What would you change in WWE today

[Toshiaki Koala 0]

Heat would be live, BTW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Here's the problem: unless they lowered ticket prices by a good amount, I doubt there'd a lot of people coming to watch Heat live without the promise of seeing main event stars. Though cheaper tickets could be a solution.

 

From there, WWE would need to start looking for replacements for Ross (who only has two years in him at best). There are some guys on the indy scene they could audition for this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

*JBL does a clothesline*

 

"DANGEROOOOOOOOOOOOUS!"

[Guest JMA]

Heat would be live, BTW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Here's the problem: unless they lowered ticket prices by a good amount, I doubt there'd a lot of people coming to watch Heat live without the promise of seeing main event stars. Though cheaper tickets could be a solution.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Keep in mind that there would be no Smackdown! or Velocity any more. There'd be a few main event stars on Heat, but they'd mostly be wrestling mid-carders. For example, one night you might see Kurt Angle put on a great match with someone lower down the card--thus making that wrestler seem more credible. You could literally watch wrestlers become stars on Heat. You'd also have the classic squash match, vignettes, and dark matches. I see no reason that ticket prices couldn't be lowered, though.

[Papacita 0]

Heat would be live, BTW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Here's the problem: unless they lowered ticket prices by a good amount, I doubt there'd a lot of people coming to watch Heat live without the promise of seeing main event stars. Though cheaper tickets could be a solution.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Keep in mind that there would be no Smackdown! or Velocity any more. There'd be a few main event stars on Heat, but they'd mostly be wrestling mid-carders. For example, one night you might see Kurt Angle put on a great match with someone lower down the card--thus making that wrestler seem more credible. You could literally watch wrestlers become stars on Heat. You'd also have the classic squash match, vignettes, and dark matches. I see no reason that ticket prices couldn't be lowered, though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They had a live Heat taping here in Philly back in 98 (this was when Heat was still kinda popular, mind you...and the business was still hot) and it sold pretty well (I think it sold out actually...not sure) with the promise of a Taker/Mankind/Austin/Rock 4-way after the televised portion of the show. I think it could work well again if the promise of big matches like this for the live crowd and also if there were more significant storyline developments on the show.

[The Mandarin 0]

Grouped by big things and small things:

 

Big Things

-get rid of Big Show

-release Road Warrior Animal

-get rid of Stephanie McMahon

 

Small Things

-push the cruiserweight division

-give Spanky more airtime

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Just to clarify, this was me being an ass.

 

Big Show, Stephanie and Road Warrior Animal are all fat while the cruiserweights are quite small. Thus, "big things" and "small things".

 

I didn't mean "push the cruiserweight division". God, no. They need to be released and on the indies having much better matches.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

- Rarely, if ever job someone on the show or in the shows leading up to a high profile match. It completely takes all momentum out of a match that should in theory be between two fairly equal competitors. WWE does this all the time and it ends up in one of two ways: Either the guy who jobbed jobs again and is completely buried (ex. RVD at Unforgiven 2002), or he wins in a big 'upset' that the fans shit on because the guy has been treated like dirt and the win came out of nowhere (ex. Jericho at Vengeance 2001).

 

- Small thing. Champions always come out last in title defences, regardless of whether they are heels or not. Was Austin's pop any less at Wrestlemania XIV because he came out before Shawn? This just adds some professionalism to the show that is sorely needed.

 

- Small rules differences to help differentiate the brands. For example, have RAW Cage Matches be escape only and Smackdown Cage Matches be pinfall or submission only. Have RAW three-ways be the first to gain a pinfall wins, and have Smackdown three-ways be elimination-style. Again, this makes the product look more professional by having consistant rules, but they are also relatively minor differences that you can only see on one brand or the other. Too many people watch either Smackdown or RAW and not the other. This might help that.

 

- Stop telling announcers how to act. I'm not referring to shilling. That's a part of any sporting event these days. But stop telling them how to call a match and when to act excited. These guys were hired for a reason, let them do their jobs. If they aren't doing a good job, then WWE should fire them and hire someone better.

 

- Bring back the impartial, impersonal backstage figureheads. Part of the appeal of guys like Jack Tunney was that in being impartial, heels were often able to exploit loopholes that the faces couldn't. A pompous suit character like Tunney got more heel heat than any of the traditional heels we've had since Austin/Vince ended. Also, keep figureheads off TV unless they need to rule on something important or make some major announcement, and except for the spur of the moment things they should be done in taped segments. You don't see Bud Selig interrupting the Mets/Braves game to talk about the latest steroid problem.

 

- Remember this rule. Never at any time is there nothing for a wrestler to do. If all else fails, use them as enhancement talent. There is no need to release guys in the middle of contracts unless they are simply being paid way too much for the position they are in (ie. they signed a main eventer's contract and are now on Velocity). Having jobbers around can often make your stars look more credible. Every little bit helps, and Masters crushing Val Venis would do more to put him over than having him cheat to beat someone higher on the card.

 

- Cut the pyro budget. It is a waist of money. Entrances are effective enough with the Titantron videos, theme music and the proper use of lighting. HHH, Rock & Steve Austin didn't have pyro and they had some of the biggest entrances in company history. Goldberg had a great entrance long before they gave him pyro. There is nothing wrong with it, and hell, I even enjoy it. But it just isn't necessary.

