Break It Down! (Kinda Long, But Please Read)

[TheRealDC]

the main problem that Raw has... is that they give top matchs mid-card billings... They are relying on the WWE Title way way way too much. Apart from the fact that no one else really has any interest in the other belts. Smackdown is full of Superstars that have set contentions for set belts. Raw is sloppy, the characters are coming off as "not much of a big threat." To fix this... (be warned this might be a long post...)

A.) Stop putting the Women's Championship matchs at the second to last to the main event. Cause unless you can drastically fix that portion of the show, your screwed. The show bounces from the beginnings slow start and by the time the fans are back into it, out come the Women's matches and you lost the crowd right before the Main Event. I would seriously think about swapping belts with Smackdown. Bring int he Cruiserweight Championship Belt and let them take the Women's belt, cause the females there seem to be doing a lot better. And they have nothing to show for the fights really. What would be better then to see King Booker and his Queen with Gold around their waist?

B.) Open up to more Tag Teams. I'm freaking annoyed with Spirit Squad and thank God I haven't seen em in a while. But why, why, why, WHY do Edge and Orton have the belts, if they are never going to fight some other Tag Team, I doubt they are gonna wanna through a match to the Highlanders or Cryme Time, or the re-united World's Greatest Tag Team. If they did lose the belts to anyone, the more then likely people they will lose it to is DX. But then DX wouldn't throw the match to someone else either... Unless RRKO push the belts on to Team Extreme, which is another likely canidate. But that leads into the next one...

C.) Intercontinental Championship division, if you take a look at the last couple people that have had the belts, they don't keep them that long because they have recently or have been involved in the Tag Team division. Jeff Hardy is lucky to have the belt still and still being in the Tag Team division as well. I just wish they would find a set thing for Jeff, I would love to see him back in Tag Team action with Matt. But Shelton is re-united with Haas, Johnny Nitro WAS re-united with Mercury. Point made. to fix this problem its simple, Carlito gets the belt, and turns heel again. And he makes people fight for the chance to get a title shot. Cause right now, they just give the title shot almost as a reminder that there is a Inter. belt, (I'm not saying that the matchs aren't amazing, but they are few and far between cause Jeff wrestles Tag Team Matches)

D. Finally we come to the big one, the WWE Championship. They shuffled the cards and reached for a card. And pulled the card of Umaga. And, instead of folding, they are taking a huge gamble. I'm really not a fan of Umaga, but I respect the fact that he is the only character on Raw, he is the Sumoan Bulldozer (I probably spelled that wrong) but he is just that, he plows through people. Yells and screams and acts all crazy. The current champ John Cena, seems to be over doing the Marine act a bit too much. He is not a real Marine, and the over dramatized promos where he gets real intense for some stupid reason or another are getting kind of old, kind of fast. I was happy as hell when he started rapping again to launch the K-Fed feud (more on the in a min.). Other then that, I really don't mind him. But he seems to be getting a lot of boos from the crowd as of late.

The K-Fed thing, is signs that Raw is falling. But I will admit the thought of John Cena whooping his ass is enough reason for me to pay attention to it, for the time being, thats the only thing keeping me interested.

The main thing I am trying to point out is that Raw is in a tight spot, in my view. This is just my focus on Raw, please tell me your thoughts. Cut me down for being an asshole, its just my views. I love wrestling, and I just recently found this site to post blogs and stuff, and you all seem like intelligent people. I'm sure we can all agree that Raw lacks a little flare nowadays that it had in the "Attitude" era. I watch Smackdown and I really can't complain with what they are doing. But Raw, they need to work on it. I will post another blog on what I would do in certain divisions later on. (Including the Women's Championship but I think I already clarified what I would do.) But that will happen pending feed back on this. Cause if no one posts anything on this then, I'm screwed and this was just a waste of time. So if you would like to know what I would do if I were GM of Raw, please let me know that you would like me to back myself up so to speak, cause I think my ideas are a little more captivating then what we are seeing now. Thank you for your time and in the words of Mick Foley, "Have a nice day."

 

[Punisher1205]

Hmmmm... interesting ideas.

I agree though.

They have TONS of talent, lots of big wrestlers and up N' Coming wrestlers. Yet they cant seem to keep some division among them. i mean i'll admit that every once in awhile its nice to see some random guy from the IC champ area get a match for the title. BUT, that should be very few and very far between, because when its done all the time it really makes it look like the writers are in the back playing pick up sticks and drawing straws to see who gets the next title shot.

as far as the womens belt, i think that when lita (Except for all that "hands and feet" bound crap) and trish were there, the matches could be where they are putting them. but now, all they have are victoria, mickey James and Melina. BUT melina doesnt like, EVER wrestle. she is a manager, SOooo they need to see the fact that the womens divition in raw is lacking in actual wrestling talent and move it neer the begining of the show.

Also the Cena thing. HE needs two things and i would be happy.
a mean streak, where he LOSES a couple times and then goes "Hardcore" and just kicks the shit outta people.
OR
drop the marine act, you can still talk about your respect and love for the military, BUT your a rapper. PLEASE go back to rapping. thats what made me a cena fan and thats why i still hold on, and hope for more. the new moves is a move towards what he needs but i really wanna see him come around. ALSO what happened to the chain? why isnt he EVER winning matches in a slightly "Dirty" way anymore? i realize he is a face, but cmon, thats another reason i liked him.

I agree tho, either fully reunite the hardyz and MNM, or stop having them join up everyweek. i mean, obviously MNM is done for awhile, BUT the Hardyz need to both move to ONE show... OR just split them for awhile and let jeff do his IC thing for a lil bit.

but, all in all i think you make alot of sense.

