For any one who is not aware of the fact, I usually like to do reviews every once and a while. Mostly, I do reviews on technology and other useful things. However, a while ago, I did a thread on here that really meant a lot to me. You see, it allowed me to put down in words, my personal thoughts on the WWE and just what they were doing right and indeed wrong. My last review of the WWE product was done on the 21st of July 2009 and in that time, a lot of things have changed in the WWE. So, I thought that it would make sense for me to re-review the WWE and cover all the bases once more.
So for those who are interested, you can read my first review here
You see, over the last 6 months, the WWE has gone through radical changes. The game has changed and the WWE is driving at something completely different. They seemed to have dropped all pretence and are now 100% child friendly. However, this is not a thread that is intended to attack that aim, although I would like to cover it in some detail. I also would like to cover all aspects of the WWE product from entrance music to commentary. It will range from current superstars to the ending of matches. Make no mistake, this will be a long read and if thats not your bag, I suggest that you turn back now Still here? Good! Lets get started, shall we?
Subsidiaries
WWE Studios
Being that this review will likely be all encompassing, I want to start at the parameter of all things central to the WWE as a whole. The first thing that needs to be looked at is the branching out of the company as a whole. Now, we all know that WWE has been trying to branch out for a long, long time. In fact, they have been seeing growth of their products since I was a baby and beyond. That being said, the WWE has really tried to be more varied over the last couple of years and the first of which was XFL. However, XFL is in the past and is dead and gone. What isnt though is WWE Studios. WWE studios are the masterminds that bring us toprate WWE films such as The Marine, The Marine 2 and The Condemned. You see, since the WWE decided that they wanted to make it for themselves, they ditched every morsel of pride and talent that they had. Let us not forget that the WWE are also responsible for such movies as The Scorpion King featuring The Rock. The Rundown, featuring The Rock and Walking Tall, featuring, youve guessed it, The Rock.
We all know that the WWE movies have bombed over the last couple of years. Again, I did not make this thread to take a shot at the way the WWE has handled their business over the last few years. Hell, the companies total assets and net income has gone up since last year. I am not here to say that they are making a mistake by still pursuing a film-making source of their own but I must state that the movies have performed horribly at the box office and that is not the fault of anyone other than the WWE. Could it be that The Rock was the closest you were ever going to get to a fully talented actor that had mainstream cross-over talent? I think that is probably a fair analysis of the last decade or two in the WWE. Sure, the WWE thought they were onto winners with Mr Kennedy and more importantly, John Cena. However, their movies have bombe at the Box Office just like the rest and it looks as though they are digging themselves into a bigger financial clack hole by continuing to pursue lacklustre movies.
It is not as if they are not trying. I mean, they have taken Cena out of the ring on multiple occasions to put him into movies and try to change the fortunes of WWE studios but the reputation of this studio is against them. Ask most members of this board and they will have nothing but negativity in regards to WWE studios. My main question is, is the biggest adversary to WWE studios success the reputation that they have acquired over the last few movies? I believe so. Holly wood is a fickle business and one movie could make or break an actor. That is probably the same for studios too. I am not an expert by any means but this seems a fair point. The thought of a WWE movie is what puts a lot of people off and I think that people like Randy Orton and John Cena probably have the talent to go out of WWE and do movies. They dont need to be tied to WWE studios to make money for the company and if WWE realised that, they might be doing slightly better in that respect.
WWE Music Group
Oh, Jesus! Where to start with this bad boy
Now, I know that I am not an expert on music or film but I do know that success speaks for itself and all of the subsidiaries of the WWE brand are eerily quiet, at the time being. As you may or may not know, WWE Music Group is the subsidiary of WWE that brought us A Jingle With Jillian featuring Jillian Hall and You Cant See Me featuring John Cena. Now, Cenas is not actually that bad, from some accounts. However, Jillian Halls rendition of classics such Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas can only be likened to ear rape. Seriously, I have no idea what they WWE are thinking when they release shit like this? Its almost as if they like being universally hated by everyone. Now, this is not a shot at Jillian Hall. Far from it because I believe that whilst she is very, very annoying, she is also one of the people who evoke a strong reaction from a crowd and is one of the most entertaining people on the WWE books Behind Santino, of course.
That being said, I cannot understand why a company that is trying to make money would allow things like this to be released. Jillian Hall is funny sometimes and marks like myself could probably buy into the novelty of hearing her sing. However, people looking in from the outside are likely to hear this shit and run for the hills. It is not as if I am looking for any sort of verification from people that watching wrestling or enjoying the products they put out is good. However, for once in my life, I would like to say that WWE puts out quality from head to toe and thanks to WWE Music Group, I rarely get the chance.
However, just as the WWE Studios was not a complete waste, neither is WWE Music Group. Seemingly, they have been bringing us all of the great tunes that you hear accompanying your favourite wrestler to the ring. Their releases of the songs in compilation albums have probably been the most successful area for WWE music and I must say that not all of the albums have been complete shit. The latest one is bollocks, to be honest. Everyone anticipated it with baited breath over the release of Just Close Your Eyes. However, after putting it onto my iTunes, four songs remain to this day. Now, obviously I am not insinuating that the music that WWE puts out is shit. It is not, not for the most part anyway. I Came To Play is one of the best tracks that the WWE has managed to put out there since The Glass smashed. Personally, WWE music is either a hit or a miss with people. I know people on the boards that get wrapped up in it. I once heard NorCal say that he likes to pump iron whilst listening to WWE music and that is awesome. I know Phoenix likes Chris Jerichos band Fozzy and that is great too. However, for me, WWE have not hit the spot in recent years, in regards to music.
