There have been numerous articles written over the last several months about how the WWE is getting tough to follow and watch. Along
with these articles come the numerous comments of bloggers telling you not to watch
or asking why you still follow. However, the reality is we all still watch in
some form or facet, leaving us to critique the current model that seems to be
doomed.
First, let me start off by saying that the WWE does not care
what we think or what we believe. The statement, “We give the WWE Universe what
they want,” has as much credibility and authenticity as Paul Heyman’s checkbook
back in the ECW days. If they gave us what we wanted John Cena would be a Heel,
Brock Lesnar would show up at live events, and the Divas would be having lingerie
matches on RAW. The WWE is a business which employs writers and creative
directors to lead their product in the way they see fit. There is no competition;
there is no Monday Night War. TNA is now on a channel that has to be googled to
be found. The Indie circuits are exciting, but will never compete or pretend to
try. Therefore, the best thing for business is for Vince to sell WWE tickets
and Merchandise, which is something he will continue to do.
The money will continue to flow in from all the sales
mentioned above, but there is still one thing Vince McMahon hates more than
anything in the world, which is bad publicity. Vince wants to be on top and be
thought of as the class of entertainment. When storylines break such as CM Punk’s
fallout interview, Vince works viciously trying to spin the story the other way
so his company can be seen in a positive light. The Stone Cold Podcast was a
good example of how he took the negativity and spun it into something positive
by giving the fans answers they wanted, even though they were probably scripted.
This is one of the reasons why I think the WWE seems to have entered into
change or a rewind perhaps, to concepts that were popular and proved to be a
success.
- One of the first changes in this movement was
the announcement of a Triple Threat match at the Royal Rumble for the WWE
Championship. When was the last legitimate Triple Threat match for the WWE Title?
It’s been awhile since these matches have been used, but their popularity
remains unmatched. In my opinion, the unpredictable finishes and exciting
in-ring action are things that have been sorely missed. - The next rehashed event to return for Vince was
the announcement the other day that the popular Tough Enough Series will be
returning. Tough Enough was scheduled to return to the WWE Network last year,
but plans for a new season were ultimately scrapped. The reboot of the show
will feature a completely new format as well as elements that will make it live
and interactive. There is no news on whether or not Hall of Fame “Stone Cold”
Steve Austin will return to host the show. Obviously, the biggest names to come
out of this competition have been The Miz and Matt Morgan, but it still was a suspenseful
twist to watch on a week to week basis. - One of the better moves in my eyes is the return
of Smackdown to Thursday night. There was a point in time when Smackdown wasn’t
looked at as the minor leagues, but instead as a rate producer, which at one
time was bringing in more viewers than Raw. I think this will be the lead into separating
the brands again to bring back more excitement to the show. They already did
the announcer shakeup for the 2 shows, so I’m sure there will be more changes
on the horizon.
These are the changes that have been documented, but I feel
like Vince may have finally felt the criticisms of his declining product and
decided to market his product in the way that proved successful in the past.
With that being said, he didn’t do it because the WWE Universe asked for it and
have been complaining about the lack of excitement. He did for his wallet and
personal ego. In my opinion, his wallet
and ego can continue to grow as long as we can have a product that is watchable
and worth our time.
What if more changes are on the horizon? Jim Ross returning?
WWE back to 2 separate brands? King of the Ring reborn? I am curious to see
what you guys think…Thoughts?
***Come
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