 

[jbremner2]

I kinda agree with ur points and kinda dont. I agree with the womens title as it is really lackin anythin nowadays and doesnt seem to be gettin better. I would make the tag team belts unified and put on Raw. I know ppl say u should hav the tag team belts defended on both shows but i think tht is stupid for two reasons, 1 is tht they are meant to be seperate brands so no1 should be allowed to keep makin appearences on other shows cos it kinda makes the to different brands seem stupid. 2 is tht when the WWE belt was unified with the world belt, tht didnt work defendin it on the two shows it jst didnt. Hav 1 tag team belt in WWE where all the best tag teams compete on 1 shows. Raw would hav WWE, IC, Tag and Smackdown would hav Heavyweight, US and CW belt. Womens can go to ecw or somethin not tht i dont like womens wrestlin but with no real womens wrestler bar a couple it seems tht ECW should be the place for them.
Second point is bout the IC title pic, if u jst turn Carlito heel and give him the belt who would he feud with. the main reason tht WWE keep puttin Jeff and Matt together was to create a buzz and to try and make more sells for ECW ppv. I think tht the Hardyz won't reunite and tht Jeff should remain champion. Defend against Nitro, Masters and even Kenny. By jst turnin Carlito i think u r jst creatin more problems a Carlito as a character will go dwn dramatically and there is really no one to fued with if Jeff did reunite with Matt.

The tag teams divsion is really goin up imo recently. The reason tht Rated RKO got the belts was a case of luck. Piper got ill and they needed to drop the belts. The only team tht they could drop the belts to at the time was Rated RKO. Flair was goin into Survivor Series and he still needed to be put over in a way tht wasnt stupid. If he lost to a team who hasnt been on Raw in ages , it would jst be plain stupid. Also it give Rated RKO somethin else in terms of a credible and legitimate tag team. I like tht Rated RKO hav the belts but i do agree tht they need to defend them more. If tht be against DX then why shouldnt it be, DX is also a legit tag team.

And also, call me old fashioned but i like to think tht the WWE title has tht much pull tht it is the WWE belt, the title tht every1 wants to win as a kid. The title should be the main talkin point of the show.

 

[JaYmAgNuM]

This is a great thread...just cause everyone posting...isn't being a mark or a smartass about it. check what i got in ma head here...(yea im white...)

1.Title defenses need to take place not only on ppv's but on TV. Give the show some reason for watching. And i mean, usually when they do this,its pretty obvious that the champ isnt losing...but when Edge won the gold on RAW from RVD, Cena...and ALTHOUGH it wasnt advertised for that night...IT WAS GREAT...if the results were the same and none of us knew about the "drug bust" i KNOW, all of us would have simply beened STUNNED. The sporatic and unpredictability of RAW is what got it on the map in the first place. WWE needs to know that the fans of this generation have proly been watching THIER WHOLE PATHETIC (mine included) LIFE. We're a smarter wrestling fan. Dont tell us its goin to rain....then piss on us.
2. As far as contenders...one word.....TOURNAMENT! Who doesnt love a good tournament? Remember wrestlemania 4? That bad ass 16 man tournament that had all the matches take place THAT NIGHT?! Who would've thought? It brings out alot of great matches...because every fan now has a reason to watch every match....and every wrestler has a REAL reason to WIN. THE TITLE!! Aint no one in here is gonna tell me that they dont remember the 1st ROUND MATCH of the Gold Rush Tournament....HBK vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN! gimme a break...if that wasnt one of the best matches on RAW in a while! and guess what 50% of the whole effort goes to shelton...and he didnt have to talk one single bit. No one cared that he cant carry a promo in a paper bag. That match had everyones focus...why? Who would win? Athleticism, and they had a real reason to have a match. If a person is watched by the audience to earn their shot at the title, it gives the title more credit as to who its being defended against...and gives that talent a chance to showcase what they got to the crowd and gives them time to get the heat or pop needed. Case in point....Brock wins king of the ring= TOTAL DOMINANCE= crowd instantly wants to see him KILL Rock= credit given to title= great buyrates= case closed.

im proly gettin off topic but i got so much crap in my head...so just bear with me here, and if not...go ahead and stop reading............................(i'll excuse you)....................................................................................... okay here we go...

That intercontinental at one point was more important than the WWF/E Title...cause it used to represent one of two things...either the next guy thats good enough to challenge for the world title....OR....the next guy to wear the world strap. Nowadays its almost like the belt has a weight limit. BS i say. Do i think Jeff should contend for the title? Well, as far as getting credit to the World Title...i dont think he could do much for it. As far as the crowd wanting to see it....eh...who knows...but if he were to put on a match like he did in that ladder match against Undertaker and with JR's "COME ON JEFF, REACH FOR IT SON!! GET THAT TITLE IN YOUR HOMETOWN!! GET IT JEFF, REACH HIGHER! REACH FOR THE STARS JEFF!! REACH FOR YOUR LIFE!!" that would be something i would want to see. Something that WCW had that i always liked was that when you won the U.S. Title...instantly you won a shot at the WCW World Title. If that person ended up beating the World Champ, then he would relinquish the U.S. and a tournament would be set up. if he lost...he continued to be U.S. champ and would defend it. Sweet...this would do two things...it would again build the World Champ and would promote the credibility of the U.S. champ whether he won or lost. another example.. Warrior/Hogan WM6. MATCH WAS FRIGGIN HORRIBLE with a big side of NO WRESTLING TALENT thrown in for good measure. But the story behind it was something the fans were intrigued by. Two "good guys" two titles....c'mon now thats something no one could be torn one way or the other on.

Im sure all of this is way easier said than done, i mean there's a reason why Vince is a billionaire and we aren't. But still, if you build the credibility of the titles up, have more frequent defenses against NUMEROUS opponents...you get an audience. you get buyrates, you get RATINGS. The audience needs to be "worked" more...and that my friends is something that has ceased to be in a LOOOOOOONG TIME.

 

[TheRealDC]

This is a great thread...just cause everyone posting...isn't being a mark or a smartass about it. check what i got in ma head here...(yea im white...)

