Has WWE going H-D damaged the atmosphere?

[Takerfan93]

I know this will seem like a strange topic to some, but I feel the production is a very important part of the show because it sets the atmosphere. When Wrestlemania begins and you see the HUGE, extravagent set with the insanely long ramp and bright lights, it really feels like that big show of the year. When you turn on a pay per view and see a different set than usual it also is a different feel to RAW or Smackdown.

But, I think that ever since WWE went to H-D, they have overdone it a bit. The HD set is too flashy and bright for the weekly TV shows. I actually think the more basic the production value, the better the atmosphere. I know I will be confusing some people because this is hard to explain. But take this for example, back in the Attitude Era, it always had that great feel to it when you turned Raw on. The set wasn't too much, it had pyro, it had the titantron and it had the ramp, that's all they needed, but it fitted well with the era, it just had that look. The more fancy, but still not over the top RAW set in post-Attitude era also fitted that time, it was better production but still said badass.

In 2008, when WWE was transitioning to PG, they also went HD. Like the other sets did for their WWE era, the HD set fits in with the PG era. The whole look is so much more neat, flashy and bright. I mean, this is a wrestling show, I just think the set should represent that. But the HD set doesn't have that tough look to it. But neither does the PG era so it is suited. And since they have added these screens running along the balconys in the crowd. I feel it is just too much. When I turn on RAW I don't want to see all this fancy stuff, I just think it takes from the atmosphere. The fact that it is used for Smackdown and NXT as well also gives us no visual distinction between the shows anymore like the sets used to. Plus, the set is used for PPVs as well, just rearranged (although it still looks the same) and lowers the atmosphere for them too because they feel like a TV show, no different like they used to. The Wrestlemania set it still good every year, but that's because it has its own set still whereas the others just use the RAW/Smackdown/NXT set

I know this will seem very stupid to some, but I'm sure some will also get the jist of what I am trying to say. I just think the visual production has quite an important effect on the show and helps to distinct between TV shows and PPVs. So if there is anyone who is going to flame this, please just don't comment instead. But does anyone know what I'm trying to say and do you agree? I'd like to know if others share my opinion on this

 

[~INPHEKTID-LEGEND-KILLER~]

Well said cant agree with you more, with all the fancy things it looks like a amusment park for kids, seriously.

 

[johnseamann]

I, and I would guess a fair amount of people, actually love all the flashy stuff. I think that's how they put the E in WWE. Sure, it's about wrestling, but would, for instance, The Undertaker be the same without his entrance? I would even say that the gimmick wouldn't have sticked had they not improved his entrance throughout the years with the fireballs and the eventual logo in fire and stuff.

Part of my interest in PPV's is to see what kind of stage will they come up with. I liked the WM26 stage, but I think it lacked something, I can't really say what, maybe some sort of logo that was real and not just a big screen, IDK. Still, I was kind of disappointed with the entrances. They were not at all what I have come to expect from WM. And sure, it doesn't take anything away from, say, Taker vs. HBK, but I think that grandeur is important in events like that, and I guess some would agree.

 

[jmyers19]

I love the sets they have right now with the different graphics that are on display, each stands out for the certain superstar, diva, or personality that's going to the ring. Probablys my favourite set was the SD fist, but I don't really miss it.

Its not a case of what rating the product is either, that's irrelevant. WWE are the number one Wrestling Company today, they have all the money in the world so of course they're going to go all out with the set for the sake of HD, it makes them look much more professional and they look like the number one company by going all out, not everyone has pyro because I'm guessing not everyone wants pyro in their intro.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I understand what you mean about it being so nice that it takes away from the splender of the PPV set ups. And yeah, the PPV sets are really just the other ones just rearranged. Personally, that's more of a problem to me. Where's the tanks, beer trucks, 4 wheelers for PPV's? Now they just rearrange current sets. That's my biggest problem.

As far as the HD era coming in around the same time as the PG era I think that's really coincidence. Today, if you're not in HD, you're not becoming the standard. Eventually all channels will be. Even a "stereotypical, fat, beer gut" type guy would rather watch his sports in HD.

I guess one way you could try to make it a little more rugged is changing back to their old projector screens instead of their current LED(?), LCD(?) screens that they use at the entrance for entrants names. I believe those changed about the exact same time they went HD because it looks so much cleaner in HD.

