Paul E Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance of: Brock Lesnar, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Big Show and CM Punk versus the Cenation of John Cena, The Usos, Zach Ryder, and Darren Young.
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October Wrasslin' |OT| Running around in our underwear making ugly faces
- Thread starter Perspicacity
- Start date
Paul E Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance of: Brock Lesnar, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Big Show and CM Punk versus the Cenation of John Cena, The Usos, Zach Ryder, and Darren Young.
I wonder if we'll ever get to a point in our lifetimes where wrestling as a mainstream thing is over. At least in the United States. Obviously it will always exist, but WWE is really the only big, major, mainstream hustle for it in terms of selling events, lengthy shows, big, flashy presentations, toys, and games. Will they always do just well enough to keep existing? Will the majority eventually grow tired of it. Japan has shown that it can happen. Even though NJPW is doing well, it's nothing compared to the 80s and 90s where everyone made money. NJPW is doing ok, but they're still in recovery mode, and I can't see them getting much bigger right now without something huge happening. The only place I could see mainstream wrestling continuing forever would be Mexico because it's so ingrained into the culture.
I just wonder if we'll ever get to that point. Where wrestling is just a niche thing, not a popular thing that people pretend is niche. Will parents stop encouraging their kids to watch and the WWE fanbase grows smaller and smaller? Will it ever become just a hardcore thing? I'll be honest with you. I think if WWE ever went under for whatever reason? I think it's done in terms of reach. I think you may see a few promotions get enough money to do minor toy deals like TNA did, but I don't think you ever see something anywhere as close to as big as WWF or WCW again. Not in the states, at least.
I just wonder if we'll ever get to that point. Where wrestling is just a niche thing, not a popular thing that people pretend is niche. Will parents stop encouraging their kids to watch and the WWE fanbase grows smaller and smaller? Will it ever become just a hardcore thing? I'll be honest with you. I think if WWE ever went under for whatever reason? I think it's done in terms of reach. I think you may see a few promotions get enough money to do minor toy deals like TNA did, but I don't think you ever see something anywhere as close to as big as WWF or WCW again. Not in the states, at least.
simplythebest
Banned
THAT LETHAL DOSE OF POISON KNOWN AS THE XFL
Rodeo Clown
All aboard! The Love train!
I generally like their NXT music, like the Neville and Breeze themes.
It's getting pretty damn close today.
The Benoit effect has hurt the business in so many ways. After that the big stars didn't want to turn heel and the company has pushed away from the things that built the business up from the ashes of the 80s.
Why would somebody watch wrestling when UFC fighting is on almost every week? Why would a star athlete want to be a wrestler vs any other sport?
Sibersk Esto
Banned
I suspect the well of people even wanting to be pro wrestlers will dry up in 2 decades or so
I honestly think the demand is still there. Even with the shit that's on today Raw still puts up decent rating and sells a lot of tickets. If anything, I think the market is ripe for a competitor to rise up and challenge WWE.
I think those people are holdovers from the pre-pg era and younger kids who buy into Cena's Superman gimmick.
I'd love to see market research on Kids who grew up watching Cena and how long they watched wrestling. If they stopped what age did they stop?
Regardless something needs to be shaken up and it will happen eventually. NBC won't want to pay WWE if it isn't bringing in enough ratings and I can't see a show like Raw helping NBC programming.
WWE network doesn't do them any favors with negotiating deals.
Eventually the only way to watch WWE will be online on the network and will the audience that purchases the Network the same one that they write to?
What? Going public made McMahon far richer than he ever was as a private company. And the McMahon family still controls like 70% of the company.
Professor Beef
Banned
Can you please not leak Cena promos
It's an old Rock promo, actually.
Mr. Luchador
Member
I don't miss the blood, as most of the time it looked stupid and pointless.
I agree that the Benoit effect hurt the business significantly and that wrestling will never be what it was in the late '90s.
As for the questions you pose there at the end of your post: I think you're discounting the performance aspect. Some people want to perform, not just compete.
But are those performers going to be satisfied with WWE writing?
Guys like Jerico were able to flourish because they wanted to perform and were allowed to do their own thing.
Best thing that vince could do is get an agreement with the WGA and get real writers in to write.
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
Holy shit, Bootaaay made Heavy's ignore list. Wow!
Terrabyte20xx
Junior Wrestlemania XXX Champion
I think there is a distinct possibility of that happening. However, if it does, I don't see it being niche forever. As much as we bash on the MCU here, it has brought comic books back into the positive mainstream consciousness.
Wrestling, on the other hand, has always been an innovator in Television, predicting and setting trends for decades. Wrestling built WTBS, which is what all modern television stations are modeled after. Wrestling is also the first to prove that there are people willing to tune in week in and week out to watch a never ending story.
And even then, there are few programs that get a steady, reliable viewership like wrestling. TNA proves it.
And ignoring that, the amount of Independent promotions in the US alone shows just how big the fanbase really is. Yeah, attendance varies from 500 to 15, but it all adds up to something greater than the sum of it's parts.
