Confrontations in WWE -- Stale, Boring, Predictable

[Ambiguous Turd]

I was watching Smackdown this past week, and was looking at Undertaker come out to open the show. Then, Chris Jericho came out to confront him. Then, it results in a brawl. It got me thinking.

WWE has really lost the art of the confrontation with their product.

Let's say Wrestler X and Wrestler Y are involved in a program together. Now, how many times do you see on Raw, Smackdown, or ECW ...


1) Wrestler X's music hits ... comes out to the ring.

2) Wrestler X says ... "Wrestler Y, blah blah blah blah blah ...."

3) Wrestler Y's music hits and comes out.

4) Wrestler Y says, "Wrestler X, blah blah blah blah blah ..."



And then either one of two things happens:


A) There is a brawl.

B) Wrestler X or Wrestler Y goes to the back while the camera does a close-up shot of the reaction of the other competitor.


We've seen the same formula for years. The result? The same predictable show on television that people become all-too-accustomed to. And that leads to viewers getting bored. I am absolutely convinced that there has got to be something else out there that they can do other than the same tired confrontation angles like this.

Watch for it tonight on Raw and be consciously aware of it. When Wrestler X comes out to cut a promo, you can be certain that Wrestler Y will have their music played and be right behind them.


There is another technique that has been adopted and over-used throughout the years, as well.

Wrestler X and Wrestler Y are involved in a program ...

1) Either Wrestler X OR Wrestler Y comes out and talks trash about the other

2) Then, the music of Wrestler Z hits and comes out to talk trash about the person standing in the ring.

3) A match is then made between the first Wrestler and Wrestler Z for the evening's show


Now that's a suitable alternative, as long as that concept isn't over-used. And unfortunately it has in the past. I remember WWE doing this several weeks in a row at one point.

Just speculating .... but maybe the problem with the confrontation is that there are simply too many of them, and the audience has become numb to the concept.

Now, I know people are going to argue and say "Well, without any confrontation, then that certainly doesn't produce interesting television."

And in a way, that is true, UNLESS people have simply become bored with the same predictable types of confrontations. Perhaps, they can think of a way to still produce interesting television WITHOUT the confrontation. Perhaps with the draw being the personality of the superstar cutting a hysterical or intense promo that reels the audience in. Think of superstars like The Rock or Hulk Hogan ... who's colorful personality didn't necessarily require a confrontation to take place in order for their promo to be a hit with the audience.

Does anyone else see the same problem?

I think the WWE needs to discover new and innovative ways to entertain the audience than simply doing the same tired confrontations to try and hype feuds.

There has got to be something else out there to try to captivate viewers, and still generate interest in feuds.

Please provide your thoughts on whether it is a problem or not ... And/Or any suggestions to help improve the concept.

 

[jayteeERA]

I agree with this 100%. The confrontations, promos are all the same thing. I remember WCW had different ways to hype up a feud without confrontation all the time. Some feuds need it some don't. They should rest on the confrontation a while and try something else.

 

[colalella2891]

lol, yea you're right. They do do the same thing all the time. Never really noticed that. With the first situation you mentioned, they did the same thing when Batista first came back to Smackdown and was confronted by Y2J. It resulted in a spinebuster. They really do need to do something new, but it would be better if they used NEW people, not just Y2J and the rest of the stale main eventers.

 

[Big Ol' Buckta AIDS]

jesus christ you are dumb. this has been going on for years. YEARS! and for the 20 some odd years i have been watching, it has been entertaining. if you don't like WWE don't watch. it has been clear that through all of your posts and forums that you hate the WWE and its PG programming, but what you fail to relize is that the WWE was pg before the atituide era. get over it, that is how the WWE has always done it, and they have used this formula because it works. if you don't find it entertaining go watch TNA.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

jesus christ you are dumb.

This will hopefully be the first and last time I have to tell you this. Watch your mouth and show a little class.

There are going to be dissenting opinions on discussion forums. Or would you rather us all get together and sing "Kumbayah"? I'm telling you right now, that isn't going to happen.