The World
I miss WWF New York
WWE Home Video and Books
To my mind, these are probably the best two subsidiary companies that the WWE has going for it. WWE Home Video is a very good service. It may be a little overpriced and may have some of the same shit you have seen a million other times on a million other releases but it gets the job done. It allows people to view some of the best moments of WWE through ever changing mediums. They are the company that is responsible for bringing you the releases of all of the past Pay Per Views, dating back to Wrestlemania III and all the way up to 2009. Personally, the first WWE video I bought was Stone Cold Steve Austin Hell Yeah! and I cherished it. It is a great representation of what the WWE do. The release everything over and over and hope that people will latch onto it.
I mean, they have released a lot of Pay Per Views separately but have also released them as an anthology. Then you have the superstar documentaries, the special documentaries, superstar match compilations, special match compilations and many, many more. Now, I am not complaining about this in the slightest. It gives wrestling fans a chance to look back at some of the past events of the WWE and further appreciate how far it has come. However, releasing so many just seems like a conveyer belt scenario to me. There is no thought behind them and the same things seem to be getting covered as we go along. That being said, I know a lot of people love these releases and I assume that they make a profit from them.
The same is true for WWE books. They have brought us great publications such as Controversy Creates Ca$h by Eric Bischoff and Adam Copeland on Edge by Edge, of course. Although the autobiographies seem to be watered down now, they are still some great reads. I have read through both of the books listed and I must say that they are fantastic looks into the world of profession wrestling. I am not an avid reader but I could not take my eyes away from Edges biography.
All in all, I have no qualms with those subsidiaries.
Good, now we have done that, I can move on to things that actually mean something out with the financial books. I have an idea in my head that I will start at the outsides and work my way into the centre of the company. I started with the subsidiaries, so I think I will just continue in that vein. The next thing that I wanted to cover was the controversy and all over marketing of the WWE.
Marketing
Now, before I go any further, I want to say that I still enjoy WWE programming. I have always enjoyed it and I probably will continue to love it as long as the promotion is broadcasting. That being said, some of the decisions that have been made over the last few years have left me feeling mixed emotions. The turn to PG-13 is not something that was completely unexpected and now that it is here, I dont hate like a lot of people do. In fact, I think that it has made for a more energetic IWC. To my mind, there is no bigger debate on here than that of PG-13. Now that we are all coming to terms with the loss of the Attitude Era, I think that we are now more accepting of where the WWE is trying to go. The marketing to kids is ingenious. I mean, think of when you started watching wrestling I will hazard a guess that, like me, you started watching it as a kid. There is nothing different about the WWE now in that respect. The WWE are still targeting kids as their niche audience but are going about it in a different way. It is no longer trying to get kids to sneak around watching The Kats puppies at Royal Rumble. No, they have made it more appealing to kids and they cannot be blamed for that.
WWE always has, and always will, do what is best for its own business. If that means pissing a few members of the IWC off to get a whole new audience in the doors, then you can best bet that that is what is going to happen. The WWE dont care about you. The WWE dont care about your thoughts. All the WWE want from you is your money and kids are the easiest way to get that from you. Kids are becoming more and more spoiled as people get richer and richer. They see John Cena body-slamming both Edge and The Big Show off of his shoulders and they want the fucking DVD, the action figure, the posters and all of that jazz. Kids are not going to buy these things You are! The parents of the kids that want the shit. It is all very clever and quite a business ploy taken on.
It was a risky business strategy to be employed by the WWE, especially after the most successful era in the WWEs history. However, they have done a marvellous job of it, like it or not. John Cena came along at the right time and now everything is driven around him. I cannot imagine how bad a situation the WWE would be in if he ever decided that he didnt want to wrestle any more. He has been the poster boy for the new marketing technique and there is not one single person that could take that spot. The closest they have is probably Morrison but he doesnt have the same appeal. They cannot do as much with him and they know it. John Cena is central to the WWEs plans and will be for as long as the production remains PG-13 orientated.
My real question, I suppose, is if it has changed anything? I mean, you still have the same programming that you used to. Sure, they are not as edgy as they have been in the past but think how hard it must have been for the WWE to transition to this era from the last. They are still building superstars that can carry the company. John Cena is being likened to Hulk Hogan at every turn. He is the American hero, the Superman. Then you have Randy Orton. This man is so over that he is untouched by anyone else. The WWE are doing just as good a job of making superstars as they did in the Attitude Era. The only difference is that they are using a more watered down scheme of doing it. They dont need monster trucks and beer trucks to do that anymore and that is a good thing. That part of the WWE died with The Rock and Austin. There is no need to ever bring that back, I feel. Sure, it was fucking entertaining at the time but it would not fit in with anyone else on the roster. The WWE has adopted a strategy that this sort of shit would not be welcome within in.
