Should WWE be more about storylines or wrestling?

[Radical]

I saw a comment on one of the news articles on the main page here and someone seemed to suggest that if WWE becomes too much about wrestling and not enough about the storylines than people will lose interest.

I kind of found that surprising.

Personally, I would like to see about a 70/30 or 60/40 relationship between Wrestling and Storylines (aka promos, talk segments).

I don't know that WWE does that most of the time. Probably they do on NXT or Superstars just because they are more condensed shows and they aren't usually mainstream talent performing so they might as well just wrestle.

But on Smackdown and definitely on Raw there seems to be a lot more talk than action.

I am a fan of wrestling for a big reason because I like to see great matches put on. I like to see a quick series of moves, a bunch of smart reversals, some big power moves and emotion from the wres--- sorry, Superstars!

I do like some of the talk/promo segments but often I feel they are way too long and drawn out.

Example: Segment with Big Show and "Big Johnny" on last Raw. I liked that they started by having a match. Big Show vs. Kane. I knew the match wouldn't be too long but it was pretty good while it lasted and had a predictable finish with Johnny's distraction. Then we all knew it was time for Big Show to apologize... now it played out pretty well at first where it made sense Big Show didn't want to apologize but then after Big Show did say he was sorry John could have said the thing about Big Show having to get down on his knees and beg and after Big Show thought about it a bit he could have just said no, I won't, even though I love this business, I won't degrade myself like that. They John could have said fine, you're fired!...

We could have saved ourselves about 15 minutes of Big Show pleading with John and crying!

Those 15 minutes could then be used to have another match. Perhaps, I dunno, a tag team match, maybe The Usos vs Hawkins & Reks... something that could start building the Tag Division instead of making everyone feel awkward watching a big man cry.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts.

What are yours?

 

[hafe4osu]

I get exactly what you mean, I think in this market it has to be about compelling story lines involving guys who can wrestle.

People are drawn to a character when he is put in an interesting situation as long as they feel like he can beat up the person he is in a "feud" with.

The problem is WWE saw such success with the Austin/Vince war that they constantly think a big angle has to be boss vs. star or lawsuit this and lawsuit that. A great story has a hero that you know is willing to do anything to win and you believe he can and are rooting for it. It is why everyone wanted Sting to beat the nWo and most importantly Hogan, it is why the world was held captive every time Rock and Austin squared off, good stories and good ring talent make us addicted.

 

[The Perfect Max]

The problem WWE has at the moment is that there aren't any appealing storylines that get viewers to watch the wrestling in the first place. The fact they are an entertainment company should be a surprise to people because the storylines are hardly compelling and intruiging. Albeit, we get one or two at the most at each time, but shouldn't every storyline be interesting?

I have been a WWE fan since forever. I enjoy watching and always will, through thick and thin. But WWE need more than just one storyline to keep things going. Great wrestling is one thing, and I think WWE has the key to that. They have some very talented wrestlers. But the storylines is where WWE lack and if they can give us great main event storylines, variations of course, not the same recycled stuff, interesting mid-card stuff and entertaining Tag Team and Diva storylines, WWE can be clear top again.

WWE need to concertrate on building stars. To do that, storylines have to take place. Big ones. If they can build a guy with a great storyline and great wrestling, a 50/50 balance is fine by me. But talking your way through a feud isn't enough.

Simple. Good wrestling to go with good storylines.

 

[Raiden46]

You need to have both. A show with nothing but wrestling will showcase great talent, but with little meaning behind the matches. You need to have some backstory to give relevance to what you are watching.

 

[Darkdarkdays]

If people were more interested in just the wrestling part of WWE then ROH would be huge! but you need the soap opera style drama to build to the actual fighting bit, as Ransom said, a nice balance is what is needed....

 

[gwarren]

The storyline/build is all important. Imagine if Rock/Cena had just been about wrestling technique and skill... exactly.

The emotion in that match from the crowd was incredible because of the story not necessarily the wrestling (although a good match does help)

 

[anthonymclaughlin]

i'd go the other way, i would lie to see 40% wrestling and 60% entertainment. I mean imo at wrestlemania, HHH vs Undertaker stole the show, and while technically sound Jericho vs Punk was a snooze fest. Thats just my opinion and i know it's not held by everyone, its just that because i know wrestlers arent actually hurting each other, and no amount of stellar selling by dolph can make me forget that. So i need a story line to get me to cheer, it's different in fighting sports where a hold or a punch means something all by itself, in pro wrestling a punch needs a message behind it, a pin needs to mean something.