Now, you want to prove my comments, wrong ... then be my guest.

this has been going on for years. YEARS! and for the 20 some odd years i have been watching, it has been entertaining.

I'm aware that it has been going on for years. And in sitting back in retrospect and examining what I don't find enjoyable about the WWE anymore ... this is one of the things that popped in my head. I thought it was a worthy topic of discussion.

Tell me how what I said was not true? I made a statement stating that it was boring and stale ... and it is. The point being that, as you admitted, it has been done for so many years. It's time for a change.

if you don't like WWE don't watch.

Well, you know I stopped watching WWE for a little bit. But then I became WWE Forum Moderator, so I would be doing a disservice if I didn't watch the programming of the section I moderate. So, looks like your stuck with me.

it has been clear that through all of your posts and forums that you hate the WWE and its PG programming

It's current blend of programming ... I do not care for. And I have every right to voice my concern over it, just like you have every right to defend it. I've watched WWE for 20 years, and I know what the company is capable of.

You see the problem is that there are a lot of unhappy fans out there. Instead of painting me out to be the "Bad Guy" here, Chico ... you should perhaps be listening to some of the things I have to say. Because I'm only telling you WHY people are unhappy. And because wrestling is an addiction for so many, they aren't going away.

The complaining is something YOU are going to have to live with.

but what you fail to relize is that the WWE was pg before the atituide era. get over it, that is how the WWE has always done it, and they have used this formula because it works. if you don't find it entertaining go watch TNA.

I didn't recall stating my problem was the product "being PG" anywhere in that post. Do you?

And I do watch TNA.

Now, I am going to let this post slide, because I don't want people discouraged from challenging Moderators on here. I encourage it.

But keep your posts on topic with respect to the title of the thread, or there will be Warnings/Infractions issued.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Sidious I'm going to have to agree with you. A while back, I posted a thread on how contract sigings were becoming the most predictable concept in pro wrestling. Both men cautiously sign the contract, there's a brief stare-down, and then someone is bound to go through a table. My whole point is that contract signings are a very easy and boring way to have a conforntation.

I remeber when The Rock came out on Raw to challenge Hogan to the match at WM 18. Those two hardly said anything, and the crowd had a buzz like you wouldn't believe. But what you have to remeber about Rock and Hogan is that both of those guys and others like them have tons of charisma. The crowd will go nuts on their presence alone.

The problem is there are only a handfull of wrestlers out there that can generate that type of buzz. Unless WWE does something similar to what they did during the HHH/Orton feud or the HBK/Jericho feud, then we will continue to see this same formula. If you remeber, all Orton had to do was go out there and give a speech about how HHH screwed him over in Evolution, and then HHH came out there and pretty much said he didn't give two-shits about Orton winning the WHC. It made the hatred between these two feel so real.

I really love how TNA is handling the hype for the match between Joe,AJ,and Daniels. Joe is playing devil's advocate in trying to turn best friends against each other, and top it off, you have a mystery attacker to add another element of mystery to the match. If WWE can find a way to incorparate new elemnts like this into their feuds, I think they can have a fresh feel to it.

Moderator Comments (Lord Sidious): Nice comments, HHHKing. I inserted some breaks for paragraphs into your comments. It really makes your words so much easier to read .... and they should be read. Just need you to use some paragraphs so your words are readable. Thanks.

 

[JJYanks121]

It's great to start a thread to complain about things and look to others who think like you to justify your complaints, but if you want to start an interesting thread, offer up some solutions. I actually like the potential of this thread, but we shouldn't be talking about whether the confrontations are stale, but focus instead on what ideas we might have to improve these segments.

Before I offer up solutions or ideas, I will say that what keeps these segments unstale and unpredictable is what is said in these confrontations, not just how they end. When the better performers are involved in them, they come off smoother, original and you get intrigued. The performers must steal the show with quality promos and confrontations. If they don't, you are bored. I will say that to start this topic based on the Undertaker/Jericho confrontation is pretty nuts. While I agree that Taker's promos are pretty boring and stale, Jericho's promo on Taker was brilliant. That alone makes the confrontation new and exciting. If the performers are up to the task, it won't seem so boring.

