Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

[klunderbunker]

The biggest difference between the Attitude Era and today's product is Smackdown.

The reason why TV today is said to be less compelling is because Smackdown exists. Back in 1997-late 1999, there was a total of one major show a week in the WWF. Raw was all that mattered (did anyone really watch Shotgun or Superstars? Heat was around but it was more of a supplement than a compliment) and it was on once a week.

That was the big difference. You had to wait seven whole days before you could get more of the story. It was a week before you could see what Austin was going to do to Vince next or what DX was actually going to say and do on live TV. Today, the longest you go without a new WWE show on the air is two days (which are Saturdays and Sundays when there's no PPV).

A lot of what made Raw so much fun back in the day was waiting. You would see something happen and you would want to know immediately what happened next. WCW made a fortune saying "FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WEEK!". Today the endings of shows are more definitive and not really cliffhangers. It just moves on to the next show and we talk about it all week on NXT, Superstars and Smackdown.

Consider the return of an injured superstar. Let's use HHH in 2002 as an example. He was part of the super heel team with Austin and Vince when he left. He would abuse Lita and steal titles and be an all around heel. When he came back in 2002, the pop was the loudest I've ever heard. Why would that be? We hadn't heard from him in months so it's not like he made some big speech turning face. It was because we hadn't seen him and we missed him. When's the last time someone made a big return and was a heel? It doesn't work that way and it's the same concept.

I'm getting off track here. In short, with no Smackdown you were able to be left hanging and by the time you had spent a week thinking about it and talking to your friends about it, you HAD to see what happened on Raw. It's a very basic difference but it's changed the way wrestling works. Even with the Brand Split we hear about what happens on the other shows, be it through a video or the announcers hyping it. It's a big difference and the biggest difference in today's product and that of the Attitude Era.

And before anyone asks, no I'm not saying there shouldn't be a Smackdown or any other show besides Raw. This is an observation, not a criticism.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

When's the last time someone made a big return and was a heel? It doesn't work that way and it's the same concept.

Edge at the 2010 Royal Rumble? He did get a pretty nice pop, but he did start receiving mixed reactions afterwards. I guess the crowd wasn't ready to accept him as the guy who made the heroic return from a serious injury.

But yeah, I get what you're saying here. I can still remember going nuts for Triple H's return back in 2002. He was gone for a good amount of time, and the fans did miss him, because that massive pop at MSG was unreal. When you see the same guy week in and week out on TV, you get used to him. He becomes part of your regular routine. But you'll start to miss him, if that guy disappears for a while. His absence will start to leave a noticeable void, and the show probably won't feel the same. You probably won't notice it for the first couple weeks or the first month, but as time goes on, you'll want to see that person come back.

Also, dirt sheets and spoilers can kill some of the excitement and anticipation. If you read spoilers, then by late Tuesday night you already know what's going to happen on Smackdown. If you already know what's going to happen, then you might not want to watch the show, and if you do watch the show, you're not going to feel those same thrills, because you already know what's coming. Earlier this year, I avoided dirt sheet reports for a while. This was around Wrestlemania season, and I wanted to feel surprised by the announcement of the special guest host for Wrestlemania. Being surprised by The Rock's return was one the best feelings I've had in a long time. I was shocked and excited. I'll always remember that Raw, because that feeling reminded me of my childhood years, when I first started watching pro wrestling.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I agree with what you said, and I think it's part of the reason people want the roster split to end. That's the opposite of what I want.

I think the roster split should be more strict. I think that maybe they should re-do it with Vince and Triple H redrafting or HHH and Stephanie etc. I think if the split is very strict with nobody jumping around it would make things more compelling.

Make Raw and Smackdown their own company. I want people to talk about Raw and Smackdown the way people talk about Raw and TNA. Completely different. Don't mention Raw on Smackdown or vice versa. Than you have to wait that whole week to see what happens next.

As for moving people around. Do it like the NFL. Post online on players profiles how long is on left their RAW or Smackdown contracts. This allows a superstar to become a "free agent" and choose his show. You can see a guy like Del Rio hit the market and have the 2 GMs fight over him, offering him more money, title matches, vacations, etc. Also they can have trades that would mean so much more.

 

[CanadianCrippler12]

What about Nash & Booker for the Rumble this past year they recieved massive pops and no one knew not a video, nothing.

When Triple H left I remember from about June-2001 to about December 2001 we had a video montages of Triple H showing his rehab for a good amount of time, but when the game did return it was like the poster said above was becaused we missed him just like were missing Edge & HBK now, it just feels outta place.