Wellness Policy
Right now, there is a thread that is probably one of the most active in a long time. It is on the subject of WWE banning chair shots to the head. I see people have mixed emotions about this and I think that both sides have valid points. Chair shots have always been a big part of the WWE and now that they are being phased out, some of the excitement may be lost. However, it is not as if they are necessarily going to be missed. I mean, I try to remember off the top of my head what the last match that had a chair shot in it and I cant. That might be because I have a terrible memory or it could be that they are so insignificant now that no one actually gives a shit. The only reason that people are jumping on this is because it screams PG-13 all over again.
However, I think it is a great thing. You hear about people all the time being like a fucking potato after they step out of the ring for the last time and have their injuries rule their lives. I think the WWE are to be commended for phasing this out and the wellness policy in general. Since, the death of Eddie G and Chris Benoit, the WWE have been careful to make sure that this policy is at the forefront of everything they do. It is a great scheme and means that wrestlers dont need to fear for their safety and brain capacity after they leave wrestling. Sure, it may take away some exciting features of the WWE but I dont really mind if it means that people are going to be healthy. The last thing that the WWE needs is another Benoit incident. We know that high profile superstars have been suspended because of their failings in the WWE Wellness Program and that too, is to be commended. Rey Mysterio and William Regal have bit the bullet so far and I am sure that their will be more in the future.
There is no question in my mind that the Wellness policy is fantastic and that it should continue to grow. There is no need for wrestlers to sacrifice the rest of their lives for the business.
Right, now that is out of the way, we can actually get to what is happening within the WWE wrestling branch of the tree. Lets start with the roster
Roster
A lot has happened over the last six months or so in the WWE, in terms of investment in new talent. The WWE seems to be pushing a lot more people and hoping it sticks. However, not everything is going to plan and some of the things that the WWE have done is questionable at best. So without further ado, lets get stuck in
Personally, I think that the roster the WWE has right now is one of the best line ups they have had in a long time, especially in terms of variation. It seems as though they have really tried to add some variation as of late and that is to be commended. Across all 3 of their shows now, they have a pretty solid roster that can get people excited. So let us start at the top and work our way down, shall we?
Raw:
Raw has a roster that is capable of getting people excited in a heartbeat. I recall when I was writing my last review, that Smackdown seemed to be the best show. Raw seemed to be packed with too much main event talent and Smackdown was winning the ratings more and more as the weeks went by. Raw was very congested and the main event talent was just running the show. Nothing was happening down the roster and I feel that the WWE have endeavoured to change that. It might not be in their best interests but people want to see the development of their younger superstars etc. The roster of Raw has really become something that the WWE can hang their hat on and say that this is how you build a successful show. Since writing my last review, I have seen a visual change in the way that the WWE have gone about putting new stars over and it is paying dividends. Lets look at a couple of examples.
Sheamus - Sheamus is the best example on the WWE roster of how easy it can be to get someone into the main event and be believable from the start. He retired Jamie Noble in his first match and from then on, you know he was going to get a hell-a-push. Some weeks later and he is winning the number one contenders battle royal and then defeating John Cena for the Championship. The WWE have elevated Sheamus to a great level in a very short space of time. I dont think the fans fully accept him yet but I think that he is definitely making some progress. I watch Raw every week and with different people as the weeks go by. However, the issue of Sheamus usually comes up and it has been great to see that he is getting experience under his belt in the main event scene and after losing the belt, he has not been thrown back to obscurity. I am starting to buy his character and that can only be good for him.
Kofi Kingston Again, Kingston is another example of how the WWE can get things right from time to time. He beat Orton a few times and is probably an upper-midcard superstar now. I am hesitant to say that he is main event talent because he hasnt had a title shot yet. However, the great thing that the WWE managed to do was get him into a position that means he can compete in there. That at any moment, he could be called upon to step into a main event feud and people would buy it. It is because of that, that I am sure he is going to win Money In The Bank. That being said, he doesnt really need it at the end of the day. He could challenge for a world title tomorrow and people would buy it. Morrison couldnt and that is why someone on Morrisons level should win the Championship. Christian is the best bet but I would be very surprised if Kofi is not the winner of the match. It will interesting to see how much he has progressed in another six months time.
Legacy Legacy are getting there. I watched their promo on Raw this past week and I knew that they were getting better. It was thinly veiled for sure but they are learning. They are entertaining and are embroiled in a feud that is (and has) elevating them through the roster. Randy Orton is a great springboard for these superstars and they really have become superstars that illustrate to me how well the WWE can put over new talent. What their future holds after Wrestlemania is worrying though. We are free to speculate on it but I feel that they are going to struggle as singles competitors and without Orton to put them over. We shall see.
Smackdown
CM Punk Did you hear that? The IWC just creamed all over my thread at the mere mention of this man. He is the paradigm of what great character is and how far a fucking awesome and well played-out gimmick will get you. Chris Jericho played this exact same role last year, believe it or not. However, Punk has brought new meaning his own character to the role and had made it stand out. He is one of the most over people in the WWE, despite being a heel and is getting the praise that he deserves. He has come a long way since winning the Money In The Bank matches and is now a solid main event superstar. He is good in the ring and the fans are lapping everything he says up. The Straight Edge Society has worked wonders for him and I fully expect that he will be drafted to Raw as soon as humanly possible. I dont think the WWE knew how much of a hit this man was going to be when he adopted this gimmick but they sure as hell do now. He is someone who the fans pay to see and no one can take that away from him right now.
