The New Gimmick PPV Thread

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

So awhile ago the WWE decided to attach gimmicks to their B-level PPVs in order to boost interest. And it seemed to work for a little while. Kinda. You got PPVs like Hell In A Cell, Elimination Chamber, Money In The Bank, TLC, Night of Champions and Extreme Rules, as well as the failed attempts with Bragging Rights and Breaking Point.

However, we're now at the point where thse gimmicks have largely become redundant, and have contribted to a weird blurring affect where the years of the modern era tend to blend together. For fuck sake we have two PPVs a year now that revolve around ladder matches, plus Extreme Rules which also often features ladder matches. Enough with the fucking ladder matches. The point is it's time for a shake up.

Does that mean it's time to write more compelling stories that get the crowd more emotionally invested? Of course not. It's time for new gimmicks.

This thread is largely meant to be light-hearted, but the overall point is to come up with some cool ideas for new WWE gimmick PPVs. I guess they're not really PPVs at this point but whatever. Every once in a while a thread like this crops up on thse forums so I decided it was time for it to rear it's ugly head again. I think it will be fun to see what kind of crap you people can cook up.

I'll get the ball rolling with a little special event idea of my own. It's called WWE Viva Las Vegas, and it's basically a rip-off of Raw Roulette. Obviously the show takes place in Las Vegas, with some match stipulations decided by chance (roulette wheel, dealing card, lottery balls, whatever). Some matches could also involve serious wagers, like Title vs. Mask, Hair vs. Hair, Loser Becomes the Winner's Butler, shit like that.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Personally I'm not a fan of gimmick PPVs, I feel WWE was better off when their B-level PPVs had cooler names, like No Way Out, Backlash, Vengeance, etc.

The only gimmick PPV I REALLY loved was Night of Champions, but they killed that off by eliminating all the championships and adding non-title matches to the card.

If I had to introduce a new gimmick PPV, I'd bring back one of the failed ones and give it a second shot, that being Breaking Point. I liked the idea of a PPV based on the main events having a submission-related stipulation, and I feel the reason they failed with it is because they used the Punk/Undertaker match as another reason to re-do the Montreal Screwjob for the 30th time.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

It always makes me laugh when people claim that gimmick ppvs are a recent development. Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and King of the Ring are/were ALL gimmick ppvs!

That said, I do agree that there are too many nowadays.

In my opinion they should have kept the themed Elimination Chamber ppv in February; Wrestlemania season is the big event, so it makes sense that more wrestlers vie for the title opportunity between the Rumble and EC

Extreme Rules, Night of Champions and Hell in a Cell on the other hand are obsolete and could easily become standard ppvs; it's rare to have a card without some kind of gimmick match anyway... In the case of HIAC, it should only be used, IMO, as a feud-ender, and only then for a select few feuds. Maybe bring it out once or twice a year tops, but certainly not have it's own ppv. Ryback v CM Punk with no more than 3 weeks' build? How the hell does that justify a Cell match???

TLC I believe has a place, and Money in the Bank definitely does, unless they wanted to push it back to Wrestlemania, and, as an old-school fan, I'd love it if they used Survivor Series matches at the Survivor Series (maybe like in 1992 and 1994-7, where there were 4 or 5 Survivor matches and a couple of regular bouts as well) - they certainly have the roster-size to do so.

 

[TheICChampion]

I kinda wish they'd bring back War Games but as long as Vince is around that'll never happen. One other thing I'd like to see is the concept WWE had at (I believe) Survivor Series 1990 where the sole survivors from each elimination tag match would go on to face each other in a final match at the end of the night. Only this time, add a stipulation to that match, such as the War Games concept I mentioned earlier or the sole survivor(s) of the winning team get to run RAW/Smackdown for a week or earn a guaranteed future title shot. Unlike MitB, however, they have to announce in advance which title they're challenging for and when.

 

[sMark]

First of all, why not bringing King of the Ring ppv back, with IC title being the prize in tournament instead of "king" attached to someone's name, this PPV supposed to make new stars, and taking IC belt will symbolize it in my opinion.

Second i will love to see Halloween Havoc to return, Buried Alive match can be a regular part of this PPV, also halloween style costumes for all the stars who wrestle here.

Third, it clearly looks like WWE can't pick a RR winner that crowd want to see in WM main event, so bringing back Cyber Sunday (or Christmas Sunday) in december (with actual choices) could help alot.