Now I think its like you said the amount of shows when Sackdown started it was that Raw and Heat but they didn't talk about it all week but now you hear it about it non-stop and it's constantly replayed to the point of where your tired of seeing it, if you know what I'm getting at.

 

[JaDoE05]

Then why is Impact apparently compelling to the masses? The biggest difference is the storylines. For a while creative got lazy or complacent. Either way Let's hope that is changing now.

 

[FSWWE]

The truth is that even WWE posts spoilers, and one thing that I think they shouldn't do is that package videos to promote the return of some superstar like they did with The Undertaker, he could had only showed up and the feeling would be awesome, but lets face it, it wasn't going to make them money.

See here when Undertaker and HHH returned and find who had the biggest pop between the two, the one that people knew that was coming or the "surprise"?

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]zFkc3cVvu64[/YOUTUBE]​

If The Rock haven't announced when he is going to return, we would probably ave one of the biggest pops ever in Pro-Wrestling.

The big difference between the Attitude Era and todays product is that WWE had money back there, they had more than 5 guys that could draw tons of money without moving a finger so the returns in a "regular" show was things for us to feel happy about.

I don't like the way they use SmackDown TV Time to hype RAW feuds or a RAW Superstar, is always the part that I fast forwards the episodes.
WWE is much bigger and better with the two shows in my opinion and SmackDown is like how they build a star, and we have tons of examples like The Rock, John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Benoit, Booker T, Edge and now Christian.
I never had anything against WWE PG, but the truth is that PG is ruining that small moments that fans used to keep with them, like HHH return in 2002, or even Shawn Michaels return.
Also I think it is important to talk about the characters of the attitude era superstars, and the characters of WWE PG Era superstars.
The Miz can't be compared to Triple H, not even Ric Flair, they had a larger fan base than The Miz has, they add the believability in them, The Miz looks like a normal cocky guy who haven't had his "Keep Moment"!!

 

[CH David]

The truth is that even WWE posts spoilers, and one thing that I think they shouldn't do is that package videos to promote the return of some superstar like they did with The Undertaker, he could had only showed up and the feeling would be awesome, but lets face it, it wasn't going to make them money.

So why not promote one of the big stars in the company returning? How do you know it doesn't make money or boost ratings? I tuned in to see what Taker was going to do on Raw simply because he is a SmackDown guy.

See here when Undertaker and HHH returned and find who had the biggest pop between the two, the one that people knew that was coming or the "surprise"?

Well you have to also consider that Triple H was out since April of last year too and Taker wasn't. Trips is one of the most popular guys in the company, why wouldn't people cheer him when he shows up unexpectedly?

If The Rock haven't announced when he is going to return, we would probably ave one of the biggest pops ever in Pro-Wrestling.

Did you watch when Rocky returned after 7 years? Nobody knew who was showing up, and people can claim all they want that they knew, it's a bunch of bullshit. The night Rock returned it shocked everybody, and the pop he got was insane. Go watch the footage, I'll wait.

...

...

...

...

Done yet? That's what I thought.

The big difference between the Attitude Era and todays product is that WWE had money back there, they had more than 5 guys that could draw tons of money without moving a finger so the returns in a "regular" show was things for us to feel happy about.

Yeah, it was more profitable. The stories were more interesting and there was development of characters. That is the thing that has been missing. From tag teams to the main event, people were invested in characters.

I don't like the way they use SmackDown TV Time to hype RAW feuds or a RAW Superstar, is always the part that I fast forwards the episodes.

I can agree with this, minus the fast forward. But, they do it because Raw is the flagship show. So it is what it is.

WWE is much bigger and better with the two shows in my opinion and SmackDown is like how they build a star, and we have tons of examples like

I like both shows when I can catch SmackDown. DVR helps when I remember it. But let's get through this.

The Rock,

Stop right the fuck there! So Rock was built on SmackDown, eh? Do your homework there. Rock was built during the Attitude Era, when Raw was the only show. The rest of your list is solid but really, this is such a fail.

John Cena

Yeah, Cena definitely got built on SmackDown as a rapper. Fun gimmick and he showed his potential. Then he got moved to Raw and now he has matured and been the top guy for six years.

Rey Mysterio

Ever hear of WCW? Rey Rey was built there! Sure his stardom grew on SmackDown thanks to the huge Latino base that watches it, but Rey was already a star in WCW.

Benoit

I can give you Benoit. Though he was popular in WCW and a good upper midcard guy when he came to the WWE in '00, SmackDown was the place where the fans got behind him due to his awesome matches.

