The Death of Entrance Videos

[Dave]

Today I was catching up with Smackdown and noticed something a little odd; there doesn't seem to be any entrance videos anymore. Instead, graphics have replaced the more traditional mini-movie.

Truthfully, I hadn't noticed before now so it probably isn't that important to me but it still seems strange to me that they would wipe out entrance videos for absolutely everyone. There have been some amazing entrance videos throughout the years and now they have been replaced by graphics forever more.

I totally understand that graphics make better use of the new entrance ramp and tron but I still feel a little bit robbed by its complete withdrawal.

How about all of you? Feel free to share your favourites too.

 

[JJohns]

I wouldn't say that entrance videos are dead. Sometimes, during entrances, if you see the screens in the arena above the ring, you still see the traditional Titantron Videos, though a lot of wrestlers are starting without them.

As far as my favorite Titantrons...I liked the original Rey Mysterio and Ultimo Dragon titantron videos and the Los Guerreros titantron.

 

[Kyphael]

I noticed that too, mostly because NXT guys don't have them down in NXT, and when they get called up they don't either, so it seems with the new stages, WWE is making it equal across the board and also not showing titantron videos for their veterans either. It bothers me a bit. Say, someone like Finn Balor, or Shinsuke Nakamura when he goes up, I don't feel they need a titantron video.

But someone like John Cena who is all about image, I do need a titantron video as its part of his whole act and gimmick. Some veterans I feel don't need titantron videos are Ambrose, Styles, and Wyatt. So really they don't need to fully get rid of them but they don't need to make videos for everyone getting called up, either.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

I like it. The best ones for me are Kevin Owens' and Orton's "In my veins". You don't really need an entrance video. Those graphics make the entrance feel more special IMO.

 

[sMark]

These graphics are way easier to do, they look ok to me, i think this was done because WWE need these time and money for something else.

Honestly i don't need all the graphics WWE use right now - titantron, sidetron, ringposts, ramps, ringsides, tubetrons, minitrons.
Titantron + sidetrons + minitron is enough for me.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's likely a cost cutting measure... All those videos etc take time and money to edit, put together and that takes a costly member of staff. The graphic system is likely cheaper to use and they can get someone who isn't an editor to do them.

The other thing to bear in mind is HD and 4K are coming into play... the graphics likely play better on those formats as the videos would not have been all shot in those native formats... the graphics can be upscaled.

 

[willross]

It allows more freedom to create a specific environment in the arena.

 

[American Male]

They should downsize their stages and get rid of the screens on the sides of the ring and ramps and shit.

All they need is a titantron.

They used have great environmental feels to the arenas now it's just full of HD shit.

They should strip down on the size of production and focus on design.
I'd be happy if they brought back the RA era sets for Raw and Smackdown.

Maybe they could fit more people in the arenas all so.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

I think it's a positive change. A lot of them were bad. Remember some of the dumbass facial expressions Roman or Miz had in their videos prior to the change.

Basically the wrestlers just don't have a highlights package of their in-ring performance. They still have entrance videos, which are basically just graphics of their names and/or logos.

Back in the Attitude era I remember when someone would turn heel, they'd have to quickly fill it with footage of them being a heel. Usually it was the footage of the previous week where they turned heel. I remember when Biker Undertaker turned heel, they jammed his video full of the most recent footage every week. We got it, he's a heel now.

I think this is a solid change, it saves a lot of production time backstage and overall looks more professional. That being said, they need to make these entrance videos varied a bit more. Reigns coming out to a static Roman Empire graphic is beyond boring.

 

[Aquaman6686]

As time goes on, this continues to bother me more and more. Every show feels like a house show now. Entrance videos MUST be shown. This just cheapens the look of the product.