Damage Control: What to do now?

[thestud77]

I'm more and more convinced that there is a divide between the millions watching the program and some of the people showing up at these arenas. Batista got crapped on tonight but on the last Raw he popped the rating big time, over a million viewers tuned RAW out after his debut. We've seen the ratings & buyrates dip for Bryan & Punks main event runs. It's one thing for a few thousand die hard fans to come to an arena and assert themselves, but the numbers are what they are.

What are you talking about? Batista didn't pop a rating. The rating has been basically the same for the past 5 or 6 years which is the core audience. The only time the rating really dips is when raw is up against Football.

 

[the_peoples_adam]

I think make it TRIPLE THREAT at WM 30.. And make BRYAN win over RANDY and BATISTA.. That will make it huge...Well but ELIMINATION CHAMBER is going to give us all the answers..

 

[thestud77]

Neither of us can say we know for sure and clearly we believe differently. I choose to believe that he did not offer anything appealing to make his character interesting after the pipebomb speech. I saw instances where he tried to recreate that moment in promos and it never really lived up to it. Also his character after his S.E.S. days, has lacked depth for the most part. It would be far too easy for me to look at all of his shortcomings and point to the company. At some point, the talent is to blame for their failures.

The damage control I see, will be what many are expecting. The expendable Batista will go back to being a monster heel. But this time he'll actually be used to put someone over for a change. Frankly, I'm not so upset that he got booed at RR because like I said, he's expendable. He's been gone a while and didn't deserve the win since it's not like he's immensely loved still. But I was far more upset at Sheamus and Rey getting booed. I thought that was unnecessary. Hardly no one suspected they'd win and Sheamus just came back from recovering from an injury/surgery. But that's just me bitching as 1 person.

The simple fact that they've already put the WWE title on Bryan (no matter how short of a reign) and put him in the main event scene, is proof that they are listening to fans. The smarks who choose to ruin shows by chanting irrelevant things during championship matches and misguidedly booing the talent not responsible for their disappointment, are undeserving of what they want in my opinion. Plus they've proven to still be loyal fans when they're unhappy anyway, so it makes their whining seem that much more stupid.

Well not me. I don't care if Daniel Bryan beats Orton clean tomorrow night and goes undefeated for 5 years. I'm not giving WWE another cent after tonight's horrible ppv. Screw the network.

 

[bloewaters]

Folks who are taking a massive diarrhea dump on the Rumble, I have some bad news for you all. You are getting WORKED by the machine. WWE has done some stupid shit in recent times, but they are playing this out to the letter. This has been a story since SummerSlam and it will come full circle now. Somehow, some way, WWE will write Bryan into the WWE Title match at WM30, and have him complete the biggest adversity story in Wrestlemania history.

Brother I agree completely! Especially with all the shit foley and Bryan himself are talking. This has work written all over it....



........or at least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself so I can not be so pissed lol

 

[mlp420]

Folks who are taking a massive diarrhea dump on the Rumble, I have some bad news for you all. You are getting WORKED by the machine. WWE has done some stupid shit in recent times, but they are playing this out to the letter. This has been a story since SummerSlam and it will come full circle now. Somehow, some way, WWE will write Bryan into the WWE Title match at WM30, and have him complete the biggest adversity story in Wrestlemania history.

I think we are being worked. But not the way everyone thinks. I think they are going to do what they want on TV and at he same time try to convince everybody on the internet that they have this master plan in the end.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I agree that some damage control needs to be done. Batista's return has been a flop so far and he got boo'd out the building tonight. But there's still a lot of time before Mania and we got Elimination Chamber next month. I agree in having Bryan win the title next month in the Chamber. Maybe they could have Batista turn heel and join the Authority or have Evolution reunion in the next few weeks. That way they could maybe have a Triple Threat with Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton vs Batista making Bryan the ultimate underdog and still including Orton and Batista in the WWE title match.

 

[mlp420]

What are you talking about? Batista didn't pop a rating. The rating has been basically the same for the past 5 or 6 years which is the core audience. The only time the rating really dips is when raw is up against Football.