With that said, confrontations are done to set up matches that night or PPV matches, so tension has to be evident to sell the fact that 2 men or women want to fight each other. It's kind of the nature of the business. The only other options are backstage confrontation, on screen to in ring verbal confrontation, and the ever-popular interrupt the match while commentating trick. There's not a ton out there that you can do to set up 2 men fighting. So while the format may be the same, the only way to keep it unpredictable is the actual execution of the confrontations and not think too hard about the fact that it's a bit formulaic.

 

[The_Instant_Classic]

I feel that gametime has issues and is very very upset about, well something, possibly lord sidioud or the fact showdowns are always the same, and judging by the typing beatdown he just attempted to put on lord sidious I'd say this is a problem that should be done through private messages instead of for all the forum to see.

anyways, back to the real topic, yes wwe showdowns are predictable and boring but this is another aspect of the show that has been effected by the pg era. Imagine the possibilities if weapons and blood could be involved. With bloodshed and hardcore mayhem comes storyline chances and more creative flow with all the various possibilities. Hopefully when linda mcmahon loses her run for a senate seat, we will see more violence and possibly another attitude era.

 

[TwistofRKO]

Everything on WWE programming seems to be predictable, but this leads the class.

I completely agree with you. Guy A talks for 3-4 minutes, the next guy comes out and talks for 5 minutes while the first guy says nothing (?) and then they are ready to have a scuffle and the GM/Guest host announces their match for the night.

There are plenty of other things they can do, particularly with the heel. Can't have the guy just sneak into the ring and attack him, and run off? Anything like that? Can't we have more interaction backstage (besides the interview area), maybe in the locker room, etc.

There's plenty they can do but they simply aren't appearing to be willing to try anything different.

 

[Ubiquitous]

jesus christ you are dumb.

Wow, now this is the way to start a post, insult a mod AND millions of christians the world over, not to mention being completely grammatically incorrect. Way to go.

Anyway, I completely agree. They're bland, boring, and honestly just not that fun to watch. That's the reason I loved when Miz and Morrison were together and did The Dirt Sheet. They'd further their feuds without having the other team/person/whatever even involved, and they were hysterical in doing so. I also liked when they did TDS after they split and made fun of each other the whole time, much like just before bragging rights when they had TDS on Smackdown. (Just a side note "Oh, Miz. You have a title? Did you buy that on WWESHOP.com?" Most hysterical thing I've ever heard).

Anyway, there's plenty of things they could do to further feuds without these confrontations. Kofi's recent promo atop Ortons stock car comes to mind. It was different, it wasn't predictable at all. It was GOOD. It had me glued to my seat. If WWE was a little more creative like they were right here,
"confrontations" could be a hell of alot more entertaining.

 

[FloydFixation]

Every company follows that formula Sidious. WCW, NWA, WWE, ECW, TNA, RoH, etc. You can't just shoot down on the WWE. You have to group them all in that right there.

Also for fun, go be the passenger like you are, board the sinking ship TNA is, and wait for that iceberg to hit. ^_^

 

[People's Champ]

As was mentioned earlier not every single confrontation is like that. The Dirt Sheet with the Miz and Morrison was different as was Kofi and Orton. And when it does happe by the script its not always boring i.e Jericho's promo with Undertaker. It all depends on who is in involved.

And its not just WWE who does this. I don't watch TNA ever but for some reason I watched a bit and saw the same thing with W.E and another guy (I don't know his name as I don't watch it so forgive me). The point is its a formula that's used everywhere, so I'm not sure why you pick only on WWE.

 

[The Doctor]

Yes, it's true, but I believe that it isn't always a bad thing if done in moderation.

They seem to be moving away from that and trying something else. Just look at the Kofi/Orton promo everyone is raving about. Kofi Kingston of all people showed up backstage on the titantron and wrecked Orton's car. That's a confrontation that set up a hopefully great feud, and it was completely different from the MVP/Orton confrontation that fit in the category described in your post.

Or, look at the Abraham Washington Show. That's another way to set up a feud or confrontation without having to resort to the predictable formula.