Sure, one day it might all go away, and WWE will have only it's hardecore fans, but if someone had the ability and business sense, the town could be put back on the map, and be bigger than ever. You can count on that.
Impressive.
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
I always assumed Heavy was joking about hating "flippy dippy shit" but goddamn.
I think there is a distinct possibility of that happening. However, if it does, I don't see it being niche forever. As much as we bash on the MCU here, it has brought comic books back into the positive mainstream consciousness.
Wrestling, on the other hand, has always been an innovator in Television, predicting and setting trends for decades. Wrestling built WTBS, which is what all modern television stations are modeled after. Wrestling is also the first to prove that there are people willing to tune in week in and week out to watch a never ending story.
And even then, there are few programs that get a steady, reliable viewership like wrestling. TNA proves it.
And ignoring that, the amount of Independent promotions in the US alone shows just how big the fanbase really is. Yeah, attendance varies from 500 to 15, but it all adds up to something greater than the sum of it's parts.
Sure, one day it might all go away, and WWE will have only it's hardecore fans, but if someone had the ability and business sense, the town could be put back on the map, and be bigger than ever. You can count on that.
Daytime soaps were first.
Serpentine
Banned
lmao, and Sandman
Terrabyte20xx
Junior Wrestlemania XXX Champion
I didn't know those where arround in 1955...
I dunno if they'll be satisfied, but the allure will still probably be there. Wrestling is a unique beast. It resonates with some people and I don't know how much that will change. All it takes is a "what if" during one's formative years...
Writing in wrestling has always been (overall) pretty bad. The problem with it now is that there is very little charm left (probably because people have to follow a rigid script at all times). It's old Star Wars vs. new Star Wars.
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
HarryDemeanor
Member
Holy shit that gif. lol
Professor Beef
Banned
And you laughed when I told you Heavy wasn't shit. Dude even ignored ShockingAlberto, one of the sites few good posters.
It doesn't have to be bad.
Vince purposely doesn't want to bring in good writers because they would be union guys and the idea of an organized workforce in the WWE keeps him awake at night.
Right now wrestlers aren't organized because the top guys want to keep the midcard guys down. Eventually there won't be any top guys. Only dude like Kane who show up to get HHH coffee.
Eh, if the guy that left and was doing interviews is anything to go by, we'll never know how good the writers could be because Vince just bins everything they do and writes the show last minute.
BronsonLee
Member
I sure as hell can't talk about hell without saying hell, bart.gif
I think another boom period could happen, but requires such a rework of the presentation and the business model that it might not even be viable. I think with the Network here, they may as well start phasing out PPVs and pare it down to a big 4 or a big 5. Because even if the network fails, they've lost some of their leverage with providers.
Then they need to really focus on young guys and phase out what's been around. I don't care if Cena make a wishes 9000000 kids, there is nothing fresh for him to do that actually elevates anyone... other than lose or go heel, and come on now. No one gives a fuck about Kane, when you have to put out a novel explaining a pro wrestler's origin, you fucked up. Big Show's aura was eroded away back when he was Showster and shit like 200 years ago. If Khali still pulls a paycheck, send him back wherever he came from.
Maybe leave Orton as a link to the past since he was the one who they fed all the old guys to way back when. "So and so beat Orton, and Orton beat [legend]" is a thing they could do, for whatever that's worth. Just so long as you quit bringing back the old dudes for one-offs or short runs. Attitude Era was 15 years ago. It's over now. Half those guys are dead or haven't worked a full schedule in a decade. There's nothing to be gained by having Heath Slater squashed by Sid. It just makes Slater look shitty, even if seeing Sid is cool or whatever.
Once Brock drops to Cena, have him be the once-per-year guy at Wrestlemania. Bring back managers. Bring back jobber matches. As hard as they forced Jeff Hardy into being a thing, they sure didn't care about him when he was a jobber. The next star might be in that role for a bit. And change your announce team. I don't care how much JR says Michael Cole works hard. He could work 24 hours a day and he's still not fun to listen to.
I'm telling you, my "Vince gets amnesia and thinks it's 1985" storyline needs to happen. Roll it back.
A way of pronouncing "Micheal" when you're a shithead who sucks at commentary.
So you have a megalomaniac running an industry into the ground because he thinks that mini-gator is the height of entertainment in 2014?
Monday Night Wars is pretty much showing how much the WWE was like old WCW and even pre-Austin WWE.
British Monsoon
Member
Probably because I wouldn't stop posting indie gifs after he wanted the thread to be split in two so that he didn't have to see non-WWE shit. Or posting too many gifs, either one.
Ignore lists are for the weak.
The most electrifying move in all of sports entertainment, coming soon to an NXT Performance Center near you.
lovely ladies
Member
There was a period when JBL was good, seems like eons ago.
Professor Beef
Banned
lmao, WHAT? you cannot be serious, holy shit
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
Professor Beef
Banned
Of course one of the worst would say this.