Raw had higher than usual ratings for the first hour and then lost 1M viewers by hour three. No way to know for sure, but you have to think anticipation for Batista's return is the reason for the high first hour and then the drop-off after he was finished. I hate to sound like one of these fools on wrestling new sites that try to analyse rating patterns, but that one stands out like a sore thumb.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

Raw had higher than usual ratings for the first hour and then lost 1M viewers by hour three. No way to know for sure, but you have to think anticipation for Batista's return is the reason for the high first hour and then the drop-off after he was finished. I hate to sound like one of these fools on wrestling new sites that try to analyse rating patterns, but that one stands out like a sore thumb.

Looking at the 18-49 ratings, which are the ones that matter to WWE's advertisers, you're clearly onto something with this one.

January 06- 1.6, 1.6, 1.6
January 13- 1.6, 1.6, 1.6
January 22- 1.7, 1.7, 1.5

The last Raw was definitely up from the others, although in total, it pretty much averaged around the same (1.633, or less considering those original numbers were rounded up).

Batista's return might have influenced the higher rating, but you could easily say it was Bryan's huge segment at the end of last week that drummed up interest.

Let's see how the ratings do after Batista's big win tonight. And let's see how it does with him leading into Mania. I frankly doubt it would be much of an increase.

 

[itdoesn'tmatter]

ARE YOU SMOKING CRACK??? Daniel Bryan Ends the Streak?!?!?! That's like a little Hobbit simply Walking into Mordor and tossing the ring of power down the molten shitter to destroy all darkness in the land. What kind of story are you telling here?

 

[J-sin]

Only way Vince can save himself is to add Daniel Bryan and make it a Triple Threat at WM. In the meantime have Batista turn heel and make it kind of like a Bryan vs the Authority/Evolution type vibe... And in the end with odds against him have Kane somehow help him..... Bryan and Kane celebrating in the middle of the ring would be a fitting ending for WM30.... But I'm beginning to think the greatest moment of the year has already happened on Raw when DB turned on the Wyatts.... If only Vince would realise that if a 2 week storyline could lead to a moment like that imagine the reaction of Bryan winning the title after a 2 month build up to WM30.... Does VKM even watch the show??? Can't wait to get the WWE Network so I dont have to pay for shit like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kumarjtk]

you guys thinks that bryan enters in the rumble? No way, he already mention in twitter he wont participate. You all know batista going to win and punk vs hhh in process, then why you guys are so much frustated with the result.
Wwe never give the belt to a smaller or masked guys. They honoured to put the belt for single day like kane, rey, foley,andre.
Bryan definitely wins three more titles but not now.
Bryan winning the chamber match and winning is not possible. Bcoz brock will fight for the title. If they make no1 contender match then he has a chance of winning.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Damage control has already started with this #YESMovement business on twitter. This is going to be turned into an angle. RAW should open with an Orton/Triple H promo that gets cut off by Batista's music. Batista and Orton have the big WrestleMania stare down, but then they hug as the crowd boos. Triple H talks about how Evolution has now come full circle, and his two proteges will be headlining WrestleMania 30 for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Then somebody comes out and says Bryan wasn't even given a chance to compete in the Rumble and you find a way to get Bryan added into the main event (you pull something out of your ass). Maybe he has to win a Chamber, or a match on RAW, SOMETHING. Hell, you could even do a walk-out angle where the whole roster comes out and says they plan to walk unless Triple H listens to the fans and gives Bryan his rightful opportunity.

And there you go, Bryan gets added in and we have Bryan vs. Orton vs. Batista in a Triple Threat for the Title at WrestleMania. During the build-up you of course have the whole angle with Bryan as the underdog not fitting the mold of a typical top guy and all of that, but you can also have some tension between Batista and Orton since Orton is paranoid that Triple H has brought in Batista to replace him.

Then at WrestleMania you do the right thing and put Bryan over. The show closes with Bryan holding the belts and 80 000 strong chanting "YES YES YES". That's how you salvage this and give the fans what they want.

