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WWE Raw drops to lowest TV rating in 18 years

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At this point, the only thing WWE-related that I watch on a weekly basis is NXT.

FUCKING DEVELOPMENTAL is more interesting and entertaining than the main-roster shitshow that is Raw.
 

pezley

Banned
Never really got the hate for Cena, not my cup of tea but certainly has the weight of the WWE on his shoulders for what, 10 years ? Not many people can say that week in week out for such a long period of time. Mad respects for staying in the same shape & conditioning.

That said, if no one is available to step up in the same way he could why wouldn't they keep pushing him ? Bryan was on top of the world but realstically I think everyone could see it wouldnt last. He deserves the world but the love for him I feel was out of frustration and spite toward other top guys. At least the 'universe' picked someone who was worthwhile but I don't think it was solely Bryan they were cheering but more what he represented.

Rollins is boring, incredibly talented and great as a whiny champ but it's becoming a bore. I do quite like how they are billing Kane at the moment though, it's dumb but better then anything they have done with him for years and his mic skills have come a long way.

Kevin Owens isn't going anywhere I reckon. He looks like an indy wrestler, I think he will end up back in the indies soon. This world doesn't suit him. Not just looks but he's not a cartoon, he's not larger than life and I don't get any vibe from him that I can get behind, albeit he is great in the ring.


Neville, so wish he had some personality. He is incredible to watch.

I think NXT should be kept as the wrestlers show, it's where people like Nevill and Owens can shine.

VaudeVillans, there's a team I can get behind.
 

kiguel182

Member
At this point, the only thing WWE-related that I watch on a weekly basis is NXT.

FUCKING DEVELOPMENTAL is more interesting and entertaining than the main-roster shitshow that is Raw.

Same here. I just can't watch Raw anymore.

NXT is great and my go-to wrestling fix right now. NXT Respect will be awesome for sure.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Never really got the hate for Cena, not my cup of tea but certainly has the weight of the WWE on his shoulders for what, 10 years ? Not many people can say that week in week out for such a long period of time. Mad respects for staying in the same shape & conditioning.

That said, if no one is available to step up in the same way he could why wouldn't they keep pushing him ? Bryan was on top of the world but realstically I think everyone could see it wouldnt last. He deserves the world but the love for him I feel was out of frustration and spite toward other top guys. At least the 'universe' picked someone who was worthwhile but I don't think it was solely Bryan they were cheering but more what he represented.

John Cena is the man. Kept wrestling afloat for the past decade. Truly one of the greatest of all time, and only the most upset little crybabies would deny he's not one of the greatest Superstars. The work he's done with Make-A-Wish is unbelievable, and he loves it. Truly a complete package and total class act. John Cena really is one of the greatest people.
 

Anth0ny

Member
No. I still get pumped watching this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4xCM5waFlE

Just listen to the crowd. These segments will always hold because of the energy and authenticity guys like Stone Cold brought to the table. Today none of the characters are remotely interesting.

believe me, I know. I was only talking about sex and blood. I said nothing about austin or any of the other actual wrestlers doing their thing. they were a million times more over than anyone today. crash holly was more over than anyone today. the new age outlaws doing their dumb ass speech got a louder reaction than anyone today. everyone was super likeable, or super hateable. today, everyone is boring and vanilla and nothing leads to anything and no one gives a shit.

Seeing Stephanie emasculate the only act in WWE that seems to have any positive momentum (New Day) is fucking depressing.

Her ego is so big that she needs to be the heel that shits on everyone, but also the babyface that brought you Diva's Revolution and fighting breast cancer and heralding that Connor kid. She wants to have fun being a dick heel, but also the fun of getting pops by mentioning Brady in Boston.

And dont give me that shit "its her character", because quite frankly, i do not believe that is so much of a character, as it is just her wanting validation but also to have fun.

she is a fucking terrible character. the worst part is she'll never get her comeuppance. the closest was ronda at mania... a non-wrestler. great.

this shit ain't happening today:

stephanie-rock-bottomtdodj.gif


rollins, new day, or anyone else she completely shits on with her promos just have to take it.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Legitimately makes me laugh so many people are mad at Cena. He does great things. He's bigger than wrestling. A true superstar.

michael-jordan-laugh.gif


Cena has never been able to land any kind of mainstream spot if Vince isn't bankrolling it. WWE desperately wants to believe he's on the same level as Rock, Austin, or Hogan. He is in no way bigger than wrestling and he would fade into obscurity fast if he lost his WWE TV presence. When Cena was doing the whole "I'm here 24/7" bullshit during his feud with the Rock it ended up serving as a glaring reminder that Cena's mainstream career utterly failed while Rock thrived.