1.Title defenses need to take place not only on ppv's but on TV. Give the show some reason for watching. And i mean, usually when they do this,its pretty obvious that the champ isnt losing...but when Edge won the gold on RAW from RVD, Cena...and ALTHOUGH it wasnt advertised for that night...IT WAS GREAT...if the results were the same and none of us knew about the "drug bust" i KNOW, all of us would have simply beened STUNNED. The sporatic and unpredictability of RAW is what got it on the map in the first place. WWE needs to know that the fans of this generation have proly been watching THIER WHOLE PATHETIC (mine included) LIFE. We're a smarter wrestling fan. Dont tell us its goin to rain....then piss on us.
2. As far as contenders...one word.....TOURNAMENT! Who doesnt love a good tournament? Remember wrestlemania 4? That bad ass 16 man tournament that had all the matches take place THAT NIGHT?! Who would've thought? It brings out alot of great matches...because every fan now has a reason to watch every match....and every wrestler has a REAL reason to WIN. THE TITLE!! Aint no one in here is gonna tell me that they dont remember the 1st ROUND MATCH of the Gold Rush Tournament....HBK vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN! gimme a break...if that wasnt one of the best matches on RAW in a while! and guess what 50% of the whole effort goes to shelton...and he didnt have to talk one single bit. No one cared that he cant carry a promo in a paper bag. That match had everyones focus...why? Who would win? Athleticism, and they had a real reason to have a match. If a person is watched by the audience to earn their shot at the title, it gives the title more credit as to who its being defended against...and gives that talent a chance to showcase what they got to the crowd and gives them time to get the heat or pop needed. Case in point....Brock wins king of the ring= TOTAL DOMINANCE= crowd instantly wants to see him KILL Rock= credit given to title= great buyrates= case closed.

im proly gettin off topic but i got so much crap in my head...so just bear with me here, and if not...go ahead and stop reading............................(i'll excuse you)....................................................................................... okay here we go...

That intercontinental at one point was more important than the WWF/E Title...cause it used to represent one of two things...either the next guy thats good enough to challenge for the world title....OR....the next guy to wear the world strap. Nowadays its almost like the belt has a weight limit. BS i say. Do i think Jeff should contend for the title? Well, as far as getting credit to the World Title...i dont think he could do much for it. As far as the crowd wanting to see it....eh...who knows...but if he were to put on a match like he did in that ladder match against Undertaker and with JR's "COME ON JEFF, REACH FOR IT SON!! GET THAT TITLE IN YOUR HOMETOWN!! GET IT JEFF, REACH HIGHER! REACH FOR THE STARS JEFF!! REACH FOR YOUR LIFE!!" that would be something i would want to see. Something that WCW had that i always liked was that when you won the U.S. Title...instantly you won a shot at the WCW World Title. If that person ended up beating the World Champ, then he would relinquish the U.S. and a tournament would be set up. if he lost...he continued to be U.S. champ and would defend it. Sweet...this would do two things...it would again build the World Champ and would promote the credibility of the U.S. champ whether he won or lost. another example.. Warrior/Hogan WM6. MATCH WAS FRIGGIN HORRIBLE with a big side of NO WRESTLING TALENT thrown in for good measure. But the story behind it was something the fans were intrigued by. Two "good guys" two titles....c'mon now thats something no one could be torn one way or the other on.

Im sure all of this is way easier said than done, i mean there's a reason why Vince is a billionaire and we aren't. But still, if you build the credibility of the titles up, have more frequent defenses against NUMEROUS opponents...you get an audience. you get buyrates, you get RATINGS. The audience needs to be "worked" more...and that my friends is something that has ceased to be in a LOOOOOOONG TIME.

In more ways then one, you have taken the words right out of my mouth, I agree completely. Jeff Hardy is one of my all time favorites, and that ladder match with Taker (although the end was kinda off) was amazing, that crowd was going NUTS! The Shelton - HBK match, was another masterpeice in fact, i do believe they still show the end segment in the opening Raw video. The Intercon. Belt should be more of a marking point for a wrestler then a low billed match that takes places during a PPV, (thankfully they learned a little with the Nitro - Hardy ladder match setting up the re-match in a cage should be interesting enough.) Credit is given where credit is due.

 

[Punisher1205]

I never knew about the whole WCW set up for the US title, i think they should do that with at least one of the titles, that would really be a big draw, I know i would actually look foreward to who is gonna win those titles, I am still looking foreward to the hardy/nitro match, but if they did the tournament that would be cool. Is what smackdown is doing with the "Sprint" matches Kind of what you were talking about?

this is probably my favorite thread right now, I actually look foreward to reading what you guys have to say. because we haven't gotten any One Liner posts.

NEways. I agree completely with the fact that we need more title defences on regular tv shows. it would make it much more exciting. Also, they need to toss an actual champ change (even if its the IC or US) on the regular shows a little more often.

 

[TheRealDC]

Hell, instead of using a breifcase during the Money In The Bank match, make it the IC belt, therefore, the belt can still be lost, AND the number one contender chance goes with it, BUT as soon as the opportunity is taken, the chance cannot be re-established on the belt until the Wrestlmania at the end of the year, (like if Jeff Hardy wins the belt and uses his chance the next night on Raw, no one can use that chance again until the next Money In The Bank Match, when the #1 contendership for the WWE title is up for grabs)... spice it up a little bit, cause the MITB match would draw a lot more attention, and it would be a high spot on the card, so they don't have to lean on it for pop from the crowd, and the fact that the IC belt contention is somewhat carrying a handful of superstars that have proven that they are fully able to work with ladders, it would make it a lot more interesting, while still adding to the importance of the belt. But, the thing about the IC belt becoming so important for semi-main event status, you would have to give those other guys something to fight for.... European Championship (a lot of superstars carried that belt.) and then Smackdown would need one more too, so give them a Women's title as well, to balance it all out, two Diva Championships, and a European on Raw, (to counterbalance the Cruiserweight on Smackdown.) DAMN I'M GOOD, lol. Let me know what you think guys.

 

[Punisher1205]

I could see that, but their would have to be something else that would allow for #1 contender status because if we only got one title match every year it would be insanely boring, Not for the IC belt, but the WWE belt.

OR

are you saying that for each wrestler that wins the belt they EACH only get one shot, in that case i could somewhat understand it. or maybe just that the title has to change hands before a superstar can use the #1 contendership again? what you think?

 

[TheRealDC]

No, the Money In The Bank stipulation would still be applied, the IC Belt will remain seperate from the World Title, meaning, you wouldn't have to have the IC to be #1 contender, the #1 mark with the IC belt only comes if you win the MITB, just once a year, any superstar can still be the #1 contender without having the IC Belt, like, if Cena lost the World Title, he wouldn't have to regain #1 status by winning the IC Belt, he can still battle for the World Title without every having to touch the IC belt again.

But, if you win the MITB match, and then lose the belt to someone else without using the #1 contender spot that came with it, it automatically goes to the person you lost it to, and carries on and on until someone uses it... then it would be void until the next MITB match at Wrestlemania.

But also, now that I think about it... what would happen to the belt if say the IC Champ wins the World Title... to remedy that, the belt would be vacated and THEN, bring in a mini tournament. Now, what do you think of that one?