 

[cult_of_icecream_bar]

hey,yo blue hanger idiot,5 minutes and 22 hours are not listening to the fans.and you think that only smarks support Daniel Bryan? in that case you're a fucking idiot or blind and deaf.because an arena full of 20000+ people are definetly not smarks.

 

[itdoesn'tmatter]

hey,yo blue hanger idiot,5 minutes and 22 hours are not listening to the fans.and you think that only smarks support Daniel Bryan? in that case you're a fucking idiot or blind and deaf.because an arena full of 20000+ people are definetly not smarks.

With the internet at everyone's finger tips, and the fact that everyone knows that pro wrestling is fake or scripted, rather, I would say that the majority of wrestling fans are Smarks these days. All of the Fans I know read the dirt sheets and scour the bowels of the internet for rumors and blah blah blah. Daniel Bryan is great, but this Infectious yes Chant is what causes his true power. Everyone wants to scream yes yes yes!!! It feels great. It feels so good to chant yes, I might even say it's Orgasmic. Pittsburgh was full of scumbags tonight who ruined what would have been a great PPV. When everyone is screaming that the show is bad it takes away the fun of watching it. people are sheep and they immediately try to copy the majority because they feel that is the right answer. People like to drink at wrestling shows and shout yes and eventually it spread like an epidemic. This isn't meant to come off as disrespectful to Daniel Bryan he is amazing. but is he Austin 316 amazing? The Rock Amazing? Hulk Hogan amazing? Simply no. It seems like he is so over that we could put him into the top 3 biggest unified crowd approval ever. I just don't think he's that good. His Promos are boring. His ring work is awesome, but his matches weren't nearly as exciting until Everyone screams YES! every time he throws a blow. and NO! every time he takes a blow. I kind of got of topic, but I feel everyone that watches raw no days are Marks. At least the people old enough and wise enough to understand the shows they've been consuming for years. The IWC is growing and growing and anyone who has cable these days likely has an internet connection. Smarks will continue to increase and will continue to be pissed at the product because it's just in thier nature to complain. To want something to be different than it is Marks like the rolling stones can't get no satisfaction, because they want everything to be as cool as it was when they were 10. Guess what. everything is cool when your 10!!!

 

[Dayno]

The only way I can see this working out now is troublesome. Bryan needs to WIN the title at Wrestlemania, not walk in with it and defend it (An EC win is the main option at this point).

This is just hopefulness, and im not even a huge DB fan but I recognise what needs to happen and Batista would never be happy with it. But the only why I could see them recovering from this is to now, and quickly, play up big heat between Orton and Batista. Have Batista come out on Raw and talk up his win and call out Orton for 'Mania, before Orton gives it to him about getting beaten down by a rookie and barely holding it togethor yada yada back and forth to the point where Batista uses his Rumble win at EC and wins, at the same time DB wins the chamber to become number 1 contender. Boom we have Batista walking in with the title and DB chasing for the huge win at WM. Orton can take Sheamus or something.

Only way I can see them recovering now. Could put DB against Taker that automatically denies the win he needs.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

The only way I can see this working out now is troublesome. Bryan needs to WIN the title at Wrestlemania, not walk in with it and defend it (An EC win is the main option at this point).

This is just hopefulness, and im not even a huge DB fan but I recognise what needs to happen and Batista would never be happy with it. But the only why I could see them recovering from this is to now, and quickly, play up big heat between Orton and Batista. Have Batista come out on Raw and talk up his win and call out Orton for 'Mania, before Orton gives it to him about getting beaten down by a rookie and barely holding it togethor yada yada back and forth to the point where Batista uses his Rumble win at EC and wins, at the same time DB wins the chamber to become number 1 contender. Boom we have Batista walking in with the title and DB chasing for the huge win at WM. Orton can take Sheamus or something.

Only way I can see them recovering now. Could put DB against Taker that automatically denies the win he needs.

You could also make the match a Triple Threat. Do Bryan/Orton at EC and have it end in a DQ, leading to a Triple Threat at Mania.

But that does bring up the question as to what they're going to do in the Chamber. Winner of the Chamber faces The Undertaker?