Honestly, the best thing that could happen to WWE would be Cena actually making it big and leaving for Hollywood like Rock did. Cena is a Hogan-sized roadblock towards WWE growing its product because Vince has become so dependent on Cena that he no longer knows how to build any other stars.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Sephzilla I highly recommend you watch Total Divas so you can get rid of your John Cena hate. He's a great dude.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Sephzilla I highly recommend you watch Total Divas so you can get rid of your John Cena hate. He's a great dude.

I don't hate Cena, well, mostly. I fully believe he pulls some Hogan/HBK tier shit backstage sometimes. I mostly hate everything that happens around him. Also, Total Diva's is probably the most fake and staged bit of WWE programming. So I'm not going to base real-life John Cena off of that.
 

BigDug13

Member
Sephzilla I highly recommend you watch Total Divas so you can get rid of your John Cena hate. He's a great dude.

I don't think he was criticizing Cena aside from countering the notion that Cena is bigger than wrestling. He really isn't. His entire brand is WWE. I kind of agree that I couldn't see Cena pulling what The Rock and Hogan did as far as post WWE fame. No matter how much of a great dude he is.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Suburban moms know Cena. That's the only demographic you need.
 

hamchan

Member
I think Cena could have a potential future in comedy films. Dude is funny and seems like a real weirdo in real life.
 

OnPoint

Member
[ig]http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/michael-jordan-laugh.gif[/img]

Cena has never been able to land any kind of mainstream spot if Vince isn't bankrolling it. WWE desperately wants to believe he's on the same level as Rock, Austin, or Hogan. He is in no way bigger than wrestling and he would fade into obscurity fast if he lost his WWE TV presence. When Cena was doing the whole "I'm here 24/7" bullshit during his feud with the Rock it ended up serving as a glaring reminder that Cena's mainstream career utterly failed while Rock thrived.

Honestly, the best thing that could happen to WWE would be Cena actually making it big and leaving for Hollywood like Rock did. Cena is a Hogan-sized roadblock towards WWE growing its product because Vince has become so dependent on Cena that he no longer knows how to build any other stars.
The Rock had a couple of so-so attempts to start though, didn't he? Give it some time, maybe Cena can actually make it. The best thing for The Rock's movie career was leaving wrestling (mostly) behind, maybe Cena should follow suit.
 

Sephzilla

Member
The Rock had a couple of so-so attempts to start though, didn't he? Give it some time, maybe Cena can actually make it. The best thing for The Rock's movie career was leaving wrestling (mostly) behind, maybe Cena should follow suit.

Rock's so-so attempts never hit the low points of The Marine and 12 Rounds, though.

He was exceptional in Trainwreck.

Maybe he could make something out of being in supporting roles in rom-coms.
 

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
How much of Total Divas is staged? I watch the show from times to times, and there's stuff like that Eva Maria girl with her constant health problems and doctor visits



It's a reality show put on by the WWE airing on E. Is it possible for something to be 300% staged? Because that's about where we are with that combination.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
The Rock had a couple of so-so attempts to start though, didn't he? Give it some time, maybe Cena can actually make it. The best thing for The Rock's movie career was leaving wrestling (mostly) behind, maybe Cena should follow suit.

Never forget the Tooth Fairy
or Hercules
or the Game Plan
or the Race to Witch Mountain
or Doom
or Get Smart

Man there's a lot of shit movies. Cena's fine. He's in some trash as well.

Rock's so-so attempts never hit the low points of The Marine and 12 Rounds, though.

wrong, Game Plan is absolutely terrible
 

FyreWulff

Member
How much of Total Divas is staged? I watch the show from times to times, and there's stuff like that Eva Maria girl with her constant health problems and doctor visits

300000000000000%

Every reality TV show is scripted already. Add in the fact that is is basically a wrestling show without matches and you're going too the moon
 
Seeing Stephanie emasculate the only act in WWE that seems to have any positive momentum (New Day) is fucking depressing.

Her ego is so big that she needs to be the heel that shits on everyone, but also the babyface that brought you Diva's Revolution and fighting breast cancer and heralding that Connor kid. She wants to have fun being a dick heel, but also the fun of getting pops by mentioning Brady in Boston.

And dont give me that shit "its her character", because quite frankly, i do not believe that is so much of a character, as it is just her wanting validation but also to have fun.
Aka HHH
 
I have been a wrestling fan since I can remember and I am now 39 years old. But over the past 10 years the business has basically died in my opinion, and nothing will bring it back in the near future.
It will take a full blown Attitude Era complete with bloody matches and plenty of steel chairs to the head. Which will never happen again and rightfully so due to concussions and other head trauma. Even if the WWE had the talent on the mic which they don't they can never go extreme enough to grab mainstream attention again.