 

- No more Diva angles. All Divas should fall into one of two categories, wrestler or manager. Any angle involving a Diva that doesn't immediately lead to a legitimate wrestling match (either by herself or her wrestler) should be banned.

 

- Interview time is cut. TV time is precious. Playing to the live crowd is something you can save for house shows or when the cameras are off (for taped shows or dark matches). Say what you are there to say and get out. I can't even count the number of times that a promo that lasted for 25 minutes could have been done in 5.

[justcoz 0]

It's obvious major changes are needed. Unfortunately I think it's very unlikely that we will see anything, at least until some form of competition enters the picture, possibly TNA or UFC cutting into their audience. They should be viewing the rest of television as their competition but what other television show could have ratings slip like they have within the past few years and make absolutely no changes to the presentation, focus of the show, writing teams, announce teams and overall product?

 

STEPHANIE MCMAHON: The Stephanie experiment on creative needs to end. Preferably once they move RAW back to the USA network. She's had long enough. She understands how the process works by now. But there are money and rating generating angles that need to be produced and Stephanie and the current writers have not been able to bring anything to that level. As long as she's married to Hunter, whenever the elder McMahons croak, HHH will be the "wrestling mind" of the family. Stephanie needs to learn how to run the business in the same type of role as Linda McMahon. Vince is a PR nightmare whenever he speaks with the media and it's obvious by the last investor conference call that Linda is weak in the role as well. Stephanie is young. She's somewhat attractive at times. I'm thinking she could present herself well in a company spokesperson role. Let her write a book about growing up in the business, marrying HHH, etc. Let her appear on Oprah. Pose in Playboy if she wants. She should be pushed in the same "power female" position as Hugh Hefner's daughter with the Playboy enterprise. And there should be a media buzz that daddy's little girl is running the testosterone ridden business. Just remove her from creative already.

 

NEW ANNOUNCERS: Monday Night Football, which is really Raw's main competition at this time, when ever their ratings for the season slip, they immediately focus attention to the entertainment provided not by the NFL games themselves but their announcing booth. Raw has suffered terribly the past few years due to the tired act of Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross. It was already tired back when Lawler walked out on the WWF and Paul Heyman took his role on color. It was immediately tired again when Jerry Lawler returned, seemingly confused as to be a face or heel, terribly unfunny, off-color at times and down right counter productive in creating new stars (Shelton Benjamin's criminal record comes to mind).

 

Jim Ross is stale but can still be great when the moment calls for it. He's the voice of WWE but he needs to be phased out. Joey Styles or Mike Tenay are the only announcers in the business worthy of being the heir apparent but both chances for either are unlikely. I really feel they are dropping the ball with Styles however. Yes, I know he wants to keep his day job but if anyone came out of the ECW PPV a star, it was Joey Styles and WWE should have seen that. So keep JR for the time being but build a new leading commentator. It's not Steve Romero. It's not Michael Cole. Josh Matthews is still a possibility but not yet. It's not Coach either.

 

I like the three man team but I would put Jim Ross, Coach and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the Raw team slot. Or maybe, with Legends and 24-7, just have JR and Coach with a revolving team of analysts commentating with them. Roddy Piper for a few weeks leading into a PPV. Kevin Nash or Scott Hall for a few weeks leading into the next PPV. Jake Roberts (although his voice seemed shot), Randy Savage, Jesse Ventura during sweeps. It could be entertaining.

 

Like others have suggested, put Josh Matthews into the Michael Cole/Tazz tandem on Smackdown.

 

IF THERE ARE GOING TO BE TWO BRANDS - THERE MUST BE TWO SEPERATE CREATIVE TEAMS!!!!! It's the only way it's worth splitting the rosters like this. Creating competition within the company. Each creative team and each roster truely trying to be more entertaining than their opposing company.

 

NO MORE CRAPPY TV WRITERS: But I'm not saying no television writers. I'm saying no more writers with She's the Sheriff, Big Wolf On Campus and Chips on their resume. Have a traditional wrestling booking team for each show combined with QUALITY television writers that wouldn't mind the challenge of structuring a season of sports entertainment (I guess a season finale is Wrestlemania) to their resumes. Instead of paying Johnny Ace such a huge contract for hiring a bunch of stiffs just because he thinks Vince will pop a boner - pay a solid television writer with GOOD credentials to make your company some money.

 

RE-SIGN PAUL HEYMAN AND USE HIM IN A CREATIVE CAPACITY

 

CHANGE THE LOOK AND STRUCTURE OF EACH SHOW: Already discussed by many others. If you are a wrestling fan who stopped watching in 2000 and you tune in to Raw - the show feels like a tired version of what you loved in 2000. It looks and sounds the same. They should have a different look each year post Wrestlemania. Different sets, color schemes, lighting, announcing team changes, etc.

 

The show structure is of course also in desperate need of a makeover. It's been the same formatting for years for the most part. Long-winded in-ring promo by someone. Backstage segments that lack believability, humor and most of the time any entertainment factor.

