How do you define "main event"?

[Ruthless-RKO]

I don't know which section to post this thread, move it if you like..

I hope I've covered all the bases here.

This is something I've been wondering for quite a while, ever since the whole controversy last year about Punk being WWE Champion but never getting the last segment or the main event match.

Honestly, I think that some people, both in WWE and the fandom, put too much stock into the "lasting impression" and what the last image is when the copyright bug comes on screen and we fade into ~ENTERTAINMENT~. It feels like those people are ignoring any of the good stuff that came before it because "If they didn't put it last, it doesn't matter". However I agree that the last thing you see on a ppv is what is remembered the most.

The last segment on any show, I think it's a MAJOR part of the show. More often than not, the last image before the show goes off the air is what people are gonna remember the most. There have been more than a few time when I've been happy with a show that wasn't very good but had a killer ending. On the other hand, I've gotten pissed off at shows that, in hindsight, weren't all that bad but had a god awful ending.

In the same way that a bad ending can ruin a good movie, a bad ending can ruin a good wrestling show.

I don't know if this is just part of a greater issue at large or not, but I'm interested in what people think on this subject..

 

[Menski]

At a gig you don't bring out support acts after the main show. The main event is the one people want to see and is the one that closes the event.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The main event doesn't necessarily have to be the last event on the card, but it certainly would be the match that has the most at stake in terms of anticipation built up toward it.....usually the match with the biggest unknown factors beforehand. It's most often for a major championship, but doesn't have to be.

Take Extreme Rules 2012. There was a title match that night between CM Punk and Chris Jericho; a Chicago Street fight. Normally, a match of that magnitude would be considered the main event, no? As it turned out, it was the third match from last because while it's implications were major, it couldn't compare to what was considered the prime match; John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar.

After all, this wasn't even a championship contest, but it qualified as a main event because of the uniqueness of the match-up. The modern-day main man of the company was facing the returning main man from bygone days. Adding to the suspense, Brock had laid out Cena a few weeks before the match. With all the talk over the years of Brock's distaste for pro wrestling, it was a contest we thought we'd never see.....therefore, it was the main event, even though no title was at stake and no storylines were affected by the outcome.

To me, that's the definition of a main event.....the contest the company sees as the one most widely anticipated by the fans.

 

[hatehabsforever]

The "main event " is the last match in the card, absolutely no exceptions. In an ideal world, this should also be the WWE Championship match, but as we all know, this is frequently not the case. The main event is the match that has captured the interest of the greatest portion of the WWE Universe, the one which most people are looking forward to for the duration of the evening. Everything else on the card may be what it will be, but the main event closes the show, no exceptions. That's not even to say that at the end of the day, it was the best part of the show, but it is the portion of the programming that is anticipated to be the greatest draw and the biggest money maker of the evening.

 

[das1234]

The "main event " is the last match in the card, absolutely no exceptions. In an ideal world, this should also be the WWE Championship match, but as we all know, this is frequently not the case. The main event is the match that has captured the interest of the greatest portion of the WWE Universe, the one which most people are looking forward to for the duration of the evening. Everything else on the card may be what it will be, but the main event closes the show, no exceptions. That's not even to say that at the end of the day, it was the best part of the show, but it is the portion of the programming that is anticipated to be the greatest draw and the biggest money maker of the evening.

this.
you can talk about great matches stealing the show and matches that should be the main event but werent, but its fact that the last match is the main event, the climax of the show.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The term "main event" by definition means the event taking place at the final spot of a sporting event card. Congratulations to those who picked the right answer.

This means that the final match on a PPV or an episode of Raw/Smackdown/Impact/whatever is in fact THE main event of the evening. I have personally always thought that the final match on a card is the main event and refer to it as such. More often than not, it needs to be the world title match. The world title of a federation is intended to be held by the very best they have to offer at the moment. While not every former World Champion has deserved the right, that's a topic for another thread, they were still the best (within kayfabe and storylines) at the time. They need to defend their belt last on the card unless a dream match of epic proportions is also on the card. Matches like HBK VS Taker or Cena VS The Rock make sense to go on last. Matches like Trips VS Punk at Night of Champions 2011 or Cena VS Johnny at Over the Limit 2012 did not deserve to close their respective shows.

 

[nwo1234life]

To me main event means the match that got the most attention and build up for example Wrestlemania 18 the last match was HHH/Y2J but the real main event was Rock/Hogan and at Wrestlemania 19 the last match was Lesnar/Angle but the real main event was Hogan/Mcmahon.

