Is The WWE Really That Predictable?

[Twocenter]

Every time I see people bitch about the product and say that the WWE is becoming very predictable but is this true? Do you really believe that the WWE is getting more predictable? Is this really the truth or a fallacy? I want your views on it and i'll give one as well.

For me, the WWE is not predictable. What makes it predictable are the dirt sheets. Sites like bleachers, wrestlezone, etc. have made their own impact upon our lives. We are addicted to it and that is why we know the outcome and other spoilers before it airs. But take the perspective of others who don't do these. Do they really know what will happen at Wrestlemania? Did they really know if The Rock was going to return? Did they really know if 1-2-12 was for Jericho? No. Did they really know that the wrestlemania card was finalized way before in Feb? No. We wouldn't know that completely as well unless we switched on our tops and read some of the articles, spoilers and other stuffs. So, rather than blaming the WWE for predictability, we should blame ourselves for being addicted to this. If you stop reading articles on the dirt sheets, everything will be new for you and you will get the feel that you got back in 2000's. I made this thread just to express my views for some incoherent post they make here. WWE is not predictable. It's all of you people(Who tell that it is predictable) that make it predictable for you. Predicting an outcome and getting it right by chance is luck but predicting an outcome after reading a lot of spoilers is noting. This is the same reason why attitude era marks think PG-Era is not good but if many dirt sheets would've been there from 1997-2001, you'd know how unpredictable that era would've been as well .

So what are your thoughts on these and what do you think about the WWE being so called "predictable"?

 

[#hamler]

Yup.

I hear The Rock and John Cena are supposed to face one another again at Summerslam and possibly next year's Wrestlemania. Yeah it's a rumor. However, if those matches were to become a reality, we'd read claims that WWE has become so damn predictable by people who believe truly in those rumors. Yet, if those rumors were false, those who believed those rumors will still bitch about why the WWE didn't go through with those so called rumored matches. Fact - the WWE hasn't become anymore predictable than any other television or movie I watch on a weekly basis. For example, I like horror movies – I am sure most of you do too; especially Friday the 13th and Halloween. Every damn sequel – the same damn plot. That can be said for just about any and every sitcom or television show out there. Go ahead and watch the predictability on other television shows. Then come back and realize how great the WWE handles it.

 

[AwesomeRko]

Yeah the WWE is predictable, I don't think its exclusive to now though it has always and will always be predictable. Like H.A.M. said it's like a horror movie there is only so much the writers/director can do so that essentially once youve seen one you have seen them all. I don't think its a bad thing I think its just something you have to accept as a pro-wrestling fan, you know that the majority of the time the face is going to win and the direction that storylines are going to take. When the WWE does manage to throw you for a loop and do something genuinely shocking like the Punk angle over the summer, it makes you more appreciative of the surprise. Having said that I think the WWE could do more to improve the unpredictability of matches, removing the standard face 5 moves of doom at the end of every match might help and make faces less invulnerable, the odd clean loss wouldn't hurt anyone and would make things more interesting. By and large however, I think predictability is something you just accept as a wrestling fan, just because your pretty sure of the outcome doesn't mean you can't enjoy the ride.

 

[JJ15776]

Yup.

I hear The Rock and John Cena are supposed to face one another again at Summerslam and possibly next year's Wrestlemania. Yeah it's a rumor. However, if those matches were to become a reality, we'd read claims that WWE has become so damn predictable by people who believe truly in those rumors. Yet, if those rumors were false, those who believed those rumors will still bitch about why the WWE didn't go through with those so called rumored matches.

Exactly. And not only that, they'll cite it as another example of how the WWE books stuff on the fly, even though there's no proof whatsoever that they've ever done that. The only people who claim that are the dirtsheets who need an excuse to point to when they're wrong about something. "We were right, they just changed their minds!" And people buy it! Pathetic.

But the really pathetic thing is that people think it's an insult to call the WWE predictable. Yes, surprises are nice occassionally, but more often than not the "predictable" way to go is the right way to go. It's predictable because it makes sense. Just about anything that's written intelligently is going to be predictable to some extent.

Is the WWE predictable? Certainly no more than it has been at any point in its history, probably considerably less so than it was 20+ years ago, and it's no more predictable than it should be.

