[Official] Anonymous GM Discussion Thread

[Terminal Sledgehammer]

I call a pro is that one of the reasons alot of people hate this thing is that they have no clue who the GM actually is, when he was using the catchphrases there was quite a few The GM is stupid!!! threads. Also that the GM has been a well kept seceret so there still is no idea who the GM is (My spidey sense says it's Cole). And the GM gave Edge a memorable moment when he destroyed the computer

Cons could include that you can see that Cole is not reading an e-mail, he is reading off a piece of paper, That full segments invole the GM are really irritating. As much as we all hate Cole reading, When it was using a speech tool I shoved a que-tip in both my ears.

All in All the GM wasn't horrible to start it's gotten kinda old and has run it's course. It's time to take the computer out to the pasture.

 

[mikewiz316]

AS A LONG TIME WRESTLING FAN, THE ANONYMOUS GM CONCEPT WAS GOOD BACK IN THE SUMMER.....ITS GETTING OLD NOW....I KNOW THERE IS NO GM, ITS ONLY THE CREATIVE WRITERS MAKING UP MATCHES FOR THE SHOW, VINCE NEEDS TO END THIS CONCEPT BECAUSE THERE IS "NO GM"...ITS ALL A BIG JOKE. ENOUGH SAID!

ALSO, THERE IS NOTHING TO HIDE, NO ONE IS ACTUALLY SENDING IN EMAILS, ITS PRE-ARRANGED OF COURSE. I REALLY THINK THE GM STORYLINE SHOULD BE SCRAPPED BEFORE WRESTLEMANIA. WHATEVER THE CREATIVE TEAM DOES ON HOW TO SOLVE IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING ONE, WHY? BECAUSE IT GOT EVERY VIEWER TO SHAKE THEIR HEAD AND QUESTION, "WHO IS THIS SO CALLED GM?? IS IT A LEGEND? IS THERE A TWIST TO IT???" BECAUSE IF IT ENDS UP BEING BOGUS, I WILL BE DISAPPOINTED- ITS BEEN OVER 7 MONTHS DOING THE SAME CONCEPT.

 

[Karaoke Superstar]

This past Monday marked the 7th month anniversary of the Anonymous GM on Raw. I'm working on a new piece for my column involving the concept, and I'd really like the input of the forum, so I'm not just spewing my own ideas...

1.) What are the pros of the Anonymous GM concept? There are pros out there, and I'd like to hear some ideas. I know how much most people hate Michael Cole and the concept, but if you could dig deep and find some good qualities, that would be great.

2.) What are the downsides to the concept? I hate MC has much as the next guy, but don't turn this into a "I hate Michael Cole" thread. That doesn't really lead to anything productive.

Thanks everybody! I can't wait to hear your ideas! Also, if you want to be quoted, leave something for me to quote you with (like Susie Butterflies, NY), or I'll just go with your forum ID.

Well here goes, Pros & Cons as I see them.

Pros:

Mystery & Surprise What's better in Pro Wrestling, or any story for that matter than these two things? Mysteries are good, they get people thinking and wondering. Who could it be? HHH? JR? Shane O? Then there is the surprise. The best part of the whole thing is that this is yet to come. One of best moments in wrestling is when someone's music hits at the time that you least expect it, but when it makes the most sense at the same time.

Things can be changed They can choose the right moment to unveil who it is, and they can still choose the right person for that role. The right guy for now might be different than what it would have been 3 months ago, that can change along with the situation. Someone might have needed to progress from then and now before they were truly ready to take the reigns in person.

It makes for good/funny moments Such as when Edge flipped out and destroyed the laptop. Amusing stuff. Someone threatening the GM's identity can be good. And the 'You got mail' beep has become a recognized sound on the show that is a nice touch in signaling his arrival, be it for good or bad.

They have made his identity unpredictable This is one of the few times that they are doing an angle and I really have no idea how it's gonna end. Who will it be? I have no idea one way or the other and I can't make a good guess. Most likely because it's the same way with them

Cons:

It has run it's course Sure it worked fine for a while, but it feels like it's been dragged on too long. It doesn't take long for the suspense to wear out, and eventually your left with a character in itself that could be bigger than who it's supposed to be. If that makes any sense...

An on-screen personality is better That's what people felt like they were robbed of as soon as it started. An email sending GM can only go so far. A person standing in front of the audience is always more entertaining and you can take more out of it emotionally. Plus nobody can stun a laptop.