Morrison Morrison is having a great time at the moment. Like Punk, he has been the subject of the wet-dreams of the IWC for a while now and he is finally starting to get the spotlight all to himself. He looks as though he is going to be a big superstar in the next couple of years but I am worried by the way that the WWE is using him. He has been tosses around all of the divisions hoping that something will stick. He had a decent feud with McIntyre and now he is tagging with R-Truth, in the hope that tag team gold will make the fans remember him as they have nothing else for him. The WWE dont realise that the fans want to see Morrison within the title picture, so I would be very surprised if this one sticks. That being said, I think that he will get his chance to show us what he can do against the main event talent. However, right now, he doesnt have a chance against people like Edge and Jericho, who seem to be holding onto the spotlight.
R-Truth There was a time, like Sheamus, that I could not stand this man. I used to love him as K-Kwik and then when he disappeared, I thought I had seen the last of him. However, he re-emerged as R-Truth and I kinda wish I had seen the back of him. However, he seems to have turned it around for himself, in my eyes anyway, and is compulsive viewing. I think the only reason that they are tagging him with Morrison is so that they can get both of these guys onto Raw. It would not surprise me one bit if they lost to ShowMiz at Mania and were drafted to Raw a couple of weeks later. Both are great in the ring and have been given a lot of time by the WWE.
I think that I will just cover the new stars instead of going through all of the veterans of the shows. I did that in the last review and nothing has changed massively. So with that being said, lets move onto the other people on the shows, shall we?
Commentators
The commentary spots are something that are really starting to bug me at the minute. I think the WWE are flip-flopping with characters and it is becoming tedious. Michael Cole is a fucking douchebag. There is no other way around it and everyone knows it. Over the last few months, we have seen him in every role and none of them are sticking. We have seen him play the unbiased, completely professional commentator on Raw. Only for it to be sullied by ignorant, assholish commentary on NXT. This man has been playing the internet like a fucking fiddle and it is not something that I am interested in seeing anymore. Let me get this straight though, I am not saying that he should be ousted from the WWE. I am saying that he should calm it down a little and try not to be what the WWE wants him to be. Just be a little more natural.
King has been really lacklustre as of late and the magic of the Attitude Era King is all but gone for sure. Personally, I miss it but I know that I will have to live without it. Working with Michael Cole is something that isnt really working but it is better now that they are developing some sort of chemistry. At the beginning of the pairing, I thought they were doomed for sure. However, it seems as though they are sticking with it and seeing how it goes.
I miss JR :(
NXT
NXT is single best thing that the WWE have thought of outside of pushing CM Punk down our throats and people are really buying into this concept. I may seem a little rushed and un-organised but I am really beginning to like how it is shaping up. The concept has changed massively over the last couple of weeks and question still remain as to how it is going to continue after this season and what will happen to the rookies that are not chosen. However, it really doesnt matter because the IWC is generally liking this show. It gives young talent a chance to prove themselves and it gives the IWC a chance to look at the new developments that the WWE are banking on. Everyone has a favourite and the discussion has been rife all over the internet as to who is going to win. Bryan Danielson has lit up the show and the characters of the rookies and their pros have been brilliant to watch.
It annoys me that they are using Brian Danielson in this way and I have no idea about what they plan to do with him after NXT. I am quite sure that he wont win it but I fully expect him to be feuding with the Mix afterwards. Personally, I thought they could have handled this better and built him up to be a great superstar, Now, it seems as though he has an up-hill struggle to get anywhere near the mid-card. Right now though, he is one of two people who I could see being successful coming off of this show. The other being Justin Gabriel. He has been exceptional since debuting and I love to watch him. His in-ring ability has put him in the spotlight and I could certainly see him being a champion right out of the gates.
Wade Barrett isnt bad either and I like David Otunga. All of these guys have lit up the show and made it very exciting to watch. With the votes just a couple of weeks away, I would imagine that things are going to get even better for these guys and I look forward to seeing them in the WWE in future.
Writing (Featuring TNA)
Like many people, I am becoming very bored with how the WWE are handling the writing of their shows. I mean, with WrestleMania only 5 days away, I can understand some of the decision.. However, some decisions leave me absolutely stumped and the match ending are becoming more and more intolerable. The fact that the WWE needs to have someone being attacked every week, or the fact that every second match has to end in a DQ is a bit of a joke to be honest. It is something that is becoming more and more prevalent as we go through the weeks and it is the biggest issue I have with the WWE. Some of the decisions are absolutely crazy and they need to sort that shit out. They need to realise that you can build a hell without having him destroy people after being DQed (Sheamus). They also have to realise that without original writing, people are going to be turning over to TNA more often.
The writing is the only thing that will keep people watching the WWE and it seems a little lazy at some points in time. TNA now have the competitors to come at the WWE and people will be looking for the most interesting angles to win their view. With the WWE being so lax, it will be interesting to see how things settle after WrestleMania. I can honestly see TNA picking up a rise in viewership.
And .. We are done! Well, I could have written a bit more but I feel that I have covered the main bases. Plus, this has taken me days to type out and I now need to rest my fingers. Thank you for reading and I would love to hear what you think of both the WWE in general, from the financial boards, to the in-ring product. And also, what you think of my review. Am I close to the mark or far away?
