10 Things You'd Do To Improve Current WWE

[Loss]

In an attempt to start more contemporary wrestling talk here, I thought this might go over well. We shall see. I'll be along to contribute my ten things shortly.

[Tim Cooke]

1- end the brand split. Too much clutter on both brands. WWE needs to cut costs anyways so drop the waste. Why move a solid guy like Jindrak to Raw only not to use him?

 

2- reform TV. Their TV product is SO stale that it needs to be mixed up. With no competition, bring back some squash matches. This might mean moving to smaller buildings and/or doing tapings instead of "live TV" but it will make live events all the more important. Teach people how to talk and cut promos. Not everyone has to be Jim Cornette or Bill Dundee with the ability to come out 5 times a show and be entertaining each time out but everyone can at least put some effort into one interview per show.

 

3- 1 PPV per month max. If I was the WWE, I would cut down to 8 with 4 "Prime Time Specials" live on TV. But since PPV companies wouldn't be for that, go back to the standard 12.

 

4- Bench Trips.

 

5- Expand horizons. Allow for an out flying spot fest between guys who can do it every so often. Instead of letting Basham/Jindrak work a 5 minute Velocity match, let them have a low card feud that builds over several TV shows to the point where they can blow it off during a mid card match on TV with a 12 minute match at the top of the hour (10 pm).

 

Other than fire a bunch more people, those are my suggestions, not that any one of them has a chance in hell of happening.

 

Tim

[sek69]

1. Revamp the RAW set, it's been pretty much the same since they went to the Attitiude era. It's tired looking, and a revamp would help get people excited again.

 

2. Keep the brand split. People who argue that the split isn't working don't seem to realize that if it wasn't for the split, we'd have 4 hours of HHH every week while the rest of the roster fights for a spot on Velocity.

 

3. Hire someone to filter out bad ideas, and don't fire them when they do just that. Vince Russo was the prime example of someone who could be a great writer as long as there was someone to veto the more stupid ideas.

 

4. Make the cruisers a part of the show like how WCW did. Don't sign the latest high flying indy star and then force them to mat wrestle WWE style. It's not like they're ever going to be bothered to have long term angles for these guys, so let them show what they can do.

 

5. They really need to cut back on the PPVs. It puts them in a vicious cycle, they won't cut back on PPVs because they need the money, but they need the money because fans aren't as interested in buying PPVs every month. After the Big Four shows, there really isn't a reason to have the other filler shows. With their new deal on USA, they should have specials like a new version of Saturday Night Main Event to stoke some interest in wrestling again.

 

6. Stop insulting the fans. I know, it's probably the least likely thing to happen. It's at the point now where most of the fans watching are of the smart variety, don't piss on them by taking guys they like to watch and make them into stupid gimmicks.

 

7. Sort of related to point #6, looking at the stupid gimmicks and the diva search, it's clear that WWE has forgotten that the point is to entertain the fans, not to entertain themselves.

 

*edit: doh, hit "post" instead of "preview"*

 

8. Either have a viable women's division and/or bring back valets, or stop hiring women who have no use. WWE has done what I thought wasn't possible: made hot women boring.

 

9. Bring back male managers to help the green guys they call up from OVW get over rather than throwing them to the wolves. For that matter, they should revamp the developmental system so that guys aren't learning one way, then when they get the call to go to WWE end up working entirely different. When a company needs new stars, quit setting them up to fail.

 

10. Make titles mean something. It's aggrivating how they do it with some titles (namely the HHH Memorial Belt) but not others (the RAW tag titles, the ones with the history). They're doing okay rehabbing the IC belt, but it's sad to think the titles once held by Demolition, The Bulldogs, and the Hart Foundation is now held by Rosey and the Hurricane.

[Loss]

(1) Protect weaknesses of guys you're pushing. In current WWE, anyone presented as a strong character -- face or heel -- gets over as a babyface because there are so few strong characters. That actually works fine in essence, but I'd like to see a little more hierarchy in the booking. Yes, they already do a halfway decent job of protecting guys like HHH and Michaels, but upper midcarders should be more protected than guys below them on the food chain. There should be a definite path to the top every wrestler takes with every wrestler having a role that is understood and makes sense. It sounds like common sense, but you don't put a live mic in a guy's hand that can't talk. You don't make a guy who can't work get in the ring for 15 minutes at a time, at least not on RAW and Smackdown. You don't put those who can't act in a position to do a lot of skits. There seems to be a lot of backwards thinking, and HHH has really poisoned Vince's mind into thinking they shouldn't elevate anyone unless they're great workers and great talkers and can work with anyone. Those guys who are that talented are a rare breed, and they can make some of the green guys look far better with a little forethought. Cena shouldn't be having long title defenses and he shouldn't be positioned as a sideshow champion. Batista should be a silent killer who disposes of his opponents in either short matches or longer, more competitive brawls. Instead of waiting for someone to come along that can do absolutely everything, you take the guys that are getting the best responses and put them in positions to remain strong and get over. There's no excuse for a guy as over as Christian to do so many jobs. They should really not have wrestlers pointing out super-obvious flaws in their opponents either (age, how injury-prone they are, how they've never won the big one, etc.)