Long build-up easily ends in disappointment The longer you keep people waiting the more their anticipation builds up. They expect it to be good, and worth the wait. If that is not delivered then the response won't be good.

It annoys the heck out of people I know I'm not the only one who is annoyed by the sound the laptop makes when it receives an email, or by Michael Cole reading it. I guess this can be a Pro as well, it get's MC lot's of heat and the GM as well.

 

[PsYcho]

I think it was a GooD, innovating concept at first. Never have we seen any of the "big" wrestling promotions micro-managed by a computer.

If you think about it, RAW has had too many GMs to name, SD! Has had Teddy Long, Vickie, and a few others, and ECW had Heyman (the GooD ECW).
WCW had a revolving door of guys calling the shots, but the most memorable was Bischoff.
This was something FRESH! Something that, like I said, was a GooD idea in concept and for a few months, we were all guessing who it was sending the e-mails.


Now the cons:

Do you remember Edge interviewing the "GM" during The Cutting Edge? How stupid was that segment?!?!?!?! I'm an Edgehead from way back, don't get me wrong, but Edge flaming and then destroying a computer: really?

There is no real interaction possible with the GM because he's a damn computer! We're not going to see Cena screwed over because he AAed the GM through an announce table or Sheamus kicking the door demanding a title shot or anything like that because......
the GM is a computer.

 

[Shockla]

The pros to me would be that they can go anywhere with this angle. If they ever decide to reveal the mystery gm, they could involve him/her with Nexus, or could use it for a returning superstar. It also gets Cole some good heat (even if it's "go away heat"), which is good because they seem to be leading to a confrontation with him and Lawler and the fans want to see Jerry beat Cole to a pulp.

The most important con to me would be that they might not ever reveal the gm. I would like to see this explained and not just ended and a new gm brought in. Another con is that this seems more like something to try on SD! to me. I think Raw needs a concrete leader, heel or face.

Either way I'm eager to see who the gm is, I just hope it's not someone like Abraham Washington and it's involved in a major storyline.

 

[Arkham Noir]

1.) What are the pros of the Anonymous GM concept? There are pros out there, and I'd like to hear some ideas. I know how much most people hate Michael Cole and the concept, but if you could dig deep and find some good qualities, that would be great.

I think one of the pros is that it is very hard to judge a computer on its delivery. What differentiates someone like Ted Dibiase from The Miz (or vice-versa would seem more appropriate) is their ability to sell themselves to the fans. If WWE is as tightly scripted as everyone says, than the same people are writing almost everybody's material. So logically speaking, it is the person giving the promo themselves that are affecting the effectiveness of the promo and making it stand out.

So how does that work as a pro for the GM? Simply because we are just getting the message exactly. There is no mic worked involved and no screen presence required, allowing the messages to be universally accepted as they are without scrutiny based off of personal bias.

The second , and most obvious point is the mystique born from the idea of who is pulling the strings. Is Cole really doing this? Or is it some big name waiting for the perfect time to reveal themselves? Who knows, but it gets your attention and adds intigue.

2.) What are the downsides to the concept? I hate MC has much as the next guy, but don't turn this into a "I hate Michael Cole" thread. That doesn't really lead to anything productive.

The biggest con is probably the way we are presented with the GM. To have some random noise alerting us followed by a Micheal Cole appearence is channel changing material in my book. People just don't seem to like it and it sort of breaks the whole flow of any scenario.

I'm also going to mention the first pro I said as a potential con. Words sent via an e-mail really have nothing speacial about them. Yes it avoids having someone with zero delivery skills from sabotaging the whole thing (Mike Adamle) , but at the same time, a person's presence can add so much to any segment.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

Well i think the pros, of course it is to get and keep viewers interested. Everytime we hear that beep we know soemthing is gonna happen...whether it be good or bad something is gonna happen. I dont think it will just stop and go away. There will be a interesting end to it think.

The main con of it is its ran its course, people wanna know who it is. They need a physical presence to interact with...wrestlers and fans both need it...

Personally i think its gonna turn out to be vince himself and him back on tv....

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As has been said, what's best about the Raw GM concept is that it's minor, quick & painless almost everytime. One thing that stands out is that it leaves Raw without a visible on screen authority figure, which is something that we haven't seen on a televised wrestling show in a very long time.

In WCW, they had the "WCW Commissioner", the WWE has had the "WWF/WWE President" & various GMs for Raw and SmackDown!, TNA has had about half a dozen different authority figures running around on iMPACT! at any given time over this past year so not having that character has been kind of refreshing.