So for those who are interested, you can read my first review here
You see, over the last 6 months, the WWE has gone through radical changes. The game has changed and the WWE is driving at something completely different. They seemed to have dropped all pretence and are now 100% child friendly. However, this is not a thread that is intended to attack that aim, although I would like to cover it in some detail. I also would like to cover all aspects of the WWE product from entrance music to commentary. It will range from current superstars to the ending of matches. Make no mistake, this will be a long read and if thats not your bag, I suggest that you turn back now Still here? Good! Lets get started, shall we?
Subsidiaries
WWE Studios
Being that this review will likely be all encompassing, I want to start at the parameter of all things central to the WWE as a whole. The first thing that needs to be looked at is the branching out of the company as a whole. Now, we all know that WWE has been trying to branch out for a long, long time. In fact, they have been seeing growth of their products since I was a baby and beyond. That being said, the WWE has really tried to be more varied over the last couple of years and the first of which was XFL. However, XFL is in the past and is dead and gone. What isnt though is WWE Studios. WWE studios are the masterminds that bring us toprate WWE films such as The Marine, The Marine 2 and The Condemned. You see, since the WWE decided that they wanted to make it for themselves, they ditched every morsel of pride and talent that they had. Let us not forget that the WWE are also responsible for such movies as The Scorpion King featuring The Rock. The Rundown, featuring The Rock and Walking Tall, featuring, youve guessed it, The Rock.
We all know that the WWE movies have bombed over the last couple of years. Again, I did not make this thread to take a shot at the way the WWE has handled their business over the last few years. Hell, the companies total assets and net income has gone up since last year. I am not here to say that they are making a mistake by still pursuing a film-making source of their own but I must state that the movies have performed horribly at the box office and that is not the fault of anyone other than the WWE. Could it be that The Rock was the closest you were ever going to get to a fully talented actor that had mainstream cross-over talent? I think that is probably a fair analysis of the last decade or two in the WWE. Sure, the WWE thought they were onto winners with Mr Kennedy and more importantly, John Cena. However, their movies have bombe at the Box Office just like the rest and it looks as though they are digging themselves into a bigger financial clack hole by continuing to pursue lacklustre movies.
It is not as if they are not trying. I mean, they have taken Cena out of the ring on multiple occasions to put him into movies and try to change the fortunes of WWE studios but the reputation of this studio is against them. Ask most members of this board and they will have nothing but negativity in regards to WWE studios. My main question is, is the biggest adversary to WWE studios success the reputation that they have acquired over the last few movies? I believe so. Holly wood is a fickle business and one movie could make or break an actor. That is probably the same for studios too. I am not an expert by any means but this seems a fair point. The thought of a WWE movie is what puts a lot of people off and I think that people like Randy Orton and John Cena probably have the talent to go out of WWE and do movies. They dont need to be tied to WWE studios to make money for the company and if WWE realised that, they might be doing slightly better in that respect.
WWE Music Group
Oh, Jesus! Where to start with this bad boy
Now, I know that I am not an expert on music or film but I do know that success speaks for itself and all of the subsidiaries of the WWE brand are eerily quiet, at the time being. As you may or may not know, WWE Music Group is the subsidiary of WWE that brought us A Jingle With Jillian featuring Jillian Hall and You Cant See Me featuring John Cena. Now, Cenas is not actually that bad, from some accounts. However, Jillian Halls rendition of classics such Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas can only be likened to ear rape. Seriously, I have no idea what they WWE are thinking when they release shit like this? Its almost as if they like being universally hated by everyone. Now, this is not a shot at Jillian Hall. Far from it because I believe that whilst she is very, very annoying, she is also one of the people who evoke a strong reaction from a crowd and is one of the most entertaining people on the WWE books Behind Santino, of course.
That being said, I cannot understand why a company that is trying to make money would allow things like this to be released. Jillian Hall is funny sometimes and marks like myself could probably buy into the novelty of hearing her sing. However, people looking in from the outside are likely to hear this shit and run for the hills. It is not as if I am looking for any sort of verification from people that watching wrestling or enjoying the products they put out is good. However, for once in my life, I would like to say that WWE puts out quality from head to toe and thanks to WWE Music Group, I rarely get the chance.
However, just as the WWE Studios was not a complete waste, neither is WWE Music Group. Seemingly, they have been bringing us all of the great tunes that you hear accompanying your favourite wrestler to the ring. Their releases of the songs in compilation albums have probably been the most successful area for WWE music and I must say that not all of the albums have been complete shit. The latest one is bollocks, to be honest. Everyone anticipated it with baited breath over the release of Just Close Your Eyes. However, after putting it onto my iTunes, four songs remain to this day. Now, obviously I am not insinuating that the music that WWE puts out is shit. It is not, not for the most part anyway. I Came To Play is one of the best tracks that the WWE has managed to put out there since The Glass smashed. Personally, WWE music is either a hit or a miss with people. I know people on the boards that get wrapped up in it. I once heard NorCal say that he likes to pump iron whilst listening to WWE music and that is awesome. I know Phoenix likes Chris Jerichos band Fozzy and that is great too. However, for me, WWE have not hit the spot in recent years, in regards to music.
