How do you like your WWE? Realistic, Real-World on Steroids, or Surreal?

[Ambiguous Turd]

Often times, we experience a lot of debate about the direction that the WWE has gone in. Many enjoyed The Attitude Era. Others out there prefer the PG Era.

Then, the discussions evolve into the trend towards realism that WWE has been accused of moving towards. Instead of larger-than-life gimmicks and characters, we now have real life, every day people WITH Personality. Some people like it. Others don't.

Having a management background, we are always trained to examine THE ROOT of any problem. And from what I observed, the root of the debate IS NOT whether Gimmicks vs Personalities have a place in wrestling. Rather, the true debate is "How you WISH to view your Pro Wrestling".

WWE has gone through massive transformations over the years. And for the sake of this thread, we aren't going to go into what I feel that EACH of the past Eras could be considered. Because maybe my interpretation of what went on in a certain Era is not how you may interpret it.

Rather, I am going to simply ask each of you, how do you wish your ideal WWE product to be?

You have 3 choices. What is important, however, to keep in mind is that each choice is a building block upon another choice. In other words, the Second Choice can provide most of what the First Choice provides ... and then some. The Third Choice, could experience everything the First Two Choices contains, and then some of its own.

100% Realistic Product- a completely realistic product with real, everyday people. This can be construed as Entertainment by some. Others may consider it to be a mock sport, of sorts. But this product strives for realism in wrestling. Realistic personalities. Realistic action in the ring.

That means real personalities would be included such as:

John Cena- all around good guy

Batista- a dominant powerhouse who's obsessed with the World Title

Triple H- son-in-law of CEO Vince McMahon, who's thrives on competition and being the best at what he does

R-Truth- charismatic babyface Rapper

Andre The Giant/Big Show- largest athletes in the World and a "I'm going to do whatever I want and you can't stop me" attitude to go along with it.

CM Punk- feels that his Straight-Edge lifestyle makes him a better person than others who do not embrace the lifestyle

Chris Jericho- the "I'm better than you" wrestler who is now out for himself after perceiving that the fans turned on him.

Bad News Brown- badass fighter from the streets of Harlem


and others. REAL people competing.

Real World on Steroids- This product borders on the realism in the real world, and the action/drama you might experience in a movie. This product may feature Real characters mixed with some very colorful personalities, and somewhat realistic action. However, a mild suspension of disbelief is required in enjoying this product.

You could have realistic characters in this product, however you might also see people like:


Macho King Randy Savage- this particular character prided himself on living in the "Kingdom of the Madness" and is the very definition of someone who lived in a "real world on steroids".

Degeneration X- the DX of old. The men who provided themselves in spitting in the face of authority, and doing whatever they pleased, without regard to the consequences.

Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase- a flamboyant millionaire who lived to humiliate others and prove his slogan that "Everyone had a price for the Million $ Man."

Waylon Mercy- a psychotic man who tries to befriend people, only to stab them in the back

The Honky Tonk Man- over-the-top Elvis impersonator who thought that everyone came to the events to see the Honky Tonk Man sing and dance

The Big Boss Man- brutal prison guard who routinely beats his victims with a nightstick

The Godfather- charismatic pimp who is always flaunting his "girls", looking to make men happy and make money doing so

Akeem- white man who thinks he is from Deepest, Darkest Africa, who believes he is Black



This is basically the Real World, but featuring some very flashy personalities that is not considered the norm in the Real World.

Surreal Product- this is a product that will feature Real World elements, but can also wander off into some categories that are unbelievable or bizarre for those that are willing to suspend disbelief in the name of entertainment.


The Undertaker- the Dead Man who walks the Earth

Ultimate Warrior- heroic wrestler from Parts Unknown, prided himself on leading his legions of "Warriors"

Gangrel/Kevin Thorne- gothic vampires who drink blood

Edge- (his original character)- the original charismatic enigma / one could argue was actually a vampire hunter in his feud with Gangrel

Goldust- the bizarre cross-dresser who's sexuality is often teased, in the name and drama of "making movies"

Kane- once a man, now a deranged monster who survived a terrible fire at the hands of his "brother", The Undertaker

Beaver Cleavage- the man who has an implied incestuous relationship with his MILF mother

The Berzerker- sword carrying viking who goes out just to inflict pain on others


Basically, what you have here is a product that takes its viewers down the rabbit hole with an alternate reality featuring characters that could be come from a movie, mixed with some completely realistic characters, as well.

