Are we worrying too much?

[Dave]

I don't think k there cam be any doubt about it, the WWE seems to be in somewhat of a chaotic state right. When I think back to the days of old, when I first started watching the product even, it seemed like there was a focus for the WWE. At the time, people like Austin and the Rock were fading away and starting to think about efforts outside of the WWE. But the WWE still had a plan, even in the remnants of the Attitude Era; a simply unpredictable era at the best of times. They were on the look out for the next big star and their next step, no matter how unpopular it has proved to be with fans who started watching before these steps were taken.

I remember back to that time period and thinking that I was worried about the future of the WWE. Before John Cena arrived, I was genuinely worried that the WWE would not be able to create new stars and that once the remnants of their most successful era had dried up, the WWE might be in a bit of trouble.

But since then, the WWE has found its stability. It has constantly produced talents and angles that have kept the business afloat; and has kept the money coming in the door. Whilst it is not as profitable as it once was, I don't think k it needs to be. And whilst the talents who line their halls are not on the level of The Rock or Austin, I definitely think that the WWE has did a good job of creating it's own stars and defining it's own identity.

But the same questions about its talent constantly comes up, the same way as they did a decade ago. And a lot has been said about the defining moment of this generation as the WWE seems ready to find that next big star for the future.

But my question is, are we worrying too damn much? Shouldn't we trust Vince and the WWE Creative team to take the business we all love into the future? I mean, the guy has been fighting a battle ever since he took over the WWE and it is still standing tall and fighting on; constantly trying to move forward in a society that has broken the illusion of wrestling.

What do you think? Are you concerned for the future or do you trust Vince and the WWE to keep providing you with what you have become used to?

 

[laodaron]

Who is we? I haven't enjoyed the product so much since I was 15 and watched Bret and Stone Cold go at it. Or a little older watching DX/NWO stuff going on. The product has plenty of direction, but that doesn't mean that the fans always get it.

 

[wrestler36]

Not worried at all. Why should we be? Lack of talent? Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Wyatt all brought up in the last few years and more hungry talent from NXT working their way up. Cena's starting to let other people shine, fans are absolutely NUTS over Bryan. Sure, there's some frustration with lame storylines or lack of TV time for certain stars, but there's no need to worry.

 

[FightOwensFight]

Yeah, I think there is a bit too much worrying going on with the current product and direction of that product. I just think WWE is in an awkward transition phase right now and aren't entirely sure how to handle it.

They had a plan in the fall, but then had Orton committed to a movie at the same time Bryan, Reigns, and Barrett got/were hurt. Those are 4 guys either in the Main Even picture or upper-midcard that suddenly aren't there anymore and that is going to have an impact. Now that everyone is back I think you will see things start to take shape.

You have Reigns going against Lesnar, and hopefully beating him so the champ is actually around on a weekly basis.

Orton is heading to a feud with Rollins. He is currently "with" the authority but it is pretty clear that won't last.

Ambrose is working with Barrett. Has the potential to be pretty good (though not sure why Truth is in the mix)

Bray is calling out Undertaker. Not sure how that match will end up, but it keeps Wyatt interesting and has the potential to be pretty good.

There is the potential for Ziggler to go against Bryan at WM if the social media stuff from earlier is any indication.

The tag division is starting to take shape as well with The Usos, Cesaro and Kidd, The Ascension, Prime Time Playas, and maybe a "re-tooled" The New Day (nothing to suggest they will, but you can still hope).

Stardust is getting more and more interesting. The matches have been lackluster, but the promos/psychology of Cody/Stardust are getting better and there is the potential for a "legend killer" type of thing with him and his whole "cutting out the fat" promo calling out his brother as well as Big Show, Kane, and Mark Henry.

This doesn't even mention the current roster of NXT that will be making the move in the next year or so with Owens, Baylor, Neville, Zayn, Banks, Flair, etc.

All that, taken as a whole, paints a pretty good picture of where WWE is and where it could be. They just need to execute.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

way too much worrying, I too haven't enjoyed the product this much since the late 90's early 2000's. This is a talented roster. and creative is being pushed by fans, HHH and the great job they're doing at NXT.
It isn't perfect, 3 hours of raw and 2 hours of smackdown is a chore but I enjoy it.