 

[Avrusha92]

Each brand should be different than eachother back before the HD sets
smackdown was the fist, raw had whatever they had, and ecw 2006 had a plain look.
Now when you look at Raw and Smackdown the sets are so alike just different colors.
I love the HD Set but add something different to each show
bring back the fist to SD! And bring something to rAw!
I liked RAWs set in 2007 when they had many screens surrouding the tron
Flashy is cool, but each brand should have their own differences that makes each set look unique.

 

[FutureChamp328]

Good topic. I do think it is extremely over the top for a wrestling show. I liked the individual sets better it made the shows unique. You had Raw with the Titantron and the Smackdown! fist and the ECW indy entrance way. I miss that stuff it really did add to the shows.

 

[Window Licker 101]

There is far too man LED's in the Raw stage!! I wish they would go back to there 2002-2008 set. It was so much better looking and was just all round better. I don't like how Smackdown,Raw and NXT all share the same set (yes its to reduce costs blah blah blah) but Smackdown! had the symbolic fist coming through the stage! That was awesome, that got me hyped for Smackdown then you had the pyro going off around it! It just felt and looked so much better compared to the only difference now adays is the colours. Baby Blue for Smackdown and a Royal Red for Raw. Le Sigh

 

[twiztid jay]

dude i could not agree with you more man.. back in the attitude era the quality was clear but kinda fuzzy to at the same time which i think made the wrestling product much better and seem like a better atmosphere, they do not need all the lights and flashy crap that takes away from the show, H-D was a smart business decision for wwe, but a let down to the fans that have been there since the attitude era or before..(well some fans)


jay..

 

[brandogg]

WWE in HD looks so much better than it used to. I stopped watching Impact because it wasn't in HD, now I have Spike HD, so I watch it again. It was just so distracting looking at a horrible picture, it's like watching old tapes, and even when it was live, it looked recorded.

 

[Takerfan93]

Well said cant agree with you more, with all the fancy things it looks like a amusment park for kids, seriously.

That's exactly it! I coudln't exactly give a name as to what it looked like, but amusement park for kids is perfect. I'm sure we all agree that the flashy stuff is impressive, but I think it's too much. I mean I liked the more rough look, as vstrugs said the tanks and trucks type thing. Before HD, all the PPV sets had that bigger and better look, the Raw and Smackdown sets were both so different from each other and they weren't too much. Before HD, the sets had that badass look and now it is like every show is a lights display.

As far as the HD era coming in around the same time as the PG era I think that's really coincidence. Today, if you're not in HD, you're not becoming the standard. Eventually all channels will be. Even a "stereotypical, fat, beer gut" type guy would rather watch his sports in HD.

I guess one way you could try to make it a little more rugged is changing back to their old projector screens instead of their current LED(?), LCD(?) screens that they use at the entrance for entrants names. I believe those changed about the exact same time they went HD because it looks so much cleaner in HD.

Oh I think you misunderstood me, I didn't mean the sets were made a certain way to represent that era. I meant the sets have represented their era naturally, or by coincidence as you say. Every time WWE has changed their style it has just included the set. And I completely agree with the "cleaner" comment you made, and I feel it does represent PG because the WWE content has also got "cleaner" as well all know. I am fine with keeping the LED screens because they are better, just the set as a whole needs to be toned down a lot I feel
But

I, and I would guess a fair amount of people, actually love all the flashy stuff. I think that's how they put the E in WWE. Sure, it's about wrestling, but would, for instance, The Undertaker be the same without his entrance? I would even say that the gimmick wouldn't have sticked had they not improved his entrance throughout the years with the fireballs and the eventual logo in fire and stuff.

Part of my interest in PPV's is to see what kind of stage will they come up with. I liked the WM26 stage, but I think it lacked something, I can't really say what, maybe some sort of logo that was real and not just a big screen, IDK. Still, I was kind of disappointed with the entrances. They were not at all what I have come to expect from WM. And sure, it doesn't take anything away from, say, Taker vs. HBK, but I think that grandeur is important in events like that, and I guess some would agree.

Actually, I preffered the Undertaker's entrance without the whole set turning blue because before when the set had some screens on it rather than being made entirely of screens, those portions would light up blue. You would just see this small area with a blue light shining from it and out he would walk. But now the whole set lights up and so it's not got that kind of dark tone it had before.
Agreed on the Wrestlemania 26 stage, it did lack something. It was fantastic in it's design, but it definately needed a logo or something, not that slanted screen. And like you, I was dissappointed with the entrances because they weren't big like one tends to expect at Wrestlemania. When HBK came out I was especially surprised, I just thought, "but thats Shawn Michaels, why is he coming out like he does on Raw?".