 

(2) Continuity, continuity, continuity. If two wrestlers have feuded before, don't just assume the audience has forgotten about it. Acknowledge it. Edge and Kane are feuding now. Throw a bone to the audience, and remind them that Edge defeated Kane in his comeback at Backlash 2004. Mention that Edge and Christian dropped the tag titles for the final time to the Undertaker and Kane in 2001, thus necessitating Edge's switch to singles and climbing of the mountain. Mention that Edge sided with the Undertaker back in 1998-1999 around the same time that the Undertaker revealed that he started that fire in an attempt to murder his brother. Storyboard, storyboard, storyboard. If you start remembering your own angles more often, the fans will become trained to accept that and want that.

 

(3) Adjust the wrestling style considerably. Stop letting wrestlers "steal" the finishers of their opponents in big matches -- it's cliched, it's played out and it's cheap heat. Work the tag formula in tighter fashion -- cut off hot tags instead of the wrestlers always making it on the first try, let the heels cheat more often than they do instead of just working restholds until the face comes back. They have the largest video library available in the free world -- wrestlers should be encouraged to study matches and angles of the past when there's a certain point of view the writers are trying to accomplish, in just the same way film directors give their cast members role research and ask them to watch certain movies of the past. This ties into #4.

 

(4) Send the writers through OVW. Make them watch tapes until they're ready to vomit, take notes on past angles, hear pointers from Cornette on what made them work or not work -- not just successful angles, but unsuccessful ones as well. Actually put them through a *class* and have them write papers on the history of St. Louis wrestling or the demise of WCW or the differences between WWE and AJPW wrestling style or whatever else. There is no system in place right now to create and foster new booking talent, as ex-wrestlers usually just take over and push their buddies. In a class of, say, 8 guys (and that's really all you'd need in a year's time), give each of them a month of OVW TV to book (with Cornette's guidance) and whichever ones are doing the best job are the ones who get called up to book for WWE. They need to watch matches to understand wrestling psychology and understand how the story can sometimes be furthered through the layout of a match and not just through skits. I'm not as opposed to some are about WWE hiring guys from Hollywood because it is an interesting perspective, but they need to aim higher instead of just marking out for anyone who's worked on a "real" show. That leads me to point #5.

 

(5) Stop being embarrassed about being wrestling and letting the self-consciousness creep in through the booking. They go out of their way to encourage fans not to take angles seriously by making this incredibly light-hearted atmosphere where faces dress down the heels and make fun of all their obvious weak points instead of saying, "Yeah, you're good but you're not good enough to beat me", more of a phrase that gets over both guys. It's an old philosophy that will never change in WWE, but they hate the idea of being a wrestling company. They won't use the word on TV unless it just slips in. Do you think Bill Watts would ever call his territory Mid South Entertainment? Hell no! It's fine to have wrestlers breaking kayfabe in the media and acknowledging that what they do is a show there, but there needs to be a super-concentrated effort to maintain kayfabe at all times during the show itself. Be proud of presenting a professional wrestling product.

 

(6) Hire announcers who understand the product and grew up as fans. They purposely look for people who have no product knowledge as commentators so they can teach them their way, and they consider it markish when announcers do preparation before the broadcasts. The announcer shouldn't participate in angles, he shouldn't be made fun of -- he's the voice of truth and him having credibility is important because he's the one who's saying what you want the fans to be thinking. That means less obvious bias and more attempt at objectivity, and that also means keeping them strong and credible by not having them shill stupid ga-ga that is only written for laughs and not in a serious attempt to get over anyway.

 

(7) More squash matches. Guys like Christian would benefit tremendously here, because they wouldn't have to be facing the top talent and doing jobs every single week. Christian rarely, if ever, gets a win and he's a guy that's now being pushed near the top of the card -- let him establish his offense through squashes on undercarders so it'll actually be over when he does it in the big matches.