 

[drondog]

As long as we continue to watch WWE, and then come on here and bitch, Vince will never change the product. Stop watching for a couple weeks maybe a month, and see how he "shakes things up again"

 

[justinept]

I enjoy how people say that the WWE ALWAYS uses these simple formulas... and then give examples of how some guys in WWE use different methods to start feuds.

I'll agree, though. The predominant method of starting a feud has always been to use the formulas mentioned in the original post. Why? Because history has proven that it works.

It really can't be said enough - if you don't like it then don't watch it!

And if you hate the WWE so much, then why would you subject yourself to being the moderator for a WWE forum?

Case in point - I'm the PR Director for a professional sports team. I hate volleyball. If offered a job to work for a pro volleyball team, I'd turn it down.

 

[Thugz417]

I hate to say it but there are only so many ways a confrontation can go. Either
A) someone gets hurt
B) they brawl and are broken up by officials
C) they talk and talk and talk til we fall asleep then have to wrestle later that night
D) The heel runs towards the ring then backs away.
E) They play a previously recorded message on the tron (big screen for the n00bs out there) and then either the face or heel comes through the crowd to attack the "unsuspecting wrestler" from behind.

I've tried to think of other ways to have confrontations become more exciting. Perhaps you could have stables form during said beatings. But that's been done. You could have bitter rivals unite against a common enemy (obviously aside from eachother!) But for the most part everyone that is watching at home has lived through ALL of these.

Blah Blah Hogan/Rock joining up against Nash/Hall

Austin/Rock confrontation before their match at Mania X7 was legandary though. I do believe that was one of the best well played confrontations in a LONG time. How Vince actually seemed to be legitimately worried about the main event being ruined, calling in the entire roster/security/police etc etc.

Perhaps that's what we need. More roster brawls!.... No wait.. that's been done too!

Honestly this is a mind bender. I can't think of any confrontation angle that HASN'T been played out...

What's happened during confrontations:
Family members turning on eachother
Partners turning on eachother
Brothers turning on eachother
"COMPANIES" turning on eachother (see the invasion angle where ECW entered the mix)

We've become so immune to everything that it would take a shocker to really get us going. We've seen:
Barbed wire matches... where ACTUAL barbed wire was used..
Inferno matches
Cage Matches
Lumberjack Matches
Hell in a Cell matches
Handicap matches
Tables matches
TLC matches
Iron Man matches
First Blood Matches
Normal matches
Submission Matches
2 out of 3 Falls matches
Til Death so us part matches
Loser Leave matches
Ladder Matches
Hardcore matches


Honestly I don't know what WWE or even TNA could do to shock us in confrontation mode anymore. Hell a wrestler bleeds, now a days that's common place (well until WWE went PG-My n*ts..i mean PG-13)

I've been trying to think through this whole post and I was hoping maybe this would help but honestly...Posting this just proved that WWE IS indeed stale, boring and predictable. I was watching Raw a while back right before Orton beat Benoit at SS. I was sitting there and I looked to my buddy with my eyes CLOSED, and I said "sharpshooter..into RKO Orton wins"... and what do you know! 10 seconds later. BENOIT going for the Sharpshooter! OMG *RKO RKO RKO* 1-2-3!

It sucks because WWE used to be WILD and out of control, with the Nation vs DX, DX vs Corporation/ Corporate Ministry. Hell those were some epic confrontations. Now a days it's rather... Pathetic...

my

 

[iamcountrymusic]

i've felt the same way ever since i got back into watching wrestling over a year ago.
With the guest host now, it seems like a heel comes out and interupts almost every week. Orton, Jericho, The Miz, etc.
It's obvious they don't know how to have confrontations any other way. Or they're too lazy to come up with something different.

 

[maar130]

Well, it has become rather predictable like you said Lord Sidious. But I think even if it looks the same right now, the picture is less predictable since, for once we have DX vs Cena and eventhough they were picked up at random, there hasn't been a confrontation per se there yet.

And on Smackdown eventhough Jericho confronted th Undertaker the Big sshow is the player that hasn't come up to play yet. even if it looks repetitive right now there are a few glimpses that the situation is different now in the title picture.