Booker T

Booker was big in WCW. Part of the invasion angle. Now, we can talk about how his character of King Booker was built on SmackDown, but really, Booker was popular in WCW, and on Raw when the brand split happened. So yeah, wrong.

Edge

Well Edge was part of the popular E&C tag team before the brand split. Then he was a good upper midcard guy on SmackDown until he got injured. Then his stock took off when he was drafted to Raw and after he won MiTB. Then he went back to SmackDown in 2007. So there's that.

and now Christian.

Again, popular with Edge before the split. He has taken off since returning to the E and now being a part of SmackDown.

I never had anything against WWE PG, but the truth is that PG is ruining that small moments that fans used to keep with them, like HHH return in 2002, or even Shawn Michaels return.

How? Because the kiddies aren't as loud as adults? Or is it because a storyline just can't make it seem important? Seriously, this statement is fucking stupid.

Also I think it is important to talk about the characters of the attitude era superstars, and the characters of WWE PG Era superstars.
The Miz can't be compared to Triple H, not even Ric Flair, they had a larger fan base than The Miz has, they add the believability in them, The Miz looks like a normal cocky guy who haven't had his "Keep Moment"!!

No current star should be compared to wrestlers of the past. It's unfair to both parties. That's all that needs to be said.

Now, as far as KB is talking about. I can see where you are coming from. Waiting that whole week the anticipation really builds up because you haven't seen stuff about it since the show itself (unless you recorded it on your VCR). Now every show is available on the internet or Raw gets discussed on the shows later in the week. It works both ways. For some fans it gets old and people don't want to hear about Raw, they want to focus on NXT, Superstars, or SmackDown. Others may see it and get even more ansty for a PPV or the following Raw. Or, some fans may miss Raw due to work or schedule conflicts, and the rewinds are their ways of staying current. The question is, what do you do with it? Do you keep doing the Raw Rewind on subsequent shows, or do you not show any, and just make sure SmackDown talks about SmackDown?

 

[FSWWE]

So why not promote one of the big stars in the company returning? How do you know it doesn't make money or boost ratings? I tuned in to see what Taker was going to do on Raw simply because he is a SmackDown guy.

I tuned because of The Undertaker obviously, but I had chills when HHH music started. It was really awesome, because nobody had a clue who he was going to face at 'Mania.

Well you have to also consider that Triple H was out since April of last year too and Taker wasn't. Trips is one of the most popular guys in the company, why wouldn't people cheer him when he shows up unexpectedly?

That's my point, the unpredictability is something that fans and viewer like to see, and the Deadman and HHH return was a really good TV segment.

Did you watch when Rocky returned after 7 years? Nobody knew who was showing up, and people can claim all they want that they knew, it's a bunch of bullshit. The night Rock returned it shocked everybody, and the pop he got was insane. Go watch the footage, I'll wait.

...

...

...

...

Done yet? That's what I thought.

The Rock is a movie star now, of course he would have had this amount of pop, specially considering the fact that before he was a movie star he was a WWE Wrestler.
I knew that it was The Rock, I've read reports in a lot of Wrestling Sites but that didn't killed for me, I was cheering in my own apartment louder than the crowd.

Yeah, it was more profitable. The stories were more interesting and there was development of characters. That is the thing that has been missing. From tag teams to the main event, people were invested in characters.
I can agree with this, minus the fast forward. But, they do it because Raw is the flagship show. So it is what it is.

This is what WWE is failing compared to the Attitude Era, the lazy writing and bad pushes, and we have 2 entirely divisions dead (Divas and Tag Team).

I'm sorry, I don't like to watch the same things every week, that's way I fast forward it... WWE should capitalize on SmackDown to make his own ratings, because before this CM Punk storyline, SmackDown was by far the best show, like in the past we have seen SmackDown being way more entertaining than RAW.

I like both shows when I can catch SmackDown. DVR helps when I remember it. But let's get through this.
Stop right the fuck there! So Rock was built on SmackDown, eh? Do your homework there. Rock was built during the Attitude Era, when Raw was the only show. The rest of your list is solid but really, this is such a fail.

You are right, sorry my mistake, I was probably thinking about The Rock inventing the word "SmackDown" Sorry, my bad.

