Did Raw Rip-Off The PPV Buyers?

[Loveless]

Simple question.

After all the build for the Survivor Series, which by nature is designed to increase buyrates for the event and in return give a pay-worthy show, did the WWE screw the PPV audience by having the WWE title change hands on free TV the very next night?

Yes
If you pay for the show, surely it's because you expect it to be the culmination of the build. What you don't expect is to pay for something, be somewhat disappointed (it was an anti-climax) and then see something superior on free TV the very next night (the crowd certainly thought so).
Where is the motivation to buy the next PPV if we can get the things we actually want on free TV?

No
The WWE had a storyline and stuck to it, stretching out the "drama" over 2 nights, the PPV matches were actually decent (at least the earlier ones) and they now have a direction to go in with a new champion which everyone will have seen.


I've tried to be unbiased with my arguments but you can guess which side I'm taking.

 

[Pole Smoker]

I don't think so. They had Cena get fired at Survivor Series remember. This way they could have Cena gone all while letting the miz cash in.

 

[The Raven's Epitaph]

I wasn't entirely happy with Survivor Series on a whole. I thought the main events were built up to tremendous heights, and they didn't really live up to expectations.

Kane vs. Edge was slow throughout and didn't really entertain me. The ending was abit lame too. I was really happy to see Edge earn his 10th World Championship, and for somebody to finally end Kane's boring run as champion, but sadly not. The ending was lame and it was only put into action to extend Kane's championship reign even longer. I'm hoping for a TLC between the both of them in December.

It's quite obvious that Survivor Series 2010 was only for the benefit of John Cena. Nobody really had their minds set on any other match besides the one Cena was in because it was the match with the most on the line. Great booking, slow match, bad championship match, anti-climatic ending to one of the years biggest pay-per-views.

Yeah, I felt sorta screwed. I'm a big PPV guy. I pay my £14.95 and expect to see a good show. I don't stream for free because it causes the WWE to lose money, and I don't agree with that. I have a great deal of respect for the business and I love their product, which is why I willingly give my dosage of £14.95 each month (unless it's free on Sky Sports here in the UK.)

I was sorta' dissapointed with the PPV, but that's the risk you take when you buy a PPV.

To sum my answer up, yeah Raw sorta' did rip off the PPV buyers abit. Raw was a better show than Survivor Series, and I was dissapointed.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

I'm going to go with No, they did not rip-off the PPV buyers.

The WWE did exactly what it was supposed to do with it's storyline; and that was of course, deliver a *surprise* feeling. It's safe to say that the majority of the matches on the PPV were just filler matches to surround the the most important match there was on the card---Randy Orton vs. Wade Barret with special guest referee, John Cena. I'm sure most, if not all the fans, tuned in to the PPV that night only for the sole purpose to see whether John Cena would let Orton win or whether he would let barret win. The stipulation of Cena either being free or not added to the mommentum and suspence to the match because it really had people guessing as to what was bound to happen.

And in the end, what happened? John Cena counted to three; Randy Orton became champion; Wade Barret lost; and John Cena was fired. I don't think anyone can truly say that they expected Cena to get fired. It was a complete upset. John Cena is the top draw in the company---why would they let him go? It wouldn't make any sense, business wise. Which is exactly why it was such a genius decision. WWE created the *surprise* feeling phenomenally leading to many neing shocked and confused to what had happened.

And then last night on Raw, John Cena gives his farewell address. Randy Orton has a re-match against Barret. John Cena interferes. Randy wins. Miz comes out. He cashes in the MitB briefcase. He wins the WWE championship. Now, can anyone honestly say that they expected this to happen? Of course not. No one can legitmately say that they foresaw the Miz cashing in and becoming champion that night.

This is the exactly the reson I believe that Survivor Series was not a waist. It was all part of the bigger storyline that is taking place. In less than two days, you already have two of what could be considered the biggest *shock* momments of the year occuring. Besides, I don't think anyone who bought Survivor Series can regret buying it. the got to witness first hand the end of John Cena's career. Well, at least for now.

 

[Coco]

No, they didn't. As advertised, Cena got free or fired. What more did people expect from that? They delivered exactly what they said they would. In addition to that, the PPV delivered better wrestling in the first hour than you got all night on Raw Monday. Seeing as wrestling is the majority of most shows, that's a tip top investment from my POV.

