I found the biggest problem with WWE; TNA has this and are succeeding, WWE don't

[That N Word]

BACKSTORY!!!!!!!!!! I was just on TNA's website reading bios...and realized pretty much all their charactars have backstorys. I believe that is the reason WWE storylines are failing. There isn't much reality (Pun intended) in "Reality." Bray Wyatt is one of the only charactars with a backstory and after 2 years of talking about it WWE went nowhere with it. WWE lately has added backstorys to Ambrose and Ryback with Dean being so viscous over his dad not being there. Ryabck being so distant and angry over his journey in WWE. Cena has has a "backstory" But where is everyone else's. The so-called face of the company Roman Reigns doesn't even have a backstory. Charactars are going nowhere because everything is a fucking joke to Vince. Everything to Vince is some sick cartoon promotion. I understand being PG but come on that don't mean you can't have backstorys. There is questions fans want to know " why did Rose start partying? Was there a memory that he is trying to drown out by partying? or Why does Rusev hate America? or anothing thing other than backstory is more realistic segments. Something like Dean Ambrose searching for Wyatt at the house from the vignettes and Bray sneaking up attacking him and the two brawling. Something like a Ambrose vs Triple H feud where Dean get's fired and kidnaps Steph and tells H to get her back he must accept his challenge for Mania and come fight him in the junkyard or ally...and the two brawling. Or something like someone waiting for another superstar to walk in the door and the two start brawling at the entrance and through the arena. You get the picture!!!! Thoughts????

 

[George Steele's Barber]

What was Stone Cold's story? What was Hogan's story? We knew Rock was a third generation wrestler but that didn't explain his fancy shirts and sunglasses.

Stories are nice and cute and can work to a wrestler's advantage but they are not necessary for success. I think Adam Rose loves partying because partying is fun. I think Rusev hates America for the same reasons Lana has bombarded us with promo after promo.

I think you are over thinking this and remember that any story you add to a wrestler limits that wrestler to that story and is going to be vetted by every internet wrestling nerd who can find Google.

Yes, WWE could do a better job of building and writing for a character but they have bigger problems than giving everyone a story. TNA is just a walking problem.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Nothing says "realistic" like kidnapping scenarios or two guys fighting a badly shot, badly choreographed, pre-taped fight in some random location. And it's sure to get a rise out of an already dead crowd as they have to watch it on the Titan-tron. Really gives us some context.

 

[wwesux]

The so-called face of the company Roman Reigns doesn't even have a backstory not Seth Rollins , not Big SLOW! Many Characters are going nowhere because everything is a fucking joke to Vince. wwe is an immature live puppet cartoon promotion it always was and always will be! TNA focuses on wrestling action and less talking , cruiserweights and KO division is more interesting to follow as well as Lashley/Roode

 

[blueskyy]

I wouldn't attribute having a backstory to success or failure, but I would agree with you on this, having a backstory would bring out a character.

If WWE were to incorporate backstories to characters properly and subtlety, it would add a new dimension to their product. It would also create more "drama". But the flip side of the coin is, writers have to do more work, wrestlers have to invest more of their time in their characters. RAWs and Smackdown are after all, performed in front of a live audience.

 

[Navi]

BACKSTORY!!!!!!!!!! I was just on TNA's website reading bios...and realized pretty much all their charactars have backstorys. I believe that is the reason WWE storylines are failing. There isn't much reality (Pun intended) in "Reality." Bray Wyatt is one of the only charactars with a backstory and after 2 years of talking about it WWE went nowhere with it. WWE lately has added backstorys to Ambrose and Ryback with Dean being so viscous over his dad not being there. Ryabck being so distant and angry over his journey in WWE. Cena has has a "backstory" But where is everyone else's. The so-called face of the company Roman Reigns doesn't even have a backstory. Charactars are going nowhere because everything is a fucking joke to Vince. Everything to Vince is some sick cartoon promotion. I understand being PG but come on that don't mean you can't have backstorys. There is questions fans want to know " why did Rose start partying? Was there a memory that he is trying to drown out by partying? or Why does Rusev hate America? or anothing thing other than backstory is more realistic segments. Something like Dean Ambrose searching for Wyatt at the house from the vignettes and Bray sneaking up attacking him and the two brawling. Something like a Ambrose vs Triple H feud where Dean get's fired and kidnaps Steph and tells H to get her back he must accept his challenge for Mania and come fight him in the junkyard or ally...and the two brawling. Or something like someone waiting for another superstar to walk in the door and the two start brawling at the entrance and through the arena. You get the picture!!!! Thoughts????

Well what would Roman Reigns back story be like? Let's see. He was an all star defense tackle at Georgia Tech. Signed with the Vikings and was then released. Joined the Edmonton Eskimo's of the CFL, played a season or two with them, and was then released, and joined the WWE.

He is also part of a wrestling dynasty. Father is Sika, WWE Hall of Famer and one part of the Wild Samoan's. Uncle's Yokuzuma and Rikishi. He's a cousin of the Uso's and The Rock. That's pretty much his back story.

