12-17 Year Old Focus Group

[gwarren]

N.B. This is NOT a complaints/suggestions thread. It is one to discuss what this age group think of the product and what the WWE can do to improve this demographic.

"The Wrestling Observer is reporting that due to sagging ratings in the 12-17 year old demographic, WWE has plans to hold a focus group for the specific age bracket on 1/26 in White Plains, NY.

WWE is seeking males and females between the ages of 12 and 17 for a 90 minute meeting in order to gather more data on why that age group seems to be tuning in less to WWE programming than they have in the past."

So, as I'm 15, I though I'd share my point of view about the current product and how I think they could improve my demographic. ANYONE of any age can contribute to this thread, but remember to discuss the 12-17 year old demographic.

Anyway, here are where I think the product is a success:

1. Badass characters. The WWE needs more Orton like characters, he's so awesome when he goes apeshit and loses it. If the WWE can make more charachters a little bit more angry, I really think it'll help them get their edge back.
2. Gimmick matches - They're epic. All of them. Even DiBiase vs Hunico in a flag match and McIntyre vs Santino in a blindfold match.
3. Pushing PG boundaries - whenever a character swears or makes an anti-PG joke (R Truths Pinocchio thing) it helps give the product an edge.

Where it's going bad:

1. Promos - For the most part they suck. Lack of emotion is the main reason why. CM Punks been showing the way recently with his intense promo with Lauranitis
2. Pointless feuds and storylines - No explanation needed
3. Lack of intensity and personal/emotional factor in feuds - "I want your title" is the basis for guess far too often in the WWE. Even Cena/Kane feels a bit flat. Why not have Kane do some really heel things, like the Punk/Orton feud on the Road to Wrestlemania, remember the whole tour bus segment? Or when Triple H smashed up Ortons house a few years ago.

At the end of the day, I think there's a simple solution. Make it more edgey.

 

[MizMark11]

I'm 17 and I can safely say that we don't need a lot of gimmick matches. Sure, they're cool when they're used every once and a while, but look at Hell in a Cell. We have a whole PPV dedicated to that match, but it's become stale and doesn't feel special anymore. If they have roulette shows once or twice a year, I'm happy. But if we start have a gimmick match every week then it will get boring. At least we've seen three gimmick matches that haven't been used a lot lately(flag, blindfold, tornado).

What I think WWE needs is more gimmicks. The only people I can name who honestly have a gimmick are Hornswoggle, Brodus Clay, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler, Huncio(to an extent), CM Punk(if you count his lifestyle as a gimmick), Kane and R-Truth(to an extent). If we had more gimmicks, it would lead to interesting feuds.

Another thing would be if diva matches were longer and more well done. Look, divas can put on good matches. WWE has Kharma, McCool, Layla, Natalya, Tamina, Beth, Kaitlyn, and AJ. All of them can put on good matches if given TIME.

Other things that would help are cruiserweight and tag divisions as well as believable storylines.

 

[ITALIAN NYC]

N.B. This is NOT a complaints/suggestions thread. It is one to discuss what this age group think of the product and what the WWE can do to improve this demographic.

"The Wrestling Observer is reporting that due to sagging ratings in the 12-17 year old demographic, WWE has plans to hold a focus group for the specific age bracket on 1/26 in White Plains, NY.

WWE is seeking males and females between the ages of 12 and 17 for a 90 minute meeting in order to gather more data on why that age group seems to be tuning in less to WWE programming than they have in the past."

So, as I'm 15, I though I'd share my point of view about the current product and how I think they could improve my demographic. ANYONE of any age can contribute to this thread, but remember to discuss the 12-17 year old demographic.

Anyway, here are where I think the product is a success:

1. Badass characters. The WWE needs more Orton like characters, he's so awesome when he goes apeshit and loses it. If the WWE can make more charachters a little bit more angry, I really think it'll help them get their edge back.
2. Gimmick matches - They're epic. All of them. Even DiBiase vs Hunico in a flag match and McIntyre vs Santino in a blindfold match.
3. Pushing PG boundaries - whenever a character swears or makes an anti-PG joke (R Truths Pinocchio thing) it helps give the product an edge.