 

[rge2010]

I think the best route WWE can go down now is somehow making it a Triple Threat.

Bryan can come out on Raw tonight and talk about how the machine is holding him back and wouldn't allow him in the Rumble - he has already started this on Twitter.

At Elimination Chamber they have a number 1 contenders spot for the WWE Title. Bryan wins this and is in the main event of Orton vs Batista vs Bryan. Have Triple H turn on Orton and Bryan and make sure Batista wins the gold because 'that's best for business'.

You still have to ask yourself where Brock Lesnar fits into all this - he wants the WWE Title. I think tonight we will see Batista and Brock share ring time together. Hell, if they make it Orton vs Bryan vs Batista vs Brock that is amazing.

Taker can fight Roman Reigns and make him a star overnight.

 

[cherrickb]

Well I think it is pretty clear HHH is looking after his buddies. Batista is now stuck in the WWE Title match at Wrestlemania, this will suck balls. Lesnar was made to look unstoppable tonight, he is WINNING the Elimination Cjhamber match, whether it is for the title or not remains to be seen. After tonight, the rumoured Wrestlemania matches of CM PUNK VS TRIPLE H, JOHN CENA VS BRAY WYATT are now obvious. Orton vs Batista Im not sold on, this could be booed completely out of New Orleans. I think Reigns and Bryan need to be involved in the main or semi main event. Nobody wants to see Bryan vs Shemaus for the third time in 4 years at Mania.

Returning to the OP, if I was Helmsley/Vince, after what I saw tonight, I would be doing everything in my power to either:
A: Have Shawn Michaels return for a one on one match with Bryan at Mania 30 and put him over.
B: If WWE do not sign Sting, have D Bry vs Undertaker and have him end the streak. Vince/HHH are destroying a huge amount of money and giving the fans what they want ie: Daniel Bryan winning the WWE title on ppv

I don't think Michaels could put DB over any more than he is now. The only thing that I think could put him more over than winning the title, is ending Taker's streak, and Taker wouldn't have a problem doing it either.

I'm trying to look at the positives coming out of Rumble as opposed to the predictable outcome. Anybody who actually believed somebody besides Batista was going to win was setting themselves up to get pissed off. They heavily promoted Batista for weeks leading up to it.

The positives:

1. Roman Reigns once again had a stand-out performance, and broke one of the most solid records in the WWE. The fans were also strongly behind him by the end of it, and it's clear that his future ahead is bright. He's likely going to be the next huge star on WWE's payroll.

2. Bryan lost cleanly to Bray in one of the best matches I've seen in a long time, and still came out just as over as he was going in. The fact that he wasn't in the Rumble only adds to his "being held down" storyline that he's been pushing.

3. Cena didn't win the belt again, and now feuds with Wyatt which is fresh(something Cena has badly needed for a while now). Wyatt is going to be strong and believable heading into the feud, and could steal the show with Cena at Mania.

4. Despite Batista winning the Rumble, it was still a very good finish. All of the people at my house were actually buying into the idea that Reigns could pull it out, which is exactly what the Rumble is designed for; the suspense.

Bottom line is the Rumble was always designed to beat the drum for the march to Wrestlemania, and it did a damn good job of setting up the showcase matches, and leaving a lot of suspense heading into the Chamber.

My biggest complaint about the entire show was how dreadful the Cena/Orton match was. That was by far the worst match I've seen the two have. It seemed like they were just putting in minimal work, punching the time clock, and going home. Absolutely nothing special about the match at all, aside from setting up the Wyatt vs. Cena feud.

There wasn't nothing suspenseful about the rumble match.

 

[streicher187]

You have Bryan come out and thank the fans and tell them it was his choice to not be in the Rumble because he doesn't want the belt but the ultimate respect and wants Undertaker at WM30 .

This sets up Bryan for Taker and with his popularity and hot streak the first real threat to Takers streak.

only other solution is setting up Money in the bank at mania and allowing him to win it.

 

[Dayno]

You could also make the match a Triple Threat. Do Bryan/Orton at EC and have it end in a DQ, leading to a Triple Threat at Mania.