 

(8) Abandon Ironman matches (they draw poor ratings and buyrates because fans know the exact moment the match is to end and it kills the suspense). If you want a match to go 60 minutes, just have it go 60 minutes. No reason to announce ahead of time that it's going to go 60 minutes.

 

(9) Bringing in older stars for nostalgia is fine since fans usually like it quite a bit, but don't do it to a point where it overshadows the current product and makes yesterday look far better than today. Cena is in a point where they've set up a strong heel machine to feed him right now in Jericho, Michaels, Angle, Edge and HHH. Sadly, Hulk Hogan is back and looks like the far bigger deal. Ditto when Austin makes an appearance. If guys like that are going to be coming back, they need to use them to get over new heels by having the new heels leave them laying. Having the old guys come back and squash the new talent is as counterproductive as it gets.

 

(10) See 1-9.

[sek69]

They should just hire us to book and write for them.

[Loss]

I have all the respect in the world for them for doing the job, and I do admit that there are factors we don't take into consideration (i.e. approaching someone the Undertaker's size and telling him to put someone over, having to kowtow to the vision Vince wants and being afraid to question the status quo for fear of losing one's job, having a long-term plan for someone who gets injured or loses their heat, having the top guys make alterations to the final show or not doing what you asked them do anyway, etc), so I do understand that it's a hard, stressful job and that getting things to actually play out the way they're intended to play out is one of the most difficult and overlooked aspects of the job.

[Tim Cooke]

"(2) Continuity, continuity, continuity. If two wrestlers have feuded before, don't just assume the audience has forgotten about it. Acknowledge it. Edge and Kane are feuding now. Throw a bone to the audience, and remind them that Edge defeated Kane in his comeback at Backlash 2004. Mention that Edge and Christian dropped the tag titles for the final time to the Undertaker and Kane in 2001, thus necessitating Edge's switch to singles and climbing of the mountain. Mention that Edge sided with the Undertaker back in 1998-1999 around the same time that the Undertaker revealed that he started that fire in an attempt to murder his brother. Storyboard, storyboard, storyboard. If you start remembering your own angles more often, the fans will become trained to accept that and want that."

 

But that would take work and preparation on the announcers part, not to mention the booking staff!

 

Just writing about that made me want to see Kane vs. Edge today, if they actually packaged it together with past history.

 

Tim

[sek69]

Hearing that WWE feels that announcers preparing is "markish" just stunned me. Who knew that Gordon Solie was the biggest mark ever in the business.

[Loss]

Yeah, the Observer had something a couple of years back I think about how Michael Cole got laughed at by management when he tried to do some prep work before a pay-per-view and never tried it again as a result.

[Guest Kevin Cook]

1) Change the look and sound of the show. It's as dreadfully outdated now as the Superstars set would be, maybe less so. They need totally new ideas, not a freshening up of the present set-up. Change the set, diversify the entrance music (and stop giving everyone an entrance, so those who do have them get a boost from them), etc.

 

2) Acknowledge OVW and the indies. A weekly 3-minute package touting the stars of tomorrow, with clips of blue-chip developmental guys and, say, some ROH guys they have an eye on ("Here's some footage of Samoa Joe delivering an impressive win over former WWE superstar Jamie Noble") would be a really good idea. Much as baseball fans get really attached to the team's prospects when they come up because they've been hearing about them for years, WWE can create attachment between its fans and prospects just by doing this. Bringing the indies into the picture would do this while being good for wrestling as a whole, which is good for WWE at this point.

 

3) Squash matches, with lower-level new guys and veterans as jobbers. I agree with everything everyone's said about squash matches. One point that hasn't been brought up is that it's an ideal way to groom young guys. Say CM Punk comes in and loses his first twenty or fifty matches while the announcers tout him as a young guy with lots of skill and experience, but one who has a lot to learn. As long as they do that, he can eat losses for a really long time without being buried, because as long as he's protected once he starts winning, fans see it as a prospect who's starting to adjust to the big leagues.

 

4) A sense of hierarchy. Others have explained this perfectly well. Wins and losses need to have consequences. Why does Hassan get a spot in the six-way rather than former champ Eddy, or Rey, who beat him? Why does HHH get multiple shots at the title no matter how many times he loses?

 

5) No more skits. With rare exceptions like Austin tossing the IC belt on a bridge- which was logical because he'd brought a cameraman with him to document what he was doing- there's literally nothing that needs to be done on a wrestling show that can't be done in a match, a backstage interview segment, a talk show or an in-ring promo.

 

6) Focus everything around hip hop rather than heavy metal.

 

7) Appeal to Latin fans. Get rid of the useless cruiserweight division and introduce a protected lucha division with its own stars, announcers and rules.

