Major Changes

[FTS]

According to published reports, Vince McMahon has ordered in-ring talent to make matches look edgier and less worked. These changes can bring so much more to the television programming, but will expose the limitations of so many stars.

Hulk Hogan's best matche was choreographed second by second (WM vi vs warrior). Furthermore, how is Khali going to look edgier? Is he going to hurricanranna Snitsky of the top onto the floor? Can HHH and his bionic legs do anything more than punch and pedigree?

If nothing else expect CM Punk to hurt someone, as he can barely perform the "worked" matches without looking like he has to think about everything he's doing.

End rant


Honestly, I like the idea, don't get me wrong. I just see major problems. The only problem is that the writing won't match. The brand split has led to convoluted storylines. Intense wrestling is one thing, but it still won't put a Stevie Richards vs. Mike Knox match over. 99% of fans still won't care.

What the WWE needs to do with this edgier product is push a group of new stars. TNA has edgier wrestling, and while no one would whisper that Vince is preparing for a monday night war again, nothing the WWE can do would compare to the in-ring segments on TNA. Unless, of course, Shelton Benjamin, Elijah Burke, Team Jealous, Moore Wang, Carlito, Kennedy, and anyone with the last name Hardy (among others) are made to look important. The intensity of the wrestling needs to match the intensity of the writing. Give the talented inring guys something important to do. The brand split means unless you have a title match, you have nothing to do. So, as I have said, end it.

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

I agree. "Edgier" wrestling isn't going to help out the people with less talent, as they're less talented in the first place, so they won't be able to pull it off. Less planning is only good for people that can carry people in a match like HBK, who can successfully think off the top of his head. The example you stated, Richards v Knox...that said it best. Who cares? Lol. Am I going to like this match better just because there's more of a chance that one of them will totally botch it and they'll look even sloppier?

The only thing coming out of this will be more injuries, I feel.

The WWE should be more focused on stopping the childish humor like Hornswoggle, rather than trying to injure more of their guys.

[michaelj817]

Prior to the WWF takeover of the mid 80's and even after that, wrestlers still called their matches in the ring. I recall hearing an interview recently with Ole Anderson in which he stated that when he worked, all they knew was who was going over. Everything else was up to the wrestlers in the ring, and it was a craft because everything was gauged on how the crowd reacted. Todays workers have been brought up somewhat differently, and instead of calling a match in the ring, everything is predetermined before they step through the curtain. From a storyline aspect this is necessary, because you aren't just filling small arenas as in Ole's day, but instead are part of a multi billion dollar corporation that is depending on you to deliver ratings. If wrestler A is going to injure wrestler B's leg as part of a storyline, the specific bullet points of the match need to be worked out prior to the match itself to ensure all goes off well on TV.

However, a major problem with an overly worked style is that it often comes off as choreography. Just this past Saturday I was watching the TNA Impact replay with a lady friend of mine. She is not a huge wrestling fan, but being on the fence, she is the type of casual fan who promotions would be looking to attract as a new viewer. During the course of the AJ Styles-Super Eric vs. Rock and Rave Infection match she digustedly exclaimed, "This is more like acrobatics than wrestling," and walked out of the room. While i respect what all of those guys do, and their incredible athleticism, every match cannot be a spotfest like they put on or else it becomes old. It's just like a "Hell in the Cell" or "Ladder match". All great concepts and good for shock and awe the next day..."Hey did you see so and so go off the cage last night?" But if every match on the card is a HITC, it becomes old really fast.

I personally don't think most of todays wrestlers can work a spontanteous match in the ring, off of nothing but the crowds reaction. While physically gifted performers, their mindset is different in that instead of being brought up in wrestling to draw money(as in years gone by), they are brought up to have a good match. Well problem being that you can have a 5 star classic, but if nobody wants to pay to see it, you aren't doing your job. Another problem with having these guys working their matches more in the ring, is that they are often unprepared for crowd reactions. I can't even count the number of times I've been to Indy shows where boring chants broke out, and the 2 wrestlers immediately went to a high spot to satisfy the crowd. There is a fine line between working from an audience's reactions, and letting the crowd dictate your match, and I don't think the majority of today's young talent know the difference.

Think of pro wrestling as an all you can eat buffet. Just like a buffet, you can keep going back and loading up on steak, chicken wings, or mountains of ice cream(depending on what you like) every time. However, in order to fully appreciate something, there needs to be some variety or else what used to be your favorite becomes stale and old.

Pro Wrestling grew out of the old travelling circuses of the 1800's, and at every circus there is something for everyone. If you don't like the bearded lady, then go to check out the animals, ect. Edgier more cruiserwieght/x-division style wrestling has its place, but it can't be the whole show. I agree that the extremely athetically gifted wrestlers on WWE's shows should be featured in more prominant roles, and in matches that can showcase their respective talents. But this should be done on the lower end of the card, and in the tag ranks to help even out the cards. Think back to an old Nitro broadcast. Great in ring action, via the Luchadors and cruiserweights, with more established guys on the top of the card. But make no mistake about it, it was Hogan, Nash, Goldberg, ect. who were drawing in the crowds. Just like when I was a kid, I loved the old Hart Foundation and how they wrestled. But at the end of the day, I wanted to see Hogan, Andre, Warrior, and Savage do their main event dances.

I'm not saying to leave a bunch of dinosaurs on top forever, but I much prefer the older format in which the card built to a crescendo instead of main event after main event after main event. That is a system that builds stars and allows wrestlers to literally climb up the ladder. Now with so many Main and semi main eventers there is barely any room for a low-midcard guy on the card at all. With that being the case, how will these young talent ever get the opportunity to learn how to work a more in-ring style of match, and as Fromthesouth alluded to, how many injuries will we see?