 

[JaYmAgNuM]

yeah...the U.S. used to come with a number 1 contendership. Remember when DDP won it...he was named number 1 contender and wrestled Goldberg in a pretty decent match(for it being goldberg) and lost. He kept the title...but then after that..DDP's pop went up and soon after that he became champ. It was just a ripple effect. Goldberg kept his streak goin and didnt lose any face by beating DDP, and DDP's pop went through the roof cause they saw him grow to that level to compete with Goldberg. Now that they saw how close he got to winning that strap, they wanted him to win even more now.

See the deal with the I.C. strap is this. Right now, their using it as a just
something to have the mid-carders fight for. But as far as the audience is concerned it does nothing when the title has absolutely no prestige. That title has been held by like almost every great wrestler to ultimately become world champ, and in alot of cases, it was held by people who SHOULD HAVE BEEN champ.(i.e. Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude) But its those guys, who really gave prestige to that title. Who really looked like a threat to the world title, and put a thought in the audience mind, "I bet this guy could beat the champ" and if he does....then we were right, but if not....the guy gave the champ a run for his money and gained pop that way and the World Champ didnt lose anything cause he was supposed to win. Man thats gotta be confusing...haha

anyways...as far as talent? I think Nitro has a future if his mic skills were as good as his abs,(lets face it, being able to talk could make or break you nowadays. i dont personally care)Jeff has actually gotten better since he's come back, his pop didnt fizz out like i thought it might. Carlito has so much potential, its stupid. he can hold the crowd in the palm of his hand, and I KNOW(cause ive seen) he can wrestle with the best. Chris Masters would be a great IC champ on his gimmick alone. Seriously, with this whole who can break the master lock gimmick?that would make him and that title grow a set. Steroids or Not, it doesnt matter. Everyone wants this damn break the masterlock gimmick to end, and thats exactly the fuel thats needed to get him heat. we would cheer whoever he faced just cause we want them to break it. Think about it. Shelton Benjamin. Man this guy needs room and time to improve. they give him a week, then take 6 from him. He can have some great matches with whoever is in the ring with him. ESPECIALLY THE BIG BOYS....HHH or HBK ring a bell?again...

Now im not saying that you HAVE to become I.C. champ before World Champ. Look at HOGAN. Okay point said. Im just saying if you want to kill two birds with one stone, you can do it by working the titles together, on almost the same system. If you have a guy holding the second highest title on RAW....then naturally, that would make him 2nd best, no? Well if you want the fans to believe that this guy is 2nd best....give them a reason to believe. WE(the fans) are not goin to give you the benefit of the doubt, you need to prove to us without a shadow of a doubt that this guy has what it takes. And for the world title? SWITCH IT UP A BIT! you want ratings? promo a title match on raw just 1 week before it happens. you want consumer appreciation? give us an un announced title match....hell throw in a TITLE CHANGE!! That will keep people watching cause they dont know what to expect, and will instill in our heads that the HUNT for the Strap is a hard one, because at any moment, the champ will have to defend against a TOP CONTENDER....(emphasis on TOP CONTENDER...no need to suprise us with a title match including John Cena vs Mikey....we get it...mikey will not win.)

and im just throwing this out there...but blast me with your opinions please, i have an old idea for PPV buyrates. It used to be done this way but not much anymore. Nowadays (john cena vs umaga) your not interested in seeing the match on ppv cause you've seen them get it on already on RAW. They blow their load on national TV. What i liked, was when the two competitors wouldn't touch each other until the PPV.... THAT GAVE EVERYONE a reason to watch. THEY DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. Hold out until the PPV to duke it out until then, promote it. Promos, tape vignettes...the whole shibangabang. Then when the match takes place...WHO KNOWS what will happen. This whole thing where john cena gets to Umaga...and vice versa, you can almost tell when a certain person is gonna win by the way they balance out the push and who goes over in a match by the way they get the upperhand each week. DONT MAKE NO SENSE MAYN.....im just sayin....

 

[TheRealDC]

I do believe as of right now, that it's not Cena's fault that the show depends on him twice in one night to get the crowd into it. I can honestly sit here now, and take back all the bad things I said about Cena. Cause I just now realized something, as I sat here and read the discussions that are building on this thread, the reaction seems to be the same in every person's opinions. Its that lack of fight in the rest of the show. The guys that are on the first to mid card matchs, (aside from the Tag Team scene.) Can't get the crowd behind them, because honestly what are they fighting for? An IC title shot? Last time I checked I do believe Super Crazy was on Smackdown fighting for the Cruiserweight belt... what's he got on Raw??? Charlie Haas, if he wouldn't have reunited with Shelton, he would be fighting for... or Eugene (I'm talking about now with the "special" gimmick cause I've heard he is quite the accomplished wrestler.) is he gonna be the second best wrestler to John Cena??? Shelton, Hardy (regardless of how sloppy he gets I still defend his ability to work a crowd) Nitro, and Carlito. Are all good 2nd men to Cena's number one spot. But what happens to the other guys. Doomed to wrestle in mid card with bad gimmicks and even worse storylines involving the Diva's. Viscera macked Lillian for crying out loud. And although I would say Lillian is a smoking hot little piece of don't get off the subject. They used her as a last resort because all the other Diva's were involved with someone else... so if you look at my last post... that is what I truly believe will be the future for the IC Belt, but please don't think I am saying that you HAVE to win the IC belt to get the push, thats not what I mean at all, its like applying the U.S. Title thing to the IC Belt. If you would like me to explain in full detail what I meant, I will use two examples to paint a better picture, but, I hold true to the fact that there should be at least one more belt for the other guys to work for, and being that Smackdown carries the only other male oriented belt, The European belt should come back and Smackdown should get their own Diva belt. They even have more Diva's that are able to wrestle for it, and Smackdown needs as much saving as Raw does, the wrestling world needs saving. Where the hell is the next Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper? where is the next Rock and Austin? Oh wait... THEY ARE ALREADY HERE!!!! Recognize the skills and push the people that deserve it. Bring in another belt so you won't have this problem again, because there needs to be not only a first, not only a second, but also a third man. Cause you cannot always break apart a good tag team to get the next Shawn Michaels! We all remember The Dudley split. Thank you.

