How would you convince me this show is worth watching?

[Justin Satiable]

I've been watching for many years, and I'm not sure I've ever felt less incentive to tune in. Cena squashing Brock at Night of Champions took down the one real credible male feud. Other than the AJ and Paige segments - which I could watch forever - why should I watch?

Imagine I was a new fan, and you were trying to get me into the show. How would you? How COULD you?

 

[Aquaman6686]

I would tell you to watch the tag team division, the Ziggler/Miz feud, and the Sheamus/Cesaro feud (although that one seems to be over, judging from the SmackDown spoilers). Plus the AJ/Paige storyline you already mentioned. For me the Lesnar/Cena feud is the least interesting thing going on right now since I can't stand either one, followed by Ambrose/Rollins which holds zero interest for me.

 

[Mudlup50]

It depends how new of a fan you are? Do you understand what wrestling is?

I imagine this is just so you can argue every point made right?

Well I'd tell you there are a lot of cool characters in wrestling. That sometimes the characters do crazy things to get what they want. There's the boss, he worked there for years until he married the bosses daughter, now he puts everyone down he doesn't personally pick. You have the monster who shows up to destroy, he used to be around till he went to the NFL and UFC, he could destroy just about anyone. You can really view most characters like this. There was this group who ran through the company until the one guy turned on them for the boss, now his ex buddy is after his blood.

Then I'd mention the craziness. Like when Seth turned on the Shield, when Cena returned and won the rumble after sustaining a serious injury, when The Nexus debuted, when Cody Rhodes showed up as Stardust just like his brother.

I would throw in the heritage, guys like Cody Rhodes who have wrestling in their blood. The crazy lineage with people like the Usos. Not too mention the facts some of the belts have been around for decades!

I'd also mention the hot divas/guys...nothing gets viewers like sex appeal. Usually people have a type so you can pick people who match up: like hot crazy girls, do I have a girl for you. Like muscle bound quiet guys, we got that too.

A good place to start is just by asking someone to sit down with you. From time to time I make my sister watch Raw with me, I talk her through characters and storylines.



Now if you're asking because you're upset with the product, then all I can say is they're building to Wrestlemania...if you aren't interested I can't say much else. You should view the positives more than the negatives, stop comparing today with the past. There's a few decent things going right now. If you don't enjoy them, then take a few months off.

Which leads to my final point, I took about 2 years off from WWE. I came back and so many guys were new:Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Cesaro, Big E, Bray...a lot of guys got more over than I thought they would:Bryan, Usos...a few guys are still around when I figured they'd be gone:Kane, Undertaker...some guys fell from their high spots:Sheamus, Del Rio...some guys have leftunk, Mysterio...I think taking a break helps more than people would like to admit.

If you've lost interest, good luck getting it back. I mean that seriously, it's a sucky feeling to not care about WWE...I've been in that spot and I hope you get it back.

 

[Justin Satiable]

It depends how new of a fan you are? Do you understand what wrestling is?

I imagine this is just so you can argue every point made right?

Well I'd tell you there are a lot of cool characters in wrestling. That sometimes the characters do crazy things to get what they want. There's the boss, he worked there for years until he married the bosses daughter, now he puts everyone down he doesn't personally pick. You have the monster who shows up to destroy, he used to be around till he went to the NFL and UFC, he could destroy just about anyone. You can really view most characters like this. There was this group who ran through the company until the one guy turned on them for the boss, now his ex buddy is after his blood.

Then I'd mention the craziness. Like when Seth turned on the Shield, when Cena returned and won the rumble after sustaining a serious injury, when The Nexus debuted, when Cody Rhodes showed up as Stardust just like his brother.

I would throw in the heritage, guys like Cody Rhodes who have wrestling in their blood. The crazy lineage with people like the Usos. Not too mention the facts some of the belts have been around for decades!