Good topic. I do think it is extremely over the top for a wrestling show. I liked the individual sets better it made the shows unique. You had Raw with the Titantron and the Smackdown! fist and the ECW indy entrance way. I miss that stuff it really did add to the shows.

Thank you. As you said it is too much for a wrestling show. It doesn't look rough enough for wrestling, it looks too fancy for a fighting sport. And I think the brand extension has been weakened so much through the visual aspects. The referees all wear the same shirts now, (which is fine because I think the classic black and white should be kept) but it takes the distinction away in that aspect, the RAW ring and steps used to be black and Smackdowns silver and now they are all silver (another example of the too flashy, black was the better and simpler look), the openings are extremely similar now (look back at 2002 - 2005, openings are very different) and the sets are even the same now. If they want the brand extension to mean something they need to show us visually that they are not the same show by something other than the colour.

------

Sorry I have quoted you all back, this is just a topic I am very into and I want to discuss it. But yes, even the commentary tables if you look at them have gone from plain, to having the WWE logo on them, to having Raw and Smackdown written on them to having these designs on them as well as the Raw and Smackdown logos on them. I just think WWE has gone overboard with these visual aspects and I would like it to be toned down and for them to get rid of the HD set and go back to a more simple set. I know this will never happen though now that they have gone HD.

 

[VintageWWE]

I don't think there is anything wrong with the HD set. The set makes the show look more grand and even though it is just a weekly broadcast and not a ppv that doesn't mean the show shouldn't look grand. WWE is the number one wrestling company in the world and they need to show it. I myself did like how each show had different sets but I really don't miss it. Everything is in HD now and it would just be stupid if WWE wasn't.

 

[Fizzy2k10]

In my opinion the HD sets just suit this current era and make it what it is. I dont mind the HD set because after all things do change just like it did from the post-attitude era to the current pg era and changing sets was part of this change. During the days when the tv was fuzzy and the sets were simple yah i agree it gave that atmospheric feeling that YES this is the s***because it just suited that era. Mind you but it would suit this era also because if you have seen the MSG version of raw a few months back you may of noticed the stage was much more simple and once again gave me that amazing feeling that the attitude era did so maybe its just personal preference for us old fans??? (well im 15 and i aint so old but ive done my homework on the wwe ). But as far as wwe going HD goes tbh f hd because 3D tv is coming through and its a matter of time before wwe does somthing to support that era of entertainment also which once again may result in some changes. Its just how it is man as time goes on things change and if your a true wwe fan u'll learn to adapt and like them .

Also as some other people have said above that if wwe had not gone HD and kept the stage they had from 2002-2008 at this very date im sure i would be sick of the stages and would be running a protest to change the them. The current stage and the titantrons the led screens etc is what HD is and if wwe wants to rep true HD this is what they will have to do. But on one point i do agree and that is that each show should have its own look but should keep the HD factor in mind

 

[Avrusha92]

So in conclusion, I think wwe should keep the HD set but with a bit of a twist
add their own uniqueness
SD should bring back the Fist
Raw should add something to it as well
nXt should be different than both make it look more Indy

 

[King Of The Deathmatch]

I agree that the HD set is a little too much. It isn't something that really bothers me alot but I like it when the stages are simple but not simple enough to make you think the show is low quality. I think the WWE uses the flashes sets to make the show seem like a big deal but I like how the indy shows like ROH have a set but it isn't too over the top.

 

[Takerfan93]

Fizzy2k10 - The MSG stage is a perfect example! It really did have that huge atmosphere. the stage was so small but it only added to the amazing atmosphere of that show. I'm sure everyone would agree that when Raw went to MSG it had a much better atmosphere with the smaller set

---

I not only think that the flashiness of the HD stage damages the atmosphere, but I don't think it looks particularly nice at all. I much preffered the stages before with the Smackdown fist and the Raw titantron; the LEDs are good, but when an entire set is made out of them it is too much. I'm not saying the shows can't look good, but they looked fine before with the old stages which made it look like a big time show but didn't overdo it. The whole place is just so bright and flashy now that it takes away from the atmosphere the shows used to have (bar Wrestlemania because that should be flashy). And as many have said, the fact that the HD set is used for PPVs as well makes them seem almost on the same level as the TV shows when they should be shown as better. I'm sure we will all agree that before the HD set whenever we watched a PPV and saw a unique set that we are not used to seeing it gave the show a different feel, a bigger atmosphere. Now it doesn't really because it looks so similar to the RAW, Smackdown and NXT set. They say it is because of cost-cutting but it would have costed no less to just keep unique sets for each PPV and use them every year for those particular PPVs. That way every PPV would have a different set, look good and it would not cost anything. Of course this would only work if WWE stopped changing their PPVs

