No Rope Color Change

[Metalhead0290]

Was anyone else really disappointed that they didn't bring back new rope colors during Smackdown Live? I was really hoping with the brand split would entail having unique sets, the most prominent of which would be the ring ropes. I thought for sure we would at least get blue ropes back. If they're really trying to make each show to be different, a unique look to each show is a must. Maybe they will come back next week?

 

[Azane]

I really didn't notice, Like, that's such a small detail I don't think it matters.

 

[AttitudeChild]

This wasn't the start of the new era yet. They're probably holding off on things like new sets, ring setups and video intros until after BattleGround when the drafted rosters officially go into place. Monday will be the start of it all.

 

[Outsider]

I was definitely disappointed. That was actually one of the things I was hoping for as well as maybe some sort of change to the stage to at least give Smackdown a special/unique vibe to it. It just seems like they're lazy/playing it too safe in that area of the show. (along with PPV's being no different which kind of gives the feeling of them almost being a glorified raw)

 

[JJohns]

Now, all of you that want a special stage for Smackdown realize that there is an additional cost to having an additional stage go on the road. That's why most PPVs more or less use the same set as Raw and Smackdown currently with only a few minor differences. The cost to have special sets are not offset by attendance, and personally, I'd rather WWE put more money into the performers than on the sets and things like ring ropes.

 

[Woodstuff]

Yes, I was extremely disappointed with the colour of the ring ropes. With both shows using white, it's hard to differentiate between shows. If WWE are serious about this brand split, they should do something about the ring ropes ASAP.

I was also very disheartened by the size of the WWE logo on the turnbuckle pads. In the Attitude Era, the WWF logo was aprox. 20 x 20cm. The modern turnbuckle pads have a 25 x 25 cm logo. I think this really hurts the over all quality of the show, and absolutely needs changing.

And the announcers ties. Back in the 90s, announcers would always wear black ties. Now, Cole and JBL wear these dumb pattern ties. I think they would be right to have the announce team revert back to the old style. It's hard to take the show seriously when it's clear the announcers don't care enough to wear formal attire while on screen.

One final gripe. Has anyone else noticed the ring steps now have four steps, as opposed to the classic three? It baffles me why WWE would think this is a good idea. The extra step absolutely adds to the workload of getting into the ring, and therefor leaves the performers that little bit more out of breath before the match even starts. Given the number of injuries that plague the roster, it really shows how little WWE care about the talent by having them climb an extra step on their way into the ring. I think they're really backing themselves into a corner by risking losing the entire roster to injuries with thoughtless short-sighted decisions like this.

Until all of these things are fixed, the brand split is doomed, certain to fail, and WWE will only have themselves to blame.

 

[No Count Pup]

Was anyone else really disappointed that they didn't bring back new rope colors during Smackdown Live? I was really hoping with the brand split would entail having unique sets, the most prominent of which would be the ring ropes. I thought for sure we would at least get blue ropes back. If they're really trying to make each show to be different, a unique look to each show is a must. Maybe they will come back next week?

I was disappointed by the white ropes also. However, we have not yet seen a post-draft show. If I had to guess, the red ropes for Raw and the blue ropes for Smackdown will return. WWE is interested in brand differentiation, and few things do that from a presentation perspective than changing the rope color. In terms of the set I too wanted to see a change. But last night's show was still a pre-Brand Extension WWE. Things will be in full swing next week and I'm anticipating some fresh programming all around.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

How much would it really cost to change the colors of the ring ropes?

It's the little things that add up to a lot. Certain things like the color of the ring ropes may not seem like much, but they add to the show greatly.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I wasn't disappointed. Yesterday was about the draft, and Sunday will be the last day of the previous era as well as the first day of the new era. Plus, WWE usually runs a stage break angle to emphasize a new arena design. Remember when Triple H broke the Raw stage? Or when Rhyno speared Jericho through the stage? Both times were indication of a new arena. I wouldn't expect anything different until maybe after SummerSlam

How much would it really cost to change the colors of the ring ropes?

It's the little things that add up to a lot. Certain things like the color of the ring ropes may not seem like much, but they add to the show greatly.