A good Cena promo and a surprise title win don't trump SS if you payed to see good wrestling and the result of Cena's storyline. The end.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I think the PPV buyers were ripped off not because of what transpired on Monday but because of the quality of the two main events. Edge-Kane was an ok match I guess but as someone mentioned above, it was slow. The ending was just ridiculous.

Orton-Barrett was a terrible match but the surrounding circumstances is how they were able to sell it.

Every WWE fan knows that belts can change hands on TV as well as the PPVs so I don't think it was "unfair" to the PPV buyers that the Miz won the belt on RAW and not the night before.

The storyline was there, it's not like it was totally random.

 

[blackmetalbuick]

If everything major happens on PPVs then people get mad that it's predictable. Having an unexpected title change on Raw was a good idea. Besides, Raw has ALWAYS ripped off PPV buyers with the simple fact that 24 hours later, you can figure out everything that happened, for free.

 

[Cruiser]

No they did not rip off the pay per view buyers. People who bought it saw the card as advertised, made the decision to purchase, and saw every match that was put on the card come to fruition. As a fan you must know that sometimes there will be pay per views without mega surprises (although Cena's decision was a bit of a surprise) and there are not going to be title changes at all of them. Therefore, I don't think WWE ripped off its buyers.

I will say that the quality of Raw in comparison to Survivor Series could make fans think twice about the next time they purchase a pay per view. They could say "well the good stuff and surprises will happen on Raw so why spend the 40 something bucks on a pay per view?" This may make fans who were not pleased with their Survivor Series purchase weary of shelling out another sack of change for a pay per view. May not be the best move for the business end of the E but I certainly feel as though they didn't rip anyone off.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't see how it was a rip off at all.

First of all, one can always find out what goes on at a ppv by simply going on line. There are any number of websites out there that can give minute and detailed coverage of the live goings on at a ppv for people to read if they don't want to order the show. Aside from that, you can figure out everything that happened on the ppv by watching Raw and SmackDown! or roam the net.

Secondly, watching ppvs has always been about the wrestling action. The weekly television shows are to build and hype matches for the ppv while still providing wrestling on free tv. However, the matches on ppv are usually better if for no other reason than there are no commercial interruptions. The weekly television shows are also where the stories develop and angles take shape. The ppv is where it all comes to a head.

Thirdly, how could anybody seriously believe that this whole story with Cena, Barrett & Orton was just going to stop and be settled at Survivor Series? Anyone that did is just extremely naive. The main event advertised that John Cena would either be free from Nexus or "fired" from the WWE and that's what they got. Of course there's going to be major fall out from the happenings at the ppv the next night on Raw.

As for the WWE Championship situation, I love the fact that we saw a surprise title change on Raw. It's extraordinarily rare for the WWE Championship to change hands on free television. The last time the WWE Championship changed, without having been vacated, was July 3, 2006. Besides, where is it written that everything of major consequence has to or is supposed to happen during ppvs? You have to make people want to buy the ppvs in the first place and, sometimes, that means you have to put out outstanding episodes on television.

 

[StraightEdge for Life]

I didn't think the people who payed for the PPV got ripped off. Really the whole event was about John Cena being free or fired. Having The Miz win the title on free TV is not a rip-off but was actually genius. It was truly unexpected and was worked perfect with selling Orton as a true fighting champ.

 

[AndyDavoKK]

The best episode of RAW for a very long time. The ratings have been dipping and this surprise should boost ratings for the next few shows at least.

If title changes only occured on the PPV's then its too predictable, so this was good booking in my opinion. There are some good things happening on RAW at the moment with the Cena 'Fired' storyline, The Miz, Barrett for me getting better every week,he is superb on the Mic and some good talent coming through, these are exciting times. I just hope the WWE can keep the momentum going and evolve the storylines well.

 

[martymcfly]

To say that the PPV ripped off the buyers implies that title changes should only happen at pay per views. It also implies that if I pay money, I deserve to see a title change.