I'd also mention the hot divas/guys...nothing gets viewers like sex appeal. Usually people have a type so you can pick people who match up: like hot crazy girls, do I have a girl for you. Like muscle bound quiet guys, we got that too.

A good place to start is just by asking someone to sit down with you. From time to time I make my sister watch Raw with me, I talk her through characters and storylines.



Now if you're asking because you're upset with the product, then all I can say is they're building to Wrestlemania...if you aren't interested I can't say much else. You should view the positives more than the negatives, stop comparing today with the past. There's a few decent things going right now. If you don't enjoy them, then take a few months off.

Which leads to my final point, I took about 2 years off from WWE. I came back and so many guys were new:Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Cesaro, Big E, Bray...a lot of guys got more over than I thought they would:Bryan, Usos...a few guys are still around when I figured they'd be gone:Kane, Undertaker...some guys fell from their high spots:Sheamus, Del Rio...some guys have leftunk, Mysterio...I think taking a break helps more than people would like to admit.

If you've lost interest, good luck getting it back. I mean that seriously, it's a sucky feeling to not care about WWE...I've been in that spot and I hope you get it back.

Good post. My ulterior motive of this post was to shine a perspective that could stop me skipping through Raw every week, but I think it's just time for a break. I'll likely crop back up at the Road to Wrestlemania like I used to. Hopefully by then everything will be more sensible.

 

[DCLXVI]

I took a couple years away like the previous poster and started watching again maybe in March... I would say the most interesting characters would be Stardust and Mizdow/Miz.. Also a big Cesaro fan (even though they are kind of struggling to use him correctly)... and I would say it is close to time to bring up some of NXT guys and see what they do on the main roster. I don't see why people think it's SO bad, I think the "Main Event" shows are even entertaining and looks like they are trying to improve it.

 

[DCLXVI]

My roommate also started watching (and I don't think he was ever a big wrestling fan) and now waits for all the different shows and has learned move names and wrestling terms and has gotten really into it... so who knows.

 

[TheDrix]

I would tell you to watch NXT till Triple H takes over RAW and SD! (yes here we go again )

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I can't. For one, you used the word "squashed" to describe Lesnar and Cena's NoC match but also because I'm out on the product as well. I think WWE is really trying to do things with the guys they have but this product this time of year is just not for me.

I'm just going to focus my TV watching on Raphy and Dirty Randy.

 

[laodaron]

It becomes hard to comment because you said Cena squashed Lesnar, which means 1 of 2 things: you don't know what wrestling terminology means, which would make trying to convince you to tune in difficult, or you're intentionally using extreme language, which means you're already determined to be out of the product.

Keep watching NXT, and I'd say to tune in to watch Rollins, Ambrose, etc.

Myself, I'm a mark for Cena, HHH, and basically any of the major superstars. The product gets dry, certainly, but overall, I think it's better now than it was 5 or 6 years ago.

 

[DCLXVI]

I also don't see how you can be "out on the product" and so upset about the Lesnar/Cena thing and still post or look at sites like these... there are tons of good guys on the midcard and main events are always kind of slower moving/less hungry guys. Kane is so boring but I just avoid matches with him in it and look at the newer (or good older ala Goldust) guys.

 

[DCLXVI]

But back to the topic at hand... just watching my roommates reaction (non wrestling guys) the segments like Stone Cold dropping Triple H 20 feet off a forklift or fighting Booker T in the grocery store get huge laughs and are TV gold. They seemed to have cut way back on the backstage segments. Maybe Dean Ambrose can bring some of that back.

 

[Darkshadow1234]

This show isn't worth watching at all.
Better off watching TNA Or ROH. or new japan.

WWE is a terrible product

 

[L@RISANO]

It becomes hard to comment because you said Cena squashed Lesnar, which means 1 of 2 things: you don't know what wrestling terminology means, which would make trying to convince you to tune in difficult, or you're intentionally using extreme language, which means you're already determined to be out of the product.

Keep watching NXT, and I'd say to tune in to watch Rollins, Ambrose, etc.