 

There is no reason a new set can't include a stage setting where Maria, Josh Matthews or Todd Grisham can bring out people for interviews in front of the live audience just like Mean Gene or Craig Degeorge used to do on Superstars or Challenge. If there are going to be interview segments like Carlito's Cabana - build the guy a set like the old Piper's Pit, Barber Shop or Brother Love set. There can still be a backstage locker room interview or a unexpected cam catching something they shouldn't but the whole travelling Bischoff/Teddy Long office thing and wrestlers not knowing there is a camera in the ring just sucks.

 

Dim the lights a bit. Raw is too bright. It looks awful especially whenever the pyro smoke is all over the arena. It's annoying watching people try to get their signs on camera and not paying attention to the match. The focus should be on the guys in the ring.

 

REALITY TELEVISION: Well, kind of. If you want to get someone like Shelton Benjamin over, produce a Confidential like feature to run in installments detailing his childhood, teenage years, wrestling training, WWE history, etc. Run short "entertainment" pieces on Big Show's days as a bouncer, a classic segement to promote 24-7. It doesn't always have to be meaningless match followed by semi meaningful match followed by match to build to the next PPV. Confidential was a good show that for the most part portrayed wrestling in a very interestling light. Yes, they walked the line of breaking kayfabe a bit but not really. Most of the pieces. Things like Brock vs. Rocks working out leading into their Summerslam match or Kurt Angle revisiting the Olympic training facilities or something like Renee Dupre's family background in the business, his training, etc. would have fit right in on WWE television.

 

BRING BACK SQUASH MATCHES: Granted, not an hour's worth of squash matches like TNA Impact! but some short squashes, using legit indie guys that can bump like crazy and make someone look really good. Don't put signed contract guys into jobber roles just to get them air time. Bring back the "television jobber". Two marquee matches that are given a good amount of time and promoted throughout the show.

 

WWE 24-7 IS THE WRESTLING NETWORK: Put OVW and Deep South Wrestling on the network. Have ROH and various independents sign with WWE 24-7 to put their programming on the network. Make a deal with lucha libre and Japan. Give Dave Meltzer an "insiders" style show that appeals to smart fans. Do Behind The Music type pieces on people like Jake Roberts, Eddie Gilbert, The Von Erichs, etc.

 

I need to stop, I'll be here all night.

[Guest Iceman03]

Managers in the WWE would definitly add more excitement and entertainment. They were so great back in the day: Bobby the "Brain" Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Slick, Mr.Fuji, Captain Lou Albano, Elizabeth, "Classie" Freddie Blassie, and Paul Bearer.

They all made the matches so much better and funnier at times. Even the promos they did before the matches were great. They could make boring or quite Wrestlers Stars, or at least help them.

 

Why did they ever fade away, I will still never understand this.

[Guest JoeJoe]

^Speaking of managers, I was just thinking some time back..how great would a Chris Benoit have done had he had a manager in 04. Someone like..FLAIR. But of course, we all know HHH, that rising up and comer, needed him more.

 

I'd love to see Paulie comeback and manage Van Dam.

[Guest JMA]

- Small thing.  Champions always come out last in title defences, regardless of whether they are heels or not.  Was Austin's pop any less at Wrestlemania XIV because he came out before Shawn?  This just adds some professionalism to the show that is sorely needed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed. It always bothered me how heels would come out first most of the time.

[jester 0]

- Interview time is cut.  TV time is precious.  Playing to the live crowd is something you can save for house shows or when the cameras are off (for taped shows or dark matches).  Say what you are there to say and get out.  I can't even count the number of times that a promo that lasted for 25 minutes could have been done in 5.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

AMEN. This might not be a popular view, but in my opinion, there is nobody in WWE capable of a 20 minute promo. Not even if they brought the Rock back and had him trip on acid the whole time.

 

I'd say 10 minutes max, but I like your idea of five. Less is more.

 

They also need to do prepackaged promos so they can quickly add them in during a slow period, such as during some restholds. It would make such better use of the time.

[Guest scottb75]

Here's what I would do.

 

-End the brand split

-Merge the World Titles

-Retire the Women's title

-Have more matches on Raw and Smackdown.

-Perhaps bring back jobbers for filler matches.

-Revamp the Tag Team division

-Bring back Howard Finkle

-Perhaps cut back the number of PPV's to 5 a year those being Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring, Summerslam, and Survivor Series.

-In place of the missing PPVs bring back the occasional Clash of Champions type show. Which were basically like mini PPVs on a non PPV channel.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

-Perhaps cut back the number of PPV's to 5 a year those being Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring, Summerslam, and Survivor Series.

No chance. PPV's are 1 of their big money-makers, which is why they added *more* PPV's. Cutting back to 5 would be financially unwise.

[justcoz 0]

- Interview time is cut.  TV time is precious.  Playing to the live crowd is something you can save for house shows or when the cameras are off (for taped shows or dark matches).  Say what you are there to say and get out.  I can't even count the number of times that a promo that lasted for 25 minutes could have been done in 5.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

AMEN. This might not be a popular view, but in my opinion, there is nobody in WWE capable of a 20 minute promo. Not even if they brought the Rock back and had him trip on acid the whole time.

 

I'd say 10 minutes max, but I like your idea of five. Less is more.