What this thread is going to require you to do, is to look beyond the "Which Era is better" arguments, and focus on what type of a WWE you prefer to see.

Do you prefer to see a completely, 100% realistic WWE?

Or, a WWE with a "Real World on steroids approach"?

Or, a WWE with the option of featuring some Surreal characters?

WWE has done all 3 of these approaches at one point, but without mentioning ANY of the past or current Eras, which reality is the one that most entertains you as a fan and why? Don't forget to vote in the Anonymous Poll attached, as well.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I so badly want to say the realistic product, but I'm going with the Real World on Steroids. Don' t get me wrong, It's good to see Triple H(more so back when he was WHC) and Batista obsessed with having the championship, but after a while, it can get boring. When it comes to pro wrestling, you need story lines, and characters. When WWE turned Batista heel, they had him do the old "All I care about is the title" persona, but they threw his betrayal of long time best Buddie Rey Mysterio into the mix to make the feud seem more interesting. The same thing can be said about the Cena/Orton rivalry, when it first started a couple of years ago. We all know Cena will live and die for the WWE championship, but then Orton went ahead and punted Cena's dad. It added extra drama to the feud.

Pro Wrestling is pretty much a manly soap opera. Another prime example of that would be the Triple H/Orton storyline heading into Wrestlemania 25 this year. Yeah, the match at mania was horrible, but the storyline was one of the best WWE has done in years. It kept you hooked right up to the bell being rung to start the match at Mania 25. You need those elements in order to keep the audience interested.

I do like it when Triple H,Cena,or Orton will go on a rant about how their the best wrestlers in the business because it gives pro wrestling a more legit feel to it, but it grows boring after a while.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Realism made wrestling popular. Look at the old days in the NWA. Many thought the Horsemen hated Dusty Rhodes. You never dared to see them together unless one was jumping the other. There was implied hatred that was as real as it got to most people. Many thought Eddie Gilbert and Jerry Lawler hated each other. Same goes for Bret Hart and Vince McMahon.

The bottom line is the realistic approach is the most dramatic way, because we think something could happen. When someone was injured, there was blood because if you hit someone hard enough with a blunt object, blood will fly. Same goes for submission moves, and attacks on an appendage. The bottom line is if we think someone really got hurt, it adds to the drama. Cena takes that away. He gets beat up, then is fine and walks off like nothing's wrong. Selling is key. And it's a lost art. Sell a beating. Come up bandaged after a match. Instead of being all, "What happened?"

I miss the glory days.

 

[Ziirox]

I'M BACK KIDS!

I'm going to go with the Real World on Steroids. Although I do like the gimmicks of 'Taker and Warrior and of some of the other ones, but only the reallllllllllly good surreal gimmicks get over. The Real World aspects and drama just draw you in more and if mixed well with the wrestling and it actually make you want someone to come out on top of the feud. Thats where the real fan hood comes from. When you get emotionally tied to performers and become a 'mark' for that specific character. Sometimes its good to see lots of great wrestling and the art these guys do, but they have to be fighting for a reason or else its not entertaining. Thats why I tune into products like WWE... I want to be entertained and to me, the Real World on Steroids does it in this case.

I'd say that the gimmick of Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase would work out great in this time period because of the economy being in the toilet... just throwing that out there. It should be revived.

 

[theHeadliner]

I prefer realistic in the sense of matches a la Bret Hart style, Shawn Michaels circa 1995/1996, Owen Hart, Davey Boy, etc. They had semi-realistic characters, storylines, and wrestled a realistic styles with the use of great psychology. In the sense of matches and storylines I prefer realistic work in the ring.

I do like the real world on steroids concept as well from a character/personality standpoint. It makes the product more fun and could bring out more in the watcher.