But that does bring up the question as to what they're going to do in the Chamber. Winner of the Chamber faces The Undertaker?

That is true, I spose thats the most plausible way of it happening. I just feel like the 'hugeness' of the win is denied with three people, having someone else doing damage. I just like the idea of Bryan overcoming the Authorities big dog guarding the top, as opposed to two people where WWE has a habit of creating a cheap ending.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

hey,yo blue hanger idiot,5 minutes and 22 hours are not listening to the fans.and you think that only smarks support Daniel Bryan? in that case you're a fucking idiot or blind and deaf.because an arena full of 20000+ people are definetly not smarks.

You only constitute "listening to the fans" as "doing exactly what we want when we want". Who's the fucking idiot? Do you think that Daniel Bryan would have been in the main event scene if it weren't for the fan reactions? Do you think he would have even been a 2 time WWE champion if it weren't for the fan reactions? Do you think CM Punk would have been champion for over a year if it weren't for internet fans?

They're clearly listening to the fanbase and they're trying to figure out the best way to appease us while at the same time not screwing themselves over. You know, because last time they listened to us and gave us exactly what we wanted, it didn't exactly reap the benefits they were aiming for. CM Punk didn't become the next big superstar to take the company by storm. That was a poor call on our part. And I say "our" even though I never thought he would. But just like with any fanbase, the majority of its fans assume they know what's best for the business when they really don't. Look how many people rush to defend someone they love and throw out a million excuses when they fail. However when that person succeeds, it's because of how talented and great they were. This is what many of us do for CM Punk. We defend him even though much of the reason why he never lived up to our hype has to do with the fact that he isn't as entertaining and appealing as the big time legends of the past.

Who's the fucking idiot? Keep defending guys you love instead of admitting when you're wrong. Like I mentioned, Daniel Bryan will probably get a decently-lengthed WWE title reign but it's up to his appeal and the majority of the fanbase whether or not he'll actually be a success that matches the level of hype we give him. And if he doesn't, then we were wrong again.

 

[kumarjtk]

i dont know why you guys are overreacting to daniel brain. IWC is a chain of haters. They never satisfied with the product and their team. If you wont like the product then stop watching the show.

Generally IWC picks a wrestler and writing about him and complaining about not giving a chance. If the wrestler got everything then IWC picks another wrestler and do the samething.

The only best solution for daniel bryan thing is, give him a break and come back after a year, bcoz you guys select another wrestler instead of daniel bryan. This is IWC.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

i dont know why you guys are overreacting to daniel brain. IWC is a chain of haters. They never satisfied with the product and their team. If you wont like the product then stop watching the show.

Generally IWC picks a wrestler and writing about him and complaining about not giving a chance. If the wrestler got everything then IWC picks another wrestler and do the samething.

The only best solution for daniel bryan thing is, give him a break and come back after a year, bcoz you guys select another wrestler instead of daniel bryan. This is IWC.

This is no longer an issue of WWE vs. "Internet Wrestling Community".
It's an issue of WWE vs. "The Live Audience"

 

[kumarjtk]

Wwe put bryan in this way

wyatt story is over. He move on to ec chamber match with bryan vs roman vs sheamus vs big e vs ambrose vs rollins, where bryan wins. Then brock wins the title at ec. hhh normally wants a big guy. So it dosent matter randy win or loss. So we have brock vs batista vs bryan

cena vs bray wyatt
Punk vs hhh
Taker vs sheamus
brock vs batista vs bryan wwe whc title
rey vs del rio
Roman vs ambrose vs rollins
Randy vs warrior or a big legend

 

[maloney414]

Here is the solution....

Randy Orton loses at EC. HOWEVER, he claims he only lost the WWE championship and is still the WHC. They re split the titles.

Batista is furious with Orton, and chooses to challenge Orton for the WHC at WM XXX. (The stipulation has always been the RR winner chooses which champion to challenge.)

Somehow DB could challenge the new WWE champ from EC at WM XXX for the WWE strap.

Your welcome WWE.