But if we're living in a post-Janet-Superbowl world where advertisers and censors are a little on edge. If we're living in a post-Rock/Austin world where wrestlers would rather learn a 630 splash through a flaming barbed wire table than how to cut an effective promo. If we live in that world, then why not change the product to better utilize this generation of wrestler's better qualities, and try to hide their weaker qualities? Why not change the product to successfully avoid an advertiser's annoying complaints or threats?
Because if we're using a concept that's better fit for the 90's society (looser regulations on content, a better, more charismatic batch of talent to deal with), then it seems kind of unfair to keep trying to pull something out of a wrestler that isn't really there, right? It seems unfair to use a product that must conserve itself just to make it through the censors. Because then you're just throwing a watered down version of what was. Watered down "charisma" in wrestlers doing watered down storylines. It becomes diminished in force and effectiveness. If you're putting out a watered down Attitude era, then you can expect watered down attitude era ratings, no?
So what about a natural progression for wrestling? If wrestlers are better workers than talkers, then utilize that. If Chris Sabin can't cut a promo, but can throw out a match that has fans going crazy, then why put him in a position where he's forced to show his weakness and try to hide what he does well?
Yep. Accentuate positive, hide negatives. That's more than just a Paul Heyman outlook. It's common sense. If a guy is not a very good speaker, then rather than throw him out there to speak, give him something to work with that he excels with. A hot chick that can talk, a manager, make his the workhorse in a tag team, a bodyguard gimmick if he's a big guy.
Case in point: I'll never understand why WWE had Khali as a wrestler and Daivari as a near full-time talker. Put Daivari in the ring and Khali as his bodyguard manservant. OK, maybe not the "manservant" part, but you get the point...
As for Sabin, I think he can cut a decent promo when he's allowed to show his snarky sarcastic side. Something I noticed when I met him in 2006, long before the MCMGs started.
Onto a point I made earlier, which is the "coolness" factor. I'm a general believer that fans and viewers will not care if they watch 2 hours of the purest wrestling or 2 hours of the longest storyline segment ever, so long as it's "cool".
This point to the letter is inarguable. The only problem is what is "cool" is open to interpretation.
So what makes something cool? The clothes? If Abyss walked out to the ring with an Affliction shirt and a tapout hat, would that make him cool? How famous somebody is? If WWE hired Paris Hilton, would that make the WWE cool?
I think what it comes down to is the atmosphere. I mean, have you ever scrolled through the TV channels and found a local television sports show. The low-budget kind with crappy lighting and one or two cameras in the studio, with two old guys who sit at a table and talk about Ay-see-see football? Why don't you stop to watch it? They realistically don't say many things differently than what you find on SportsCenter, right? They say simular things, might report the same news, but nobody wants to tune in. Why? Because the atmosphere. When you watch it you think, "okay...there's no way anybody else is watching this right now" and you change the channel. You know that just from 2 seconds of seeing the atmosphere in their studio. What about a local MMA promotion? Who goes there, but MMA nuts? Your casual UFC fan isn't going to, because the local promotion isn't "cool" like UFC and doesn't have the same atmosphere. His buddies at work and school aren't going to be talking nor will they care about some local MMA promotion.
I can very much attest to UFC fans being former wrestling fans. Heck there's a study out there that practically proves it, I just forget the link.
But I know two more guys at my work who love UFC. They used to watch wrestling a decade ago but it got "too silly" for them a few years back. Both of them were drawn to my computer wallpaper for Hard Justice 2007 (with Joe vs. Angle for the five title belts) and they seemed interested... until they heard about Angle in his skivvies and his "divorce"...
I think the same can be said for TNA iMPACT!. If your crowd looks terribly depressed and are sitting on their hands at key points to the show when they should be screaming, ooing, and aaing, then your show is basically becoming the equivelent of that small-budget, dimly lit, local sports show.
Not only that, but with all the attempts at "sports entertainment" on a show that is clearly nowhere near the budget range of WWE, it comes off as a cheap imitation.
I don't think I'll ever understand TNA's current mindset. WWE makes it no secret that they emphasize entertainment over wrestling. So to be an "alternative", TNA decides to emphasize entertainment over wrestling.
Take this past episode as evidence. The previous weeks, The Beautiful People get in Taylor Wilde's face, embarrass her by painting her face, and her big moment to keep things going... is to play drums in a beauty pageant...
Heck, just look at the title matches for the upcoming PPV.
X-Division - Where were any of the guys this week? The site says it's Petey vs. Creed vs. Bashir, but I had to go to the website to see that. Didn't Creed win the contenders match? So even when you lose you still get the title shot.
Tag Title - The Tag Title contestants are nowhere to be found. If they aren't even on TV, why should I care to pay to see them on Sunday?
World Title - Joe has four opponents, but how many of them had any time this week? Joe was more concerned with trash talking Sting, Angle and Booker were busy with Abyss & Morgan (who they aren't wrestling at the PPV), and Christian got about three minutes to talk about it after wrestling Abyss (who he isn't wrestling at the PPV).
Yet we have two talking segments from Sting (who isn't wrestling at the PPV last I checked), a Beauty Pageant from the Knockouts who said they weren't about lingerie and bikinis a few weeks ago ("that's for Divas"), and the final big moment of the show being Jeff Jarrett (who isn't wrestling at the PPV)
But if you look at segments like Angle's TNA debut where he headbutted Samoa Joe and the crowd went into a frenzy, you felt like you were watching something special and your show, for those 5 minutes, were the best television that a viewer could decide to watch. Nobody would watch how the fans react and say, "okay, there's something better on".
That was a great segment, and was given time to sink in, which helped make it great. They didn't go "TO THE BACK!!!!!!!" or instantly cut to a pretaped package to make you forget what just happened.
It rides on the atmosphere, and I hate to say it, but the atmosphere in the iMPACT! Zone is dull and faded on a heavily storyline influenced show. Fans don't explode for a storyline twist like they used to. Especially in a place like Orlando, where you have to entertain the same fans week in and week out. Personally, and I can only say this as a wrestling fan, I'd like to see a bit of change in the TNA product to pander to what the fans want, and I'll be honost, I think it's more geared to an aggressive style of wrestling than storylines. The change doesn't mean "fire Russo" or "fire TNA creative", I would just like to see them try something a little fresh and more up to speed with what society likes.
When you give fans 732 "swerves" they come to expect them, and thus don't mark for them because they're either conditioned to expect them, or are just numb to them.