 

8) Stop referencing Superstars, Divas and Sports Entertainment for obvious reasons.

 

9) Stress competition as a reason for matches. There's nothing hokier than tossed-together feuds that clearly exist only because the company has a pay per view coming up. On the undercard, there shouldn't need to be any reason to have most matches other than that both guys want to move up in the ranks.

 

10) Make championship matches 2 out of 3 falls. This way you eliminate much of the need for 50/50 booking at the top, because heels could point out they'd pinned the face champ and that he "got lucky" in the 3rd fall.

[sek69]

 

2) Acknowledge OVW and the indies. A weekly 3-minute package touting the stars of tomorrow, with clips of blue-chip developmental guys and, say, some ROH guys they have an eye on ("Here's some footage of Samoa Joe delivering an impressive win over former WWE superstar Jamie Noble") would be a really good idea. Much as baseball fans get really attached to the team's prospects when they come up because they've been hearing about them for years, WWE can create attachment between its fans and prospects just by doing this. Bringing the indies into the picture would do this while being good for wrestling as a whole, which is good for WWE at this point.

 

 

That's one of the best ideas I've heard. Have something like a longer version of the "Smackdown Rebound" segments recapping OWV TV.

 

Baseball fans not only follow prospects, they know that the hot AAA outfielder is probably going to struggle at first until he gets acclimated with major league pitching. They could very easily apply that thinking to wrestling, so OVW guys wouldn't be expected to be mega stars right out of the box.

[Loss]

1) Change the look and sound of the show. It's as dreadfully outdated now as the Superstars set would be, maybe less so. They need totally new ideas, not a freshening up of the present set-up. Change the set, diversify the entrance music (and stop giving everyone an entrance, so those who do have them get a boost from them), etc.

The idea of some wrestlers not having any entrance music is great. I know they'll never hire him, but that would be a great way to make someone like Steve Corino stand out from the pack as the "King of Old School". "Dory Funk Jr didn't have entrance music," he could say. I really like this idea. I think the last guy to not have entrance music was Scott Hall in WCW in the short period where he had turned on Nash and had been booted from the nWo and had no friends. I like the idea too -- they'd probably get a better idea with some guys if it's their music or the wrestlers themselves that are over, which has probably been the case with at least a few guys over the past few years.

 

2) Acknowledge OVW and the indies. A weekly 3-minute package touting the stars of tomorrow, with clips of blue-chip developmental guys and, say, some ROH guys they have an eye on ("Here's some footage of Samoa Joe delivering an impressive win over former WWE superstar Jamie Noble") would be a really good idea. Much as baseball fans get really attached to the team's prospects when they come up because they've been hearing about them for years, WWE can create attachment between its fans and prospects just by doing this. Bringing the indies into the picture would do this while being good for wrestling as a whole, which is good for WWE at this point.

This is a fantastic, fantastic idea, and I love it, because it shows a way of thinking that gets away from the isolationist way of doing business that was necessary when there was more than one wrestling superpower. There is no indy in existence that wouldn't work with WWE.

 

3) Squash matches, with lower-level new guys and veterans as jobbers. I agree with everything everyone's said about squash matches. One point that hasn't been brought up is that it's an ideal way to groom young guys. Say CM Punk comes in and loses his first twenty or fifty matches while the announcers tout him as a young guy with lots of skill and experience, but one who has a lot to learn. As long as they do that, he can eat losses for a really long time without being buried, because as long as he's protected once he starts winning, fans see it as a prospect who's starting to adjust to the big leagues.

Again, agreed. This worked really well in getting the 1-2-3 Kid over in 1993.

 

6) Focus everything around hip hop rather than heavy metal.

 

7) Appeal to Latin fans. Get rid of the useless cruiserweight division and introduce a protected lucha division with its own stars, announcers and rules.

These are probably the two best points I think you made, especially since their Latino audience has been the fastest-growing segment of their audience the past few years. This allows them to bring in lucha heavyweights as well. As much as Konnan annoys me, the guy could be huge in WWE right now.

 

8) Stop referencing Superstars, Divas and Sports Entertainment for obvious reasons.

I might add "shot to the kisser", which Keller lamented recently and has always annoyed me as well. I guess one thing about the WWE business model that is both practical and annoying is that they have never excelled at booking, but they have always excelled at marketing. The marketing affects the wrestling style, because you have to be able to sell t-shirts with the name of the finisher, so every match must end with the finisher. The marketing affects the interview style, because everyone has to say his catchphrase at some point in his promo. It's one of those necessary evil things.