Yeah, Cena definitely got built on SmackDown as a rapper. Fun gimmick and he showed his potential. Then he got moved to Raw and now he has matured and been the top guy for six years.
Ever hear of WCW? Rey Rey was built there! Sure his stardom grew on SmackDown thanks to the huge Latino base that watches it, but Rey was already a star in WCW.
I can give you Benoit. Though he was popular in WCW and a good upper midcard guy when he came to the WWE in '00, SmackDown was the place where the fans got behind him due to his awesome matches.
Booker was big in WCW. Part of the invasion angle. Now, we can talk about how his character of King Booker was built on SmackDown, but really, Booker was popular in WCW, and on Raw when the brand split happened. So yeah, wrong.

Rey was built in SmackDown, until that he was only another highfliyer and Booker was by far more entertaining in his run in the WWE than his run in WCW.

Well Edge was part of the popular E&C tag team before the brand split. Then he was a good upper midcard guy on SmackDown until he got injured. Then his stock took off when he was drafted to Raw and after he won MiTB. Then he went back to SmackDown in 2007. So there's that.
Again, popular with Edge before the split. He has taken off since returning to the E and now being a part of SmackDown.

Their best part of singles career happened in SmackDown.

How? Because the kiddies aren't as loud as adults? Or is it because a storyline just can't make it seem important? Seriously, this statement is fucking stupid.

Not what I was trying to say, but the truth is that the drama, the act, and the PG storyline aren't the same thing as the Attitude Era was.

No current star should be compared to wrestlers of the past. It's unfair to both parties. That's all that needs to be said.

No it isn't! Look I'm a big fan of Miz, but even I can say that the guy isn't the reason that RAW has 3.9 ratings, he doesn't have the character that appeal every fan.
I was a kid and I loved Stone Cold, so the age doesn't matter and the truth is that PG killed some of the best WWE Moments.

 

[CH David]

I tuned because of The Undertaker obviously, but I had chills when HHH music started. It was really awesome, because nobody had a clue who he was going to face at 'Mania.

What does this have to do with anything?

That's my point, the unpredictability is something that fans and viewer like to see, and the Deadman and HHH return was a really good TV segment.

Well what if Taker didn't return on Raw and only Trips did? Not exactly the same segment is it? You have to give people a reason to watch. Promoting Taker got people to watch, and Trips returning was the icing on the cake. Went hand in hand.

The Rock is a movie star now, of course he would have had this amount of pop, specially considering the fact that before he was a movie star he was a WWE Wrestler.

He wasn't just a wrestler, dude was a fucking mega star just under the likes of Austin and Hogan. Don't undersell how popular he was during his time. Also, his movies aren't exactly geared towards who the majority of his fans were when he was a wrestler. His pop was insane. Maybe not Trips in 2002 level, but high up on the return cheer chart.

I knew that it was The Rock, I've read reports in a lot of Wrestling Sites but that didn't killed for me, I was cheering in my own apartment louder than the crowd.

I'm fairly certain this is bullshit, but whatever. Wrestling sites barely know what they are speculating about as is. So whatever you read was probably someone taking a stab in the dark.

This is what WWE is failing compared to the Attitude Era, the lazy writing and bad pushes, and we have 2 entirely divisions dead (Divas and Tag Team).

Well duh. This isn't news to anyone. That doesn't mean PG is the downfall. The Divas have never historically been draws, they are eye candy. There won't be something like Trish vs. Lita or Trish vs. Mickie or any of the things we had in the mid '00s. Tag teams can work if you give them attention. They may not make the big money like a Cena or Orton, but they can make some money. The rating means shit when it comes to all of this.

I'm sorry, I don't like to watch the same things every week, that's way I fast forward it... WWE should capitalize on SmackDown to make his own ratings, because before this CM Punk storyline, SmackDown was by far the best show, like in the past we have seen SmackDown being way more entertaining than RAW.

Why are you sorry? Where did I criticize you for fast forwarding? Don't apologize.

SmackDown has always been the wrestling show, and keeping it simple is what has worked for a long time. That's what they do best.

Rey was built in SmackDown, until that he was only another highfliyer and Booker was by far more entertaining in his run in the WWE than his run in WCW.

He was built off of his popularity in WCW. He wasn't just another highflyer. He was a guy who could have off the chart matches with a lot of people, and his speed was incredible before his knees slowed him down. Though in regards to championships beyond the Cruiserweight belt, yes he grew on SmackDown.

Have you watched Booker in WCW? Besides, you didn't say I was wrong with him either. He wasn't built on SmackDown other than King Booker, that is a fact!

Their best part of singles career happened in SmackDown.

