Recycled Storylines

[cm ben]

Hi everybody,

I hear a lot on this forum about how "WWE creative suxx"-- they can't come up with new storylines, they screw up the good ones they have, and they don't push Zack Ryder hard enough. In this thread, I'd like to just focus on that first point!

I'd like you to provide an instance in which a storyline was re-used; describe what happened in both cases, and if there were any big differences. Then, rate both storylines. Was one more effective than the other? Was the second storyline simply lazy booking by creative, or did they do a good job with it? Etc!


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I'll provide a recent example, to begin. Last year on Smackdown, we saw a long feud between CM Punk, the leader of the Straight Edge Society, and Rey Mysterio. In two of their matches, it was stipulated that if Mysterio lost, he would have to join Punk's gang. This never happened, however, and life went on as normal on Smackdown.

Fast-forward a few months and change the channel, and we have a feud between John Cena and Wade Barrett, the leader of another stable, the Nexus. Just like a few months earlier, it was stipulated in a match that if Cena loses, he has to join the Nexus. In this instance, of course, Cena DID lose and was forced to take orders from his nemesis.

I personally thought it was interesting to see such similar storylines play out both ways in such a short span of time. In my opinion, though, it might have been more effective had Mysterio lost and Cena won. Most likely for business reasons, Cena's tenure in Nexus was pretty short and there was never really any doubt that Cena was going to end up turning on his new allies. Because Mysterio isn't the figurehead that Cena is, I feel like had he joined SES, they could have stretched the story longer and created more tension. They could have at least made us suspect that Mysterio had been brainwashed by Punk.
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OK, go get 'em! Do a better job than me, my example was pretty weak.

 

[tigerbomber128]

First off,nice thread I wanted to make a thread about this but since I'm new I don't know how
Anyway I agree on the repeating storylines like wrestler vs boxer or the classic roll up pin one week other week attack the guy etc. I think that the writers think that we are really stupid because they don't only repeat the short ones that I don't mind,the ones that end after a month which I kind of mind since it's the same thing:the face beats the heel once and then twice the heel gets pissed attacks and then the face usually wins in the last week.Don't get me started on heel - heel or face - face matches which are just unbearably predictable.But when the writers have a good storyline they tend to repeat the SAME EXACT STORYLINE,yeah Nexus 2003 called they want there storyline back (and by that I mean Evolution,sorry for ruining the joke but people tend to get angry and think I just said the joke for the sake of...well just saying it)

However,Those storylines (the big ones) usually get better and better every time,like there evolving.Look at Christian and Orton,the writers were smart enough to have those face - face matches which I hate,and then turn Christian heel mid-storyline which changed my view of the storyline completely,this mid-storyline heel turn doesn't happen very often and that's the beauty of it,they do it when we least expect it and they don't repeat these big storylines as much as those small ones.WWE storyline writers are repetitive but not a lot when a big storyline is planned.So my point is that the writers are great at times but at times they are impatient and they select the wrong superstars.Not one company has the consistent storylines and I think WWE proves that,THE MOST POPULAR WRESTLING SHOW!...........however there storylines don't prove that.
But that's just my opinion so who cares.

 

[mrfantastic111]

then turn Christian heel mid-storyline which changed my view of the storyline completely,this mid-storyline heel turn doesn't happen very often and that's the beauty of it,they do it when we least expect it

I agree, midway heel turns make storylines very interesting. The best one I can remember for quite awhile was when Punk turned heel on Jeff. He cashed in MITB on Jeff whilst Jess was down, but acted like a face for awhile and then eventually turned heel on Jeff at the end of Smackdown one day. Very good!

I think the most over-used storyline of all time is the 'Invincible Force meets the Immovable Object' storyline, i.e; Cena vs. Bigshow, Cena vs Khali, Cena vs. Umaga (I'm not actually trying to cut Cena, it's just that those are the only examples that are coming to my head right now lol).

A very recent storyline to be recycled was the Miz/Riley one. After that story was finished up, they put Ted under the wing of Cody Rhodes, who just like Riley is always abused by his 'mentor'. I assume Ted is gonna get a face-turn eventually seeing as his heel work was never getting over too well, plus this storyline did wonders for Riley, so I don't see why not. It's not incredibly obvious to the casual fan, so eh.

