs. NWO, or even better, Golddust vs. Booker (11). Okay, I've overbooked the show. Scratch the two KOTR semifinal matches. Pretty good card. Potential to draw. Total shake-up.

 

Hope I didn't miss anybody.

[Guest Anglesault]

shut up anglesault.  wasn't kurt getting his head shaved on sunday a big enough push for you?

WTF?

[Guest]

I like that idea, Brian. However, we also have to think about the ratings. I think ratings would go up with an Eddie/Austin feud for the belt more then a Eddie/RVD feud right now. So, go with Eddie Vs Austin for a cheap ratings pop and THEN..

 

Have RVD and Taker continue their feud and at KOTR, the winner of their match gets a #1 Contenders spot. Eddie beats Austin (hopefully, gets some credibility) and RVD beats Taker. Then we go with Eddie Vs RVD.

[Guest cabbageboy]

Well, I read that Vince and co. were going apeshit over the 3.7 rating.  On 1wrestling Scherer seems to shill for Heyman a lot, but really Heyman isn't the answer.  I mean, if you watched ECW you know that Heyman is the master of having no fucking idea what to do on a PPV.  They would literally announce a lineup the week before on TNN.  And on the PPV itself it never went according to the schedule and ended up being chaotic (sometimes fun, sometimes lame).  

 

For TV I would do a few things.  First, I would scrap all the backstage skit shit.  Get rid of it.  People go to the arena to see matches and perhaps an interview IN THE RING.  No one pays money to look at a screen all night.  Second, get the title off the Taker and put it on RVD at KOTR.  A UT title reign has never done that much business even when he could still go, much less now.  

 

Now that RVD is champ make it seem like a big deal, truly a dawn of a new era where old guys are out of the main event scene.  Might be wise to do a sit down interview with Van Dam to let fans see what he's all about, since he never gets any mic time as it is.  

 

Also, I can't explain how to implement this but have guys really seem upset when they lose.  I have always had a problem with guys like the Rock or RVD losing a title and the next night seem cool with it.  Have guys get distraught over a major loss.

 

Arena attendance:

 

If WCW had one good idea near the end it was that they booked shows in areas where neither fed usually went.  The WWF should book some TV shows in places like Wyoming, the Dakotas, Idaho, Iowa, etc.  These places rarely get a WWF show and would be happy as hell, and that equals money.  Thus, it would mean less shows in NY, FL, Los Angeles, and big markets.  So when the WWF comes back it will seem big there too.

[Guest Brian]

The thing is, backstage segments themselves aren't horrible, but in this day and age they are almost essential. Now, they do serve a purpose, but would I would do is have one group  not allow cameras backstage. They've done way too much of that. At a minimun, they can be pretty useful.

 

The get the new guys in thing isn't extremely effective, even though it's a good idea. People either just don't buy it or they don't watch it. You could center the programs around Van Dam but he's much too weak a character and on the mic to do that this early. Plus, phasing out Austin and Undertaker is too much .

 

The WWF should tour Canada and the west coast more often, but the problem is there's very little in venues they can hit up here in the NW. I guess you could swing through Canada, than Seattle, Tacoma, than down to California. But both groups really need to implement schedules where they rotate through locations.

[Guest dreamer420]

That would be nice, Brian.  The closest city I live to that the wwe comes to is Vancouver and it is still a 3 or 4 hours trip.  I think the wwe comes around here once a year and then does travel into Washington and California.  It's too bad too because the canadian fans up here are thirsty for the wwe.

[Guest]

From my "low ratings" thread reply:

 

-Put the title on Jericho and make HHH number one contender.

-Move Angle to Raw (trade for Brock) to become Flair's benefactor, kill the nWo and X-Pac. Use Big Show and two others as Angle's enforcers.

-Raw's Top Faces: Austin, RVD, Booker T

-Raw's Top Heels: Angle, Eddie, Taker

-SD!'s Top Faces: HHH, Benoit, Edge

-SD!'s Top Heels: Jericho, Christian (w/ buildup), Brock

-Main Eventers: Jericho, Triple H, Benoit, Angle, Austin

-Use the name WWE sparingly, change each show to a company (Raw Championship Wrestling, Smackdown Wrestling Federation).  One writing crew for each show.

-RCW Titles:  Undisputed, Women's, Tag Team (make it applicable to both shows), IC, Hardcore

-SWF Titles: Undisputed, Women's, Tag Team, U.S. (renamed from euro), Cruiserweight

-Longer matches, longer feuds (no less than three PPVs for each story arc)

-Simplify story lines, let wrestling and backstory speak for itself... don't overthink the writing.  

-ATTENTION TO DETAIL!!!

[Guest RickyChosyu]

I like fearhavok's idea with Eddy/Austin, as I think it could draw. However, I don't see that happening, because of how low their segment was on Raw. Not to say that was their fault, but as was the case with the Austin/Booker segments, I think the WWE is going to look at this as "the people just don't care about these two guys" and de-push them, as opposed to letting them do an in-ring feud. With Eddy, it seems like he can never get the right treatment in his feuds because first he was getting little to no mic time for his feud with RVD, and now that it seems to be over, he wasn't even wrestling at all on Raw.