Ring tape literally $20... which for a company like WWE isn't much at all. Counting NXT, if they went to differentiating brands by rope colors then it would bring them up to $60. And before you bring it up, for $20 they get 10 Rolls, with three of those being long enough to cover all four sides of rope. So really, it's not expensive at all. Especially if they divide the Raw and Smackdown touring schedules.

Source: Highspots.com

 

[JJohns]

How much would it really cost to change the colors of the ring ropes?

It's the little things that add up to a lot. Certain things like the color of the ring ropes may not seem like much, but they add to the show greatly.

Because the CM Punk/John Cena match at Money in the Bank suffered greatly because they used the same color ring ropes as was used on Monday Night Raw earlier in the week.

This is nitpicking minor details of the shows. Changing the color of the ring ropes doesn't add enough to a show to make it worth while. I want good matches, not a different look from one show to the other.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Give it time. The red and blue ring ropes ABSOLUTELY should come back. I miss those. Having the generic white ropes on every show is boring. Sure it's a small detail, but when you market the brands as the red brand and the blue brand then little things like having the ring ropes disaplaying the proper colors then it adds another layer to setting the brands apart. When you see blue ring ropes you KNOW you're watching Smackdown, etc. I don't expect to see different ring ropes on sunday, but I do expect to see the red ropes returning monday and the blue ropes returning on tuesday. It would be stupid for them to not do that again.

 

[ShinChan]

As Dagger said, the distinct coloured ropes should surely come back.

I agree that this is a very small thing to be noticed but we need to remember that small drops form to be an ocean. Small things like these surely matter a lot.

I hope that after Battleground, Raw has red ropes and Smackdown has blue ropes as they should be.

 

[akathelaw]

Ring ropes? That's what you guys care about? Cesaro is losing his mind reading this thread. Doesn't anyone care about wrestling??

WWE lights the crowd with the colors of the branded show and has for like the past 6 years. The white ropes contrast well with the red or blue lighting behind them. It makes the wrestlers pop from the background. You're not going to get the colored ropes back, because they'd blend in with the lighting used to make the crowd less distracting. Jeez, wrestling fans are really strange these days, worried about fucking rope colors.

 

[ShinChan]

Ring ropes? That's what you guys care about? Cesaro is losing his mind reading this thread. Doesn't anyone care about wrestling??

WWE lights the crowd with the colors of the branded show and has for like the past 6 years. The white ropes contrast well with the red or blue lighting behind them. It makes the wrestlers pop from the background. You're not going to get the colored ropes back, because they'd blend in with the lighting used to make the crowd less distracting. Jeez, wrestling fans are really strange these days, worried about fucking rope colors.

Obviously, in-ring work is the primary thing to care about. That's why I love Cesaro.

But small things like colour of ring ropes can easily enhance the overall product. Furthermore, it helps to actually show that these two shows are different. Still Wrestling should be the primary thing to care about and it IS atleast for me.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Ring ropes? That's what you guys care about? Cesaro is losing his mind reading this thread. Doesn't anyone care about wrestling??

WWE lights the crowd with the colors of the branded show and has for like the past 6 years. The white ropes contrast well with the red or blue lighting behind them. It makes the wrestlers pop from the background. You're not going to get the colored ropes back, because they'd blend in with the lighting used to make the crowd less distracting. Jeez, wrestling fans are really strange these days, worried about fucking rope colors.

Ring ropes do matter to an extent. The WWE is a business. When a business is trying to make money off of their product, then how they present that product helps the quality. Different ring ropes for the brands does this. Having the same boring white ropes on every show comes off as lazy. Going by your logic that the rope colors do not matter.... What if the ring ropes were plaid? That would look a little ridiculous. Congratulations, the way the ropes look does matter. It would be a mistake for the WWE to not bring back Raw's red ropes to further promote it as the red brand and then do the same in blue for Smackdown because the brands need to stand out from one another as much as possible.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Because the CM Punk/John Cena match at Money in the Bank suffered greatly because they used the same color ring ropes as was used on Monday Night Raw earlier in the week.

This is nitpicking minor details of the shows. Changing the color of the ring ropes doesn't add enough to a show to make it worth while. I want good matches, not a different look from one show to the other.