I'll give ya that with Benoit and Christian. Benoit's matches and opponents were far superior on SmackDown than Raw. But he also had great matches before the brand split, and won the World Title, his biggest accomplishment, on Raw.

Edge, his biggest heat was against Matt Hardy, John Cena, and DX while apart of Rated RKO. Also his first title win over Cena thanks to MiTB.

Not what I was trying to say, but the truth is that the drama, the act, and the PG storyline aren't the same thing as the Attitude Era was.

The Attitude Era wasn't the same as the Golden Era either was it? I'll elaborate more next.

No it isn't! Look I'm a big fan of Miz, but even I can say that the guy isn't the reason that RAW has 3.9 ratings, he doesn't have the character that appeal every fan.

Who said he does? The comparisons of current stars to old are unfair to both. Nobody can be Austin, Rock, or even Triple H. They can only be Miz, Punk, Cena, Orton, so on and so forth. Honestly I have no idea what you are trying to get at. Stars now are different than they were in the Attitude Era? No shit Sherlock! Miz is still young for Christ's sake, it will take a while for his stock to rise higher.

I was a kid and I loved Stone Cold, so the age doesn't matter and the truth is that PG killed some of the best WWE Moments.

No it fucking didn't. Jesus Christ dude, are you that thick in the head? The Attitude Era is an anomaly when you compare it to the rest of professional wrestling. The WWE has almost always been a PG show. Just because people can't swear, bleed every fucking match, or have chicks making out, that means moments have been killed? No it fucking does not! Moments haven't been as great because shock value was killed during the Attitude Era. Look at the Golden Age when Hogan was on top of the WWF. It was PG, and it was arguably one of the greatest times ever. It's all about how you use the stories. The writing has been lax but that is the fault of the writers, not the PG rating.

 

[vthokie8]

I find myself agreeing with Legendkiller716 on this one. I would like for the roster split to be more strict, and go back to the way it was originally meant to be. I still think that PPVs should all be joint for the time being until new stars are built, but maybe even split them like they used to be once there are eastablished guys on both brands. I think the strict brand split helped build future stars like Cena, Orton, Lesnar and Batista who were all products of the initial brand extension. These guys had TV and PPV time to get their characters over and were allowed to learn on the job as upper mid carders and eventual main eventers.

That being said I will help FSWWE with his argument in the fact that I do believe SmackDown has helped create it's fair share of stars. Cena was a product of SmackDown and was really given time to get his character over on that brand. Lesnar was a product of SmackDown, I thought it helped the brand also in the fact that he took the WWE title with him there. Rey was built on SmackDown, yes he was a star in WCW and Mexico before that, but WCW had booked the guy into oblivion. Rey didn't have the mask and he was a part of a mid card faction that wasn't over. WWE really took Rey and revived his career on the SmackDown brand. I feel the same way about Booker, in the fact that his career was revived over on the blue brand. Booker looked weak in the Alliance angle, and he had become a comedy act on Raw with Goldust until he moved to SmackDown. Benoit, I can't agree with because he was a hot commodity before moving to SD. He did have some tremendous matches, but Benoit was a hot signing when WWE took him from WCW and he had already gotten himself over before the brand extension. The Rock wasn't built on SD, in fact SD was built for The Rock hence the name of the show. Edge, I disagree on as well. I think Edge was established way before his cross over to SD. Edge and Christian had been involved in some of the most exciting matches in WWE history at that point and both were already considered stars before the brand extension at least on a tag team level.

 

[GameOver]

I agree with the idea OP was portraying and since WrestleMania it's even more relevant. Smackdown since Mania has become a lame duck and it's hard even watching it other then the occasional good quality match. Kinda like watching Impact lol - sorry couldn't resist going there

Raw atm even though it's still not great there's atleast a few big stories going on and the whole CM Punk bit atm is enough to warrant waiting a whole week to what's gonna happen next.

Raw is still the only show Smackdown has just been a rehash of Raw with different stars for years. Only difference being Smackdown was more of the "wrestling" then soap where as Raw is a bit of everything. more or less mirroring WCW being the "rassling" show and WWE being the entertainment show.

I don't think in anyway should they split the shows PPVs again unless 1 month they have Raw and the next month Smackdown and both at Rumble, Mania, SummerSlam and SurvivorSeries and in those months neither show has an additional PPV. 2 PPV
s a month is too much to spend on.

I also don't see them ever combining the brands again or having off months. There's just too much put into having 2 distinct brands, more chance for more stars to get seperate air time or so they say, but as i said they aren't any different other then different names and a different color scheme which defeats the purpose of splitting them to encourage brand loyalty and in general it's the same small group getting all the air time from month to month year after year (not that some of the others even deserve the air time).