 

10) Make championship matches 2 out of 3 falls. This way you eliminate much of the need for 50/50 booking at the top, because heels could point out they'd pinned the face champ and that he "got lucky" in the 3rd fall.

I'm absolutely in favor of this idea. It's a throwback to the old NWA as well, which HHH seems to be really high on.

[Coffey]

This is the type of shit that I could roll on all day about. I know you made this thread with me in mind, Loss, so I appreciate it. I think it's a good, thought provoking topic too.

 

I'm going to kick my shit up a notch by randomly throwing in some pictures too. Just for the fuck of it.

 

We only have a few replies and already you can tell that people are undecided about the brand split. It does have it's strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths include things such as drafts that garner interest. Also, interbrand matches always seem to come off well, such as HBK/Angle from 'Mania. The downside is that you don't get to see all of your favorite people on each show. The plus side, theoretically, is that you would get to see more people on each brand.

 

Personally, I still don't know how I feel about it. I think I'm glad it's there. If it weren't, we'd have two entertainment shows. Imagine if the Diva Search was on both shows? What if the main event scene was Triple H Vs. The Undertaker again? No thanks. So, I'd leave the brand split.

 

What I would do, however, is totally revamp each brand. A general couple of changes would happen to both shows, such as eliminating GM's, Ref Bumps, etc. Then each brand would be like a different company. Smackdown could have the high-flying cruiserweights so maybe Raw could have the over-the-top-rope-equals-DQ rule reinstated? How about on Raw you have to give up by tapping out but on Smackdown you have to verbally quit? Give Smackdown a ramp that connects to the side of the ring...it'd make for some more unique cruiser spots.

 

 

I agree that Raw needs a makeover. I think the three man commentary team is a step in the right direction. They need to do more than have off the wall characters and a bunch of skits though. It's still a wrestling show.

 

If I had my way, WWE would be back to four PPV's a year. I know that they can't do that because PPV's make too much money for the company but when there's fewer PPV's it makes them more special. Just like title matches. Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble, Summerslam and Survivor Series. The Series would be back to five on five matches. Summerslam could have the yearly gimmick match, which appears to be either Hell in a Cell or Elimination Chamber nowadays. The Rumble would be the same and 'Mania would be the yearly blowoff. The end of the season so to speak.

 

I'd get rid of the IC, one of the tag and US titles. I know this won't be a popular opinion. I love the IC title and it's lineage but nowadays it's an afterthought. Look at Sheltons reign. He had a long reign which was acknowledged. He never defended the belt and no one cared. People were more excited to see The Texas Tornado win that bitch. So, just let it go away for awhile. I remember when it was gone last time and I thought it was a terrible idea. Austin brought it back, said it was one of the most important titles that he ever won and instantly gave the title legitimacy again. Then the booking and shit just took it back to where it's at now. Sad. I'd replace all of those belts with a Television title. I think WWE should start doing a Clash of the Champions type show too. A big show that's almost like a PPV but it's on free TV. Big things will take place though. When was the last time you saw a title switch on TV that mattered? Have the TV champion defend his title at each TV show. That means Raw and Smackdown. I figure the Clash would be interbrand, so obviously he'd be there. With the "B" shows seemingly going away, it wouldn't be too much workload I don't think. Not if you put the belt on a workhorse. Make it so that wrestling talent is the focal point of the TV belt. People like Benoit could hold it and not look like they've been demoted on the shows. People like Val Venis could hold it and not look like a jobber with a midcard belt. Sort of like the Pure Wrestling Title in Ring of Honor. At least that's what I'd like it to be like ideally.

 

The continuity point that Loss made is a HUGE one. I remember reading about someone whom used to work for WWE and he had a big posterboard with magnets that showed who couldn't interact with who due to past altercations. WWE needs that again. Like Loss said, they need to acknowledge the past more too. When Hassan calls himself undefeated, why not bring up the DQ against Benoit? Talk about Big Show being a former world champion. Talk about the F-5 being used in the past by Brock Lesnar when Matt Morgan does it. Little things like that go a long way. Obviously WWE isn't proud of everything that's went down in the past but that shouldn't make it so they just straight ignore shit. Lita turns heel so that means she has to randomly befriend Snitsky? He still aborted her fucking baby...even if Kane is the one that fell on top of her and she was dumb enough to get into the ring. He still stalked her and chased her. She should hate his ass.

 

I don't think WWE should have such established finishers like they do. I wish it were more like Japan. Kawada's powerbomb is a big deal, for example, but in main events, the first one never gets the win. Finishers should be last ditch efforts after all the other moves didn't work. They should be scouted more so that opponents are looking for them so they can reverse them. Why can't Triple H win with an Indian Deathlock or his Spinebuster every now and then? Why doesn't Batista win with his Clothesline anymore?