 

They also need to do prepackaged promos so they can quickly add them in during a slow period, such as during some restholds. It would make such better use of the time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Or do something similar to what ECW used to do. Prior to the beginning of a match allow the participants to have the mic and cut brief promos on each other or say a few things to get heat from the crowd.

 

I like the idea of the old styled prepackaged promos but I'm not sure if they could be inserted into live action. Perhaps during intros or something. It worked on Superstars and Challenge back in the day and was often the only time you'd hear Hercules or Hillbilly Jim getting mic time. You didn't have to be a great talker. Just made your point in a short but effective manner. Same with the old style interviews I mentioned on the stage or top of the ramp with someone like Mean Gene.

 

The 25 minute in-ring promo is something that definitely needs to go. It's a remnant from Crash TV and the Monday Night Wars but at that time you had Nash/Hall/Hogan, DX, Stone Cold, The Rock and Mick Foley, all of whom were capable of going 25 minutes on the mic. There aren't great talkers these days. Shawn Michaels may be the only one that can do 25 minutes of mic work effectively. HHH is just terrible to watch. Someone like Batista is better on the mic in short doses. Same with John Cena. The longer you put certain guys out there, without an interviewer, the more they are exposed. A recent example being Matt Hardy.

 

People like Shelton Benjamin, RVD, Matt Hardy, Edge, Chris Benoit, Rey Misterio, etc. need mic time but don't fit into that 25 minute promo style. Just scratch that time and give the roster time to work on their promo skills, not lamely written stupid back stage skit exchanges.

.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Small thing I'd change?

 

BRING BACK THE SMACKDOWN OVALS!

 

[Dimensions 0]

I didn't see this mentioned but I don't think the wrestlers should have scripts anymore. It just seems like most promos/interviews are all the same and there's no feeling or personality to a guy. Wrestlers should just get a list of what they need to cover and a time limit and see how they roll with that.

[jester 0]

I like the idea of the old styled prepackaged promos but I'm not sure if they could be inserted into live action.  Perhaps during intros or something.  It worked on Superstars and Challenge back in the day and was often the only time you'd hear Hercules or Hillbilly Jim getting mic time.  You didn't have to be a great talker.  Just made your point in a short but effective manner.  Same with the old style interviews I mentioned on the stage or top of the ramp with someone like Mean Gene.

 

If I recall, they used to show a small window of the promo in the corner of the screen, so they never had to cut away from the ring. I think it could still work. Some of these promos lasted maybe five seconds and amounted to nothing more than "I am going to kick your ass in our next match." That's really all you need sometimes.

 

At any rate, I guess we both agree what we have now sucks large and out loud. HHH in particular needs to learn that not speaking immediately makes it look he's forgotten his lines, it doesn't build drama.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I actually have no problem with the number of PPVs they have. My problem is that they are all practically the same, aside from Royal Rumble & Wrestlemania. Is there anything that really differentiates between Armageddon & Judgment Day besides the date? That's the problem. I really think they need more gimmicks for their PPVs (not all, but some). Bring back KOTR and the old Survivor Series matches. Have the main event of Armageddon be a 6-Man HIAC every year. That sort of thing. The idea is that fans have some basic idea of what is going to be at a show long before the card is announced. There is a reason why the Royal Rumble does the second highest buyrate almost every year. People talk about the Royal Rumble match six months in advance. They need something like that more often.

 

The other thing this does is to establish that if fans don't order this PPV, they will have to wait a year to see this match again. These days PPVs don't feel like must-buy because fans know they stand a real good chance of seeing the same main event on TV or on PPV next month when they do a rematch. With Royal Rumbles, there are no second chances.

[Guest JMA]

-Perhaps cut back the number of PPV's to 5 a year those being Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring, Summerslam, and Survivor Series.

No chance. PPV's are 1 of their big money-makers, which is why they added *more* PPV's. Cutting back to 5 would be financially unwise.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's why I put eight PPVs in my scenario.

[justcoz 0]

I like the idea of the old styled prepackaged promos but I'm not sure if they could be inserted into live action.  Perhaps during intros or something.  It worked on Superstars and Challenge back in the day and was often the only time you'd hear Hercules or Hillbilly Jim getting mic time.  You didn't have to be a great talker.  Just made your point in a short but effective manner.  Same with the old style interviews I mentioned on the stage or top of the ramp with someone like Mean Gene.

 

If I recall, they used to show a small window of the promo in the corner of the screen, so they never had to cut away from the ring. I think it could still work. Some of these promos lasted maybe five seconds and amounted to nothing more than "I am going to kick your ass in our next match." That's really all you need sometimes.