 

[Punisher1205]

and im just throwing this out there...but blast me with your opinions please, i have an old idea for PPV buyrates. It used to be done this way but not much anymore. Nowadays (john cena vs umaga) your not interested in seeing the match on ppv cause you've seen them get it on already on RAW. They blow their load on national TV. What i liked, was when the two competitors wouldn't touch each other until the PPV.... THAT GAVE EVERYONE a reason to watch. THEY DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. Hold out until the PPV to duke it out until then, promote it. Promos, tape vignettes...the whole shibangabang. Then when the match takes place...WHO KNOWS what will happen. This whole thing where john cena gets to Umaga...and vice versa, you can almost tell when a certain person is gonna win by the way they balance out the push and who goes over in a match by the way they get the upperhand each week. DONT MAKE NO SENSE MAYN.....im just sayin....

I like that idea, but i dunno, i guess they should do this whenever they are doing a #1 contendership matches, with fueds for the title though, there needs to be some kind of thing to keep people interested in it. maybe if someone wins #1 contendership, they cant touch the champ till their match. then after they have that match then the two can go at it some ya know? that way the fueds can keep the attention. but everything else i agree with.

 

[TheRealDC]

I'm not trying to sound like a prick, but is anyone honestly reading my posts in this... if you were to give the IC belt such an importance as it once had, you would need to bring in something else for the other superstars to gain momentum for... the Money In The Bank idea that I put up is golden... if that doesn't draw anyones attention, then I don't know what would. On top of the fact that you could shoot the importance up for the IC Belt in one week... The week before WM Vince can come down, and explain the stipulations. And then its done, case settled, plus, if they were smart, they would bring in the European Belt, that way they could fill the rest of the Raw Brand matches with the people hanging around in the back that are basically falling as wasted talent like Super Crazy and them. But they shoot themselves in the foot by only allowing such a minimal IC contention roster.

 

[thelcon21]

Random WWF (I won’t say WWE) thoughts and suggestions.
1. First of all they need to combine the rosters. No more Smackdown and Raw brands I was never in favor of this in the first place. It spread the product to thin. Plus it is hard to watch both shows each week. Most people just watched the show their favorite wrestlers were on. I loved Kurt Angle and never got to see him because he was always on Smackdown (minus the half year on raw)

2. By combining the rosters you need to combine the two tag titles. No need to have 2 titles for one brand. If you want two tag titles make one the ECW Tag Title and put it on ECW. This will allow you to have a great tag division.

3. Get the title off Cena and Batista. I’m tired of having them as champions it is the same old stuff week after week. The reason Raw and Smackdown have no championship division is Batista and Cena never lose and if they do it is an non title match for where a person like Finley needs to cheat to win. I will admit I don’t watch Smackdown much but the few times I did watch last year it was pretty entertaining to watch Booker T as champion.

4. Wrestling has become way to predictable. What made the WWF so entertaining from 1998-2003 every once in a while you had a shocker. Whether it was Jericho beating Triple H on Raw then getting the call reversed or having Foley beat the Rock (even if Bischoff gave the result out). Now we see Cena vs. Johnny Nitro or Batista vs. Finley every week. We know the result already, which is another reason why I probably don’t watch Smackdown. Back in the day even with the spoilers it still grabbed my attention knowing the results.

5. Needs more personality. Like I said before in the between 1998 and 2003 the wrestlers had personality. Triple H, Foley, Rock, Jericho, Austin and even Angle were real funny. It was great entertainment the wrestlers made fun of each other, got the crowd into the show. Somewhere down the line everything got so serious. If I wanted to have someone lecture me about the troops or being a marine I will watch the news more often. Raw used to be 50 minutes of funny segments and interviews and 1 hour and 10 minutes of wrestling. Now it is 1 hour and 50 minutes of wrestling and 10 minutes of the same old interview. How many times do we need to see Rated RKO hit Flair on the head with a chair?

6. What I would like to see at Wrestlemania. First off I want HBK to win the Royal Rumble. He is getting old and it is time for him to get one last push. Especially with Triple H out probably for 2007. Most of you will say he is too old to get pushed but to be honest there really isn’t anyone else to headline the show. Cena vs. HBK would be an amazing match. We have years to see Cena vs Orton and how many times can you throw Edge vs. Cena at us. HBK still gets one of the loudest pops if not the loudest each night. Have him win the title and mid year have him job it to push someone over for him to have knee surgery. Plus it would allow the WWF to turn Cena heel finally. The only people who cheer him are people who think he is hot. This would also allow the WWF to bring up the mid carders and show them off on the bigger stage.

7. Get Austin back on TV. Whether it is commentator, commissioner, interview segment. He doesn’t have to wrestle if he doesn’t want. Just have him on TV.

8. I know everyone is making a big deal about the IC title and I agree it should be used to build up the wrestlers to main event status but I think that is the least of the WWF’s problems right now they just lost 1 of the 4 guys that puts people in the seats (others being probably HBK, Taker, Cena).

 

[benmed15]

Since this is my first post I just want to make a short comment about the state of WWE. I would love for them to quit pushing the bigger, slower, less talented wrestlers and start focusing on more in-ring wrestling with guys who can actually do it. Get rid of Viscera, Great Khali, Gene Snitsky, and start pushing guys like Haas-Benjamin, Hardys, Benoit, etc to upper level feuds.

 

[Satan's Hockey]

Everyone added so much to this thread, and so much of it was what I have been thinking about for awhile but I just wanted to add one thing, Rated RKO needs to drop the belts so the tag team division has something to wrestle for and instead of making them look bad they should just come out and say that they are too good for these belts and they don't mean squat to them and say we are drooping them cause they are worthless, or something to that extent, than have the tag teams wrestle for the vacant belts.

 

[thelcon21]

Thats a good idea but they will never do that. It will make the tag division look weaker then it already is. They will probably sometime down the line have someone interfere and cost them the titles. They won't do a clean job to Cryme Tyme. Or a Triple Threat Match where neither will get pinned.

 

[TheRealDC]

Everyone added so much to this thread, and so much of it was what I have been thinking about for awhile but I just wanted to add one thing, Rated RKO needs to drop the belts so the tag team division has something to wrestle for and instead of making them look bad they should just come out and say that they are too good for these belts and they don't mean squat to them and say we are drooping them cause they are worthless, or something to that extent, than have the tag teams wrestle for the vacant belts.