Think aobut it also that most people fall for it, including myself of course.

Now maybe in the late years it has become more repetitive but in past years also there have been different kinds of confrontations there, like the Choosing of the Undertaker's opponent at WM 23 (yeah pretty much everyone knew it was Batista but it was cool to se Taker on Raw and ECW after the Royal Rumble), or When HHH faced Edge at GAB 2008, they never interacted with each other until the final Smackdown before the event, or Jeff Vs Punk, whic saw their confrontation being twisted while Punk made the transition to heel.

And yes wrestling usually is about the confrontation, TNA uses it, ROH uses it, all companies uses it like FloydFixiation said. At some pint the two powers involved needs to collide, sometimes it is prematurelly, sometimes is not.

 

[pyrusane]

As I read through this thread, something occurred to me: we are so worried about why all of the confrontations are so formulaic, that a more basic questions is being ignored. Why do we need to even have so many confrontations? I mean seriously, there are some shows where almost every single match on the show is preceded by or followed with one of the standard confrontation sequences. And for the most part, those few matches that don't include a confrontation are still primarily there to further some program or another.

To me, this is indicative of a bigger issue in professional wrestling at all levels today. For some reason, the prevailing sentiment today seems to be that matches are used to further angles, rather than angles being used to make matches more relevant. Its a subtle distinction, but one that bears thinking about for a moment. I originally thought about this while reading KB's outstanding Survivor Series review thread. There were several matches on the various cards where he didn't completely understand why some of the participants were involved in the matches at all. This is why.

WWE and TNA both have forgotten a very basic premise of professional wrestlers...they wrestle because that is their job. Shocking, I know. Their job is to go out to the ring, wrestle a match, get a paycheck. This is something that has been forgotten over the years. The reason why so many of the guys in those old matches seemed to have no reason to be there is because they didn't...they were there to wrestle in a match.

I remember a time when you could watch an entire episode of WWF Monday Night on USA (this was a few years before it was called RAW) and every single match would just be a couple guys going out there to earn their paycheck. There might be a few backstage interviews to further an ongoing feud, and sometimes there was a random bit of oddness like One Man Gang becoming Akeem.

Now I would never suggest that WWE go back to that time, because frankly, it kind of sucked. My point is, not every match has to have an angle. The simplest reason for two guys to go have a match is because it's their job. It doesn't have to be a huge storyline about I hate you, you hate me, we both hate this other guy, I blew up your car, you destroyed my house, the other guy peed in my soup...isn't the fact that they're both getting paid, and maybe winning this match is one step closer to a title shot, incentive enough?

Of course, this will never happen. Sidious, you talk a lot about fans who blindly go along with whatever Vince feeds them being "shareholders" and "sheep"; but as much as Vince might have trained fans, the fans have also trained Vince. During the Attitude era is when the whole "Storyline is everything" explosion really happened, and incidentally this was also when ratings were at their absolute highest. We, as fans, told Vince McMahon that storylines and angles drove ratings; of course, what really drove the ratings were the powerful personalities that were put in those storylines and angles, characters and personalities that simply can't be matched today.

It's evident even on these forums. How often do we see threads about so-and-so being the next Rock, the next Stone cold? Notice, these threads aren't "What angle is the next 'Pillman's got a gun' or 'Who ran over Stone Cold'" but rather focus on the characters that were involved in those angles.

To bring this all back to the point: We have the same confrontation over and over again because, once upon a time, they were effective at driving compelling storylines between interesting characters that drove ticket sales and PPV buyrates. But at some point, the storyline became more important than the character, the matches became tools to drive the angles instead of the angles being used to enhance the matches, and we are left with the same repetitive shows week after week, with the same promos being delivered by different names.

Shareholders are shareholders because they bought in, and in doing so they now drive the very lack of creativity that they simultaneously bemoan.

Or I could be wrong. Who knows?

 

[bxbigshow]

This has and always will be in the formula for pro wrestling and as the poster above me stated it was in the Attitude/MNWars era when the fans ate it up.