It's like having Days of Our Lives and Young and The Restless (for the American's) or Home and Away and Neighbours (for the Aussies) saying they are seperate shows on competing networks yet you could watch either and other then who's playing the roles what happens is pretty much the same on both shows even down to the storylines each week.

Smackdown originally was an additional show to further Raw's storylines and gain some ratings that were otherwise going to WCW to watch Thunder and also it was i think to promote the Rock. Austin enhanced RAW as a household name and Smackdown was The Rock's show

back when it was one brand, Smackdown had alot of defining moments as did Raw but that changed when WCW went belly up and Smackdown became the haven for the not quite top named stars or the up and comers while Raw continued on as the show with the most spread content, bigger names, better production values, better commentry team, more edginess and advertising. Both shows have "created" there fair share of stars, it's just that Raw gets more funneled into it to keep it bigger

as for which show created which star. IMO it's irrelevant. WWE created them or furthered there fan base not the individual show for the most part. Some people just got more air time on the one show or another and a chance to shine on the Wrestling "Smackdown" show as opposed to the Entertainment "Raw" show.

 

[Azane]

I stopped watching Smackdown, and it made Raw about twice as interesting, I can see where this is going.
Seeing the Raw Rewind 3 times makes anything seem boring, I'm sure if it existed during the Attitude era, I'd get sick of watching Chris Jericho debuting on Raw 3 times in a week (that may be a bit blasphemous, sorry).

I remember Smackdown's breakout where it started becoming more than just a weekly special is about the time I felt like wrestling was getting stale. I guess getting oversaturated is killing the fan inside me, but I'm liking Raw waaaaaay more when I just ignore Smackdown, and if anything worth mentioning happens on Smackdown, someone's gonna spoil it on this site anyways, so I'll know if it's worth watching the DVR.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I agree with KB as well as LegendKiller716. It is true that the one week gap between Raw's added a lot of anticipation to the show but it is also true, as KB states, that in this day and age, it is almost impossible to revert back to that kind of stuff. Instead the only way to raise the anticipation levels is to make the brand split way more stricter.

Each brand should have its seperate set of announcers. There is also no need to mention Raw on Smackdown and vice versa, though that rarely happens. That way you also get rid of the Raw Rewind and add a few more minutes into the show.

I remember watching Royal Rumble 2005 recently and that was, as you may recall, at the height of the brand split. Teddy Long and Eric Bischoff, the GM's of the respective shows at that time, were egging on their superstars and each time a Raw guy hit a Smackdown guy, it felt as if something out of the ordinary was happening. That was a format that was working rather well but I think it was the case because the WWE was wanting to make Smackdown look as an equal to Raw. Somehow that does not appear to be the case today. Smackdown is the clear B show and it is so because even the WWE wants to keep it that way. But maybe keeping it on an equal footing as compared to Raw was the best way forward.

 

[mrfantastic111]

Raw went nuts for Y2J when he came back in 2007, even though he left as a heel in 2005. Randy made a brief stop into Raw after he injured his shoulder a few years ago and got a great reception, even though he was a heel.

I do agree with you though, the idea of watching wrestling almost everyday kind of kills itself. Kind of ironic that this is how Vinnie Mac n' friends planned to improve the product lol.

I think the reason why I enjoyed the CM Punk/Cena angle recently so much was because of it's unpredictability (The angle was never played out on Smackdown, only teased).

 

[The Idiot]

It's what I've been saying for YEARS. The simple idea of less is more.

Less television programs
Fewer titles
Fewer of the same matches (every week)
Less PPVs.


I understand they have a lot of superstars that they need to put on TV, hence the brand split....but a good percentage of them shouldn't be on TV. Many of the mid card talent are not exciting and should be on a B-show such as Heat or Superstars to work on their ring/promo skills.

The day the brand split ends will be the day I get excited about wrestling again. A REAL title unification...not like the one at SummerSlam. A REAL one with the world and wwe titles being merged together to form one champion for the company.

With that being said...they should also merge the US and IC titles...having one mid-upper card talent holding a title instead of two would make it mean a hell of a lot more.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder"....I couldn't agree more. I understand business...and having 2 shows generates more revenue for the E...but in my eyes it waters down the product.

Where they would be losing money on only having 1 show a week...they would be saving money on their labor by not having as many superstars. It sucks to fire guys who work their tails off...but I'm a fan and I only want to see greatness on my TV.