The World
I miss WWF New York
WWE Home Video and Books
To my mind, these are probably the best two subsidiary companies that the WWE has going for it. WWE Home Video is a very good service. It may be a little overpriced and may have some of the same shit you have seen a million other times on a million other releases but it gets the job done. It allows people to view some of the best moments of WWE through ever changing mediums. They are the company that is responsible for bringing you the releases of all of the past Pay Per Views, dating back to Wrestlemania III and all the way up to 2009. Personally, the first WWE video I bought was Stone Cold Steve Austin Hell Yeah! and I cherished it. It is a great representation of what the WWE do. The release everything over and over and hope that people will latch onto it.
I mean, they have released a lot of Pay Per Views separately but have also released them as an anthology. Then you have the superstar documentaries, the special documentaries, superstar match compilations, special match compilations and many, many more. Now, I am not complaining about this in the slightest. It gives wrestling fans a chance to look back at some of the past events of the WWE and further appreciate how far it has come. However, releasing so many just seems like a conveyer belt scenario to me. There is no thought behind them and the same things seem to be getting covered as we go along. That being said, I know a lot of people love these releases and I assume that they make a profit from them.
The same is true for WWE books. They have brought us great publications such as Controversy Creates Ca$h by Eric Bischoff and Adam Copeland on Edge by Edge, of course. Although the autobiographies seem to be watered down now, they are still some great reads. I have read through both of the books listed and I must say that they are fantastic looks into the world of profession wrestling. I am not an avid reader but I could not take my eyes away from Edges biography.
All in all, I have no qualms with those subsidiaries.
Good, now we have done that, I can move on to things that actually mean something out with the financial books. I have an idea in my head that I will start at the outsides and work my way into the centre of the company. I started with the subsidiaries, so I think I will just continue in that vein. The next thing that I wanted to cover was the controversy and all over marketing of the WWE.
Marketing
Now, before I go any further, I want to say that I still enjoy WWE programming. I have always enjoyed it and I probably will continue to love it as long as the promotion is broadcasting. That being said, some of the decisions that have been made over the last few years have left me feeling mixed emotions. The turn to PG-13 is not something that was completely unexpected and now that it is here, I dont hate like a lot of people do. In fact, I think that it has made for a more energetic IWC. To my mind, there is no bigger debate on here than that of PG-13. Now that we are all coming to terms with the loss of the Attitude Era, I think that we are now more accepting of where the WWE is trying to go. The marketing to kids is ingenious. I mean, think of when you started watching wrestling I will hazard a guess that, like me, you started watching it as a kid. There is nothing different about the WWE now in that respect. The WWE are still targeting kids as their niche audience but are going about it in a different way. It is no longer trying to get kids to sneak around watching The Kats puppies at Royal Rumble. No, they have made it more appealing to kids and they cannot be blamed for that.
WWE always has, and always will, do what is best for its own business. If that means pissing a few members of the IWC off to get a whole new audience in the doors, then you can best bet that that is what is going to happen. The WWE dont care about you. The WWE dont care about your thoughts. All the WWE want from you is your money and kids are the easiest way to get that from you. Kids are becoming more and more spoiled as people get richer and richer. They see John Cena body-slamming both Edge and The Big Show off of his shoulders and they want the fucking DVD, the action figure, the posters and all of that jazz. Kids are not going to buy these things You are! The parents of the kids that want the shit. It is all very clever and quite a business ploy taken on.
It was a risky business strategy to be employed by the WWE, especially after the most successful era in the WWEs history. However, they have done a marvellous job of it, like it or not. John Cena came along at the right time and now everything is driven around him. I cannot imagine how bad a situation the WWE would be in if he ever decided that he didnt want to wrestle any more. He has been the poster boy for the new marketing technique and there is not one single person that could take that spot. The closest they have is probably Morrison but he doesnt have the same appeal. They cannot do as much with him and they know it. John Cena is central to the WWEs plans and will be for as long as the production remains PG-13 orientated.
My real question, I suppose, is if it has changed anything? I mean, you still have the same programming that you used to. Sure, they are not as edgy as they have been in the past but think how hard it must have been for the WWE to transition to this era from the last. They are still building superstars that can carry the company. John Cena is being likened to Hulk Hogan at every turn. He is the American hero, the Superman. Then you have Randy Orton. This man is so over that he is untouched by anyone else. The WWE are doing just as good a job of making superstars as they did in the Attitude Era. The only difference is that they are using a more watered down scheme of doing it. They dont need monster trucks and beer trucks to do that anymore and that is a good thing. That part of the WWE died with The Rock and Austin. There is no need to ever bring that back, I feel. Sure, it was fucking entertaining at the time but it would not fit in with anyone else on the roster. The WWE has adopted a strategy that this sort of shit would not be welcome within in.
Wellness Policy
Right now, there is a thread that is probably one of the most active in a long time. It is on the subject of WWE banning chair shots to the head. I see people have mixed emotions about this and I think that both sides have valid points. Chair shots have always been a big part of the WWE and now that they are being phased out, some of the excitement may be lost. However, it is not as if they are necessarily going to be missed. I mean, I try to remember off the top of my head what the last match that had a chair shot in it and I cant. That might be because I have a terrible memory or it could be that they are so insignificant now that no one actually gives a shit. The only reason that people are jumping on this is because it screams PG-13 all over again.