 

I think title matches should be bigger, more professional spectacles. Sort of like they do in Japan and/or boxing. Each wrestler comes out to their theme and then waits in their corner. The announcer doesn't introduce them as they're walking down the ramp but instead does it when both wrestlers are in the ring. Introduce them by name, height, weight and location. Then whatever title they are at the time, like World Heavyweight Champion, or former eleven time champion. Have the face off in the middle as the referee shows the title to both wrestlers and the crowd.

 

I'm a big fan of the boxing type press conferences as well. When the champion and the challenger get together in a hype session before the match where they call each other out and make predictions and shit.

 

Abandon women wrestling. It's not going to catch on with the crowd. Especially while Lawler is on commentary and making a mockery of it at every second. Trish worked hard and got to where she's at. No one else seems to want to put in the effort. Jazz was fired. Victoria doesn't matter anymore. Trish is still on the shelf. Lita is the shits. You can't have a division, let alone a competitive title, with that shit. Go back to having male managers and valets. Let Stacy be the modern day Miss Elizabeth. She just stands at ringside and claps. Occasionally distracts the heel. Something like that. She shouldn't be doing bra and panty matches or any of that shit. I always thought that Trish would work great with Hunter. Even though he doesn't need her, she'd get a huge rub from him. Kindof like how Shane Douglas was always the champion and had a hot woman with him. Flair would still be around. So, Triple H would have the brains (Flair), beauty (Trish) and ability (himself). Then, at least in my eyes, he'd be more credible when he was dominating the entire roster. I don't think WWE should bench him. He hasn't been on Raw in two weeks and I've already started to miss him to a degree...mainly just because last nights show was so awful. It'd be great if it happened and WWE acknowledged the past with Trish and HHH. Remember the feud that Trish and Stephanie had? When HHH was teaching Trish a hammerlock in the back? Acknowledge that shit.

 

 

This was mentioned somewhere else, I think Something Awful, but they really shouldn't play a wrestlers entrance music during a run-in. It's awkward.

 

I'm a big fan of sneak attacks. Especially when they come from the crowd and it's someone unexpected. I'd mark out now if Sting were to randomly show up and Scorpion Death Drop someone. I think WWE should continue to bring in big names. Their age shouldn't matter as long as they can still go. Even if it's just like NWA used to do. Have former champions or whatever show up, get a pop, and be on a title committee or a judge for a title match in case it goes to time limit. Something like that. They could use Vader, Steamboat, Windham, Nikita, Backlund, whomever.

 

 

I think WWE should hire Konnan and make him the mouthpiece for the Mexicools. Konnan has a good look is a decent enough wrestler and the crowd can actually understand him when he talks.

 

If WWE is really getting rid of the "B" shows, just cut the extra weight instead of having the workers on the roster all fearing for their jobs. Let them pursue careers elsewhere where they might get over and actually be allowed to showcase their talent. I'm sure RoH or TNA would pick up Val Venis or Akio. You know what I'm saying? They're never going to do anything in the company, so just cut them off.

 

Bring back the big blue barred cage matches where the only way to win is to climb over the top and touch the floor. No door. No pinfall/submission. The cage is lowered over the two wrestlers before the bell rings. I'd take that over a Hell in a Cell anyday. It keeps people out (in theory) and keeps people from running away.

 

 

Stop showing backstage shit. It's dumb. The occasional interview in front of a backdrop is fine. I don't want to see wrestlers walking to the ring, Goldberg style, or a cameraman trying to catch up to something that's going on. If it's important it should happen in front of the live audience. I hate how in one skit we're supposed to acknowledge that the cameraman is there but in the next he's supposed to be invisible.

 

I know that WWE has the Highlight Reel and Carlito's Cabana now but I think they should have their own sets instead of just being in the ring. I'm thinking like the Barbershop, Piper's Pit or The Brother Love Show. I think it's better that way and you don't have to waste time by building, removing the in-ring shit.

 

 

This is a big pet peeve of mine. WWE needs to quit taking commercial breaks in the middle of a match. ESPECIALLY on taped shows. What the fuck, seriously?

 

I'll add more as I think of it. Great topic!

[sek69]

I second the notion for full introductions in the ring for title matches. The NWA did this (they still do it for NWA title matches actually) and it made the champ look like a million dollars. Your champion is the most important man in your promotion, his matches shouldn't look the same as Random Jobber #1 vs Random Jobber #2 that opened the show.