Not much there to get all that pissed off about is there? He's had a pretty good life and an easy road into the WWE. He also can't get thorough a simple promo but yet he's still being groomed to the next face of the company. The less fans actually know about him the better. Fans like the underdog, just look at Daniel Bryan.

Roman Reigns has had it all handed too him. Good looks, good physique, yes he still has a lot of work to do, but compared to a Ryback, he's had it easy.

 

[RobertTheBruce]

Hey TNA, guess what? No-one cares...

The backstories in WWE are told onscreen. Ambrose's father left him as a child and was brought up on violence. Kane burned down the family home of him & The Undertaker but survived. The Big Show is horrendous with money and has squandered all of his earnings throughout his career. Ryback poured his life story out 2 weeks ago. The Usos grew up with Reigns in a wrestling family. As did Gold & Star Dust. Paige grew up in her parents promotion in England, turned pro at 13, and finally got a tryout for WWE. Dolph was a male cheerleader (they like to gloss over that one don't they?).

But seriously, actually bothering to SHOW people the story, and let it slowly unfold in front of peoples eyes, is FAR superior storytelling than lazily chucking it all up in one chunk on the website, and expecting people to give a shit...

...because the evidence says that they don't. I know I sure don't..

One quick way to turn people off any story is implied knowledge, or having to source it yourself. If you make following a story too difficult, people will just follow a better one. Watched ROH TV lately? Or CZW? Catch the GFW stream? All vastly superior examples of storytelling.

There is another thread regarding TNA doing the rounds at the moment; "What Niche can TNA hope to fill?". Simple answer, none. TNA is now damaged goods, with a brand beyond repair (Remember WCW's re-boot in 2000? Didn't last a year after that). Re-launch as something else by all means, but you watch... when Jarrett really gets firing with this GFW concept, how quickly TNA's roster will dry up.

 

[kadroan]

BACKSTORY!!!!!!!!!! I was just on TNA's website reading bios...and realized pretty much all their charactars have backstorys. I believe that is the reason WWE storylines are failing. There isn't much reality (Pun intended) in "Reality." Bray Wyatt is one of the only charactars with a backstory and after 2 years of talking about it WWE went nowhere with it. WWE lately has added backstorys to Ambrose and Ryback with Dean being so viscous over his dad not being there. Ryabck being so distant and angry over his journey in WWE. Cena has has a "backstory" But where is everyone else's. The so-called face of the company Roman Reigns doesn't even have a backstory. Charactars are going nowhere because everything is a fucking joke to Vince. Everything to Vince is some sick cartoon promotion. I understand being PG but come on that don't mean you can't have backstorys. There is questions fans want to know " why did Rose start partying? Was there a memory that he is trying to drown out by partying? or Why does Rusev hate America? or anothing thing other than backstory is more realistic segments. Something like Dean Ambrose searching for Wyatt at the house from the vignettes and Bray sneaking up attacking him and the two brawling. Something like a Ambrose vs Triple H feud where Dean get's fired and kidnaps Steph and tells H to get her back he must accept his challenge for Mania and come fight him in the junkyard or ally...and the two brawling. Or something like someone waiting for another superstar to walk in the door and the two start brawling at the entrance and through the arena. You get the picture!!!! Thoughts????

That's interesting. I don't think every wrestler needs a back story but some wrestlers who needs help to connect the crowd like Ryback, Reigns, Cesaro, etc. that might could help them.

 

[stingray11214]

Folks, today's wrestling is being presented to the American Idol Generation. If you ever noticed that shows like American idol, Survivor, even Kid Nation, their participants all had a back story. That is why you had crap contestants like Sanjaya, Tatiana del Toro and Omarosa (The Apprentice). If it was all about the competition, the three I mentioned would never have been accepted. You would have had incredible singers and competitors. However, people would not watch, either.

A good back story fills out a character. Look at Daniel Bryan. He mentions the ten years in armories, rec halls, and fairs. Selling t-shirts out of his car. He mentioned his father working in the logging industry. Those little tidbits makes or breaks a character. You ask why Bryan is so over? It is because of that back story. It makes him human. It makes him less of a cartoon character. It makes him one of us: A regular guy you would hang in a bar with. Now, you ask why Roman Reigns cannot get over? It is because he is too much of a cartoon character. There is no "real" to him. It seems phony and contrived. And, those that knows his true back story, he had everything handed to him.

For those that are saying that old timers did not need back stories, I give you Sgt. Slaughter. Drill Sargeant in the USMC in Parris Island. He was evil to his troops, and he was Dishonorably Discharged (kayfabe) from the USMC for "conduct of extreme viciousness and cruelty never before seen in the Military." It gave people enough reason to hate him. When a fan called him "Gomer Pyle", he flipped, a legend was born.

As much as some of you hate TNA, or any other promotion not run by VKM, Papa Pillman has a point. If the WWE gave people reason to CARE about a character, maybe then that character could get over. You cannot surpass someone with a pair of empty trunks. And, right now, it seems a lot of WWE people are empty trunks. Kudos to TNA for adapting to the modern viewer.