 

[whoopin' ass]

yes and no. take Cena vs Rock - we know one of them will win and one will lose so depending on who actually gets the victory, we will look back and say "of course Cena was going to win, Rock was only coming back for the one match" or "no kidding Cena lost, Rock is too big a star for Cena to beat". we see what we want to see in order to make it predictable. now Cena/Rock is a weird match but take Punk/Jericho - who is going to win? i can't say for sure that i think Jericho will beat Punk or vice versa. there is your unpredictability. i think the predictability part comes in more with certain people - with certain people, it isn't hard to say what will happen(was anyone really surprised with how the Cena/Nexus angle played out?). the problem is that this is happening with more and more people and that is where the predictability seems to be coming from. you know taker won't lose his match so in the end, it is predictable. you know an orton or cena is usually going to win their match and if they don't, they will be back the next night on Raw to fight again - pretty predictable. the wwe seems to be sticking more to formula now instead of trying new things and i think it shows more now than it did before.

 

[DirtyD79]

Yes but then all wrestling tends to become predictable if you've been watching it long enough. On the other side of the coin people will bitch if they started writing on the fly like they did in the attitude era again. So basically it's damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[GameOver]

Wrestling is predictable and has been for decades, it's all been done and using common sense tells you what is likely to happen, rumour/social media sites don't help the situation they take away any guesswork.

WWE is predictable other then the really bad decisions which make no sense.
TNA is somewhat unpredictable other then you know they'll screw it up almost every time. and there unpredictability is why in the hell is this person or that person featured when others are left off the show.
WCW was predictable til the last few years.

 

[BigRedMachine88]

I think predictability shouldn't even be the issue. Whats important to me is building good storylines and giving good matches, something which just doesn't happen enough. It doesn't matter that i knew y2j was coming back, or that he was fueding with cm punk. I was still excited to see jericho back, and am still excited for the match with punk, because i knew they would build a great story and will provide a great match at mania.

 

[geneinfla]

I can recall during the Monday Night Wars that there was a surprise on each show, each week. Whether it was a return, a run-in, a heel turn or new plot twist. With the current product, I'm lucky to be surprised a few times a year. Yes, the web sheets have a lot to do with it but htere just doesn't seem to be anything really fresh or exciting going on. We had a glimpse last summer with Punk but then it was derailed. Ryder was different, and I still have hope they can do something with it.

 

[Steve0904]

Yes it is, but as others have said, it always has been, dirtsheets or not. One of the biggest tells I got when I first started watching wrestling at about 12 years old was that the guy that got the upper hand on the show before the PPV usually lost at said PPV. And that was without forums, dirtsheets etc...

 

[Mustang Sally]

If you're a fan who has followed WWE for years and even participated on discussion boards, certain trends become apparent and certain events can be predicted, sure. At the same time, there are plenty of people around who wait until something has happened and then are proud to tell us they knew it all along, which is more a product of their own pretentiousness than anything wrong about WWE.

For myself, I can't get over how many times the company has crossed me up and did what I expected them not to do. Take the C.M. Punk saga last Summer: I was wrong on just about every aspect of the program there was to be wrong about. I thought Punk would lose his war to Cena..... I thought Punk would be turning bad..... aid if he didn't, that Cena would turn bad in response to Punk's actions......and was totally off the mark on all of it!

Personally, I love being wrong and having WWE throw curves at us at every turn. It provides that air of unpredictability we need to keep the product fresh and to appreciate that new ideas keep flowing. Those of you who keep your predictions to yourselves, yet are willing to tell us you knew exactly what was going to happen (after it's already happened) are welcome to enjoy wrestling in the manner you prefer.

 

[IT Factor]

This topic is not an easily answered question. There are elements of a yes answer and a no answer to look at here;

Is WWE predictable. Yes. Because of dirt sheets, it is damn near impossible for anything to happen without internet buzz before it actually happens. Because of this there are no real surprize returns or surprize storylines. You can't totally blame the internet for WWE's shortcomings, though. Especially when they milk someone's return a week or two before they actually appear just to get higher ratings. Remember Randy Orton's return? They advertised it a week or two in advance and totally took away any potential surprize returns. And they've been doing that for years now in a shameless attempt to get higher numbers. While it may help ratings on occasion, it doesn't help the predictable product aspect.