To just add to that little bit, I do believe that especially since HHH is out... that Rated RKO should just drop the belts... and I also agree with what the other guy said after you, (cause I don't wanna put two quote boxes in this.) Because its not unlikely for a high rated team to suddenly be knocked off their thrones... I was actually watching an old WWF tape I found recently, and it had The Rock and Sock Connection wrestling... The Holly's (Hardcore and Crash, for those that don't know, but I'm sure you do.) And of all things that happened that night, Mick Foley didn't wrestle with the Rock as a Tag Team because the Rock threw Mick's book away, quote un-quote. BUT, I think that would be the classic thing to do. The single handed best thing for them to do. IMO, there are way way way too many heels in the WWE Title contention right now for them to keep Rated RKO afloat. Cena is basically a one man show, and not a very good one to boot. (But please lighten up on the guy, he can't help it that he sucks but still brings in bookoo dollars for the WWE. At least he tries.) But I honestly cannot stand watching Edge do this heel thing lately. Back when he was with E&C, the cocky attitude and the 5 second poses drove people nuts, and they were still the bad guys. But along came Orton, who in my opinion, is able to carry over the, "I'm too good for you," persona and still pass for a babyface. With that said, flash back to the Mick Foley thing, and you get em together one night and they have some kind of fight about something, but extremely personal, like Randy calls Lita a hoe or something like that, and Edge "still has feeling for her." So he gets pissed and doesn't even show up to the match or whatever. Who cares. But, they have a short fued and before you know it, it's a 5-man battle royal for the belt at the next PPV (I don't know what it is and at this point I don't care, feel free to tell me if you so choose.) John Cena, HBK, Randy Orton, Edge, and (for the love of God why) The Great Khali. Split RKO! Please. And IMO again, turn Randy Orton face, cause I think out of the two of them, he would make it better... and btw... I just found this very funny... and mind you I'm not complaining... but I originally started this thread to ask if people liked my idea... but I cannot complain with what others have added, keep it coming guys.

 

[TheRealDC]

Random WWF (I won’t say WWE) thoughts and suggestions.
1. First of all they need to combine the rosters. No more Smackdown and Raw brands I was never in favor of this in the first place. It spread the product to thin. Plus it is hard to watch both shows each week. Most people just watched the show their favorite wrestlers were on. I loved Kurt Angle and never got to see him because he was always on Smackdown (minus the half year on raw)

2. By combining the rosters you need to combine the two tag titles. No need to have 2 titles for one brand. If you want two tag titles make one the ECW Tag Title and put it on ECW. This will allow you to have a great tag division.

5. Needs more personality. Like I said before in the between 1998 and 2003 the wrestlers had personality. Triple H, Foley, Rock, Jericho, Austin and even Angle were real funny. It was great entertainment the wrestlers made fun of each other, got the crowd into the show. Somewhere down the line everything got so serious. If I wanted to have someone lecture me about the troops or being a marine I will watch the news more often. Raw used to be 50 minutes of funny segments and interviews and 1 hour and 10 minutes of wrestling. Now it is 1 hour and 50 minutes of wrestling and 10 minutes of the same old interview. How many times do we need to see Rated RKO hit Flair on the head with a chair?

8. I know everyone is making a big deal about the IC title and I agree it should be used to build up the wrestlers to main event status but I think that is the least of the WWF’s problems right now they just lost 1 of the 4 guys that puts people in the seats (others being probably HBK, Taker, Cena).

I also wanted to shed some light on this by thelcon21 (key points were quoted for more room (as this part is me editing realizing I just wrote a lot.)), I agree fully with almost everything you say. First, kind of out of order but #8. The reason why I would push the IC belt a little bit more... is because they are making it a first match status belt. Jeff Hardy defended his belt at NY Revolution during the first match... But then Carlito came out later that night and wrestled Chris Masters? Don't you think there is something wrong with that? Whoever is writing up these cards needs some serious mental scanning done to him. I don't think anyone in their right mind would do something like that, you have a highly anticipated match and you throw it at the fans at the beginning??? Come on. And it does help push future stars, cause like it was said on someone else's post, its that thought of, "this guy could probably take the Champ." that gets people interested. But by far, #1 and #2. I won't go into detail, because they finally have competition now in TNA, who cares if its not that great its still competition, WCW wasn't the greatest either. You can bring the two divisions back together now, they had their fun, we are sick of it. At least I'm extremely sick of it, cause for the longest time I wasn't able to watch Smackdown because we didn't get it here. I had to wait until Raw to find out if Taker kicked HHH's ass or not. Since they split the divisions, I didn't even know who John Cena was until he showed up on Raw one night. I saw him wrestle once at a friends house, but it was when he had like, red tights and devil horned hair or something like that. #5 Back in 98 to 03, Storylines were minimal. All you basically had was matches. The Hardyz would come out one night and wrestle, Road Dogg and X-Pac. But at the PPV they wrestled Edge and Christian. E&C didn't have to interfere because they had their own match as well. Hype sold the story and good promos sold the story. And it was a lot more personal sometimes too. Like Big Boss Man hiring a cop to tell the Big Show his dad died... when you found out it was a hoax, you looked forward to the Big Boss Man getting his ass stomped (he ended up getting a f*ing car thrown at him.) Its that kind of stuff that I miss. But above all, intensity. When wrestles literally went after each other. Nowadays, it seems like they spend more time on the mats outside, then they do on their feet, and this is all within the first 3 min. of the match. Overselling is an issue, and an issue thats better left for PPV. Not on Raw, Raw matches and Smackdown matches are like, set-ups for the beat downs that take place at the PPV. Jeff Hardy holding his back at the beginning of the match. OK, we get it, your hurt. But if I remember correctly after he took a dive of a gigantic ladder, he limped for a week and was just as intense as ever the next. If he is hurt, give the dude some time off, and work on the other wrestlers. Personality is key to a good wrestler, because if the fans aren't into him, they will boo him out of the ring. I said it before and I will say it again, I respect these guys, I honestly do. But what is wrong? Why is it slow paced? Does everyone need a week's vacation?... maybe, instead of Vince trying to find the next Andre The Giant or Brock Lesnar or Goldberg or some other massive body of a man that evades remembering, (cause most of em sucked.) He should focus his attention on the issues thats killing his "billion dollar industry", cause I'm watching, and I'm seeing myself watching old WCW wrestling, that like hour before Raw started, when you were just watching WCW cause Raw didn't start for another hour, ya know. That "killing time, 'oh that was pretty cool', poorly planned, poorly executed, and special appearances from B list actors and TV personalities, (screw you Jay Leno)" That is what cost WCW to go under. It's almost like watching history repeat itself. It's slow, it's boring, it's weak, sometimes I don't know if I'm even watching wrestling or if I'm watching my favorite wrestler fixing his tights for 2 minutes after he just took a back body drop (and most of the time, it is my fav. wrestler fixing his tights for 2 min after taking a back body drop.) VKM should take the stick out from his ass, and sniff it. Cause it might wake him up. (yeah I'm a 21 year old dude bitching to fans of wrestling from behind my keyboard and snickering at my monitor.) But, I do love wrestling. It used to be fun to watch. And dammit, I'm rambling again. But, that's just me. Sorry I got off subject, but, I know someone will agree with me... my apologies for such a long post, after i just posted once before.