Extreme draws the headlines and word of mouth. Like it or not the violence is what drew the ratings they saw in the late 90's early 2000's. Look at the NFL even with all the evidence of head trauma they continue to dominate ratings consistently.
NXT is selling out arenas in Brooklyn and London and is a top trend on Twitter during NXT specials without doing any extreme violence.

You have to be in touch with the modern world. Your mind is stuck in the year 2000. As someone already said, watching people get hurt Jackass style isn't a thing anymore. It was back then.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
Here's the Flash Fact - if Cena leaves without someone fit to take over, WWE is fucked. Punk was too arrogant, Bryan doesn't do the politics necessary, Roman's got to earn it... there's no one fit to take Cena's spot. That's not to say anyone is bad, but Cena left in 2013 and they begged him to come back because ratings/PPVs were fucking dying with Bryan on top. So Cena had to fucking slum it against Del Rio.
 

FyreWulff

Member
Here's the Flash Fact - if Cena leaves without someone fit to take over, WWE is fucked. Punk was too arrogant, Bryan doesn't do the politics necessary, Roman's got to earn it... there's no one fit to take Cena's spot. That's not to say anyone is bad, but Cena left in 2013 and they begged him to come back because ratings/PPVs were fucking dying with Bryan on top. So Cena had to fucking slum it against Del Rio.

Cena never left except for injuries. He rides on the jet with McMahon.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Here's the Flash Fact - if Cena leaves without someone fit to take over, WWE is fucked.

And that's entirely WWE's fault for making the entire world revolve around Cena. The end result is there's nobody else to carry the weight in his absence. Even in the Hogan era you had Macho and Warrior who could carry things when Hogan wasn't there. In the Attitude Era you had Rock who could carry everything when Austin was gone.
 
Here's the Flash Fact - if Cena leaves without someone fit to take over, WWE is fucked. Punk was too arrogant, Bryan doesn't do the politics necessary, Roman's got to earn it... there's no one fit to take Cena's spot. That's not to say anyone is bad, but Cena left in 2013 and they begged him to come back because ratings/PPVs were fucking dying with Bryan on top. So Cena had to fucking slum it against Del Rio.

If I was Cena and knew I was this important. Assuming I have my money right and was nearing retirement anyway. (He should be good for the rest of his life if he quit now wouldnt he?) I would tax the hell outta WWE. More points on ppvs, merchandise. I would also work on getting WWE stock into my contract as well. For the time being, WWE would have no choice or be forced to go w/o him. Either way they would be forced to actually try and improve their writing, booking, etc. Just to have replacements for John Cena and so they will never end up being in the position they are in now with 1 person being so above everyone else.
 

Sephzilla

Member
If I was Cena and knew I was this important. Assuming I have my money right and was nearing retirement anyway. (He should be good for the rest of his life if he quit now wouldnt he?) I would tax the hell outta WWE. More points on ppvs, merchandise. I would also work on getting WWE stock into my contract as well. For the time being, WWE would have no choice or be forced to go w/o him. Either way they would be forced to actually try and improve their writing, booking, etc. Just to have replacements for John Cena and so they will never end up being in the position they are in now with 1 person being so above everyone else.

On the flipside, I don't think Cena would try something like this because even though he's super important to WWE, WWE is super important to him. WWE can survive w/out Cena just like they survived w/out Hogan, I don't think Cena can survive w/out WWE especially since WWE has no true competition in North America anymore.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
And that's entirely WWE's fault for making the entire world revolve around Cena. The end result is there's nobody else to carry the weight in his absence. Even in the Hogan era you had Macho and Warrior who could carry things when Hogan wasn't there. In the Attitude Era you had Rock who could carry everything when Austin was gone.

Yeah, no. Savage was only 'the man' in so much as he could be the guy Hogan beat a year later. Note that after Hogan beat Savage, it took until 1992 when Savage won the gold again. And Hogan STILL main evented that Mania. And Warrior? He bombed so hard that the boys who hated Hogan wanted Hogan back on top so at least they'd make some damn money again. Shit, you think Vince WANTED to all but beg Hogan to be champ again?

As for The Attitude Era, Rock is damn lucky Austin got injured. Rock had a full year to get himself over as champ without worrying about Austin, and even then Austin's return at Backlash overshadowed Rock's big moment completely.
 

jmdajr

Member
On the flipside, I don't think Cena would try something like this because even though he's super important to WWE, WWE is super important to him. WWE can survive w/out Cena just like they survived w/out Hogan, I don't think Cena can survive w/out WWE especially since WWE has no true competition in North America anymore.