Where it's going bad:

1. Promos - For the most part they suck. Lack of emotion is the main reason why. CM Punks been showing the way recently with his intense promo with Lauranitis
2. Pointless feuds and storylines - No explanation needed
3. Lack of intensity and personal/emotional factor in feuds - "I want your title" is the basis for guess far too often in the WWE. Even Cena/Kane feels a bit flat. Why not have Kane do some really heel things, like the Punk/Orton feud on the Road to Wrestlemania, remember the whole tour bus segment? Or when Triple H smashed up Ortons house a few years ago.

At the end of the day, I think there's a simple solution. Make it more edgey.

Im 26 and I disagree with your success ones.

The last thing we need is more ORTON like people. Orton is extremely monotone and boring on the mic. He snapped 6 years ago. If you think that recently he has been losing it, he hasnt. Punting Steph in the head and being the legend killer was him being awesome. I do agree they need more bad ass people but I also feel they need more CHARACTERS. You werent around in the 80s and 90s. We need some people with backstories, even if they arent completely believable. Everyone looks the same now. Lets not forgot that one of the most loved stars ever is a " Dead Man ".. yet it works

Gimmick Matches are great when they are uncommon. That makes them alot more special when we see them. Those 2 matches you named were crap. Watch Jake the snake vs Rick Martel. Thats a blindfold match

WWE needs new writers and to let guys talk on the mic all they want with NO SCRIPT. That alone will make the product better.

 

[The Ram]

The WWE needs to realize that teens are interested in violence and intensity and drama. At skool when there is a fight the whole school goes crazy and wild. Teens don't wanna see hornswoggle get beat up, that's not entertaining. When people like Rock go off, or punk teens get excited and it brings energy. Teens don't wanna hear "lets all get along and rise above hate!" I'm a teen I dont wanna hear stuff like that, that's why I hate cena. He caters to the younger audience which isnt bad and he's teaching them lessons but come on what about everybody else. Then Gimmicks, everybody gimmick is the same... be the best and get the world title. Some people play it well to where they can make it their own gimmick (Chris Jericho is the perfect example) and then others are just feel the same. Constant evolution is good too, to where a character doesn't get too stale and CM Punk and Chris Jericho seem to know that well. CM Punk went from the straight edge face, to the straight edge enforcer, to the guy who is straight edge and wil go off on you and embarass you. But people like Randy Orton aren't very good at evolving. Yeah he went from the legened killer to someone who has IED but he feels the same to me like he was 3 or 4 years ago even though he's face. But yeah basically make things more edgy and more intense so and the teens will come back

 

[TLK]

Im 26 and I disagree with your success ones.

The last thing we need is more ORTON like people. Orton is extremely monotone and boring on the mic. He snapped 6 years ago. If you think that recently he has been losing it, he hasnt. Punting Steph in the head and being the legend killer was him being awesome. I do agree they need more bad ass people but I also feel they need more CHARACTERS. You werent around in the 80s and 90s. We need some people with backstories, even if they arent completely believable. Everyone looks the same now. Lets not forgot that one of the most loved stars ever is a " Dead Man ".. yet it works

Gimmick Matches are great when they are uncommon. That makes them alot more special when we see them. Those 2 matches you named were crap. Watch Jake the snake vs Rick Martel. Thats a blindfold match

WWE needs new writers and to let guys talk on the mic all they want with NO SCRIPT. That alone will make the product better.

I agree w/all of this, and then some. Orton is horrendous now. He's up there with Cena as far as stale characters are concerned. I feel that the "badass" characters kind of go hand in hand with the WWE's targeted audience. In the '90s and early 2000s, guys like Austin, Taker, HHH, etc. all exuded what the term "badass" encompasses. They did things that went against the grain, and even if they were heels, their actions made them cool. Nowadays, it's different. What was "badass" 10+ years ago might not be so cool today. I agree that WWE just needs to build more proper characters who have substance.

Gimmick matches have been so watered down I don't get overly excited about them anymore. Devoting entire PPVs to gimmick matches entirely undermines their importance in settling an intense feud. Ironically, those are few and far between. We have all these gimmick matches settling lackluster and emotionless feuds. Interesting dichotomy.