 

At any rate, I guess we both agree what we have now sucks large and out loud. HHH in particular needs to learn that not speaking immediately makes it look he's forgotten his lines, it doesn't build drama.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah, we are definitely in agreement. And you're right, the prepackaged promos were usually split screen and they never cut away from the ring. The point I was trying to make with whether or not they could be inserted into live action is the fact that Raw is live. I would assume there was a lot of production and editing involved with the old style. Even the commentary wasn't live and they were usually broadcasting from the studio and watching monitors. Still, I would assume today that the announcers are getting comments from backstage in their ears as they announce so I imagine that it would be easy to slip a pre-taped interview into the action. But the pacing of today's show is also different. Those pre-taped promos were during squash matches and they were only trying to build the talent that was winning the squash. So you got to see their move set and hear them a bit on the mic discuss whatever program or feud they were involved in. It really was a better way to develop a talent and push storylines forward. Now the programs with one guy vs. this guy really don't get time to build as they rush the match into this month's PPV and we are usually seeing the two guys in the ring together in tag matches for instance to build to their singles match. So it wouldn't make sense to have Matt Hardy doing a pre-taped promo on Edge as he's about to lose to Snitsky or Shelton cut a promo on Kerwin White as he's about to lose to Rob Conway. In the old days, Cade/Murdoch would debut and destroy a bunch of jobbers to establish themselves while cutting pre-taped promos on the tag champions. Today they debut against the tag team champions before they are established. It's just all f'd up today.

[World's Worst Man 0]

The in-ring product mainly. Enough with the ban on neck-bumps, high-flying and "snug" strikes. Get some real german suplexes in there, let the CWs do some modern dives and let guy's use strikes that actually look like they could crack an egg. Who knows, maybe if they let guys go balls out and put on great matches, they'll gain more support from the hardcore wrestling crowd.

[EricMM 0]

The in ring product is totally embarrasing.

 

I really can't stand the shitty strikes, crappy suplexes, and lack of anything resembling an effective move.

 

I'm not asking for constant head bumps. But they should EXIST.

[World's Worst Man 0]

The in ring product is totally embarrasing.

 

I really can't stand the shitty strikes, crappy suplexes, and lack of anything resembling an effective move.

 

I'm not asking for constant head bumps.  But they should EXIST.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Indeed. If Benoit or Angle are going to use suplexes, at least make it look like they hurt. I mean damn, I used to think the olympic slam was a shitty move. Then I saw Sugiura use it and I though "God damn that's a pretty good move, too bad Angle doesn't do it that way!". Either do the moves right, or don't use them. And for the flying highspots, either use them, or kill the CW division. There's absolutely no point in having a CW division if the guys are going to wrestle like everyone else.

[justcoz 0]

-Perhaps cut back the number of PPV's to 5 a year those being Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, King of the Ring, Summerslam, and Survivor Series.

No chance. PPV's are 1 of their big money-makers, which is why they added *more* PPV's. Cutting back to 5 would be financially unwise.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's why I put eight PPVs in my scenario.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

And let's not forget that they could supplement cutting down on the number of traditional PPV's by other services like Video on Demand on cable and the Internet. There is money to be made from the video vault they've accumulated over the past few years. They have a good production team who could produce something like the Eddie Guerrero documentary that was wasted by airing on UPN when they could've thrown it on PPV or VOD with matches and then a DVD with added footage and matches.

 

I like the idea of eight PPV's with most of them being "special gimmick match attractions" like the Rumble, King of the Ring tournament, Survivor Series tag matches and maybe a War Games/Hell In the Cell bloodfest type PPV. It's a necessity to do this if they plan on keeping the brand extension. The roster split limits the number of PPV selling matches because due to the pacing of television and how jobber/squash matches are never utilized anymore we now see everyone on the roster in the ring together at some point on free television. Why pay $30 like someone stated? We see Cena and Angle fighting every week? Not to mention putting Hardy and Benjamin in PPV slots and using them as enhancement talent on television. Creative's current pacing gives you no other option but to limit the PPV's or have the PPV's built on gimmick matches so storylines aren't rushed and the audience isn't expected to pay for something they will see for free on upcoming television, if they haven't already.

[JimmyHendricks 0]

I agree with almost everyone who has posted as far as PPV's go.

 

I wouldn't make EVERY PPV have some sort of gimmick match. Some PPV's need to have an open booking format, definitely WrestleMania, and SummerSlam. If you want to make Armageddon famous for Hell In A Cell, terrific, but don't do it 12 times a year. I agree there is little difference between the shows now. Quick: What happened at No Mercy 2002? Yeah, I can't remember either, but if there was an Elimination Chamber match each year, I bet more of us WOULD remember it.

 

I would bring back King of the Ring, and have the actual tournament winner be someone that you want to elevate into the main event position IMMEDIATELY, like Owen Hart. Having Billy Gunn winning it, then jobbing him out to the Rock two months later doesn't make much sense. Ditto for Edge. He's still not a serious main event player years after winning the thing. I'm not saying the winner should immediately be the #1 contender and get a title shot at Summerslam, but he should have a definite status change within the ranks as a result of it.

 

Also, the Survivor Series must have ALL team-elimination type matches. Just for one PPV, could we not have a World Title match and just have them be on opposite teams? I think it creates an interesting dynamic. When you do what they've done in recent years and make it Just Another PPV®, it doesn't matter much.

 

Also, (and some might disagree with this), stop having the Royal Rumble winner get an automatic World Title shot at WrestleMania. All it does is immediately narrow the list of possible winners to around 2 or 3, in some cases we know instantly who will win (Michaels in 96, Austin in 98 and 01, HHH in 02, Brock in 03, either Cena or Batista in 05). When we already know who is planned for the WrestleMania main event, it makes the RR basically a placesetter to set that match up. Why not just have a Rumble for the hell of it, and have a Big John Studd type guy win? That way, we won't have a pre-determined idea each year, and someone like RVD or Shelton can actually win the thing. Like KOTR, the Rumble could be a setup for someone to move up in the ranks as well.