I couldn't say it any better than FightOwensFight. I may get into it with people on this board but I haven't been this excited about wrestling in 14 years.

 

[OYDK]

way too much worrying, I too haven't enjoyed the product this much since the late 90's early 2000's. This is a talented roster. and creative is being pushed by fans, HHH and the great job they're doing at NXT.
It isn't perfect, 3 hours of raw and 2 hours of smackdown is a chore but I enjoy it.

I couldn't say it any better than FightOwensFight. I may get into it with people on this board but I haven't been this excited about wrestling in 14 years.

Right. Ever since about 2013, I've been noticing that WWE is beginning to step up their game. From about 2008-2012, it was just a chore to tune in every week, which is why I began to switch off. Nowadays, WWE has a somewhat different feel to it. It's a lot fresher imo. I was really worried at THAT TIME that there would be no future because it was literally, John Cena/HHH/Orton/Batista/Taker/Edge... All guys that were around the 35-40 year mark (other than Orton/Cena). Than they had guys like R-Truth and The Miz main eventing PPV's, which really blew... no offense to those guys but they're just not legit main-event level talent.

I think NXT is really what saved the WWE tbh. Look at the proclaimed future of the WWE; Rollins, Reigns, Ambrose, Bryan, Rusev, Wyatt, Owens, Zayn, etc. Almost all guys that made their names in NXT. It leaves me wondering if WWE would have gone with these guys had NXT never been created. Would we have a completely different crop of talent, or would we still be stuck with face John Cena vs heel Randy Orton every week? Who knows.

To answer your question, some people worry too much. Others like myself, seem to be enjoying the product and looking forward to the future.

 

[Wald]

Anyone overtly worried about the product today would have had a heart attack watching what WWF put out from about 1993 to 1996. Outside of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels it was a real garbage heap of a show, just woeful. Without those two the company could have easily not lasted the course and been gone before the Attitude Era could really kick off.

So do I have trust in Vince? No, not really. Despite what all the Monday Night Wars documentaries gloss over, the truth is Vince was hopelessly out of touch with his audience in the early to mid 90s and had to be practically dragged kicking and screaming in to the light in order to save his product. He is a visionnaire but he isn't this all knowing, hyper creative one that the WWE tells us he is. He has dropped the ball on countless occasions and I do think he has been dropping it the past few years too. I think he needs to take a leaf out of the pages of Vince in 1996 and start listening to his audience and his locker room more.

He is ramming his vision of what he wants a wrestler in 2015 to be down our throats and it looks a bit too much like what his vision of what a wrestler should be in 1995. Wrestling has moved on quite a lot in the past ten years and I do genuinely think the influence of groups like NJPW, Dragon Gate and ROH have seeped in to the WWE audience and I do think we want faster, more agile and better workers to be promoted to the top spots over just how they look. That's not to say the WWE should go indie because honestly I can't stand most indie wrestling and much prefer WWE's slower storytelling in the ring.

 

[OldSchoolWrestlingFan]

I am not worried at all - I just don't enjoy the product that WWE has put out in years. I find myself looking forward to Lucha Underground & ROH programming far more than I do WWE. I have to applaud what they are doing in NXT but the sad truth is that they do not carry over that same flash/great matches to the main roster! The Ascension were absolutely amazing in NXT - I couldn't wait to watch their matches and see what they would do next & now that they are on the main roster they are simply a laughing stock & a joke.

Besides WWE not allowing NXT stars to carry over to the main roster with what made them successful in NXT they also do something else that is absolutely stupid - they hire fantastic independent talents or known names (like "Kevin Owens") and then they change everything about them - they change their name, their finishers, absolutely everything that makes them unique and caught their attention in the first place. If anybody should be worried it should be Vince & WWE because they don't have any true equal competition right now but with Lucha Underground and others on the rise they could be in for a real fight very soon. Can we say......Monday Night Wars Part 2?