 

[NinjaJenn]

I've got two quick things and I'm done- First, make more of the cruiserweight division and title. There's some real talent there, on the mic and on the mat, and they just don't use it. They could even lend some credibility to the division by putting Rey back in it- he's not a heavyweight in any definition of the word. Second, instate a Television title! That way the top belt isn't changing hands so much and means a little bit more. Guys used to hold those belts for years at a time, and a challenge meant something. TV belts have worked for other promotions, and the prestige is still there- like RVD in ECW (old school). Maybe then people won't get as tired of Cena.

 

[thelcon21]

JointDC you hit the nail on the head. It is like watching the old WCW. After the NWO died off they couldn't tell their head from their ass. WWE is now like watching history repeat itself. The product is spread way to thin with 3 different brands. Not to mention the three world title holders can't cut a good promo if their lives depended on it. How many times do we have to see Umaga attack Cena from behind during a match or Batista squash someone on smackdown. I'm 23 and have watched wrestling since the days of the Mega Powers and I've never been so sick to my stomach then I was this past Raw with The Not so Great Khali and the Rosie and Donald Trump segment. They need to get people like the Rock, Austin or Jericho and even Foley that know how to entertain. HBK and HHH are the last two from that era and they don't even know how to use them anymore. Because Wrestlemania will come around and we will see HBK wrestle some match that means nothing and watch Foley beat the crap out of Vince, Cena destroy Orton and Edge somehow cheating his way to victory (you read it here first people no need to order wrestlemania). Maybe just maybe with Triple H going down until Summerslam they may change things up but getting the Great Khali to take his place is not the answer. I turned Raw off at 10:50 this week because I knew exactly what was going to happen and after reading it I was exactly right.

I know the Rock and Austin won't wrestle anymore probably but why doesn't Vince offer Jericho the kitchen sink. He is still young, funny, a proven champion, knows how to wrestle and win or not he is entertaining. All I know is he needs to do something to help the fans that have been so loyal to him all these years. Sorry about the venting but it is sad to watch something you watched for like 20 years just die.

 

[TheRealDC]

I think that The Rock and Austin are completely done... maybe a cameo at WM but other then that, you will never see them on Raw (but a little bit of me still holds hopes to see that.) If they were smart though, Austin could come back as the GM for Raw. Which brings me to the topic on my mind right now. I'm more entertained with the storylines on the video games then I am week to week. When Austin showed up on the game as Raw's new GM and decided he was gonna send me to Smackdown to raise some hell, I beat the holy hell out of Batista. If I did that in real life, I would be hailed as a God (metaphorically speaking). Its sad to think that a video game kept me entertained. Because it's pre-recorded, but, why didn't they use these storylines in real life? If Austin showed up next Monday night and ordered any wrestler on Raw to go and raise hell on Smackdown, and then you watch Smackdown and there he is beating the crap out of Batista, you just sold out your next PPV. WHICH BRINGS ME TO ANOTHER!

The GM mode on the game is like a dream come true for me, cause I'm able to get 5 Star Ratings without cheating. I use just regular guys, I pushed Ken Kennedy to WWE Championship Contention and was praised for it on the game. But thats just a game and this is real life. But the fact that I did go through a 3 month slump trying to get these mid-card guys to catch on with a simulated audience was proven good when I started dragging fans to my show. I ran Raw, just FYI. (you see where I'm going with this, WWE can't be afraid to take a chance with someone else) But I did try to follow storylines from real life to the game once. Capping off the night with a re-re-re-re-match of John Cena vs Edge/w Lita. And the results amused me to no end. Two and a half star ratings, for putting on almost the same show I watched on Raw that night. Two and a half stars. Which promptly lead to Smackdown stealing fans from me by putting on a show in which Rey Mysterio beat JBL for the title with The Undertaker in his corner. (Why? I don't know why, but that was their main event.) In any event Smackdown raised a three and a half star rating on their show. Aside from the rambling on about these games, my point is this. If the WWE doesn't want to believe their fans in real life that what we all watch on Monday night isn't crappy. Then play your own video game and see how crappy your show is. You don't need us to tell you your killing your ratings cause a computer can tell you the exact same thing. The computer makes better matches then they do in real life. And humans are supposed to be superior to machines. (I better not say this too loud cause for all I know I could be looking at Robosapien fighting John Cena at WM). We are not dumb, no one on this website is dumb, save for people who have trouble spelling. But even the people who can't spell could probably cut a better promo in text form and still be able to sound better then John Cena, or Bobby Lashley, or Batista or The Not So Great Khali (haha, love it thelcon21.)

We as fans, should not go ignored. We were the ones that made The Rock popular, we were the ones that made Stone Cold a rebel, we were the reason why they could get away with stupid matches, (if they would have thrown the Trump vs Rosie things at us a few years ago, we would have been laughing our ass off.) We sold out arenas, we set the records, we are WWE. If you feed us $#*t, we will tell you, and that is proven during the Rosie vs Trump match when everyone was chanting TNA. I'm not saying that we are responsible for everything the WWE did. But it is a 50% against a 50% margin. 50% was the WWE pitching the gimmick and the wrestlers taking the ball and running with it, 50% was us biting into it. The Rock would not be anything without crowd response. If he cut a promo and no one cheered, he would have been tossed out the door, or wrestling on Heat for his entire career. If we didn't cheer when Austin first flipped off his opponent, he would have been fired.