 

This has already been said numerous times, but Smackdown and Raw need a cosmetic makeover, stat. I just watched the post 9/11 Smackdown, and I was surprised to notice that the "Fist" stage setup was being used 4 years ago. The sliver ring apron and ringposts are awful as well. It looks like they are wrestling on some sort of spaceship.

 

Raw is even worse, as the set and theme song seem like the 1997 version if it had a Brutus Beefcake type accident. When Raw went from the small arena format with the "R-A-W" letters as the entrance to the "Raw is War" set in 1997, it was like a breath of fresh air that made me interested as a fan again. I don't know what they could do different, but it needs a change, FAST. They change the PPV sets every year, so why not the TV shows as well?

 

Along that line, keep the PPV sets the same every year, with the exception of WrestleMania. Talk about throwing away money--why do we need a fresh Unforgiven set each September? Also, anytime an event is held in Madison Square Garden, including WrestleMania, use the smaller entranceway. It always bugs me when they have Raw there, and use the regular RAW set. They play up MSG so much, so why treat it like any other venue?

 

Another repeat---No more general managers, President's, CEO's, Chairmans, Owners, etc---unless they are put into a Jack Tunney/Linda McMahon type role for major announcements only. No more "Authority Figure vs. Wrestler" storylines. Yes Austin vs. McMahon drew money, but it was because it had never been done before. We don't need anymore Bischoff vs. Austin, Bischoff vs. Cena, or Bischoff vs. every face on the roster storylines.

 

No more backstage segments, except for interviews. I don't want to see Lita confronting Matt Hardy, or Bischoff plotting with Kurt Angle. Having a camera and lighting crew filming a private conversation makes no sense. If you are going to do that, have it be a hidden camera or something. It's almost embarrasing to see Teddy Long sitting in the same office every week, as if each arena has an identical room. When you are building fricking SETS for backstage segments, you're turning it into a sitcom. Why must we be told and see EVERTHING that happens? Let us figure it out for ourselves! I know that HHH and Batista hate each other. I don't need to see HHH and Ric Flair sitting in the back talking about it.

 

Start each Raw or Smackdown with a match, not some 20 minute interview. In fact, no more 20 minute interviews, period. Make them 10 minutes, and have it be part of some gimmick interview segment, like Piper's Pit. Have it somewhere away from the ring, where the focus is on the INTERVIEW. They set it up in the ring so that a brawl can erupt each time they do it. I always watched the Highlight Reel just waiting for whoever was on to get into a fight with either Jericho or someone else. If you have it off somewhere else in the arena, you'll probably have less fighthing and more focus on interviews--and if a fight does erupt, it will be more memorable, like the coconut on Piper's Pit or Jannetty going through the window on the Barber Shop.

 

Duh--no more scripted ANYTHING. I can't believe they are writing scripts for wrestlers to follow when they deliver promos in the ring. Again, this is not a TV drama, and we don't need former writers from "Ellen" or wherever to tell Randy Orton what to say. Let the wrestlers say what they want, and have someone from creative fine help them fine tune everything. How is giving Shelton Benjamin a sheet of paper and telling him "Say this" going to make him better on the mike?

 

Let the fans decide who to push and who to can. Now, I'm all for creating new stars, but don't shove someone like Chris Masters down our throat because YOU think he is "a young stud who can go far in this business". We've always heard that the fans decide everything--so LISTEN to who we cheer and boo for--don't TELL us who to cheer and boo. You wonder why ratings are down? Well, when you have people like Tyson Tomko fighting the world champion two weeks after being on Heat, well, I think it's pretty easy to figure out why. People saw him thought, "Isn't that the guy who always stood behind Christian and never did anything? Why is he suddenly a star?" Why should we suddenly consider him as a threat to anyone when he was never over, or a threat to begin with? WWE went so far in 2002 as literally bringing in Brock Lesnar as "The Next Big Thing"--here he is fans, and you're going to like him, because WE think he can be a star. Just sticking someone out there and expecting us to buy him as a major player, when he hasn't been built up at all is nonsense. We can't have Tyson Tomko: Bodyguard go from that to "Tyson Tomko: Unstoppable Monster who knocks people out" instantly.

 

No more "Main Event Style", unless that's how the guy wants to work. Telling Brock Lesnar, a NCAA Champion wrestler, to go out there and kick and punch is absurd. Also, find out what each guy's strengths and weaknesses are BEFORE you put them out there. Don't tell Rob Conway to go flying off the top rope if he isn't comfortable doing it. Everyone else has already mentioned giving the cruisers more freedom, and I second that. Why not have several different wrestling styles on each show? That's what WCW used to do--you had Hogan stinking up the main event with his back rakes and punching, but you had Rey Mysterio flying all over the place and Raven smashing STOP signs over people's heads in a hardcore match. Have a mixture of everything. Does the WWE really think that we want to see everyone fighting the same way?