Myself, I'm a mark for Cena, HHH, and basically any of the major superstars. The product gets dry, certainly, but overall, I think it's better now than it was 5 or 6 years ago.

Agreed.


Whilst I am still one who appreciates Cena and what he does on the show, I do get bored by his repetitiveness at times. However, regardless of that, he still is a draw for me, and in the times he is absent, it is noticeable.


I also, only restarted post-SummerSlam2013, and have continued to follow because in guys like Reigns, Ambrose, Rollins, Bray and Cesaro in addition to Daniel Bryan, I see potential for fresh exciting Main Event talent who have piqued my interest enough to restart watching WWE regularly.




Before SummerSlam2013, I last was a regular viewer around the time of Eddie's death and still followed closely till the Benoit incident.

However, for the 6 years after that, I flitted in and out, not really following too closely, as I got into other interests alongwith my friends(who also stopped following especially when Rey won the World title).

I did check at times, but all I saw was some stars that didn't really interest me, whilst those I left at the top were still there basically.

Like most casuals(which at that time of hiatus,I would have been), I did watch the Manias(Taker Streak matches,etc.), but there was nothing really pulling me in that said, Look here! This Superstar/These Superstars are really worth it...... then late 2012-early 2013, I got interested in the 3 Shield guys, and the reactions of the YES movement, coupled with the fact that Brock Lesnar had returned... and it pulled me back into the WWE.



The main problem right now, is that there are too few Top talents, which has been more evident by the injury problems at this time. But, it hard to deny that it is much more interesting stuff as a WWE fan, than it has been for quite a few years, given the new talent being pushed through.

 

[Radical]

Depends on who you are trying to convince.

You'd have to talk to them about what they find entertaining and then see if WWE is offering any of that. I guess you also have to find out what things they find so off-putting that if they see it they don't want to watch the program anymore.

WWE had just a massive fan base in the late 1990s and hasn't got them back since. I talked to some guys who loved WWF in the 90s and they said they tried watching WWE today and didn't really like it.

I didn't get to hear what really was the reason why. Maybe it was a lack of blood, sex and swear words? If so, then there is no getting them back. If it is because they see too much 'corny' segments then all I could say is "well, it's not like that ALL the time."

One guy said John Cena was the problem. For a casual fan, John Cena actually could be a problem. If you don't like him then you could hate the show because for 10+ years he's been the #1 guy and is still today.

But, what I would say to a person who might be interested in watching WWE more is to look for what's really entertaining.

If I told someone to watch a week of WWE to get into it, I would tell them to watch for:

- Brock Lesnar, everything he does (but he's not there often, so ...)

- Dean Ambrose, everything he does
- The Wyatt Family, everything they do
- The Usos matches
- Seth Rollins matches
- Kofi Kingston matches
- How much The Miz makes you want to punch him and how funny Mizdow is
- How ridiculous Bo Dallas looks
- NXT


Of course, right now is actually a bad time to get new viewers because other guys I would tell them to watch like Roman Reigns, Ryback and Daniel Bryan are out injured and guys like Big Show, Mark Henry and Kane are guys who I would have said "must-see" like 3 years ago (even then it was pushing it), but now I just feel bad because they so past their prime.


I think that's the problem right now. I can only list 8 things that I could hope would draw in a fan to WWE. Back in the Attitude Era and during brand split I could have listed 15 things to tune in for. I could have listed at least 10 wrestlers to watch because they ALL had things going for them. But you can't say "Hey, tune in for Big E" because he's barely on TV because creative can't figure anything out for him to make him interesting. You can't say "tune in for hardcore matches" because there are no more. You can't say "tune in for Adam Rose" because he's more of a turn-off than a turn-on.

WWE is probably seeing their problem right now. Since WWE creative doesn't run intertwining storylines and build up multiple Superstars at the same time, when a few top guys get injured they are in trouble!

