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Watching non-wrestling fans get enveloped in wrestling randomly (at a bar or something). Watching wrestling with people who mark out like kids, hate heels, and love faces. Wierd, random matches i didn't know existed. The moment you mark out completely at a live show and think to yourself "I just saw the greatest thing in wrestling and no one knows"

Yes. It would get some backlash at first, but if used right attention to the time limit and time limit draw could do wonders to mix things up. Yes, and without hammering it home beforehand by hyping a time limit. You could even introduce it by bell ringing at the 10 or 20 minute mark of a match to introduce the concept. The key is mixing things up and not relying on the same tropes hour in and hour out. Exactly. It is that sort of subtly that is needed here. They don't need to bash the audience over the head with everything. They can do that with certain things for the kids while still being nuanced and diverse.

WWE seems bound and determined to curb the aura Brock picked up in 2014. I would much prefer this match to a Wrestlemania rematch (though I don't think that is out of the question yet), but what is the result here that pushes everything forward. Another Brock win isn't interesting and kills any momentum Taker might have going into mania. A Taker win kind of deflates the Brock-murder-machine-Lesnar aura. A double DQ would make some sense if done right but where does that take us? Interference would mean 3 screwy matches in a row for Brock. How do you not use Brock to help the rest of the roster more? This is far and away the hottest thing in wrestling and they are booking him into a corner with Taker. As for Taker, sending him off is a bit of a problem, but I would honestly rather it be Cena than Brock. I am a little more optimistic about Taker vs Sting than most, but as a 10 minute brawl with smoke and mirrors capped off by a very slow 4-5 minute period with long sells and strategic, well planned spots. If they announce team plays up the wars they have been through before, they get the green light to bleed (or do it the hard way), and they focus on pace changes it could be passible. Taker could go over (almost certain) or they could do some double ko or something and they could both walk off into the sunset. I can’t really think of anything off hand that would be more satisfying from a story standpoint I don’t think there is anyone in that sweet spot between sure to not blow this in the long run and still in need of the last bump to do it.

Yes. It would get some backlash at first, but if used right attention to the time limit and time limit draw could do wonders to mix things up.

To me - and I realize i am echoing some of what has already been implicitly and explicitly said here - the original question about clean finishes is really a question about creative, cohesive, and long term storytelling that taps into more of the available wrestling tropes. While I think the abundance of TV hours, lack of jobbers, and lack of clearly developed stars are all problems, they seem like byproducts of a wresting product that ultimately seems disinterested in creating wrestling theater. In some ways "smart fans" (I include myself in this) got our wish because the match quality on the whole has gone way up, but those matches more or less exist in a vacuum for the most part. There just seems to be a lack of coherent and creative storytelling and part of the problem is the company is working with a small fraction of the tools wrestling companies have worked with before. It is like they picked 2-3 tools you might need to build a house, made sure they had the absolute top of the line and didn’t bother getting the rest. I have thought for a while that the WWE doesn’t care about wrestling because it doesn’t have to. The world of wrestling produces enough talent to fill their roster with ease. Their media model (especially since the network) and their corner on the market mean they don’t have to extend themselves to produce good wrestling, just maintain buzz and every once in a while deliver on creating “experiences”. Finally, their final realization of creating an entertainment universe allows them to extend the storytelling wrestling does into different areas (Total divas, Tough, Twitter, WWE app, etc). The unfortunate thing is that seems to be where all the focus is to the detriment of writing and creating. The company focuses on media and WWE cultural expansion and reduces the storytelling to simple ideas that will maintain merch sales and never hurt the overall bottom-line TOO much (Keep Roman Strong). In some ways it has been nice because it has brought the absolute creative cream to the top. Dragon got over for his in ring creativity. Punk and KO have gotten over for being completely different, creative characters (and talented in ring). Cena has remained on his game not just because he has the E behind him but because his overall understanding of his character and of storytelling in general is off the charts. The same can really be said for the Brock/Heyman combo I think. Unfortunately, this also means that otherwise exceptional talents such as Cesaro, Ziggler, Wyatt and so on (really lots to list) have trouble gaining any momentum because of a combination of bad luck, lack of creative support, lack of clearly defined stories to work within, and so on. That isn’t even to say that we are looking at a difference in talent, because some creativity seems to be thwarted a lot by the lack of direction and effort put into the actual wrestling theater part of the company. Sorry… ramble ramble… In short, I just think the WWE has tied one of its hands behind its back by not using all the tools at their disposal (or using them poorly). When we do get count outs and the like they seem sloppy and directionless, the product of a lack of desire to write more than a clearly thought out plan. So, yes, I agree there should be more DQs, count outs, time limit draws, but they have to be part of a larger, more overarching change that retrains fans to expect a variety of thins at a wrestling show and they need to be used with purpose. They need to demonstrate over an extended period that they can and will produce cohesive storytelling.

sorry... accidental double post. I would delete it, but I can't sort how apologies.

Hey Folks, So I am brand new here so, as is tradition, I am introducing myself. I am a life long (30 year) wrestling fan who has sort of ebbed and flowed in and out of being really into it. About 10 years ago I got back into with a vengeance thanks to my discovery of ROH wrestling, which took me to other indy promotions and got me more into Japanese wrestling. Right now I am finishing my dissertation and wrestling is more or less my escape. I watch more now than ever before probably and watch more intensely. I am starting to keep my own star ratings and notes on matches. Sometimes I write short essays about this or that and post them over at cageside seats (haven’t done this for a while). All getting deeper into wrestling over the last year led me to PWO podcasts, which in turn led me here. I have been kind of looking around for a place to chat wrestling with serious fans without being overflooded. I love all kinds of wrestling, but I am probably least into/well versed in lucha; it is just a bit out of my wheelhouse right now. I am never quite sure how to explain what I am really into so I will just talk briefly about who I like. My all time favorite wrestlers are Bryan Danielson and Eddie Guerrero. Those are 1A and 1B with a bullet for me. Some of my other favorites include Shusuke Nakamura, William Regal, Arn Anderson, Brock Lesnar, Kobashi Kenta, Terry Gordy, Super Dragon, Samoa Joe, Randy Savage, Dave Finlay, Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid, Koji Kanemoto, Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Kenny Omega, and you get the idea. I guess I could go on and on. Anyway, I have rambled far too long. I am looking forward to spending some time here and dorking up about wrestling.