 

[Nate DaMac]

The term "main event" by definition means the event taking place at the final spot of a sporting event card. Congratulations to those who picked the right answer.

This means that the final match on a PPV or an episode of Raw/Smackdown/Impact/whatever is in fact THE main event of the evening. I have personally always thought that the final match on a card is the main event and refer to it as such. More often than not, it needs to be the world title match. The world title of a federation is intended to be held by the very best they have to offer at the moment. While not every former World Champion has deserved the right, that's a topic for another thread, they were still the best (within kayfabe and storylines) at the time. They need to defend their belt last on the card unless a dream match of epic proportions is also on the card. Matches like HBK VS Taker or Cena VS The Rock make sense to go on last. Matches like Trips VS Punk at Night of Champions 2011 or Cena VS Johnny at Over the Limit 2012 did not deserve to close their respective shows.

Horseshit.

The main event, or main attraction since wrestling is about as much of an actual sport as a circus is, is the event that drew the crowd. It most certainly should go on last, true. However the two examples you gave at the end there absolutely should have been the main events because those were the matches that drew the crowd. It doesn't matter how you personally feel about the people involved, you represent a very small portion of the audience. Most people paid to see those matches.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Horseshit.

The main event, or main attraction since wrestling is about as much of an actual sport as a circus is, is the event that drew the crowd. It most certainly should go on last, true. However the two examples you gave at the end there absolutely should have been the main events because those were the matches that drew the crowd. It doesn't matter how you personally feel about the people involved, you represent a very small portion of the audience. Most people paid to see those matches.

People paid to see John Cena vs John Laurinaitis? Then why did people chanted "Boring" during that match?

Now for the topic, the main-event is the match that takes place at the last that is why it is called the "Main-Event".

 

[Nate DaMac]

People paid to see John Cena vs John Laurinaitis? Then why did people chanted "Boring" during that match?

Now for the topic, the main-event is the match that takes place at the last that is why it is called the "Main-Event".

Because the match sucked? People paid to see Miz vs. Cena at WM27 and that match sucked too. You realize that every sentence you just typed there oozes stupidity, right?

I'm referring to the people who actually bought the PPV, not the people who streamed it or went to the show with the tickets their mom's bought them. The people who actually pay for WWE merchandise and pay to see the shows pay to see Cena. Therefore, Cena is usually the main event.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Because the match sucked? People paid to see Miz vs. Cena at WM27 and that match sucked too. You realize that every sentence you just typed there oozes stupidity, right?

I'm referring to the people who actually bought the PPV, not the people who streamed it or went to the show with the tickets their mom's bought them. The people who actually pay for WWE merchandise and pay to see the shows pay to see Cena. Therefore, Cena is usually the main event.

How can you assume that John Cena vs John Laurinaits was the match that people paid for? Maybe they paid for CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan which was for the WWE Championship? How can you say for sure that people only pay to see Cena?

 

[hatehabsforever]

How can you assume that John Cena vs John Laurinaits was the match that people paid for? Maybe they paid for CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan which was for the WWE Championship? How can you say for sure that people only pay to see Cena?

If the folks at WWE, who probably know more than you or I do, thought that people paid to see Punk versus Bryan as opposed to Cena/ Laurinaitis, why wouldn't they put that match on last? Why put on the focal point of the evening before the end of the night, only to follow it up with something else? It simply doesn't make sense. The WWE brass builds towards one match as the climax of the night and as such they put it on last, and that is always the main event of the evening.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

To me main event means the match that got the most attention and build up for example Wrestlemania 18 the last match was HHH/Y2J but the real main event was Rock/Hogan and at Wrestlemania 19 the last match was Lesnar/Angle but the real main event was Hogan/Mcmahon.

That is BS. Rock vs Hogan is a situation of hindsight. NO ONE, not Vince, not Rock, not Hogan, knew that that match would be as good as it was, and frankly, it was that good because of the Toronto crowd. Hogan and Rock called the audible during the match and let the crowd do the build for them.

To claim that Hogan vs McMahon was the main event and not Angle vs Lesnar or Rock vs Austin is a joke. A non-wrestler against an over the hill Hogan was not the main event and no one would think it was. That's like claiming Bret vs Vince should have been the main 2 years ago. What a joke....