Then of course, there's the element of the no answer. Even with internet & dirt sheets, WWE manages the occasional surprize. Though it is very rare, it does happen. I believe that if WWE truly wanted better moments, they need to stop ****ing out WWE superstars when they return from injury just for ratings. Don't tell your audience when said superstar will return. Leave us guessing. That's what made wrestling so great during the Monday night wars, you never knew what would happen from week to week. Nowadays, you can pretty much guess when someone will return and even who they'll attack and at which point in the show[the person that injured them during their match]. It's too predictable and WWE needs to stop applying it to whoever they think will boost ratings for that week.

 

[H33LTurn]

Its a combination of the dirt sheets and some common sense. If we didnt have the dirt sheets how on earth would we have known that the Jericho promos were in fact Jericho. Only someone with the eye of a hawk would've seen the name "chris" on the notebook thrown on the floor. Other things are common sense like Undertaker coming back during Mania time. I really dont like when people say WWE is too predictable, since no one can give an accurate rundown of what the show will be like.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Most of the time, it bugs the crap out of me whenever I hear internet fans piss and moan about how predictable WWE has become.

How can you expect WWE to be all that unpredictable if you're someone that spends tons of time scouring the internet for possible spoilers to matches on upcoming ppvs? How can you expect unpredictability when you look for any spoilers pertaining to current feuds, upcoming matches and soon to be happening storylines? It's like expecting to be surprised at a surprise party that you found out about 3 weeks before the party takes place. It's a completely ridiculous standard, but I wouldn't expect otherwise when talking about the IWC.

Besides, if anything, WWE gets as much criticism when they go in a direction that people don't expect. Look at Brodus Clay or Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble. For Clay, a lot of net fans complained about Clay not being the standard, one dimensional monster heel that we've seen pass through time and time again. For Sheamus, they expected/wanted Jericho to win the Rumble and complained when he didn't.

In my experience in these forums, it seems that the only time when most net fans appreciate unpredictability is when a scenario happens to match up with exactly what they believe should take place. As long as it's in synch with exactly what they want, then it's ok. Anything else, however, is usually deemed unacceptable. If not that, then it's usually fans that just want to see crash tv. They just want to be "surprised" or "shocked" by something even if it's complete crap and is being done just for the sake of shock value.

Stay away from the dirtsheets and forums for a few months, generally just stay out of the loop altogether and I'm pretty sure that you'll be genuinely surprised by much of what's going on.

 

[IT Factor]

Most of the time, it bugs the crap out of me whenever I hear internet fans piss and moan about how predictable WWE has become.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but, arent you an internet fan? It bugs me when certain wrestling fans act as if they are somehow above being considered part of that group. If you post on the internet, you're part of the group you hate. Isn't that ironic? Besides, fans are entitled to call it as they see it. Call a spade a spade. WWE is predictable because they aren't even trying anymore. Excuse me if I'm not marking for everything they do. I'm a long-time wrestling fan and remember how great it used to be. How can pointing out ways to improve really be a bad thing?

How can you expect WWE to be all that unpredictable if you're someone that spends tons of time scouring the internet for possible spoilers to matches on upcoming ppvs? How can you expect unpredictability when you look for any spoilers pertaining to current feuds, upcoming matches and soon to be happening storylines? It's like expecting to be surprised at a surprise party that you found out about 3 weeks before the party takes place. It's a completely ridiculous standard, but I wouldn't expect otherwise when talking about the IWC.

Again, irony abounds. IWC? Aren't you in it? Believe it or not, I'm not the trolling the dirt sheets type. I do read certain rumors and keep up on the latest big news stuff. I don't read spoilers nor do I spend all day trying to find info. I simply keep up. Expecting better shows is not a ridiculous standard at all in my view. Marking for the product will not help in this case. If every WWE fan thought like that, we'd never see another "surprize" again because it simply wouldn't be expected of the company. WWE has been taking the lazy lowroad ever since they lost competition from ECW & WCW.

Besides, if anything, WWE gets as much criticism when they go in a direction that people don't expect. Look at Brodus Clay or Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble. For Clay, a lot of net fans complained about Clay not being the standard, one dimensional monster heel that we've seen pass through time and time again. For Sheamus, they expected/wanted Jericho to win the Rumble and complained when he didn't.