 

 

I agree with the sneak attacks too. Hell, look at the reaction HBK got for turning on Hogan, which you could argue was a sneak attack since most people didn't see it coming.

[Coffey]

6) Focus everything around hip hop rather than heavy metal.

Please, no. If anything, they need MORE music genres, not less. Keep the hip-hop, like Trish's theme and keep the generic Nu-Metal like what they use for PPV's. Add in more stuff too though. Get some Techno, some straight, hard, rap...not Cena rap. They've used everything from Rob Zombie to Lil' Kim to Alter Bridge, so they should either branch out more or just go back to WWE produced music only.

 

2) Acknowledge OVW and the indies. A weekly 3-minute package touting the stars of tomorrow, with clips of blue-chip developmental guys and, say, some ROH guys they have an eye on ("Here's some footage of Samoa Joe delivering an impressive win over former WWE superstar Jamie Noble") would be a really good idea. Much as baseball fans get really attached to the team's prospects when they come up because they've been hearing about them for years, WWE can create attachment between its fans and prospects just by doing this. Bringing the indies into the picture would do this while being good for wrestling as a whole, which is good for WWE at this point.

 

Whoa. I wish I would've thought of that. That's tremendous.

[Loss]

The thing is that metal tends to go through phases where it's cool and phases where it's not. Hip hop is always trendy, and staying on top of that trend (or gravy-training it) assures that WWE will always at least seem contemporary.

[Coffey]

I'm saying that they can still have it, and still seem trendy for having it, but have the other shit too, so they can reach out and relate to more people. I know that wrestling seems to have a big, redneck stigma attached to it. Where's the country music? Why doesn't a wrestler from Texas come out to some Conway Twitty or Kenny Chesney?

[Guest Kevin Cook]

I do think they should diversify the music they use- there's no reason not to incorporate funk, classical music, country, etc. What I meant was that their basic template should be hip hop instead of metal, and that extends past music. Those dark, ominous graphics they use on Raw, the bumper music coming into and out of commercial breaks, the general look of the generic OVW guys like Tomko are all associated with metal. I think the default should be hip hop, with metal motifs used when appropriate. Metal is really uncool and being so drenched in it makes WWE TV seem horribly out of touch- which it is.

 

For instance, what were they thinking using that "Bodies" song for the ECW promos? It's five years old and wasn't all that happening when it was actually new. They would have been better off using a Ratt song.

[Loss]

They would have been better off using a Ratt song.

If this is intended to be a dib at the ROH board for that one comment, it's really funny.

 

[Coffey]

Ah, I see where you're coming from now. Isn't Smackdown the hip-hop show? Afterall, it's on UPN.

 

Seriously though, what could they possible do? WWE is ran by a bunch of crusty, old, white dudes. The company is out of touch with it because they are out of touch with it. Just like congress.

 

I remember rolling my eyes when everyone got all up in arms because Kevin Garnett called himself a soldier. *slaps head*

[Guest Kevin Cook]

"ROH is Neurosis~~!"

 

Yeah, WWE is run by crusty old white dudes but it's not as if they don't have young, well-off guys who go to the clubs and such on payroll. You think Rey Mysterio might have some ideas on how to freshen things up without coming across as clueless? I don't watch music videos so I don't know who the big wheels are as far as directors, but why not hire the best video director around and have him and his people design a new set? You don't have to know what's happening yourself to hire or listen to people who do.

[sek69]

According to Kevin Nash, Shane McMahon is a lot more hip than his rich-boy personna lets on. Unfortunately he's the one person in the family who doesn't seem to want to be in the business.

[Mad Dog]

1. The look of the shows. They should look at some of the things TNA did with Impact for some ideas. I think one of the few things TNA did well was having a very fresh and different look to their shows. I think the WWF could get some very good mileage out of having a sports ticker with some house show results and having another bar with the names of the performers and a timer for the match.

 

2. Squash matches. It's been said before so I won't go into it.

 

3. No more WWF style. This is one of the biggest problems with the WWF right now. The inring is extremely bland because everyone has the same moveset and every match is essentially the same at the end of the day. Even the cruiserweight matches are exactly like heavyweight matches just with smaller guys. Part of the reason WCW was so great in 97 and 98 was because there was such a huge variety in styles.

 

4. Stop pushing old guys. Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker and HHH have no business beating the guys that still have a decade left to give to the WWF. If you're going to bring Hogan in for a few months have him feud with Edge or Kane not Angle and Michaels. Edge, Kane, Batista, Guerrero, Mysterio and JBL should have their spots.