 

[The Ultimate]

100% Realistic hands down! Sidious, basically what you described above, is exactly what I want the WWE to do for some time now. That way it can get more respect and have the same status as NBA, NFL, and MLB. Yes, they may lose some of their old, faithful fans, but it is a price that must be payed, in order for them to survive in the future and actually, this could have a positive affect on TNA as well. WWE can be the realistic exciting business, where people go to see legitimate wrestling, and TNA can be the old school, scripted, storylined, hardcore wrestling that pro-wrestling fans want to see. So it's a win-win situation for both businesses. But of course WWE can still keep the feuds to add a little more flavor to the match, kind of like UFC, except not blow it out of proportion, with having people run in and ruin the matches, maybe just super trash talking and insults to add hype.

 

[Tastycles]

I think a mixture works best, but if I had to pick one it would be real world on steroids. Very few surreal characters work, and while there are exceptions to this, it ends up being farcical. Realistic can be good, but even "realistic" characters aren't really realistic. R-Truth, Jericho etc. could quite easily be put or with minor tweaks moved into that category.

The realistic on steroids works because that is what most good drama is, you can allow yourself to suspendd your disbelief without it being boring. It is no coincidence that this is what they went for during the Attitude Era and Hulkamania really.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I would have to say real world on steroids, because sometimes realism is just too boring. Ric Flair was a character real world on steroids. Someone that incorporated himself while being an over the top heel or face.

A Surreal product was fun for nostalgia purposes, other than that it is pretty stupid. That is why someone like The Beserker or Akeem wouldn't mesh well with today's product. Goldust's character doesn't even fit well in today's product. The Undertaker is cheered because he has been around so long that people will always cheer him. It would be a whole different story if someone tried to bring a character like that in today.
See Kevin Thorne.

I love wrestling the best when it's bordering between over the top and realism. Something completely ridiculous and surreal like Beaver Cleavage and Hornswoggle is too much for me. DX and The NWO were the best examples of the Real World on Steroids product that everyone loved. I would include Steve Austin and The Rock in that category as well.

 

[thesweetness]

I voted for Surreal. Masked, Face Painted and mysterious characters were always my favorite growing up as a child. I really miss the fact that there aren't many "characters" besides the Undertaker still around. The reason I voted this is because the characteristics are exaggerated and it makes for better entertainment and more elaborate story lines. Some great story lines from past include The Dungeon of Doom trying to end Hulkamania in wCw and the Ministry of Darkness reeking havoc on the WWF. Some examples of wrestlers that thrived with surreal characters were Papa Shango (later know as The Goodfather), early Mankind (aka Mick Foley) and Sting when he hung out in the rafters for a year.

Good Thread.

 

[The Doctor]

I think we need a mixture of all, but personally I enjoy Surreal the most. I like seeing vampire and superhero gimmicks, as long as they're handled well and interspersed with slightly more realistic characters, like for example R-Truth. R-Truth is a realisticish character that still has the over-the-top quality that makes him extremely entertaining to me.

I love seeing characters like Goldust and The Hurricane. Those are interesting to me because they're still ridiculous while still being easy to relate to. Goldust is the misfit. Hurricane is a comic book nerd. They have distinct personae under the costumes that are easy to relate to while still being colorful and interesting.

However, I'd also like to see personalities and less ridiculous (In a good way) gimmicks like The Million Dollar Man or The Rock.

In between all this, there is certainly room for a John Cena or a Bret Hart.

The key is balance.

 

[BladeRunner]

I chose surreal. But I also like the other two as well. I think there's room for all of them.

Let's think about this, which of these types were the top stars?

Undertaker - Definitely Surreal

The Rock - Reality on Steroids

Stone Cold - Reality on Steroids

Hulk Hogan - In between surreal and steroids

Shawn Michael - Reality on Steroids

Randy Savage - Same as hogan, between surreal and steroids


Well that's just off the top of my head, but what I'm saying is, it's the guys who had that extra bit of "steroids" or "surreal" who became the top guys in the company. Very few can get by on just being realistic and still get that mega star popularity.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'd say Surreal because we all need an escape from reality at some point. The good thing about surreal is the escape from reality that it gives us.... but that can also be the worst thing about it too. A terrible gimmick can ruin someone's career.... or a great gimmick could solidify someone in the history books forever. Whereas with Realistic or a mix of both, my major problem with that is things get too realistic. I don't know about the rest of you, but I watch wrestling for an escape from reality. Even though the characters are a lot more realistic nowadays, I still get my escape from reality when I watch because there are enough characters left who either are surreal or come close enough to it, and I still find that entertaining.