Having free reign on the mic is good, as we have seen with Punk over the last 6 months. However, I don't think most of the current roster has the talent to capitolize on the door Punk has opened up.

I would also like to see meaningful championship reigns. It's never suprising to see a title change hands every month or so. Henry's title reign was the exception, as I believe that was very well done. It just devalues the title seeing it passed back and forth among "superstars" that don't necessarily have a right to be champion in the first place (Swagger, etc).

I'm glad they're doing away with the MITB PPV because I felt that was being overused and further devalued the titles.

I'm sure I could go on and on, as I've been watching wrestling for over 20 years, but I thought I'd build upon some previously established points and go from there. Reading that WWE plans on conducting a focus group with this age bracket is actually refreshing, and I'm sure it will be pretty eye-opening for them when they realize teenagers don't want to see Cena win each and every week as he "rises above hate." I'm not a Cena hater, either, but you'd be hard-pressed to find many people over the age of 10 that don't think his current character has run its course...multiple times.

 

[Pedigree1]

For one thing MMA is hurting WWE in a big way!! All my friends this weekend are pumped for the rashad evans v phil davis card!! I am ordering the RR but no one likes wrestling the way i do!! Now thats out of the way Violence will always attract no matter what!! Is the product headed in PG13 era maybe i think it wouldnt hurt to do that!! Not TV 14 we dont need that but PG13!! Gimmick matches are ok once in awhile HIAC EC but we dont need another orton Cena!! One of each is enough. Times have changed we need people like CM punk Rhodes and Ziggles!! Brash Cocky and can back it up!!

 

[PlayTheGameHHH]

I'm 15 and I think the current product is a mixture of good and bad. Here's what I would say about making the product better for people my age.

The good -

1. Acknowledging wrestling. Recently the "Superstars" and announcers have been using the words "wrestler(s)" and "wrestling" a lot more. This good, you must NEVER forget what made you a success in the first place! Less "Sports Entertainment" and more PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING.

2. Pushing PG. Since Rock's return and Punk's promo the wrestlers can swear a lot more and we don't get a censor lasting like 3 seconds, seriously, nothing annoyed me more than when they blocked out the sound just to censor the word "ass". Swearing on a PG show also adds some shock value.

3. Better stories. Some of the most recent feuds and stories have been great! The Punk/Cena feud, Kevin Nash's return and the Triple H/Nash feud and now we have Kane/Cena. I'm loving Mark Henry's "Hall of Pain" angle, and the feud between Bryan, Show and Henry. Masked Kane's return was a personal highlight along with Jericho trolling the shit out of everybody.

The bad -

1. Michael Cole burying talent. There's a heel announcer, and then there's Michael Cole. The guy just buries the faces nonstop, it pisses me off. A heel announcer isn't supposed to just bury people, some of the things he says about Daniel Bryan are insane! He's easily one of the best wrestlers on the planet, he deserves better.

2. The Tag Division. It's just bad at the moment, they need some actual Tag Teams and not two guys just thrown together because Creative can't do anything for them individually. Either do something about it or just get rid of it. That's all I have to say about this particular topic...

3. The damned Divas Division. Again, either do something about it or get rid of it. Most people today see a Divas match as a chance to go for a quick piss or to get a snack. Is that really how the WWE want people to see their Divas? A piss break? Sort it out.

Edit: 4. Oh, one and more thing, scripted promos and no gimmick control. They have got to go, how can a wrestler get over when they have to remember some shitty ass script while working a generic gimmick? Let them create their own gimmick, give them some bullet points and let them cut their own promos.

There, a bit of a lengthy post, but some thought went into it.