Cena just needs to get on that Brock contract schedule.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Yeah, no. Savage was only 'the man' in so much as he could be the guy Hogan beat a year later. Note that after Hogan beat Savage, it took until 1992 when Savage won the gold again. And Hogan STILL main evented that Mania. And Warrior? He bombed so hard that the boys who hated Hogan wanted Hogan back on top so at least they'd make some damn money again. Shit, you think Vince WANTED to all but beg Hogan to be champ again?

As for The Attitude Era, Rock is damn lucky Austin got injured. Rock had a full year to get himself over as champ without worrying about Austin, and even then Austin's return at Backlash overshadowed Rock's big moment completely.

Warrior didn't actually bomb though. What did him in was entirely his backstage attitude.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
Warrior didn't actually bomb though. What did him in was entirely his backstage attitude.

Combo of both.

Bomb is a strong word, but I think it's fair to say Vince wanted to move on from Hogan and going back to Hogan so quickly was not what he wanted to do, at all.
 

enewtabie

Member
Some serious changes will need to happen. Hunter has a good plan with NXT and where it's going. Raw needs to completely overhaul it's way of thinking. I know none of this will happen,but I discussed this with somebody the other night.

1. Rules.. Get the rules clear. Make them mean something and make the Ref important again. He's just background noise in WWE. Tommy Young/Earl Hebner. People used to know who the Ref was and they were stars too.

2. Make Finishers important... The wish washy nature of the way WWE kills me. No selling a frog splash. Kicking out of multiple finishers. Gimme a break.

3. Authority has to go. Times up..Do a GM if you need ,but use them like NXT uses Regal.

4. Heels need to be geniunely dislikable. The cool heel isn't doing anybody any favors. When I watched Mid Atlantic matches in Greensboro many years ago. People booed and really hated the bad guys. Now they travel and take pics together.

5. You can keep Seth as champ but you need to reform the shield as Heels. Ambrose/Reigns need Rollins and Rollins need them to watch his back. Do a double turn down the road with Seth as Face and Reigns as Heel.

6. Put a belt of Rusev and let him work. Kids got it. Big E as well.

7. Move some of the lower card guys into bigger matches. Not all the time but more

8. Squash matches are ok

9. Break up the Divas and let them all go against each other. You can form the four Horsewomen down the road.

10. Match variety.. Mix it up..

I enjoy wrestling. I've been watching 40 years. I just wish it made me want to watch.
 
I have mad respect for Cena, but the reality is wrestling is not big enough anymore to rely on one person becoming a huge star. It's true, to an extent, to say Triple H's approach to NXT won't make Raw way better, but Triple H's approach to NXT - that is, making the card somewhat interesting from top to bottom - will be more consistent, in the long run, financially. Sami Zayn probably won't sell out arenas, but he'd be just fine as a top face for a while if he were buoyed by moderate money makers in the midcard, and if the show, itself, were consistent enough to be worth watching even in the absence of an Austin/Hogan/Cena-tier star.
 

LakeEarth

Member
I have mad respect for Cena, but the reality is wrestling is not big enough anymore to rely on one person becoming a huge star. It's true, to an extent, to say Triple H's approach to NXT won't make Raw way better, but Triple H's approach to NXT - that is, making the card somewhat interesting from top to bottom - will be more consistent, in the long run, financially. Sami Zayn probably won't sell out arenas, but he'd be just fine as a top face for a while if he were buoyed by moderate money makers in the midcard, and if the show, itself, were consistent enough to be worth watching even in the absence of an Austin/Hogan/Cena-tier star.

Agreed. During my height of wrestling fandom, I barely gave a crap about Austin and his storyline. It was most everything else that got me to keep coming back.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
I'm all for a Shield reunion.

Solely because as good as they are apart, they are beyond amazing together. And they're such good heels they made guys like Uso's/Cody and Golddust look like the biggest stars alive.
 

Sephzilla

Member
I'm all for a Shield reunion.

Solely because as good as they are apart, they are beyond amazing together. And they're such good heels they made guys like Uso's/Cody and Golddust look like the biggest stars alive.

I'd be down for this. They broke up The Shield basically the moment they got super over and The Shield helped Rollins, Roman, and Dean collectively
 

enewtabie

Member
I'm all for a Shield reunion.

Solely because as good as they are apart, they are beyond amazing together. And they're such good heels they made guys like Uso's/Cody and Golddust look like the biggest stars alive.

I kinda thought Rollins was going to be their secret partner. He would help them and in return they would watch his back as champ with the promise that they would get a shot at the belt down the road..Then Randy showed up..which I'm glad he's at least showing some personality now.
 
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