The Raw GM will be revealed eventually and if the payoff is big enough, then the entire concept will have to be considered a big success. People have been speculating for months on who it'll be. I've read that it'll just be Vince McMahon or Stephanie McMahon. I've heard theories for Shane McMahon, Triple H, Michael Cole, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Shawn Michaels. I've even heard a few people theorize that it'll be Ted Turner lol.

At any rate, I think that the Anonymous Raw GM has basically done what an authority character in wrestling should do: create matches and various stipulations for said matches.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

The pros of this is... It's simple and sweet. Straight to the point. No 10 minute promo from the GM.

The Cons... We really don't get the benefits of having a GM. When you had a heel GM, you had a good power struggle, and some extra heat to get the crowd involved. Like Vicky Guerrero. She got the crowd involved, and got the faces more over. It was a real simple formula, and it worked.

I hope the GM is something we don't see coming. Something with that hint of Nostalgia, and something to make us mark out, when a face comes out, and calls them out. Be bad ass to see Kurt Angle to pop out. I know it won't happen, but I think it would go over well.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I think the actual concept is good. However, I think that it's now played-out to the point where it's annoying and we honestly aren't going to care who it is when they finally reveal the GM.

I think they started out the storyline well by really involving the GM heavily and giving us clues so we'd try to suspect who it was. Then, they kind of dropped the idea of giving us clues and building towards a big reveal.

At this point, the anonymous GM has become an afterthought.

To revamp the story, I think they need to start focusing on the RAW GM and having him/her make some really controversial decisions leading into Wrestlemania. Once the heat and intrigue has been built up again (surrounding the anonymous GM) then they can have a big reveal at Wrestlemania or the RAW right afterwards.

I think the WWE had an idea of what to do with this storyline, which direction to go, and then they just let it get out of control.

 

[nasteeinc]

*sorry if this has been posted before*

shortly before chris jericho was punted out of the wwe, he said that he had tracked the ip address back to the raw general managers computer and had some information he was going to reveal.After that we never heard another word about it, and it was never mentioned again......so my question is what do you think creative had planned regarding this angle? this isnt necessarily asking who do you think the gm is, but what would have happened had the angle continued.

your thoughts below

 

[FiveTymeWCWChamp]

That is a great question. I completely forgot about that. I would like to see an angle where someone finds out who the GM really is.

I think what would have happened is that Jericho and who else that was furious at the GM would have held Raw hostage and possibly blackmailed the GM to reveal himself. Jericho would have had this information and it would have built up and ended at either Survivor Series or maybe until the Royal Rumble.

 

[Mr. Ricker]

Maybe Chris Jericho could have had a mini feud with Michael Cole since everyone loved how he completely owned Cole after he said "And I quote.." When Cole said "don't interrupt me again" it sounded like possibly he could have been the GM. It kinda seemed like Jericho was looking like somewhat of a tweener before Orton punted him and Y2J took time off.

Interesting topic though, I completely forgot about it. Chris Jericho really needs to come back and I hope he does at the Rumble. I'll be there in Boston next Sunday!

 

[ZLT-truth316]

Who is the gm already???????????I wanna know seriously this has got to be huge whoever it is and the wwe knowing them probably wrote themselves into a wall b/c they new jerichos contract was up so they probably wanted to gt our hopes up

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Awhile back, WWE.com was selling the GM Laptop computer that Edge smashed up. In the description they mentioned that if someone was able to fix it up and get it working again, it might reveal clues as to who the GM is.

I'm not sure if they were just saying that to get someone to buy it or if that was actually part of the purchase but it would be cool to find out.

 

[Spying Lammer]

The GM is Linda McMahon. She even said so herself that she would not reveal her identity to protect her, this was during the time she was running for office. Revealing herself during that time would have really really cost her to lose.

 

[OWEN-ing It All]

I still believe it's CM Punk or at the very least he's in cahoots with the Anonymous GM. Nothing that the GM has done has made Punk nervous. He's always had a plan in place to get past whatever the GM has said.

He just magically has Mason Ryan on stand by in case a match is made where Nexus can't interfere?

For the 2nd time he has been involved in a segment with Edge and the computer. The first as announcer, the 2nd as a wrestler.

His reading of the computer when Cole wasn't there.

Everything that was stacked against Cena when he was feuding with Nexus.

All these things combined lead me to this conclusion. I said this months ago and each week I see more & more details that leave with no other obvious alternative.