 

[King of the Words]

I have watched the WWE since I was a kid in the 80s. When I was 12- 17, it was 1990-1995. WWE was going through some tough times as it is now. Eventually we got the Attitude Era to make up for it but I don't know if you guys will be as lucky. first off I don't think we will see as much blood anymore with all the deseases and all. Plus there won't be as much stunt man stuff because of concussions, and what they now know about the brain. So, if you are waiting for an attitude era payoff in that regard, I dont think you will get one. the program may become edgier and more unpredictable, which it needs to anyway, but that attitude era, I think, is gone for good. Make sure to watch tapes from that time and you will see some great matches that you would never see now such as Undertaker vs. Mankind in a Hell in a Cell match from the King of the Ring 1998 PPV event. That is a true classic of the attitude era that will never be done again because of the health risks involved. WWE, I think is on a slow road toward getting on track with better writing and booking and creating characters. Like everything else, it is just going to take time. Is it worth waiting for, well, that is totally up to you.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

You know, if Vince really needs to call a focus group for teenaged kids, he's fvcking ******ed and has lost it. Teens love tits and violence. The more graphic, the better. It's that plain and simple.

Vince needs to recognize that wrestling isn't cool anymore. It's basically a guilty pleasure of ours. How many RAW parties do you guys throw anymore? I remember in the 90's when wrestling was cool, almost every week we had Nitro parties and afterwards we would stick around and watch RAW. Nowadays, if a kid wears a John Cena shirt to school, he better be prepared to get beaten up. Back in the 90's, it was almost cool to wear an Austin 3:16 shirt to school.

The WWE's attempt at social control is another major turnoff to kids. Kids don't want to be indoctrinated with this "BE A STAR" bullshit. You don't see GSP telling little kids not to bully. Why? Because he's busy kicking ass.

There are no more unprotected chair shots to the head in WWE. I know it's WWE's half-ass attempt to say they're making the sport safer to the wrestlers. It's total bullshit since people don't get concussions usually from chair shots. They usually get them from landing on their back with the back of their heads hitting the mat. Fine, we'll play along, but don't use chairs at all then. It's really fucking gay to see these guys sizing up their chair shots to the back, when they could've easily split their skull with the chair. Teens pick up on this shit too.

Teens also hate the good guy vs bad guy shit. Ever notice how in the late 90's the only real difference between a face and a heel was the heel talks shit to the crowd? Think the NWO were good guys? What about when Austin paid Pillman a house call? Or when Austin pulled a crossbow on McMahon? Yeah that's what a good guy does.

Teens love tits. Remember as a teen when you were hiding a porno mag in your closet so your mom couldn't find it? Teens today are no different, they just can watch full porn on their computers with their mom's not being the wiser.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

Today's 12-17 demographic is more dynamic and more refined than previous generations' 12-17 year olds (for the record, I'm 28 and I'm speaking about my generation as well).

They don't need tits all the time like Honkey_Kong said - the internet has free tits all the time. If anything, they want a reprieve from it and WWE programming is about that reprieve.

In my opinion, 12-17s are about the depth of character more than we were. They want to know why a character is attacking another character. They want complex personalities that are easy enough to be understood (Jericho comes to mind). Take Del Rio for example - sure they understand he's the Mexican Aristocrat, but it doesn't explain why he was in programs against Cena and Punk. In my opinion, to sell ADR to 12-17s, Del Rio should have said over and over that he paid the best wrestlers in the world to train him. This adds a sense of complexity but is easy enough for 12-17s to understand and to draw an emotion from.

There's a reason why Hollywood movies suck now - they can't adequately define characters in a way that make people want to get behind them. WWE writers are having the same problem.

But look at the quality gimmicks that WWE has come up with recently. Post-pipebomb Punk, Laurinitis, Zack Ryder, Kane and Jericho - these are characters that have a bit of complexity (even Ryder - he's a loveable underdog pop star who's trying to live out his dream) but are simple enough for the viewer to understand and appreciate.

Look at what PlayTheGameHHH wrote (the only person in this thread at that demographic). He wants better stories and better promos. To do this, you need to have interesting characters first. And to make interesting characters, they need to be entertaining, complex and understandable.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

Eh, let me put it this way. When you were 12-17, I'm guessing you had porno DVDs or VHS, but you still liked watching bra and panties matches. It's the same today as it was back then.

You're also overestimating the viewing desire of a kid/teen. They don't want to know why, they just want to see cool shit. They don't give a fuck about why ADR is going after Cena, they just want him to violently go after him. And maybe say a few funny things en route.