 

[CyberPunk]

Not worried, no. WWE has been solid last few years. Yes, business has changed, formats have changed, but WWE seems to be doing pretty well for themselves. As far as starpower goes, there is enough in the roster for future to be bright. Yes, there are hiccups every now and then, booking wise, business wise, but it all works out in the end.

NXT is there. WWE's own roster is pretty deep in terms of main event capable talents. Nope, all's good. Future's good. Only if they can be more consistent now.

 

[DCLXVI]

I would say it was in worse shape last year around the time CM Punk left and Daniel Bryan/Bad News Barrett all those guys were suddenly hurt left and right. But at least Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose proved themselves to be able to step up, learn a lot and carry the company along. The Network is just getting started still and it really is a good deal if you even watch just the Pay Per Views once a month or NXT.

Speaking of NXT, it's also great that we have an alternative wrestling product that actually focuses on amazing WRESTLING. Not to say that the NXT format would necessarily ever draw the ratings the current 3 hour show does... there is a wide demographic there and a large majority are kids. I don't know if a show that is 90 percent wrestling with realistic characters would hold their attention.

I think eventually NXT should really be its own alternative brand and not just developmental (and I think that's the plan with them touring now) that has their own top stars that aren't necessarily aiming for the main roster, or guys who are plain misused or they have nothing for to do on the main roster. There are a lot of guys that are just a little too old for major pushes in WWE that are still awesome wrestlers.

 

[L@RISANO]

Right. Ever since about 2013, I've been noticing that WWE is beginning to step up their game. From about 2008-2012, it was just a chore to tune in every week, which is why I began to switch off. Nowadays, WWE has a somewhat different feel to it. It's a lot fresher imo. I was really worried at THAT TIME that there would be no future because it was literally, John Cena/HHH/Orton/Batista/Taker/Edge... All guys that were around the 35-40 year mark (other than Orton/Cena). Than they had guys like R-Truth and The Miz main eventing PPV's, which really blew... no offense to those guys but they're just not legit main-event level talent.

I think NXT is really what saved the WWE tbh. Look at the proclaimed future of the WWE; Rollins, Reigns, Ambrose, Bryan, Rusev, Wyatt, Owens, Zayn, etc. Almost all guys that made their names in NXT. It leaves me wondering if WWE would have gone with these guys had NXT never been created. Would we have a completely different crop of talent, or would we still be stuck with face John Cena vs heel Randy Orton every week? Who knows.

To answer your question, some people worry too much. Others like myself, seem to be enjoying the product and looking forward to the future.

This.

From 06-13, I tuned out but for a small "peek" here and there. During that time, when I peeked, I never got the idea that there was anyone that interested be it; the Miz, Truth, Swagger,,Ziggler, Del Rio or Sheamus. CM Punk was interesting to an extent whilst Hardy and Lashley also but not enough to get ke back as anything close to a 'regular viewer'.

However in mid-2013, I took a peek and saw the Shield and immediately the group screamed, "Come Back!"
This has now been a year and a half of regular following and I can safely repeat what OHYoudidntknow above and others have stated with regards to the talent and the product looking up. The Roster quality is of a high level and once WWE can execute and get the most out of guys like Daniel Bryan, the Shield and Bray Wyatt, amongst others. I see loads of potential and am strapped on for the ride post-Mania 31.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

Yes, you're worrying too much.

Just relax and enjoy the ride. It's fine to be critical. But don't let it take over the enjoyment.

Perfect example, a few weeks ago on RAW they had Bryan vs Rollins, winner faces Reigns at Fastlane. Most of the comments I saw online during the match were about "oh how are they going to book this" or "who's going to interfere so Bryan still looks strong" or "how are they going to get Reigns over".

Yet in the meantime, Bryan and Rollins had one of the best RAW matches of the past year. That match was great - and I'd love to see them get 20 mins on PPV, because I know they'd steal the show. In fact, I'd much prefer to see Bryan/Rollins happening at WM instead of Orton. But regardless, too many people didn't appreciate how good the match was because they were too busy worrying about how WWE was going to book the finish.

Chill out.