First, the WWE is in no way obligated to provide me with a title change. That's not what the fans are buying--they are buying a show. Second, if title changes only happened at pay per views, then it would become too obvious and too expected. And finally, by allowing title changes to happen on regular programs, even if rare, it increases the number of folks who watch the programs. If I know a title change is not going to happen on raw, even if a title match is advertised, what is my incentive to watch it? By having the possibility of a title change on any given program, it makes things more exciting and interesting.

So no, raw and the WWE did not rip anyone off.

 

[Cocaine]

I don't think it did. On the PPV you were promised one thing- If Barrett loses, he gets fired...if Barrett wins, Cena is a free man. I just depends what you thought going in and buying the PPV. If you were expecting Miz to cash in and win the title, that's too bad for you, but you can't look at that and say you were ripped off by Raw...because you can't expect anything that isn't an absolute to happen.

PPV is a dying business anyway, so I don't blame the WWE to have the "shock" title change on free TV, that way hopefully more people will tune into next week to boost the ratings.

 

[LSN80]

As someone who personally bought the PPV, I didnt feel ripped off at all. We got 8 matches that had relatively clean finishes, and a HUGE surprise in the firing of John Cena. If you were to ask me all of the scenarios out there that I thought would happen going in, that would have been the one I would have thought to be LEAST likely.

The undercard delivered in a big way, and the only complaint Id have about the two main events occurred mainly on the Smackdown side. If they wanted to keep the belt on Kane another month, have him cleanly beat Edge. I don't understand how thats so difficult of a concept to grasp. Its not like faces havent lost to heels before(Im talking to you, Batista) and then come back and challenge once again the very next month.

But other then the fact the main events were relatively short, I had no complaints. PPV's can successfully be a climax of a feud, or leave the viewer wanting to see whats going to happen next, and Survivor Series did the latter in a big way. Raw in essence felt like an extension of the PPV, so I as someone who bought the PPV in no way felt ripped off.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Not at all. it was a damn good wrestling show, and resolved the angle between Barrett and Cena, as advertised. The show delivered on what it was supposed to. What happened the next night is irrelevant.

 

[The Pizzaman]

Im going with No. Its not compulsory to have the title change hands at a PPV event and I did not feel ripped off as I too paid out my £14.95 and watch every single PPV. The only slight let down was that it was called the survivor Series and yet there was only one traditional survivor series style match comprising of Smackdown superstars only. There should have been more of the matches that the event is named after. Apart from that, I enjoyed it. Raw does not always have championship matches so it was nice to see the title change hands there. On the point of free streaming I too would not do that.

 

[TheChampionOfTheWorld]

I am going to go with NO

I believe it makes for a better product for the WWE or World Championship to change hands on free tv once in a while. I prefer an advertised title match to increase ratings, but a surprise title match makes people stayed glued to the tv. If you only get title changes on ppv what's the point of watching tv? Save your time and effort. I would like to see more title matches on tv regardless of an actual title change. The WWE needs to get back to the mentality that anything can happen in the WWE.

 

[Loveless]

Personally I would have preferred what happened on RAW to have happened at Survivor Series. In my opinion it would have made for a better show and seeing as Survivor Series was the one paid for, it should be better. To hold off on a title change at a major show and then just give it away the very next night is disrespectful to the people who paid for the show and served no purpose other than to swerve the fans.
As for people talking about being surprised, maybe I've been watching this stuff for too long but nothing I've seen has surprised me.

 

[safeco1999]

Simple question.

After all the build for the Survivor Series, which by nature is designed to increase buyrates for the event and in return give a pay-worthy show, did the WWE screw the PPV audience by having the WWE title change hands on free TV the very next night?

Yes
If you pay for the show, surely it's because you expect it to be the culmination of the build. What you don't expect is to pay for something, be somewhat disappointed (it was an anti-climax) and then see something superior on free TV the very next night (the crowd certainly thought so).
Where is the motivation to buy the next PPV if we can get the things we actually want on free TV?

No
The WWE had a storyline and stuck to it, stretching out the "drama" over 2 nights, the PPV matches were actually decent (at least the earlier ones) and they now have a direction to go in with a new champion which everyone will have seen.


I've tried to be unbiased with my arguments but you can guess which side I'm taking.

Of course not... did anyone who actually paid for Survivors Series pay to see the Miz win? I dont think so... I loved the shocking and exciting moment when the Miz ran out and cashed in his money in the bank. Seeing the title change hands on Raw was unexpected, so it was good to see.