 

No more women's wrestling. I'm not being sexist here, but the only one of them worth a damn is Trish, and she's injured half the time. Fire all but the main Divas (Trish, Stacy, Torrie, Christy, Candace, Ashley, Melina) and give each of them something different to do. Keep Melina as a manager, and Stacy and Trish as well. Put someone like Ashley as a co-host on a Mania type recap show each week. Have Torrie and Christy come out to warm up the live crowd by having a pillow fight as a dark match or something.

 

Bring back Saturday Night's Main Event, preferably on NBC. And have it be the retro-80's version, even with the old theme song. Have no elaborate entranceway either, except for maybe something like WM 11-13. Have it once a month, alternating between Smackdown and Raw, and use it exclusively to build toward the upcoming PPV. Don't use anyone who won't be on the card.

 

Bring back a weekly show like Superstars, and have it be all squash matches to show off talent to try and get them over with the fans. Always have some major match or segment so people won't get bored watching squashes every week.

 

Do something about the brand extension--maybe even end it. I mean, I truly feel that the whole idea is what has affected ratings the most. It's good for everyone on the roster, as someone like Rob Conway would have never been a regular on Raw in 1999--but Rob Conway shouldn't be a regular on Raw in 2005, either. The biggest problem with the WWE right now is that they are just not creating compelling characters, or storylines. Again, why are we supposed to care/hate Chris Masters? Are we supposed to boo Conway? What is appealing about the Viscera/Val Venis tag team? Uh, why is Chavo suddenly calling himself Kerwin, and why should I care? When Booker T and Edge fought over Shampoo at WrestleMania X-8, I knew it wasn't about wrestling anymore.

 

If you're going to have a writing team, fine. But they can only work for the company if they've had wrestling experience. No more former Nickelodeon employees. And they shouldn't have such a "hands-on" approach, either. Don't have a Russo type sitting there telling someone what kind of emotions to have or how to do a particular promo. Just have them go, "Ok Chris. You'll be working with Angle for the next two months, having a best of 7 series to determine the best overall wrestler in the WWE. The last match will be an iron man match at WrestleMania. Ok? Go!" Let the wrestlers figure out the rest, working with someone like Pat Patterson if they need advice or guidance.

 

Take Stephanie off of creative and replace her with someone who, well, has actual in-ring experience. The only reason she is where she is at is because her father is the head of the company. I think it's good that she wants to be involved in the business, but it needs to be in another capacity, because it's pretty obvious that she cannot create and oversee any interesting storylines.

 

Ric Flair should retire as an in-ring performer and become the new Pat Patterson, helping the guys with their matches, promos, etc. I mean, he was crying on his DVD talking about how great it is that the young guys want to learn, then why not have the best wrestler ever teach them?

 

Speaking of retiring, so should Jim Ross, at least as a on air broadcaster. Like John Madden, he really isn't there for the wrestling anymore, and has become stale. Same with the King. They are both doing the same tired act that they were in 1998. Put two, maybe even three people out there. I can't honestly say who would work at this point, but have them put EVERYONE over. That's what I love about Gorilla/Jesse, as they always made someone like Hercules or Dino Bravo look like a million bucks. Plus, they spoke of the actual WRESTLING aspect of the product, like why and how a figure-four leglock hurts your opponent. All J.R does is call moves. Boring.

 

Michael Cole needs to be taken off my TV, NOW. I'm sure he could still be used otherwise, but it's always been obvious to me that he was hired with no wrestling knowledge or experience, and has learned as he goes. That's fine, but there is such a difference between a Michael Cole and a Gorilla Monsoon as far as commentary goes. I actually like Tazz, and think he does pretty well most of the time.

 

Stop worrying about protecting spots. HHH can lose a feud every once in a while. So can Undertaker. Randy Orton should have beaten him this year at Mania if they have any plans for him to be a future star. Having him win the second match, with his father's help, is not giving him the "rub". Austin lost a feud to HHH in 2001, then won the world title one month later, and no one thought any less of him. HHH or Shawn don't need to get their wins back.

 

And finally, if you advertise and hype a match as a "once in a lifetime" type of deal, really only have ONE match. They hyped Angle vs. Shawn as the only time it would happen, and then had a rematch 3 months later. It all goes back to Hogan/Andre. I always look down on that feud because they feuded for a year and a half after WM III. If WM would have been their one and only meeting, we would be talking about that as an epic battle, not just another match.

[TheInsane 0]

The 25 minute in-ring promo is something that definitely needs to go.  It's a remnant from Crash TV and the Monday Night Wars but at that time you had Nash/Hall/Hogan, DX, Stone Cold, The Rock and Mick Foley, all of whom were capable of going 25 minutes on the mic.  There aren't great talkers these days.  Shawn Michaels may be the only one that can do 25 minutes of mic work effectively.  HHH is just terrible to watch.  Someone like Batista is better on the mic in short doses.  Same with John Cena.  The longer you put certain guys out there, without an interviewer, the more they are exposed.  A recent example being Matt Hardy.

 

I agree that they need to cut down on the 25 minute promos (or even 15 minute promos). Some guys can ahndle it but most cant. And Im pretty worride that so many people STILL like Michaels on the mic. It might just be me but he bores me to death everytime he has a long promo. The one exception was the Montral one. I just find him hyping himself, not putting over anyone else. And I also hate it how he refused to go full fledge heel. Always trying to make up for kicking Hogans ass so that people would still cheer him.