I remember back in the Hogan Era most matches were just matches. And confrontations happened when you least expected it. I remember when Randy Savage 'injured' Ricky Steamboat with the ring bell. Before that match there didn't seem to be any animosity toward each other, but Savage went apeshit for no reason. It put Ricky out and through backstage interviews/recovery vignettes the rivalry built. Smae example with Jake Roberts vs. Streamboat. Jake vs. Savage. Also the run-in was more impactful at the time.

The reason why it isn't anymore? The internet...

Imagine if Vince tried the storyline of Miz vs. Evan Bourne (non-title). It seems like a normal match on Raw until EB starts pulling off some amazing stuff. The match starts to look really great. Then the Miz goes 'ape' and 'injurs' Bourne.

Vince keeps EB off televison for 5-7 weeks (misses the next PPV). Miz thinks he's moving on to the next guy, until during another random Miz match Evan Bourne runs in a attacks Miz. It could be a great angle without the formula that we are use to.

BUT:

Once Evan is injured, everyone flocks to the IWC to see what's the injury, how long is he out, what RAW/PPV can he be back for at his earliest, is it a shoot or a work. Should he go after Miz immediately? Or just move on...

Also, once he is ready to return, everyone will flock to the IWC to find out what's being leaked about his next program. Once Evan Bourne is ready to return, everyone will read that he's backstage tonight...I believe you get it.

But WWE has tried different things recently, The Dirt Sheet and Kofi vs. Orton's car come to mund but I actually like a different one.

Jack Swagger using the Miz's match to come out and hit on Eve. He got on the mic and was stating to Miz (whilst lookig at Eve) how irrelevent this match is. I ate it up....

 

[Suneeboy]

Sidious I think you are on point here but one thing I think you are taking out of context that its not so much the formula that is stale. This is the formula that is used in professional wrestling. You need to have confrontations in the ring, and you need that interaction, because the live crowd fuels the promos.

The problem is that the presentation that the WWE has been giving us is stale and boring. They've done this for years this same exact formula, but it didn't feel so forced and scripted. As of late especially we have a scripted opening promo most likely with the guest host. The guest host of course has no wrestling knowledge, or is damn near incohesive (Ozzy Osborne, The Nascar drivers, and Ricky Hatton). They sound dry and nervous, and are carried by the wrestlers who are just basically waiting for them to finish their lines so that they can say their part. The guest host then shouts their line which happens to be the match between Wrestler X and Wrestler Y.

The formula is stale, but it is only stale in the current WWE Product. TNA follows a similar formula. Don't want to talk to much about it in the WWE forum but you saw last week AJ came out, then Joe, then Daniels, and then they made a match. The difference is in the presentation.

The WWE has watered down their product and it shows ZERO INTENSITY. It is a happy family friendly product, and the edge has been taken away for the most part. The promos consist of jokes and snide remarks, and of pandering to the crowd. The promos aren't personal, and their is no emotion in the presentation. It stands out especially now since the product is so dry and repetitive. When the WWE drops the gloves one day and goes back to what works they'll see a ratings increase and they'll see happier fans on this message board, including you and myself Sidious. Until then I'll see you on Thursday nights watching Impact.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

It's great to start a thread to complain about things and look to others who think like you to justify your complaints, but if you want to start an interesting thread, offer up some solutions. I actually like the potential of this thread, but we shouldn't be talking about whether the confrontations are stale, but focus instead on what ideas we might have to improve these segments.

You know, I could do that. But then I would be doing all the work and "telling you what to think". Sometimes, putting out a good topic, one that could go either way, and saying a few words about it to get people off to a good start in where you are coming from is more effective than giving YOU all the answers and all of my own personal ideas.

Do I have ideas? Sure. I may opt to share some of them. But let's keep the thread going first with your suggestions and quit making this about me and what I think.

Many times I can be a very forceful poster. All I am doing this time is simply taking a step back and taking the Moderator/Facilitator role to get people discussing a certain topic which I feel is worth addressing.

Before I offer up solutions or ideas, I will say that what keeps these segments unstale and unpredictable is what is said in these confrontations, not just how they end.