One of the problems with WWE is they go way out of their way making things more complicated than they have to be with the stories. The simple "I don't like you. I'm going to kill you" storyline is far more effective than some drawn out story with a lot of ins and outs and back-stories. Plus on top of that, they dont' have nearly as many plot holes.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I'm not in this age group but I think WWE needs to realize that the fanbase as a whole has evolved. Kids are much smarter now and have access to cell phones, internet, any kind of media they want. If something gets boring or worn out, they're going to move on to something else. Kids have more things going on in their lives now. With the advent of DVR, kids can record RAW and then skim throughout if it's boring.

As much as WWE doesn't want to accept this unfortunate reality, the truth is people are bootlegging the hell out of the PPVs. Are kids actually getting their parents to shell out 50 bucks for the PPVs on a regular basis? I doubt it.

The kids within the 12-17 age group are much smarter than kids of the past and they're not going to fooled or entertained by corny gimmicks.

WWE needs to modernize and appeal to what kids actually like

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Anyway, here are where I think the product is a success:

1. Badass characters. The WWE needs more Orton like characters, he's so awesome when he goes apeshit and loses it. If the WWE can make more charachters a little bit more angry, I really think it'll help them get their edge back.
2. Gimmick matches - They're epic. All of them. Even DiBiase vs Hunico in a flag match and McIntyre vs Santino in a blindfold match.
3. Pushing PG boundaries - whenever a character swears or makes an anti-PG joke (R Truths Pinocchio thing) it helps give the product an edge.

As for #1, it's a huge problem in wrestling among internet fans. So many net fans are under the impression that everyone can be made into a badass character. It's just not how it is. Just like someone with personality & charisma, they either have what it takes in them to be a believable badass or they don't. For instance, they couldn't just up and decide to make Miz a walking juggernaut partially because it's just not him. Miz is about 6 feet tall and probably weighs about 210 pounds. He doesn't have the look or physical presence to pull that off. Randy Orton can pull it off as he does have something of a badass look to him. The way he moves, the way he stares at his opponents, his facial expressions, etc. all fit in with the Viper or snake-like aspect of who he is. Also, WWE has gone the route of having practically the whole roster as basically anti-heroes that straddle the line between face and heel. It was during the Attitude Era and it ultimately led to some stale happenings because there wasn't anyone special. Imagine a whole roster full of morally questionable people that did anything to get what they wanted.

As for #2, gimmick matches can be fun but having them all the time defeats their purpose. The appeal of a gimmick match is that it's a novelty that fans don't see very often in WWE. It's why MITB or cage matches or street fights continue to have such appeal. TNA used to have a gimmick match on television at least once a week. They usually lasted under 5 minutes and just didn't feel special. When the special becomes standard operating procedure, then it isn't special anymore.

As for #3, anti-PG jokes are funny now and again. Besides, R-Truth is one of the few comedy guys running around in wrestling that's genuinely funny. At least he is now until people get bored with him.

Where it's going bad:

1. Promos - For the most part they suck. Lack of emotion is the main reason why. CM Punks been showing the way recently with his intense promo with Lauranitis
2. Pointless feuds and storylines - No explanation needed
3. Lack of intensity and personal/emotional factor in feuds - "I want your title" is the basis for guess far too often in the WWE. Even Cena/Kane feels a bit flat. Why not have Kane do some really heel things, like the Punk/Orton feud on the Road to Wrestlemania, remember the whole tour bus segment? Or when Triple H smashed up Ortons house a few years ago.

At the end of the day, I think there's a simple solution. Make it more edgey.

Yeah, I kind of flat out disagree with most of what you said here. As for #1, I think the promos that've been delivered have been solid gold. Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, Big Show, Cody Rhodes, & Wade Barrett consist of the guys that've done the vast majority of the talking for the past few months and they've been giving some of the best mic work of their career. In the past few weeks, we've actually gotten firm confirmation that both Dolph Ziggler & Daniel Bryan are capable of cutting good promos.