In a different world where WWE did build up multiple Superstars, a guy like Big E should be able to pop into a WWE title feud because he was with a New Nation of Domination and had been running through people for a few months now. But no, WWE hasn't figured that out and now MAYBE they will try it but it's too late to throw Big E up there now.

WWE has relied on great talent but old talent for too long. I know it isn't easy to find guys the size and skill of Big Show and Kane but dammit they need to try harder. Those guys are over 40 and need to allow fresh blood in. I'm hopeful that The Ascension can come in soon and be dominant as a tag team for a couple years and then Konnor can become a big, scary singles competitor kind of like Kane or Undertaker. I'm hopeful that The Wyatt Family can GROW and become more menacing and wins some titles so they are more credible.

I think WWE just is in a regrowth period right now and they have to wait.

In 2 or 3 years from now when Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Wyatt Family, Ryback and Cesaro have been built to be credible threats and champions and NXT call-ups like The Ascension, Sami Zayn, Hideo and Baron Corbin have been brought up and established. THEN, the WWE should be very entertaining because 2 or 3 years from now SHOULD BE when Cena's finally winding down and WWE can FINALLY be forced to have multiple top stars and never having to protect a Superstar again at the cost of countless others like Cena.

 

[Messiah]

Why do you care for Paige and AJ segments? There segments are boring as shit now.. AJ is the most unappealing person i've ever seen in my life and Paige's talent is being wasted on the main roster in a feud with this little tramp. AJ should go straight to hell where she belongs and quit ruining woman's wrestling.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I also don't see how you can be "out on the product" and so upset about the Lesnar/Cena thing and still post or look at sites like these...

I assume this is directed at me. Frankly, I enjoy this site. I probably would have never gotten so back in to wrestling over the last four years without this forum. Also, I would like to keep up with pro wrestling news, discussion and gossip in order to decide if I am missing something and to get back in and keep up since I expect I will get back in around WM season.

And I've only skipped one Raw. It is not like I haven't watched in six months. I expect over time I will spend less and less time here.

 

[Kizzani]

I've been watching for many years, and I'm not sure I've ever felt less incentive to tune in. Cena squashing Brock at Night of Champions took down the one real credible male feud. Other than the AJ and Paige segments - which I could watch forever - why should I watch?

Imagine I was a new fan, and you were trying to get me into the show. How would you? How COULD you?

I would tell you like every program ever created sometimes shows get bad. However what I would say is DON'T watch, Don't buy, don't visit the website. People think if you bitch and moan here at the off site where I am sure few actual wwe creative or ownership visit is not going to get things done. Numbers matter tv numbers, wwe app, PPV, etc etc those numbers matter.

When rating start dropping down into the 1's then the WWE will be forced to make a change.

 

[Tyler44]

Try going the next 3 months without checking online what the plans are or who is injured/returning/coming back. I bet the product's entertainment will increase.

We are watching a show, but we know 80% of the spoilers. How the hell are we ever going to sit down and enjoy it?

This is the most basic and general "IWC" idea. But seriously, it's a major contribution. Not the only reason because the product is lacking, but it certainly doesn't help.

 

[whoopin' ass]

The problem isn't getting new fans to watch, it is keeping them. It isn't hard to find something interesting in the show if you have never seen it before, problem is how long will that fan stay before they go "why did they do that? It makes no sense." My advise - skip it and watch NXT.

 

[FromGlasgow]

Theres always too much negativity with wrestling fans, Ive been hearing how much current wrestling sucks since the mid 90s ever since I first got internet and I believe the ones constantly putting it down aren't the true fans, No show of any kind is going to be 100% to everyones taste, Ive cut my viewing down to just wrestlemania, royal rumble and any other weekly highlights on youtube the past few years and and I enjoy that which came from someone who watched all WWF, WCW, ECW, AWA, USWA TV religously since the early 80s, Couldn't watch it like that now, Combined with lack of time due to family and work commitments and most of my favourite wrestlers I grew up watching either retired or dead now anyway.