 

[The Idiot]

I understand what you mean, TS. But the WWE has always been known for their entrances and atmosphere...it's what separates it from everything else. I hear alot of UFC fans arguing about having better entrances for their fighters and others saying that they don't want it to be too "WWE." Well that's exactly where it started and as the years go by we see more and more of this.

Call me old school but I liked it better back in the days when there was no ramp and less pyrotechnics. It made it feel like more of a sporting event and less of a circus. I also preferred the broadcasters sitting away from the ring. Like alot of things...I don't know how to describe it but it gives it a better atmosphere.

 

[XgringolocoX]

I never liked the Smackdown! fist. I thought it looked corny. I did like the previous RAW set. Simple, clean, did the job.
I actually don't mind the new HD sets. Sure it lacks some individualism between the 3 shows, but it doesn't sway my enjoyment (or lack there of) one way or the other. I sort of like having the weekly shows sort of similar and having a unique set for the ppvs. It sets them apart nicely.
I guess for me the sets don't matter so much as production value. crappy camera work and such pisses me off.

 

[Takerfan93]

I never liked the Smackdown! fist. I thought it looked corny. I did like the previous RAW set. Simple, clean, did the job.
I actually don't mind the new HD sets. Sure it lacks some individualism between the 3 shows, but it doesn't sway my enjoyment (or lack there of) one way or the other. I sort of like having the weekly shows sort of similar and having a unique set for the ppvs. It sets them apart nicely.
I guess for me the sets don't matter so much as production value. crappy camera work and such pisses me off.

That's the thing though, the PPVs don't have unique sets at all, they are the RAW/SD/NXT sets rearranged. And they can't make it look much different just by rearranging it so its really obvious. If you look at Elimination Chamber/No Way Out the past 2 years its exactly the same as the RAW/SD/NXT set with an elimination chamber like thing on the side

 

[xXxMiPiSexxyB*tchxXx]

LOOLZ...NO TAKERFAN93 !--I dont think this thread is stupid cause infact i was thinking the same thing..and you just happened to steal my idea and make a thread out of it!LOL--Just joking xD
Anyway..i agree with you on alot of the things you just mentioned!!The whole new set the WWE has adapted for well i think over 2 years now since they first introduced the whole HD feeling,i feel is utter crap! It does take away that feeling of watching a certain show or PPV,and doesnt really get you that much into it!The whole HD Titantron etc does look really good and i would think maybe a tiny bit bigger than the previous one.
But overrall--the feeling of all the shows and PPV's together in the past were much better and the crowds were alot hotter!
I mean in the past if well-- (im pretty sure everyone noticed)--that all the shows such as Raw,SD!,ECW,Heat,Velocity and alot of the PPV'S both had themes for certain shows.Take the three main shows such as Raw,SD & ECW(Before it's demise)!!

RAW: Just had that RAW feeling to it to the appeareance of the stage,to the lighting,to the atmosphere,to the feeling of all the fast and kickass matches (before it went PG)and even to all the old Raw Opening Intro's( Man...Union Undergrand was badass)..

SD!: Same with Smackdown!The atmosphere of the show as well as the stage setting with the big hand just sticking out looking to punch something!(Hope that made sense)LOL--As well with their trademark colour Blue (Raws was Red)

ECW: Before 08 & 09--ECW had just a tiny entrance way that could allow fans to interract with the fav wrestlers/divas on their way to the ring-Sort of like the old school ECW.And yet their theme was Extreme,Ass Kicking,Blood,Take no shit wrestlers!!
Hell they had Extreme Expose dancers/(sort of strippers) on that show!!

But i'll always think that the company that had the best PPV's was WCW!
Just to name a few were Halloween Havoc,Starrcade,Bash At The Beach, etc the list could go on..Hell even the Spring Break editions were F'N awesome!
And some were held even outside!!Yes..They held outdoors events aswell!!(I wont discuss more since that can be for another discussion)!!!