Like I said before, surprizes do rarely occur. Mediocrity in rare instances is no justification for lack of effort in the shows. While I do agree that wrestling fans do complain alot, it's mostly geared towards the right reasons. Mainly to improve the shows. So you're telling me you can't honestly see storyline endings coming a mile away? Yeah, right

In my experience in these forums, it seems that the only time when most net fans appreciate unpredictability is when a scenario happens to match up with exactly what they believe should take place. As long as it's in synch with exactly what they want, then it's ok. Anything else, however, is usually deemed unacceptable. If not that, then it's usually fans that just want to see crash tv. They just want to be "surprised" or "shocked" by something even if it's complete crap and is being done just for the sake of shock value.

While you may have a little truth in this, it's mainly wrong. Yes wrestling fans want certain things to happen and get pissed when it doesn't happen. You're telling me you've never had certain expectations and weren't disappointed when it didn't happen? Again, it seems awfully convenient to portray yourself as better than most wrestling fans here when you've probably experienced the same feeling of disappointment yourself. The moment you stop listening to your fanbase in the moment you quit growing as a company. That's not just in wrestling. It's the same for any company that depends on their consumers. WWE hasn't listened to their fanbase in a decade or longer.

The last time I was truly shocked was when CM Punk did his whole shoot promo thing. And look how WWE royally screwed the pooch on that storyline.

As for your last point about staying away from dirt sheets, that seems like ironic advice. Don't you read them and keep up? That pretty much sums up your entire reply. You claim to be somehow better than the "IWC" or "internet fans" that you say are always complaining. The moment you stop expecting better from WWE is the moment you accept a less than great product. Imagine how boring the WWE product as a whole would be if everyone used that logic.......

 

[theBec2101]

to those who think the WWE is predictable I bet you thought Jericho was going to win the Rumble. No one thought Sheamus was going to win. Infact the WWE said that was a last minute decision. It's just more people complaining about the product.

 

[Dysturbed]

^^^
I thought that Sheamus would win, or at least that he was the likely winner if not Jericho.

In many ways I find that it is predictable but I tend to be more concerned with the execution of things than the concept, at least when it comes to the big things. For example I may have every reason to believe that I know what the outcome of a big match or storyline will be but seeing it play out still can be entertaining. At this point its safe to say that The Undertaker is guaranteed to win at WM but I can still buy into the nearfalls if I find that I am entertained enough by the match. Its like how if a movie or tv show is good enough then even if I know that someone will get out of a situation I may be fearful that they won't or even if I know that a character is going to die, I may still be able to root for them to live. When it comes to wrestling I am able to do that with matches. That isn't to say that I don't prefer having absolutely no clue what will happen but is to say that even if I do have a clue, the predictability doesn't hinder anything. I'm guessing that makes me a rarity.

Additionally, at any given time we know the basic rotation of wrestlers that will appear on either show. The rotation will have some additions and subtractions, but once they happen they tend to stick for awhile. Therefore, we can predictably know who is still expected to appear on a show if it is halfway over and we haven't seen them yet. We can often predict who will run out based on current feuds and storylines (even if we are unaware of spoilers). There are other ways that the product is predictable as well but to me, things like that aren't a big deal at all for the reason I stated.

 

[James1547]

almost all of it is predictable. but occasionally they throw in a shocker or 2 a month. for example Santino winning the US title. i never saw that coming.

 

[XXJJ]

The dirt sheets are wrong a lot of times. What happened to that Smackdown scramble match? Or this big Ezkiel Jackson push?

Its freakin pro wrestling. It isn't too difficult to predict. Unless you want more Vince Russo style booking where you swerve just for the sake of swerving... most of it is just common sense.

They still have plenty of unpredicatable moments (Punk shoot, Nexus attack, DB winning MITB etc).

 

[jacdnwarrior]

It is. The same people inhabit the vast majority of the tv time, main event picture and the majority of storylines or winning RR matches. You watch certain matches involving certain performers and you know the outcome. It wouldn't be bad if there was a decent storylines and reasonable execution leading up to the conclusion but that's not what we're getting. If WWE is supposed to be about giving the fans what they want, they're failing miserably.