Look at Lucha Underground. What makes them so good is the arena. It is different. It is unique. Of course there's good wrestling. That's definitely 90% of what makes a show good. However that other 10% is the feel, atmosphere, and look of the arena can really impact a show IMO.

 

[Navi]

Look at Lucha Underground. What makes them so good is the arena. It is different. It is unique. Of course there's good wrestling. That's definitely 90% of what makes a show good. However that other 10% is the feel, atmosphere, and look of the arena can really impact a show IMO.

Lucha Underground is shot on a set, so they can do whatever they want to it and make it look special. The WWE travels around from arena to arena, they have very little time to set up, run the show, take the stuff down and on to the next one.

It's a more frantic pace that NXT, TNA, Lucha Underground don't follow. All of them film in the same place, so unlike the WWE. So your comparison isn't at great one.

On topic, I don't really care if they change the colours or not. I probably wouldn't even notice.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

The ring ropes matter to a degree but it is just one of many small details that create the feel of the show, the backdrop to the performers.

During the Monday Night Wars, I was immediately aware of RAW having red ropes and Nitro having black ropes. The rest of the sets were totally different as well. Saying one is "better" than the other is subjective, although the TitanTron was an obvious check mate on that.

There needs to be an instant recognition by the audience that it's actually a different "BRAND" , but it needs to be more than just the color of the ropes and ring apron.

Without a doubt, the entranceway is the biggest thing. If Smackdown has the same exact setup as RAW, just with different lighting focused on the stage, they are making a mistake. And putting a giant fist up on the stage isn't enough this time. It wasn't enough last time.

They've had enough time to come up with something.

The separate rosters in and of themselves are not enough to make this feel the way that they want it to feel. This should be more like Coke vs. Red Bull than Coke vs. Pepsi. Changing the visual presentation of this new "Brand" (as it should be treated) is Step 1. Making the show seem different in how the wrestlers are presented is a whole other story.

If the plan is for Smackdown Live to have a different setup than RAW, I would not have expected them to unveil it on the night of the Draft. At that point, it was not yet an actual episode of Smackdown, where it's just their roster and they are completely separate from RAW.

I do expect it this coming Tuesday.

 

[akathelaw]

Ring ropes do matter to an extent. The WWE is a business. When a business is trying to make money off of their product, then how they present that product helps the quality. Different ring ropes for the brands does this. Having the same boring white ropes on every show comes off as lazy. Going by your logic that the rope colors do not matter.... What if the ring ropes were plaid? That would look a little ridiculous. Congratulations, the way the ropes look does matter. It would be a mistake for the WWE to not bring back Raw's red ropes to further promote it as the red brand and then do the same in blue for Smackdown because the brands need to stand out from one another as much as possible.

Plaid ropes, huh? Maybe for Piper's Pit. Again, the white ropes are better looking on HD TV since the crowd is lit with red or blue color gels. The crowd takes up a LOT of the screen, and it's all bathed in either red or blue lighting, so making the ring ropes red or blue would make the ring blend in with the background. That would be confusing for new fans, perhaps just as confusing as plaid ropes. Older episodes of Raw have the crowd lit with normal white lights. If WWE went back to that, then colored ropes would be the right choice. Thing is, when the crowd is lit brightly, the wrestlers don't "pop" as much and distracting fans can get more attention from the cameras. Lighting the crowd red or blue accomplishes the branding, it makes the wrestlers stand out against the background, it makes the crowd look more uniform, it just makes the show look better. White ropes also make the show look better. I personally like the white ropes. The ring is a stage, nothing more. The audience should be noticing who is in the ring, not the ring itself.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

We're all here to overanalyze wrestling, therefore the rope decriers all have a valid point. Just as everyone who is wonders why people are looking too far into rope colour also have a valid point.

I wouldn't look at the draft episode of Smackdown as the first episode of the Live era so much so as it wrapped up everything from the previous era. This coming Tuesday is the true first episode. The shows now have new logos. The commentators have been endlessly mentioning how this is supposed to create competition within WWE, so unique looks for the show are undoubtedly on the way.

Raw and Smackdown are in different cities from here on out. There's going to be two different touring productions, therefore two sets of rings, two sets of ring rope. I can't imagine they'll choose white from their rope swatches.