However, I think it is a great thing. You hear about people all the time being like a fucking potato after they step out of the ring for the last time and have their injuries rule their lives. I think the WWE are to be commended for phasing this out and the wellness policy in general. Since, the death of Eddie G and Chris Benoit, the WWE have been careful to make sure that this policy is at the forefront of everything they do. It is a great scheme and means that wrestlers dont need to fear for their safety and brain capacity after they leave wrestling. Sure, it may take away some exciting features of the WWE but I dont really mind if it means that people are going to be healthy. The last thing that the WWE needs is another Benoit incident. We know that high profile superstars have been suspended because of their failings in the WWE Wellness Program and that too, is to be commended. Rey Mysterio and William Regal have bit the bullet so far and I am sure that their will be more in the future.
There is no question in my mind that the Wellness policy is fantastic and that it should continue to grow. There is no need for wrestlers to sacrifice the rest of their lives for the business.
Right, now that is out of the way, we can actually get to what is happening within the WWE wrestling branch of the tree. Lets start with the roster
Roster
A lot has happened over the last six months or so in the WWE, in terms of investment in new talent. The WWE seems to be pushing a lot more people and hoping it sticks. However, not everything is going to plan and some of the things that the WWE have done is questionable at best. So without further ado, lets get stuck in
Personally, I think that the roster the WWE has right now is one of the best line ups they have had in a long time, especially in terms of variation. It seems as though they have really tried to add some variation as of late and that is to be commended. Across all 3 of their shows now, they have a pretty solid roster that can get people excited. So let us start at the top and work our way down, shall we?
Raw:
Raw has a roster that is capable of getting people excited in a heartbeat. I recall when I was writing my last review, that Smackdown seemed to be the best show. Raw seemed to be packed with too much main event talent and Smackdown was winning the ratings more and more as the weeks went by. Raw was very congested and the main event talent was just running the show. Nothing was happening down the roster and I feel that the WWE have endeavoured to change that. It might not be in their best interests but people want to see the development of their younger superstars etc. The roster of Raw has really become something that the WWE can hang their hat on and say that this is how you build a successful show. Since writing my last review, I have seen a visual change in the way that the WWE have gone about putting new stars over and it is paying dividends. Lets look at a couple of examples.
Sheamus - Sheamus is the best example on the WWE roster of how easy it can be to get someone into the main event and be believable from the start. He retired Jamie Noble in his first match and from then on, you know he was going to get a hell-a-push. Some weeks later and he is winning the number one contenders battle royal and then defeating John Cena for the Championship. The WWE have elevated Sheamus to a great level in a very short space of time. I dont think the fans fully accept him yet but I think that he is definitely making some progress. I watch Raw every week and with different people as the weeks go by. However, the issue of Sheamus usually comes up and it has been great to see that he is getting experience under his belt in the main event scene and after losing the belt, he has not been thrown back to obscurity. I am starting to buy his character and that can only be good for him.
Kofi Kingston Again, Kingston is another example of how the WWE can get things right from time to time. He beat Orton a few times and is probably an upper-midcard superstar now. I am hesitant to say that he is main event talent because he hasnt had a title shot yet. However, the great thing that the WWE managed to do was get him into a position that means he can compete in there. That at any moment, he could be called upon to step into a main event feud and people would buy it. It is because of that, that I am sure he is going to win Money In The Bank. That being said, he doesnt really need it at the end of the day. He could challenge for a world title tomorrow and people would buy it. Morrison couldnt and that is why someone on Morrisons level should win the Championship. Christian is the best bet but I would be very surprised if Kofi is not the winner of the match. It will interesting to see how much he has progressed in another six months time.
Legacy Legacy are getting there. I watched their promo on Raw this past week and I knew that they were getting better. It was thinly veiled for sure but they are learning. They are entertaining and are embroiled in a feud that is (and has) elevating them through the roster. Randy Orton is a great springboard for these superstars and they really have become superstars that illustrate to me how well the WWE can put over new talent. What their future holds after Wrestlemania is worrying though. We are free to speculate on it but I feel that they are going to struggle as singles competitors and without Orton to put them over. We shall see.
Smackdown
CM Punk Did you hear that? The IWC just creamed all over my thread at the mere mention of this man. He is the paradigm of what great character is and how far a fucking awesome and well played-out gimmick will get you. Chris Jericho played this exact same role last year, believe it or not. However, Punk has brought new meaning his own character to the role and had made it stand out. He is one of the most over people in the WWE, despite being a heel and is getting the praise that he deserves. He has come a long way since winning the Money In The Bank matches and is now a solid main event superstar. He is good in the ring and the fans are lapping everything he says up. The Straight Edge Society has worked wonders for him and I fully expect that he will be drafted to Raw as soon as humanly possible. I dont think the WWE knew how much of a hit this man was going to be when he adopted this gimmick but they sure as hell do now. He is someone who the fans pay to see and no one can take that away from him right now.