All that being said, the main event is not determined by the place on the card. This is a worked sport with pre-determined finishes. The main event is whatever is called the main event on any given day. I would like if the titles were considered the main events, but that can't always be the case.

 

[fenderjapan]

I would say the main event is the most hyped world championship match on the card, UNLESS there is a match that is receiving hype beyond that (LT vs. Bam Bam, etc.)

 

[Papa Pillman]

I would say the main event is whatever match recieved the most hype and the most build leading into a show. It is whatever match the company is using most to sell the event.

Typically logic dictates that match will go on last. The WWE hypes Cena's matches most and uses Cena as the number one thing to sell its shows, therefore his matches are the main event even when they aren't for the title. As a result the WWE formula is to air that match last, which makes sense.

However...
There are occasional exceptions. One semi-recent example would be TNA's 2011 Bound For Glory. Roode won the BFG series and the right to face Angle for the title at the biggest show. That title match went on last. But, I would argue that the main event of the show was clearly Hogan's return to the ring to face Sting with Immortal's existence on the line. TNA likely didn't want to put that match last due to the fact that Hogan was in no condition to be actually wrestling. Nevertheless the angle and match between Hogan/Sting is what TNA gave the most build and it is the match they used to sell that PPV; therefore, it was the true main event.

 

[nwo1234life]

That is BS. Rock vs Hogan is a situation of hindsight. NO ONE, not Vince, not Rock, not Hogan, knew that that match would be as good as it was, and frankly, it was that good because of the Toronto crowd. Hogan and Rock called the audible during the match and let the crowd do the build for them.

To claim that Hogan vs McMahon was the main event and not Angle vs Lesnar or Rock vs Austin is a joke. A non-wrestler against an over the hill Hogan was not the main event and no one would think it was. That's like claiming Bret vs Vince should have been the main 2 years ago. What a joke....

All that being said, the main event is not determined by the place on the card. This is a worked sport with pre-determined finishes. The main event is whatever is called the main event on any given day. I would like if the titles were considered the main events, but that can't always be the case.

Dude look at the DVD cover for Wrestlemania 18 the match that was on it was Rock/Hogan and the same for 19 with Hogan/Mcmahon. also one of the magazines that was released before mania 19 had Hogan/Mcmahon on it. so that means that those matches were the real main events.

 

[Syborgg]

Here's the thing. The WWE has a completely different definition of "main-event" than any of us here. That is why in the intro to some shows they will boast having more than 1 main-event on the card. To them the WHC match is a main-event no matter where it's placed on the card, the WWE Championship match is another main-event, and if they have a "Dream" match (i.e. Cena vs. Rock) that is considered another main-event. Traditionally the main event is a match consisting of either of the 2 World Championships, but since this is entertainment, there is no real "rule of thumb". They can put "main-attraction" matches on the end of the card. The thing is, they don't consider us IWC guys when putting the card together. They look at the majority of people that are buying tickets/ppvs, and they put their biggest money maker on last.

 

[nwo1234life]

That is BS. Rock vs Hogan is a situation of hindsight. NO ONE, not Vince, not Rock, not Hogan, knew that that match would be as good as it was, and frankly, it was that good because of the Toronto crowd. Hogan and Rock called the audible during the match and let the crowd do the build for them.

To claim that Hogan vs McMahon was the main event and not Angle vs Lesnar or Rock vs Austin is a joke. A non-wrestler against an over the hill Hogan was not the main event and no one would think it was. That's like claiming Bret vs Vince should have been the main 2 years ago. What a joke....

All that being said, the main event is not determined by the place on the card. This is a worked sport with pre-determined finishes. The main event is whatever is called the main event on any given day. I would like if the titles were considered the main events, but that can't always be the case.

Saying that Bret vs Vince is the same as Hogan vs Vince is BS because Hogan vs Vince was the match that got the most build up and attention at Wrestlemania 19. while Bret vs Vince was not the match that got the most build for Wrestlemania 26 that was HBK vs Taker.

 

[GeneralKarim]

As others have said main event is the match that the WWE brass decided will have the best climax at the end of the night.Even tho IWC thinks that a certain matchup might be better to end the night, it doesnt really matter in the grand scheme of things.

In the end WWE will do w/e it wants.I know not all climaxes are our favourite but there is nothing we can do.The main event is the last match on the card which has the storyline to it, usually.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Saying that Bret vs Vince is the same as Hogan vs Vince is BS because Hogan vs Vince was the match that got the most build up and attention at Wrestlemania 19. while Bret vs Vince was not the match that got the most build for Wrestlemania 26 that was HBK vs Taker.