 

[RandomVillain]

If youre still ordering WWE Pay Per Views, youre ripping yourself off. Time after time I have seen Raw the next night do almost the same main event with better results. One time that sticks out is Batista Vs Jericho for the title in a regular match on the ppv. Batista wins, keeps the title. Next night on Raw? Batista Vs Jericho in a Steel Cage. Jericho wins the title.

If you feel ripped off by WWE and their PPVs, stop ordering them.

 

[Blush]

No. I bought the PPV and was very pleased. I felt it was the best PPV I've purchased in a while, and truthfully, I didn't actually get it to watch the Kane/Edge feud or the Barrett/Cena/Orton feud. I was disinterested in those and mainly bought it for the other matches.

Seeing Miz cash in on Monday was also great. MITB is supposed to be surprising and out of left field, but I figured it would happen since Miz did a promo saying he was tired of carrying it around, foreshadowing the awesomeness.

 

[sharmaq]

Not a rip off. I'd actually say it was one of the WWE's better PPVs of the year. Had they copped out of the "free or fired" stipulation somehow then yes, I think people would have been entitled to feel ripped off, as the WWE wouldn't have delivered on what they promised.

I feel some people are feeling ripped off because they feel disappointed that what they hoped would happen at SS did not - a heel turn, or a MITB cash in, or both. I've also heard the argument that the ending was not newsworthy enough, and felt anticlimactic. Well if you feel that an ending that was logical and fit Cena's character perfectly was anticlimactic then yes it was - I'd love Cena to turn heel at some point but I also realise that it would have been pretty nonsensical to have happened here. And for all the complaints that the ending was predictable, the actual ending was not the most widely predicted one on here.

Now as for the Miz cashing in on RAW; firstly I think it made complete sense, as if he had done so at SS, it would have completely overshadowed what should have been the story of the night - Cena getting fired. And secondly, I've seen way too many complaints about RAW being bland these days, and no title changes ever happening on RAW to take this one seriously.

 

[CM Pulsar]

I dont think it was a ripoff at all. The fans got exactly what they paid for: a resolution to the Free or Fired storyline with Cena. It wouldn't have made sense to have Miz cash in the night of Survivor Series unless Cena was turning heel. Think about it: Orton wins, only to have Miz come out and cash in? Cena would have been expected (as the face) to interfere and keep Miz (the heel) from winning. And even if Barrett had won, if Miz came out and cashed in, he a) would have gotten a face reaction from such a large portion of the crowd that it might have forced a face turn which I dont think the character is ready for, and/or b) Cena would have been expected to interfere AGAIN because MIZ IS A HEEL. The whole thing would have been a mess.

 

[science]

It was fantastic to have that on Raw.

If we all knew that anything important like title changes only ever happened on a ppv then people would watch things like raw less and less.

WWE need to stop their product becoming predictable and a shock title change on Raw is perfect for doing just that.

 

[Isaac Kaye]

Yes, absolutely

I’ll explain why... WWE have been playing a very fine line recently with how much they are giving away on TV, so much to the extent that they are not building anywhere near enough intrigue for people to enjoy the matches.

Take Bragging Rights and SS for example. In both cases they pretty much gave us the match on the RAW episode before the PPV. I can see why they are doing this – not having anywhere near enough time to build the PPV so they are getting us excited quickly by spoiling us on free TV. But this is not working! The RAW showing directly after the PPV is often just as good – they are giving so much away to the extent that we don’t anticipate the PPV to be much better, AND the pivotal moments tend to take place on free TV and NOT on PPV.

In terms of what people got for their money at SS was this...an incredibly dull Kane Edge match (and feud in general) which is booked because there are no other viable contenders for the Main Event on SD. Another Orton Barrett match which was again, dull – although the storyline developed with Cena being fired, YET, they still give us the proper meat on the RAW episode when he gets a proper goodbye. (obvious to anyone with the slightest bit of sense that he isn’t gone for very long). The SS match was given to us on free TV, even to the extent that the finish included Big Show and Mysterio winning again.

Ironically, the other matches were much better but received nowhere near enough up time to give them a decent storyline.