Morrison Morrison is having a great time at the moment. Like Punk, he has been the subject of the wet-dreams of the IWC for a while now and he is finally starting to get the spotlight all to himself. He looks as though he is going to be a big superstar in the next couple of years but I am worried by the way that the WWE is using him. He has been tosses around all of the divisions hoping that something will stick. He had a decent feud with McIntyre and now he is tagging with R-Truth, in the hope that tag team gold will make the fans remember him as they have nothing else for him. The WWE dont realise that the fans want to see Morrison within the title picture, so I would be very surprised if this one sticks. That being said, I think that he will get his chance to show us what he can do against the main event talent. However, right now, he doesnt have a chance against people like Edge and Jericho, who seem to be holding onto the spotlight.
R-Truth There was a time, like Sheamus, that I could not stand this man. I used to love him as K-Kwik and then when he disappeared, I thought I had seen the last of him. However, he re-emerged as R-Truth and I kinda wish I had seen the back of him. However, he seems to have turned it around for himself, in my eyes anyway, and is compulsive viewing. I think the only reason that they are tagging him with Morrison is so that they can get both of these guys onto Raw. It would not surprise me one bit if they lost to ShowMiz at Mania and were drafted to Raw a couple of weeks later. Both are great in the ring and have been given a lot of time by the WWE.
I think that I will just cover the new stars instead of going through all of the veterans of the shows. I did that in the last review and nothing has changed massively. So with that being said, lets move onto the other people on the shows, shall we?
Commentators
The commentary spots are something that are really starting to bug me at the minute. I think the WWE are flip-flopping with characters and it is becoming tedious. Michael Cole is a fucking douchebag. There is no other way around it and everyone knows it. Over the last few months, we have seen him in every role and none of them are sticking. We have seen him play the unbiased, completely professional commentator on Raw. Only for it to be sullied by ignorant, assholish commentary on NXT. This man has been playing the internet like a fucking fiddle and it is not something that I am interested in seeing anymore. Let me get this straight though, I am not saying that he should be ousted from the WWE. I am saying that he should calm it down a little and try not to be what the WWE wants him to be. Just be a little more natural.
King has been really lacklustre as of late and the magic of the Attitude Era King is all but gone for sure. Personally, I miss it but I know that I will have to live without it. Working with Michael Cole is something that isnt really working but it is better now that they are developing some sort of chemistry. At the beginning of the pairing, I thought they were doomed for sure. However, it seems as though they are sticking with it and seeing how it goes.
I miss JR :(
NXT
NXT is single best thing that the WWE have thought of outside of pushing CM Punk down our throats and people are really buying into this concept. I may seem a little rushed and un-organised but I am really beginning to like how it is shaping up. The concept has changed massively over the last couple of weeks and question still remain as to how it is going to continue after this season and what will happen to the rookies that are not chosen. However, it really doesnt matter because the IWC is generally liking this show. It gives young talent a chance to prove themselves and it gives the IWC a chance to look at the new developments that the WWE are banking on. Everyone has a favourite and the discussion has been rife all over the internet as to who is going to win. Bryan Danielson has lit up the show and the characters of the rookies and their pros have been brilliant to watch.
It annoys me that they are using Brian Danielson in this way and I have no idea about what they plan to do with him after NXT. I am quite sure that he wont win it but I fully expect him to be feuding with the Mix afterwards. Personally, I thought they could have handled this better and built him up to be a great superstar, Now, it seems as though he has an up-hill struggle to get anywhere near the mid-card. Right now though, he is one of two people who I could see being successful coming off of this show. The other being Justin Gabriel. He has been exceptional since debuting and I love to watch him. His in-ring ability has put him in the spotlight and I could certainly see him being a champion right out of the gates.
Wade Barrett isnt bad either and I like David Otunga. All of these guys have lit up the show and made it very exciting to watch. With the votes just a couple of weeks away, I would imagine that things are going to get even better for these guys and I look forward to seeing them in the WWE in future.
Writing (Featuring TNA)
Like many people, I am becoming very bored with how the WWE are handling the writing of their shows. I mean, with WrestleMania only 5 days away, I can understand some of the decision.. However, some decisions leave me absolutely stumped and the match ending are becoming more and more intolerable. The fact that the WWE needs to have someone being attacked every week, or the fact that every second match has to end in a DQ is a bit of a joke to be honest. It is something that is becoming more and more prevalent as we go through the weeks and it is the biggest issue I have with the WWE. Some of the decisions are absolutely crazy and they need to sort that shit out. They need to realise that you can build a hell without having him destroy people after being DQed (Sheamus). They also have to realise that without original writing, people are going to be turning over to TNA more often.
The writing is the only thing that will keep people watching the WWE and it seems a little lazy at some points in time. TNA now have the competitors to come at the WWE and people will be looking for the most interesting angles to win their view. With the WWE being so lax, it will be interesting to see how things settle after WrestleMania. I can honestly see TNA picking up a rise in viewership.
And .. We are done! Well, I could have written a bit more but I feel that I have covered the main bases. Plus, this has taken me days to type out and I now need to rest my fingers. Thank you for reading and I would love to hear what you think of both the WWE in general, from the financial boards, to the in-ring product. And also, what you think of my review. Am I close to the mark or far away?
Im sorry if I offended some of the "WWE Universe", but I find wwe just stale and boring. I like both promotions, but TNA right now has lots of energy and freedom. Workers are being aloud to be themselfs, with equals into a fun monday night. Dont get me wrong, ego's are at the door in tna, so workers got there shit together. But, TNA is just more freedom... More Wrestling, lots of energy. TNA is better right now in my opinion.