No. On RAW, Rock vs Austin got the most buildup and on Smackdown Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship was the main fued going into Wrestlemania 19.

 

[CMBryan94]

For me, the best match is the main event. Jericho vs Punk was the main event for me at WM; beacase Cena vs Rock sucked.

 

[TheLittleOne]

THE MAIN EVENT to insiders is the match on the card which is MOST responsible for selling tickets..

The Main Event to fans is the match MOST HYPED whether tv show or PPV..


sometimes they are the same : WM6 - Hogan vs Warrior
sometimes they are not same : WM11- Lt vs Bam Bam, HBK vs Diesel

also Wrestlemania 4, the most anticipated match and def what sold most tickets was Hulk vs Andre , but the main event was the final tournament match ( savage vs dibiase)

there have been many times where its clear there is a DOUBLE main event like WM8 - hogan vs Sid & savage vs Flair
or WM28 - Taker vs HHH & Rock vs Cena

its position on the card means nothing.. most house shows i attended as a kid had hulk battling a heel before intermission then closed with rockers vs brain busters...HMMM saying the final match is always the " main event" is not correct

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Mainevent always goes last on the card. Thats why they say at the end of the show: "And now, mainevent of the evening...". When they say "I want to mainevent Mania" they dont just mean to be in high profile match but mean that they want to close the show with last match. It's that simple.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

THE MAIN EVENT to insiders is the match on the card which is MOST responsible for selling tickets..

The Main Event to fans is the match MOST HYPED whether tv show or PPV..


sometimes they are the same : WM6 - Hogan vs Warrior
sometimes they are not same : WM11- Lt vs Bam Bam, HBK vs Diesel

also Wrestlemania 4, the most anticipated match and def what sold most tickets was Hulk vs Andre , but the main event was the final tournament match ( savage vs dibiase)

there have been many times where its clear there is a DOUBLE main event like WM8 - hogan vs Sid & savage vs Flair
or WM28 - Taker vs HHH & Rock vs Cena

its position on the card means nothing.. most house shows i attended as a kid had hulk battling a heel before intermission then closed with rockers vs brain busters...HMMM saying the final match is always the " main event" is not correct

You had me with everything except the Mania 4. The main event was the entire tourney, with the lead up to the final.

As for buddy who said Vince vs Hogan got the most hype, you, well didn't watch any of the build, clearly. The brand extension was in full swing and Angle vs Lesnar got all the SD hype and Austin vs Rock was hyped on Raw. Hogan made very limited appearances at the time.

Also for buddy who said that Rock vs Hogan was the main because it was on the DVD cover, give your head a shake. Rock vs Hogan stole the show, yes, and given that they then gave Hogan a title run, and the DVD went on sale, you know, months after the event, yes, they stuck them in the cover. It's called marketing the DVD after the event.

 

[Kelso1ftw]

The main event is suppose to be the main reason people are there watching the show, and everything else before hand is more like bonus entertainment that can still be selling points for the show.

Now what makes the main event the main event? Well it has to have multiple criteria to make it that. It can't be something random thrown together, it has to have meaning to it, and by meaning it has to have some sort of significance and/or back story that will intrigue the crowd and audience to build anticipation for the match. It also has to have legit superstars that have made a name for themselves, and aren't mid to low card workers. Why would we wait 3 hours to see a main event of Brodus Clay vs Drew McIntyre? Now if we have a championship in there, that will add for even more hype for the match. With that being said I truly believe that the WWE Championship should be the main story of PPVs with the exception of matches like Cena vs Rock or The Royal Rumble. Lastly I believe that it should have that big time feel to it. It shouldn't just be any old match, it should be equivalent to the Sunday/Monday Night Football Games that is presented at prime time and is the big match up. Now everyone will probably say why aren't you comparing it to the Superbowl? Well, I was thinking the main events for Raw's and secondary PPVs. The bigger PPVs such as The Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Wrestlemania should be even bigger then that much like the Superbowl, much more hype and anticipation compared to the other PPVs. It should also leave the audience to want more at the end or end a rivalry or storyline that has been going on for awhile.

And I would like to end this to say that WWE has been quite lackluster with this whole main event feel since Extreme Rules, and hopefully the Road to Wrestlemania will be much better programming.