I would love to agree with you, but I can't. Every single week, it is essentially the same old thing and the same "blah, blah, blah, blah". And this coincides directly with me advocating more storylines in wrestling for a long time now.

When the better performers are involved in them, they come off smoother, original and you get intrigued. The performers must steal the show with quality promos and confrontations. If they don't, you are bored.

What good are the promos if you've heard the same superstars ramble off the same stuff over and over and over again for years? What good is it if you've seen the same types of confrontations from the same superstars over and over and over again for years?

It loses its muster. And that also gets boring.

I will say that to start this topic based on the Undertaker/Jericho confrontation is pretty nuts. While I agree that Taker's promos are pretty boring and stale, Jericho's promo on Taker was brilliant.

Ah yes. The innovative Jericho promo ....

"blah blah blah Hypocrites ... blah blah blah Parasites .... blah blah blah I am the Best in the World today at what I do."

Repetition is a good thing to an extent, but come on Jericho. You are better than this.

With that said, confrontations are done to set up matches that night or PPV matches, so tension has to be evident to sell the fact that 2 men or women want to fight each other. It's kind of the nature of the business.

I stated that confrontations as they are today are stale, boring, and predictable. I did state that they may need to be reduced, but I never stated they should be eliminated. But we do need some new types of confrontations to keep the program fresh.

And to do this really requires people to put their thinking caps on.

What's really a shame is that it should be WWE Creative doing this exercise. We are actually showing more initiative on Wrestlezone Forums than what WWE Creative is doing. And I just find that fascinating.

The only other options are backstage confrontation, on screen to in ring verbal confrontation, and the ever-popular interrupt the match while commentating trick. There's not a ton out there that you can do to set up 2 men fighting.

I challenge you to put your thinking cap on and think. Think of some other types of confrontations that can possibly be done, that are rare or have never been seen before. I have confidence in you that you and others can do this.

You, in the IWC are supposed to be among the Elite of wrestling fans in terms of knowledge. But are you in Creativity. This thread is an excellent exercise for any one of you to actually show us something.

Every company follows that formula Sidious. WCW, NWA, WWE, ECW, TNA, RoH, etc. You can't just shoot down on the WWE. You have to group them all in that right there.

Also for fun, go be the passenger like you are, board the sinking ship TNA is, and wait for that iceberg to hit. ^_^

That is not acceptable to me. Just because that has been the formula that has been followed for years ... does not mean that the concept never gets outdated. It's outdated and something new needs to be done about it.

And yes, if you were working on the Creative team for me, it would be Hell for people that can't demonstrate Creativity and Innovation. It does require thinking outside the box. Some people have it and some people simply don't. It's all about raising the bar with the benefit of the fans AND the company, in mind ... while unlearning how you define "what is good" in the business.

And if you hate the WWE so much, then why would you subject yourself to being the moderator for a WWE forum?

Case in point - I'm the PR Director for a professional sports team. I hate volleyball. If offered a job to work for a pro volleyball team, I'd turn it down.

If you are truly a PR director and you have to actually ask that question of me, then I suppose your screen name fits your qualifications.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I think confrontations are good as long as they aren't repetitive. There are only a few wrestlers that can truly have a feud with anyone and elevate them such as Hogan, Austin, Rock, Flair, Undertaker, and HBK. Maybe Heidenrich and Snitsky didn't last but it wasn't from lack of trying by pushing them over Undertaker. I think that there is just talent that no one will get behind no matter how many catch phrases they say or if the company continuously shoves them down our throats. Some talent has it and some don't. I would superstars face off week after to week to show who was better without giving a boring monotone promo.

Later on, you could build up to that with superstars actually having personal long feuds that last a few months instead of a year or 3 weeks. You have to give your upcoming talent a voice, and let the old dogs that have run the show for a while sit back and let them prosper. Mick Foley is the prime shareholder on TNA Impact, but we don't see him on every segment of the show like we do with DX. We also don't see the same main events over and over again. What is even worst is when the main event isn't even built up. It's like the company is saying well here are 3 superstars that you all love, lets have them fight each other without any of them having any tension between each other. Instead of having one wrestler come down the ring with another wrestler coming down going back and forth over and over it should be mixed up a bit. A good example is Kofi smashing Orton's car and Austin throwing The Rock's IC title off a bridge. Something new and different. Orton and Triple H as intense at first until the feud last months and we saw the same promos as we did with the Austin/Pillman break in.