 

[daddyJ_t]

i have an odd idea. there is alot of press lately about a certain former superstar popping up everywhere. toys being made of this man, it seems a little bad blood between vinnie mac and him appear to be clearing up. he could also be inducted this year to the hof as a wwe or wcw superstar. give him a crown or his trademark sunglasses, yes im talking about the tower of power too sweet to be sour, the Macho Man/KIng Randy Savage.

 

[That Don Guy]

Whoever this anonymous RAW GM is, he must have a lot of (kayfabe) stroke in the company if he (or she...or they) has the power to declare unilaterally who the 40th entrant in the Royal Rumble can be.

Actually, that could have made for a pretty good storyline had it been tried earlier (and, of course, somebody had actually won that spot); have RAW name a #40, and then SmackDown name its own #40, and take it from there (although you run the risk of something terrible, like having 41 in the Rumble because you have two #40s coming in together).

-- Don

 

[Adiaphora]

I have to agree with the poster ahead of me. I started to wonder and try to figure out who the anonymous GM was, now I have come to expect it being a nameless computer for the foreseeable future. I don't mid it so much, as it is creative and something new, but if there was a payoff, it should have been earlier or at least hinting to a payoff all along the way. At this point, if it isn't a shocker or big name, then I will probably just shrug off the reveal.

 

[Alastor]

The good thing about the anonymous GM is there is more focus on the wrestlers. Also there is less of the predictable storyline of heels pandering to the GM and the faces being indifferent to authority(if GM is heel) or being polite to the face GM. Having the GM anonymous also allow creative more flexibility in storyline as fans would not know whether to boo or cheer the authority figure.

The bad thing about the GM situation...it has become a joke. No one can take it seriously anymore. How can an authority figure stay anonymous for so long and also make Micheal Cole his mouthpiece? It has dragged on for far too long and fans are losing interest in his identity if they have not already lost interest.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

They need to wrap up the "anonymous GM" storyline at Wrestlemania. If they don't there's no way for them to salvage the storyline.

I, as well as most WWE fans I presume, have little to no interest in the storyline anymore. I think I would be interested if they built the story back up starting at the Rumble and culminating at Wrestlemania.

 

[TheMainMan32]

I still believe it's CM Punk or at the very least he's in cahoots with the Anonymous GM. Nothing that the GM has done has made Punk nervous. He's always had a plan in place to get past whatever the GM has said.

He just magically has Mason Ryan on stand by in case a match is made where Nexus can't interfere?

For the 2nd time he has been involved in a segment with Edge and the computer. The first as announcer, the 2nd as a wrestler.

His reading of the computer when Cole wasn't there.

Everything that was stacked against Cena when he was feuding with Nexus.

All these things combined lead me to this conclusion. I said this months ago and each week I see more & more details that leave with no other obvious alternative.

I actually like that idea. It would make the Nexus the new Corporation when it is finally revealed that CM Punk is the anonymous GM. We could possibly see a heel stable the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time: one with absolute immunity... until Vinny Mac, or Stephanie, steps in.

For some reason though, I'm thinking that the anonymous GM is Vince or Steph. Wasn't there a report about Vince's job description including "in-ring participant" a few weeks back?

 

[OWEN-ing It All]

I actually like that idea. It would make the Nexus the new Corporation when it is finally revealed that CM Punk is the anonymous GM. We could possibly see a heel stable the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time: one with absolute immunity... until Vinny Mac, or Stephanie, steps in.

For some reason though, I'm thinking that the anonymous GM is Vince or Steph. Wasn't there a report about Vince's job description including "in-ring participant" a few weeks back?

Only problem with Stephanie, is she was sleeping during a broadcast of RAW. Remember the dream segment?

And according to her and HHH.....Vince is in a coma.

I rule them out based on this segment alone.

If CM Punk is #40 in the Royal Rumble, as I expect him to be.....then that's proof enough for me.

 

[AK2V8]

If Michael Cole was the "anonymous" GM, it would easily be the BIGGEST heat draw in the history of the PG-era.

1 Because hes the one who makes the announcments, meaning he would be kayfabe acting as the spokesperson when he is infact the kayfabe GM. That would piss off alot of marks and smarks alike. And he is a commentator, he isnt supposed to draw heat. (Althought he doesnt even need to try).

2 He would be a waste of half-a-years buildup. What would be the point of hyping this for the longest time and have the GM be some shit commentator like Michael Cole. The guy calls a dropkick a "double leg lift" for fuck sake.

My picks are Triple H, HBK or Batista.