More then anything now I think we're seeing recycled characters, i.e; Del Rio has a very similar image to JBL (not so much in personality, but in style and 'rich guy charisma'), and they're also forcing a similar Del Rio-like character on Jindah Mahaul, a wealthy Indian who styles and profiles. However, the most recycled characters are the opportunistic heels and the generic psychopath heels. Personality these days is very underrated.

I apologise for drifting abit off the thread topic towards the end lol.

 

[TheCrusher]

Books and movies do the same thing. They use the same story lines that previous movies have, just rely on the personality of the characters or setting to make it feel enough different to stand on its own. For a while action movies were all pitched as "Die Hard on a Bus," "Die Hard on a Plane," "Die Hard on a Rickshaw." With the glut of superhero movies in recent years, the same thing is happening. If you think of it, Batman, Iron Man and Green Hornet are all "rich guy uses resources to get cool gadgets and fight crime," but they certainly vary in quality, characters and setting. People actually like familiar storylines. Hell John Wayne had two hits in seven years using the exact same plot line and character arcs (El Dorado and Rio Bravo). In one Ricky Nelson was "Colorado" and the other James Caan was "Mississippi." Should have made a third with somebody named "Vermont." I would have watched it. Sorry. Got carried away.

Wrestling is far more limited in what it can do for settings (cells, cages, falls count anywhere, maybe throw in ladders or tables....) but it's still basically a setting you've seen many times before. So, the rehashed story line is going to live and die on its characters. Hell, Spike and Molly was Romeo and Juliet which was actually a retelling of Pyramus and Thisby. But, the story basically worked because the two kids were cute and likeable. Try the same thing with a skanky diva and the Miz and it ain't gonna fly; but they sure did tell a story with shades of the Biblical tale of Jacob and Esau using the Hart boys.

If you can get the characters over, they can tell a story you've used before and still make it work. If you can't get the characters over, no story is going to fly.

 

[cm ben]

Good point about the recycled characters. I'm a bit surprised that they made Jinder Mahal so similar to Alberto Del Rio, actually, since ADR is a relatively new superstar.

And great post, Crusher. Looking at wrestling as a form of artistic expression like film, theater, etc, is really interesting to me. Wrestling is a very limited art form, in that it mostly takes place on a "stage" (the ring) that cannot be altered, except for the addition of ladders, cages, etc., as you mentioned. It's pretty amazing that it even HAS stayed interesting for so long. Why aren't I bored with it yet? Why isn't the general populace bored of it yet?

This is probably off-topic, but you can also look at wrestling more as a "sport," too-- football games never change, obviously, nor do baseball games, soccer games. I wonder if people keep coming to wrestling because of the storylines or the "sport?" Either way, both repeat themselves, I suppose.

Anyway, to close, I'd like to share this quote by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch:

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: 'It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to.'"

I think this is a nice message; recycled storylines are fine, as long as they're well-done and treated with integrity. I think creative ought to read this quote--it would be great if they could steal from some more diverse sources, so we don't have to see the same ol' "David vs Goliath," or, uh, "Ted DiBiase vs Virgil."

 

[TheCrusher]

Jarmusch's quote is a fair one to apply to wrestling storylines. Everything from Shakespearean drama to comic books to Jane Austen are fair game. If Sting isn't The Crow anymore then he's the Joker, right? I'm a big fan of Westerns, and "Mr. McMahon" is the cattle baron in every one of them. Right down to hiring the gunslinger Corporate Champion to take out the babyface sheriff.

I'd love to see some Greek stuff: The Iliad. Noble Trojan hero Hector kills Achille's protege, Patroclus. Hector thought he was taking out Achilles. Achilles goes absolutely berserk, kills Hector and drags him around the Walls of Troy. Substitute "beats down" for "kills" and "arena" for "Walls of Troy" and you have the start of a wrestling storyline.
The Eumenides (Furies) Orestes is hounded by a pack of vengeful female spirits who feel he has sinned against womankind by killing his mother (She and her lover had murdered his father.) The Furies drive him to the brink of insanity, and even Apollo is afraid to help him because he fears the wrath of the Furies. Finally, a strong female character, Athena, intervenes and gets it all worked out. Now, this one would probably need to involve the action against the woman being accidental, but the rest could play out pretty much as scripted except Athena would need to kick some Fury ass because this is wrestling. You could go comic with this one and have Zack Ryder or Santino in the Orestes role.

Greek stories are high drama, but they are usually pretty simple to adapt.