As for #2, I'm not sure what you've been watching. Punk & Ziggler have been feuding and delivering some first rate matches in their feud for the WWE Championship. Johnny Ace's presence in the storyline is very reminiscent of the Austin vs. McMahon storyline in the late 90s. Kane is feuding with John Cena as Cena's character represents everything that Kane hates and, in the process, it looks as though the purpose here is to alter Cena's character to something with more edge or maybe even an outright heel turn. Zack Ryder has been thrust into the middle of this situation as a means of creating sympathy for him, rallying fans behind him and exploring a more gutsy & courageous side to him than we've seen. Cody Rhodes just finished feuding with a legendary veteran over the IC title, which was used to elevate both Rhodes and the standing of the title in and of itself. Daniel Bryan is involved in a three way feud with two men that outweigh him by 200 pounds over the World Heavyweight Championship and continues to retain his title despite the odds against him. The idea looks to be for Bryan to go fully heel and if his feud with Show & Henry is successful, it'll put an end to any legit gripe anyone might have regarding Bryan's size in that he isn't "big enough" to be a believable champ. Sorry man but I see nothing pointless about any of these angles. They've delivered interesting promo segments & good matches all while elevating the stock of younger stars in the company.

As for #3, titles are supposed to be the general focus of title feuds. That's part of the point of having championships in the first place. A title means money, it means prestige, it means glory. You want to take what the other guy has and make it yours, thereby increasing your quality of life & standing at his expense. Along the way, feuds do tend to get more personal during the build. As of right now, for instance, CM Punk's pride has been injured by JL's interference and the fact that Dolph Ziggler's bragging about defeating Punk multiple times within the span of several weeks. You want wrestlers to feud over something like one wrestler not liking how another guy looked at him as he was coming back from the ring? Maybe one wrestler says something bad about the other guy's mother? C'mon, that kind of stuff belongs in cheap D list movies. As for Kane not doing any real heel things, he's targeted John Cena because Cena is a "nice guy" that represents what Kane hates and has attacked Zack Ryder because he's Cena's friend. The fact that he "broke" Ryder's back last night is pretty heelish. It's hard to get more despicable than a heel trying to "end" someone's career with such a major "injury".

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

Im 20 so im not far ahead of you but teens want violence. Period. As Austin once put it "all wrestling is is just a bunch of violent crap" that was true up until a few years ago when linda was getting ready for her us senate run they wanted to make a good impression but when it fell through they now are sneaking edgier material in. I agree that promos need to go back to being unscripted. They had so much more passion and emotion back then. Do that cut back on the ******ed gimmick matches and make it a bit edgier and teens will be happy. Not all of them cause you cant make everyone happy but a good majority.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

I disagree a lot with what the OP said, but Jack-Hammer already did the dirty work on proving him wrong so no need to be redundant. Tho, as a 17 year old, I can tell you that the main reason teens ages for 12-17 don't really watch wrestling is simply because we're just not interested enough about it. I mean, seeing 2 greased-up men with horrible tans in underwear grab each other constantly just isn't as appealing as it used to be. We'd much rather be living "Young and Wild and Free."

Now that theory compasses for about 75% of people that age. Then there's the 20%, which are the average smarks that sit in front of a computer for the majority of the day because they've got nothing better to do and therefore, all they do is complain about everything and anything. These kids are piss-poor fuckers that will never be satisfied until they get some sunshine. Finally, the 5%, they are the ones that still watch wrestling but out of the sole reason that they find it as entertaining as any other show. And you can bet your ass these dudes do get their daily intake of sunlight.

But to be fucken honest, the reason WWE just ain't appealing to that demographic is simply because it ain't the trend it once was.

 

[DirtyD79]

The WWE's attempt at social control is another major turnoff to kids. Kids don't want to be indoctrinated with this "BE A STAR" bullshit. You don't see GSP telling little kids not to bully. Why? Because he's busy kicking ass.

Teens also hate the good guy vs bad guy shit. Ever notice how in the late 90's the only real difference between a face and a heel was the heel talks shit to the crowd? Think the NWO were good guys? What about when Austin paid Pillman a house call? Or when Austin pulled a crossbow on McMahon? Yeah that's what a good guy does.