I'm going to have to join the dark side on this one and agree about WWE and it's lack of creativity. The only thing creative that we have seen is Kofi and Orton. DX told us on Raw how stale it was by having Jerishow come down week after week to confront the guest hosts. I love Jericho and he is the golden goose of the company, but its just too predictable. Jerishow come out every week, harass the guests, and get humiliated or beaten in the ring. Don't get me started on the Big Show's horrible in ring ability.

Then the guest hosts tries to speak in a very scripted manner and off we go to the Bella Twins acting ignorant while Santino cuts jokes that even a five year old would roll his eyes at. Then you have the whole DX/Hornswoggle lawsuit which is about as entertaining as watching a Josh Matthews interview.

Cena and DX are suppose to be in the main event in a few weeks and have done nothing but crack unfunny jokes on each other like it's amateur night at the comedy club. That promo tonight was like having teeth pulled, I actually wanted to see Hornswoggle vs. Chavo part 837. WWE has the talent and programming to put on the great shows but the creative team has been non existent lately.

I didn't even know Ricky Hatton was the guest host a month ago but I could of predicted he would be in a boxing match with Chavo. I'm pretty sure Hot Rod will be in match with Chavo next week too. People saying if you don't like don't watch are the same that say USA love it or leave it. Well I have always loved WWE and the USA but they aren't perfect. I just want a better product creative wise in all of the wrestling industry so more fans will tune in.

I'm just afraid that no matter how many celebrities WWE parades around, unless they have some creative story lines and feuds everyone will be turning off wrestling for good.

 

[Jtkronus]

Reading this I have come to realize that you need to see the broader picture here. Not everyone can be a creative writer and just jump on something because something is "stale and boring." Yes, it is repetitive, but this is the formula that brought as kids to watching wrestling. Back then we didn't have the internet to tell us the results to a taped show, or backstage news to what is really happening; unless you were watching WCW of course. The thing is we have to realize back in the 70's and 80's there weren't really much 'entertainment' into the whole show. It was just putting two people in the ring and advertise them like an old school style boxing match; even that now is kind of scripted. WWE's format has never failed; stale sometimes yes, but never failed.

Example: WCW tried to be creative and bring something new every week. New styled matches.(PINATA! PINATA! PINATA!) They failed and Vinny Mac bought them. ECW tried to be different with the hardcore style. (We all know where that went.) TNA is the new target(Maybe not new because it is WCW reincarnated.)

In short, if you don't like the product how it's presented to kids then that's your opinion and I respect that. Aside from that, if you want innovative, watch UFC. WWE is gonna be using this for a long time.(I mean it already has.)

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

To be honest, it's tough to be creative when a LOT of things have already been done. There are only so many ways to confront someone before it becomes repetitive. Think about it. How many possible ways are there to confront someone on a certain topic. The only thing that can change is the REASON for the confrontation. In a PG Era WWE, you're simply not going to find the appealing reasons for confrontations you had in the past. When DX made fun of the McMahon guys, and were then confronted by Vince and Shane and were welcomed with poo falling all over them, that was different. But it was also tawdry and not PG. Neither was Pillman having a gun on Austin or Sting finally coming down from the rafters to confront the NWO.

The thing the WWE lacks and the reason the confrontations aren't what they used to be is because the WWE has toned it down. The WWE has become kid friendly which means the confrontations are going to be... kid friendly. Innovation isn't the highest priority for Vince and his product. His highest priority is sponsors and merchandise, something he can sell by simply having a wrestler show up and wrestle as opposed to having the wrestler beat up the boss.

And being predictable falls in the same category as the other topics. Kids aren't as keen as most of the IWC is as far as storylines are concerned. The Cena confrontation of Orton day in and out may be stale, but it doesn't matter when all the kids want to do is see Cena in the ring. So until a company gives the WWE a boost, get used to the way things are right now.