The thing is wrestling is broken down between two ages, The Golden Age and the Attitude age. The Golden Age is when it was cool to watch a massive dude like Andre take people out, (but keep in mind although it was hard to understand him at times, we knew what was going on). The Great Khali is not Andre. In the Attitude era, nearly everyone was an @$$hole. Literally, all the top guys had an attitude to them, hence that name of the era. Since Austin and The Rock left so did that era, (there are plenty of names that can follow those two, but I'm using them as primary example.) What we have now, is the Dark Ages, and as cool as that sounds, it is not a good thing. This is the era in which VKM thinks he controls the world. Sorry to break the news to him, but he doesn't. Hitler thought he ruled the world once, he committed suicide when people told him he was wrong because they raised arms against him. And in some ways, its a similar story for VKM, he is choking the life out of his own people, and using his own army of professional wrestlers to do it. It is almost damn near the same exact thing. Wrestlers are VKM's SS, and we are forced into concentration camps with flashy names (Madison Square Garden, and other arenas.) YES! I JUST COMPARED VINCE MCMAHON TO ADOLF HITLER! YOU READ IT HERE FIRST! I hope I just opened some people's eyes. If Vince doesn't want to listen to what we have to say, then he is doomed. We don't want giants, we want talent. We don't want dominance, we want upsets. Everyone else and I can tell you that, and a video game can tell you that.

I think I rambled on for a little bit too much, and I said some things that are a bit out of the ordinary. But my point out of all of this is that, I'm being entertaining aren't I? The people reading this are probably sitting there thinking to themselves "what the hell is this guy thinking?" or "who the hell does he think he is?" But I did it to make a point, I just entertained you! And I'm not even on Raw or Smackdown! Anyone can be entertaining, it just takes that little flair in it, its called World Wrestling Entertainment, and I'm not being entertained, I'm falling asleep. I wish I had a physic that allowed me to wrestle but sadly, I don't have it. But what I do have is a loud mouth and the brains and know how to captivate people. Don't deny me the fact that this post did not just entertain you at least a little bit. I compared McMahon to Hitler, thats gold written all over it. And that my friends is what the WWE needs right now.

 

[Mr. Highlight Reel]

Im goin with Jay Magnum here. Nice comparison by the way JOINT...real nice...but i hate to break it to you...but i gotta. see there is a reason why VKM is a billionaire right now...and NONE of us are.Ill tell you why too....its simple...no matter how much the product sucks...no matter how much we bitch and moan about what would be better...WE STILL BUY INTO THE PRODUCT. even if it is to watch RAW next week to see if it gets better...it doesnt matter because our loyalty is making him money either way. if he really wanted to know that we didnt like his product...he wouldnt have anyway of knowing(at least right now anyways)because people still fill arenas....they still log on to the website, they still cheer, they still order PPV's, and im not saying this is ALL wrestling fans, but there are enough of us out there who will bitch about the product...then order the PPV(or stream it) then watch RAW. (me included) WE are being hippocrites(*spelling*)...but now heres something interesting to think about....
ONE mistake that VKM is making is that RIGHT NOW, he doesnt consider TNA a threat so he's not worried about losing the "LOYAL FANBASE" he's created.Because of the reason's stated above. Now hes trying to make wrestling cool again(circa,1998) by trying to appeal to a much larger conglomarate(*SPELLING FO SHO*) THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS as a whole. VKM wants media coverage....so right now he's not worried about sacrificing a few fans so that he can make Wrestling cool to EVERYONE. The whole K-FED thing? Rosie VS Trump atrocity? He thinks if he grabs NEW fans....that will eventually replace the ones he may have lost to TNA or The West Minster Dog Show.....(seriously..WHY GOD!??!) Right now...Vince has money, he has friends, he has great ENTERTAINERS, he has the number 1 rated show on USA.....WHY NOT EXPAND HIS HORIZONS RIGHT? its bullshit i know...

Theres one more mistake that i have been noticing here lately as well...see ive been watching wrestling since i could open my eyes and im 23 now...and everything ive learned through different outlets, T.V., The Web, DVD's, professionally doing it myself(ACW-San Antonio, TX 2000-2006) and one of the main things ive come to KNOW is....your consumer is your most important advisor. YOU NEVER GO AGAINST THE GRAIN in other words. Right now....VKM is set so much on getting out to these people who were NEVER fans, its creating conflict with the FANS that built this business. He used to take pleasure in the fact that he knew what we wanted more than we did. Well, now he's completely ignoring that aspect and goin for a different demographic.

Am i saying..."EVERYONE, if you dont like it, dont watch it, dont support it, and if enough people do it, VKM will HAVE TO address it and change what hasnt been working?" No...cause it will never happen. There are too many loyal fans who will eat this shit and say it tastes good.....like me.

 

[jbremner2]

Jst a quick point tht is kinda off topic but ive allready posted what i think. Jst like to say this thread is damn good, people giving there opinions and reasons why. I would jst like to say imagine if Vince McMahon read some of these post and actually listened to us and changed some of his programming for the better. Also he would prob employ loads of us cos it cant be as bad as some of the things he is doing at the moment. Well one can hop lol.

 

[Mr. Highlight Reel]

Jst a quick point tht is kinda off topic but ive allready posted what i think. Jst like to say this thread is damn good, people giving there opinions and reasons why. I would jst like to say imagine if Vince McMahon read some of these post and actually listened to us and changed some of his programming for the better. Also he would prob employ loads of us cos it cant be as bad as some of the things he is doing at the moment. Well one can hop lol.

yeah...well that would be better than to higher someone who knows absolutely nothing about wrestling or the industry....AT ALL; but then again...so would giving a bologna sandwich the job. ITS THE SAME

i mean...i know vince is smarter than that. he was a fan first before he was a business man. He knows what the hell needs to happen. He's got too many "yes" men around him and that cant be healthy for the business. He has to realize that after almost 30 years...your gonna run out of fresh ideas and you need to switch it up a bit, but if your gonna do that, do it the RIGHT way. Dont fire someone who knows the business in and out, then higher someone who doesnt know their A$$ from a hole in the ground. I mean alot of this is common knowledge. Seriously, would you higher an accountant to do brain surgery? ahNO! They know nothing about what the job calls for...CMON VINCE!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?