Teens love tits. Remember as a teen when you were hiding a porno mag in your closet so your mom couldn't find it? Teens today are no different, they just can watch full porn on their computers with their mom's not being the wiser.

I agree with all of these. All that "BE A STAR" "Rise Above Hate" stuff gets corny as hell once you get out of elementary school. It's why we older fans turned against Hogan when we became teenagers. We got tired of the "Train, Say your Prayers Eat Your Vitmains" platitudes spouted by the goody two shoes babyfaces. It just smacks of those crappy assemblies and after school specials. We wanted to see badasses who weren't gonna take shit from anybody. It's why gangsta rap dropkicked MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice into the bargain bin at record stores back then.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

I agree with all of these. All that "BE A STAR" "Rise Above Hate" stuff gets corny as hell once you get out of elementary school. It's why we older fans turned against Hogan when we became teenagers. We got tired of the "Train, Say your Prayers Eat Your Vitmains" platitudes spouted by the goody two shoes babyfaces. It just smacks of those crappy assemblies and after school specials. We wanted to see badasses who weren't gonna take shit from anybody. It's why gangsta rap dropkicked MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice into the bargain bin at record stores back then.

You know if the WWE really wanted to help end bullying, instead of some lame gimmick, they could devote some of their television time on their upcoming WWE network to encourage kids that get bullied in to going to the gym and throwing some iron around. That potentially would help those kids more than some half-assed anti-bulling campaign, by giving them some confidence in themselves. It also would give the WWE a cheap TV show to fill time.

 

[DJKariZma]

First post here, so don't hate.

I'm 17 and honestly I want to see more REAL and interesting storylines. I haven't seen many interesting storylines in a long time, The Punk/Orton feud from earlier 2011, Nexus 2010, Taker/HBK 2009 & 2010 respectively are ones that kept me watching over the last couple years. The Kane/Cena feud now is a little flat but CAN be very interesting if given a "spark", I don't know what could be a spark but I think it can be done, Along with the hopeful Heel turn on Cena when he attacks the living shit out of Ryder and/or Eve will truly shakes things up.

Which brings me to my next point: Promos are weak these days with an exception of Punk doing an exceptional job with his promos. Less scripted and forced comebacks, arguments, desires and whatever else you can think of, give the wrestlers the freedom to say what they want in regards to their storyline because that will make or break a story and can truly show the audience what a talent is like on the mic. Give them a chance to elevate their character and their storyline with their own thoughts and words.

Gimmick PPV's: Get rid of them because they are killing the way to intensify, end and elevate a storyline, nobody wants to see 2 elimination chamber matches in a night, 3 HiaC matches in a night; Especially for a 2-3 week feud which should still be in the stages of being established NOT ended.

Now onto the edginess of a program, I think the swearing doesn't make a storyline or character but it can intensify a storyline. Hell it doesn't even have to have a swear, in the Orton/HHH angle leading into WMXXV Triple H said "...At WrestleMania I'm Going to BREAK YOUR NECK." Even though that angle was a let down in the end you sort of had the feeling that shit was going to go down with HHH's hate for Randy. As long as you know the characters give the impression that there is an intense hate for each other and some swear words are used to show us that "Whoa Rock really wants to really hurt Cena at WrestleMania, I really shouldn't miss that match" the let them use risky language if it is truly needed, but don't over do it.

Blood should be used for high impact chair/head shots with a "weapon" and Cage, EC and HiaC matches and in some other rare cases.

And when it comes to Divas and showing skin (Bra and Panty matches) Yeah we can see tits and ass for free on porn sites but its the imagination fact of seeing say the Divas that haven't done Playboy or any other porn related things. Example, Kaitlyn, who in my opinion is one of the most attractive Divas on the roster, If I see her in a B&P match and have her stripped to her bra and panties it makes want to see more and makes my imagination come to work, thinking and imagining what it looks like under those underwear, all males are like that if they see a sexy woman they automatically think what she looks like naked.

This was my first post and I hope I said something right while voicing my thoughts, Feedback would be appreciated.

Blood