[Guest Zarock]

-Squash matches are not fun to watch, so only do them if you ABSOLUTELY NEED IT TO GET OVER SOMEBODY. One thing I'd like to see is one or two speedy guys actually beat one larger guy (think Matt Morgan v. the Mexicools where they just demolished Morgan) in a squash instead of making the Cruiserweights look inferior to the bigger guys like Batista or TBS.

 

-Have HHH come to the realization that TITLES DO NOT = MAIN EVENTS. He can be in a ME feud without the World Heavyweight Title at stake. btw I actually think HHH is improving, like jobbing at three consecutive PPVs. Keep up the good work Hunter!

 

-No more women matches unless one of the two can actually wrestle. Pretty self-explanatory.

 

-Bring back a single-elimination tourney PPV like KoTR, but have it actually mean something. For instance, have the winner of that PPV face the winner of the Royal Rumble to see who's going to get a title shot at Wrestlemania. There's no reason why anybody would want to be in a tourney if Billy Gunn is one of the past victors.

 

-Bring back Heyman to book yeah.

 

-If someone is over with the fans, PUSH HIM. I'm looking at you, guy who decided to not push Christian.

 

-Bring back managers for guys who can't talk. With a manager, guys with no mic skills like Shelton Benjamin could legitimately main event.

 

And yeah, that's about it. Stuff like firing the hosses has already been mentioned, so yeah.

[BruiserKC 0]

Two other quick ideas.

 

One...the night after a major pay-per-view...is it possible to not have three or four of those matches on the following night's RAW? I thought the idea was to have different matches that people are paying to see. Defeats the purpose by putting them on the show the next night.

 

Two...something most people may not notice but I have...no house shows the night before a pay-per-view. I went to a couple of those that basically were done in less than two hours...getaway days basically. I want my money's worth if I sit through a house show. Also...if you're going to keep the brand extension...perhaps not have a house show for the other on the night the other show is having a live TV show (or taped in the case of SD).

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I wouldn't make EVERY PPV have some sort of gimmick match.  Some PPV's need to have an open booking format, definitely WrestleMania, and SummerSlam.  If you want to make Armageddon famous for Hell In A Cell, terrific, but don't do it 12 times a year.  I agree there is little difference between the shows now.  Quick:  What happened at No Mercy 2002?  Yeah, I can't remember either, but if there was an Elimination Chamber match each year, I bet more of us WOULD remember it.

 

No Mercy 2002 featured the Brock/Taker HIAC.

[Guest JMA]

Some other ideas I have:

 

- A credible way to end the brand split. Unforgiven would be the last exclusive PPV, and the night afterwards it would be announced that the split is ending. Smackdown! would still remain as a show until its contract ran out, but the brands would be merged so that anyone could appear on either show. Now we have the task of merging the belts. This merging would happen at No Mercy. Benoit would beat Carlito and the U.S. title would once again be absorbed by the U.S. title. MNM (who in my scenario will beat LOD 2K5 before all of this) will defeat the Super-Heroes and the World Tag Team Championship would absorb the WWE Tag Team Championship. The Cruiserweight title has no counterpart and would stay the same. Batista would beat John Cena, but instead of using one of the two belts, he would bring back the classic winged eagle belt.

 

My reasoning behind Batista winning is the fact that he's beaten both Triple H and JBL so many times that he won't be able to feud with them again (and thus not lose to them). This leaves him open to have feuds both with upper midcarders and eventually Lesnar.

 

- Re-hire the following people: Matt Morgan (minus the stuttering gimmick), Charlie Haas, Jackie Gayda (as a valet, no wrestling for her), Brock Lesnar, and Shannon Moore.

 

- Change Carlito's role. After Carlito loses the IC title to Benoit, he needs to become less of a wrestler and more of a mouthpiece--he'd be put back together with Matt Morgan. He'll basically be in the same role that Shawn was in when he was managing Diesel. Eventually, Morgan will turn on Carlito and reveal himself to be both a powerful wrestler and an eloquent speaker. Carlito would still wrestle, though. He'd just be limited to tag matches (with Morgan), dark matches, and occassional one on one matches on TV.

 

- Revised tag teams. The tag division: The Heart Throbs (Romeo and Antonio) w/ Mo Green, The World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) w/ Jackie Gayda, Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, The Lords of the Ring (Nick Dinsmore and Rob Conway) w/ Torrie Wilson, The Shane Twins (Mike and Todd Shane) w/ Eric Bischoff, The Bourgeoisie (Kerwin White and Rene Dupree), MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) w/ Melina, FBI (Nunzio and Big Vito), The Mexicools (Super Crazy, Juventud, and Psicosis), Stevie Richards and Nova, The Thrillseeker (Johnny Jeter and Matt Capotelli), Money Inc. (JBL and Chief Morley), Team Toland (Chad and John Toland) w/ Teddy Long, The East-West Connection (Tajiri and Matt Striker), The Blue Bloods (Sir Regal and Paul Birchill), and The Young Lions (Spanky and Paul London).

[ChrisMWaters 0]

One team to add to your thing JMA...if just for a short while:

 

The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)

 

...I'm sure WWE could bail Marty out if they wanted to.