 

5. HHH, he needs to go away and not be heard of for at least a year. He's easily the single biggest turnoff to fans right now. No matter what happens even the biggest mark knows that the big reset is coming within six months and you're back with HHH as champ or that he'll be the only challenger and keep getting match after match until he finally gets the belt back. Why would someone invest their time into that? Why do they want to watch the bad guy always win?

 

6. No more GMs. This angle has been murdered since the Attitude era. If you really want an authority figure it should be in the Tuney form where he's completely impartial and only appears for important things.

 

7. Shorter interviews. There's no reason for a wrestler to need more than 5 minutes to say something and even then you're pushing it. I would recommend the puro style where the only time you hear from the guys are post match interviews.

 

8. Go back to treating it like a real sport. Have cameramen at ringside. Have post match press conferences. Have rankings that determine title shots. Even keep win-loss records if it achieves a more sports atmosphere. This would also require consistent rules during the matches. People are ultimately watching for wrestling not diva searches or 30 minute speeches from HHH.

 

9. Bring in foreign stars from time to time. This is a minor thing but it helps to put the WWF over. Hey here's Masahiro Chono from Japan and he came over for a few weeks to test his skills against the best in the world.

 

10. Don't actively insult the fans. This has become an odd thing over the last few years. The WWF has gotten far too into the idea of telling the fans to fuck off. The Matt Hardy thing was the latest instance of this and it serves no purpose other than chasing people away.

[Guest Some Guy]

I agree with the diversification of the music. One thing about WWF from about 1988-2000 or so was that all the music fit the characters and was original. Flash Funk had his song, HBK had/has his, Hogan, HTM, Jake, Rude, Savage, etc... They all fit. Explain to me why Trish has a Lil Kim song. Trish is a white chick from Canada who wrestles, Lil Kim is a black woman from NYY who raps, I don't see the connection. Same goes for Steph's song.

 

Jim Johnston, I think his name is, was awesome at making the themes. They need to get away from the pop songs and get back to making original music that fits the character.

 

The theme songs for the PPVs should still be current music but they should change it up from the current mold where they are all the same fucking song, for all intents and purposes.

 

I agree about changing the set and colors of Raw. It is terribly dated. Red and Black is way over done.

 

I also agree about adding more squash matches. They could easily bring in some young ROH and Indy guys and let them bump their asses off to help get WWE guys over. Heels need to have an established finisher so that it will draw heat in a competitive match. Take Christian, who has a cool finishers, but it's not over at all because he never wins with, there was about a three year period where he never even hit it.

 

As far as changing styles goes: I would drop the finisher stealing spots, and I would limit the amount of counters out of the other guy finish. If you've never been in the hold before then you shouldn't have 30 counters lined up in advance. It just makes the opponent look weak. Here you have a guy who has used the same finish for ever but can't hit it on a guy who's never even been exposed to the move. It kills the finisher.

 

I really like the farm system idea.

 

Acknoweldging past booking would be great, but the announcers don't pay anu attention and most of the creative staff hasn't been around long enough or never watched in the first place. I'd be willing to bet that most of the current booking team couldn't tell you who was WWF champion in 97 or even 2001.

 

Let the wrestlers have more say in what they do. You can tell when someone is just reading their lines, a guy like Orton is a prime example or a guy who thought about what he wanted to say and then went out and winged it, Foley, Flair, Rock, Austin, etc... are all examples of that. Who drew more money and got the crowd behind them more? The wooden cue card reader or the guys who got lost in their character and meant what they said?

 

Let guys fuck up, it's part of growing. If you restrict a guys' creativity by forcing him to read pat lines then he will never grow. Do more pretapes, if need be. Would anyone really care if Tomko's promo was live backstage or taped three weeks ago in Stamford?

 

I'd force every worker from HHH to Paul London to watch Cornette's Secrets of the Ring shoot. Cornette clearly lays out how to cut a money promo, repeat the day of the show a few times and say all the things that the fans would want to say to the heel or face. It's simple and doesn't take 20 minutes. Hogan used to do 3 minute promos that put asses in seats and he would cut 30 in a row. HHH cuts one 20 minute promo that bores everyone to tears. Cena is over because he's exciting and he's excited to be there. HHH gives off the impression that it's a chore for him to show up and it shows. You knew that Rock or Austin or Hogan really wanted to be there and their energy showed it.

[Guest Flyboy]

According to Kevin Nash, Shane McMahon is a lot more hip than his rich-boy personna lets on. Unfortunately he's the one person in the family who doesn't seem to want to be in the business.

I actually always got "hip" from Shane moreso than I ever got the "rich-boy" vibe.