 

[MWRedskins]

i think if another Gimmick PPV should be brought back, they should bring back the PPV of King of the Ring. i know the last "Kings" haven't been great, but honestly, i blame the booking of them and the fact that they gave them gimmicks. in my book, the winner of the King of the Ring should sit in a throne (after he wins) and gets awarded a trophy and the Winner carries the Trophy around with him.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

I wouldn't look to the past for ideas. Things like Hell in a Cell or Elimination Chamber should be trotted out when it makes sense. The problem with these gimmick PPVs is they pigeon hole WWE creative into having to hold the gimmick matches. Therefore you get Santino in the final two of a Chamber match, you get Sandow or Sheamus with briefcases, you get Ryback in HIAC. I like all the guys I just mentioned, but they're all midcarders in matches or victories that should be reserved for immortals.

When WWE moved to monthly PPVs, you had the In Your Houses around the big five. Each IYH had a theme directly tied to the angle they were running: DX, Rock, and others all had IYHs dedicated to them. My guess is they moved away from this so that they could reuse graphics year over year. Names like No Way Out, or Backlash, or Judgement Day all could be booked to fit angles at the time. "No Way Out for the heel this time," or, "Backlash from Mania," or, "Judgement day for the heel." You get the picture.

WWE should move back to this model, then say it's July and you have six guys in the title scene, you call a Chamber match. Or if a heel keeps getting away you have HIAC. If you always have a HIAC in October, what if you don't have a bitter blood feud? They do this year with Taker and Lesnar, maybe even Cena vs Rollins, but what about years when you don't?

Anyway end rant. Here's my PPV idea:

WWE: Tag Team Turmoil

The entire roster is put into kayfabe random teams with the end prize being a shot at the tag team champions. This idea is largely based of the inagural WWE tag team tournament
that took place in 2002 on Smackdown that was won by Benoit and Angle.

That tourney saw the formation of Los Geurerros, John Cena turn heel, and set up Angle and Benoit into a feud that would eventually be over the WWE title.

The Tag Team Turmoil PPV would be a less clunky reset button for the whole product. New teams are formed, strange bedfellows, teams swapping members, betrayl, and best of all: elevation of the tag team titles. I realize the tournament doesn't involve an actual turmoil match, it's just my place holder name.

The lead up to the PPV would see the announcement of the tournament and the "draft" of sorts taking place on Raw. The incentive for the tournament would not only be the tag title shot in the main event of the PPV, but the following night on Raw the new tag champs would face each other for the number one contendership for the world title.

Say it took place this month some of your sample teams could be: Bubba Dudley and Xavier Woods, D-Von and Kofi, Cena and Kevin Owens, Reigns and Wyatt. Yes, I realize it requires a certain suspension of disbelief when a bunch of teams are formed by people feuding or teams switching members. I think I'd even book Triple H to mention it on TV, insinutating that he's rigged it.

When get three weeks of awesome tag team action culminating with the PPV. The PPV would feature the final four teams of the tournament. I realize that it's only three matches, so why not a womens tournament as well with the same stakes, just no tag belts. Final two get to wrestle each other the following night on Raw.

So you get six matches, four semi-finals and two finals. Maybe you forgo the women's tournament in favour of culminating some of the other feuds.

I think it would give WWE an easy way to reset all of their current programs without it feeling too clunky, as the excitement of the tournament should be enough to help swallow the reboot. There are those of us that will scrutinize the non-random "randomized," but we're fans of a form of entertainment where sweaty people throw each other around, sometimes you gotta deal with logic leaps.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Hell in a Cell matches were once booked to settle feuds which had heat, a great story, and personal animosity between the two wrestlers. Now, Hell in a Cell matches are booked because it's October.

The same concept applies to any gimmick PPV. They kill the purpose of all the gimmick matches.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

It always makes me laugh when people claim that gimmick ppvs are a recent development. Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and King of the Ring are/were ALL gimmick ppvs!

People are arguing that there are too many gimmick PPVs. Everyone is aware that Royal Rumble and Survivor Series have existed for many years.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

As a major fan of WCW in the day, I always really loved Halloween Havoc. The event was always dressed in a Halloween theme with Pumpkin Orange ropes , the awesome Halloween Havoc logo dominating the center of the ring, and last but not least....the excellent demonic set pieces around the entrance ramps. I think WWE could roll out a great Halloween Havoc and erase a few other gimmick PPVs for this one.