 

[LegendKilla101508]

How about both? That would be pretty awesome. WWE currently lacks both save for the last PPV, although it was kind of overrated.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I think WWE absolutely has to have both and should focus on both. I know I watch WWE for both entertainment and pure wrestling. If they eliminated one of those components completely, I'd stop watching.

If it was strictly wrestling, then what the hell is the point? I don't care about a fake fight. I'd rather watch MMA.

At the same time, if it becomes all entertainment and stupid skits with no wrestling, then it's nothing more than a TV show.

 

[brighamosity]

Quite frankly, I watch nearly all of the angles/promos and fast-forward through most of the match, only watching the tail end of them to see how they end. I am far more interested in the storytelling aspect than the actual matches.

The reason for this is because, as others have said, the storylines are what makes me want to see the matches. But most of the time WWE just puts wrestler A vs. wrestler B with no prior conflict (or at least a reason for conflict) so I don't care who wins or loses.

Use Ryback for example. His gimmick is he wins matches. Why would I watch a Ryback match, period? It's just him squashing some random guy. Perhaps if he were in a storyline or feud, I might tune in to see if that plays into the match. Or not. It just depends on how interested I am in the storyline.

To me, the storylines are FAR more important than the matches, because without the storylines, I likely wouldn't be watching in the first place.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

Every DVD the E has released so far has had some great classic matches, however, I barely watch any of them. Instead, I find myself engrossed in the documentary dvd, and can watch those repeatedly. Wrestling is what it is because of the storylines. The matches are cool and all, but they aren't memorable at all without a good story. I may not remember every move or any move of a technical masterpiece like Ricky Steamboat and Savage but I do remember the story/events leading up to it and some of the emotion during the match. It's ultimately the stories that get people into it, and without it, then there are much better forms of entertainment out there. And we are at a time where the stories really do need to step up, particularly because television shows have really stepped their game up since the early 90s and 80s when wrestling was at it's peak.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Without storylines, there's no real purpose for wrestling matches to happen in the first place. You need storylines & promos to get the fans to invest their time in the wrestlers & the personalities that are being presented to you on television. Without a solidified backstory to beef things up, then there's almost no point to the wrestling match.

This past Sunday, TNA had it's Sacrifice ppv and featured a match between AJ Styles & Kurt Angle. As you would expect from these two, they delivered a great match for anyone watching. However, there was no story behind the match. There was no real reason for these two wrestlers to be wrestling, which took away from the overall greatness of the wrestling match itself. The fact that I didn't particularly care about this match detracted from it. I didn't care about it because there was no story behind it.

You obviously can't have a wrestling program without wrestling matches, but you also need a reason for these matches to take place. Over a decade ago, the country was wild with Lord of the Rings fever. The films garnered huge returns at the box office, got rave reviews from damn near everyone and either was nominated or won some of the film industry's biggest awards. All that didn't happen just because of the cool special effects and action sequences, though they certainly played a part, it also came about because the films told a great story and made us care about the characters on screen. Same thing with pro wrestling, just on a different scale.

 

[TLK]

It's a sports soap opera. It needs a healthy mix of both. Lately I think there has been too many holes in the storylines, and it has taken away from the product. That said, there have been great matches despite of the crappy writing. You can have good wrestling without good storylines.

 

[Radical]

I agree that there needs to be good storylines so you care about the matches.

I guess I am a little different than seemingly the majority in that I enjoy the spectacle of a good wrestling match. I enjoy seeing great athleticism and enjoy seeing the showmanship (signature moves, special moves that you would only ever seen in a wrestling 'fight'). I can go back on YouTube and watch some random matches with Superstars I remember enjoying back in the late 90s or early 2000s and not know that much about the storyline but still enjoy watching the match because of the moves and showmanship.

That said... I distinctly remember absolutely hating Evolution and wanting Goldberg to beat Triple H for the title quite a lot and of course that feeling wouldn't have happened if Evolution was never created to help Triple H cheat to win and create heat and a storyline around the quest for the Title.

I think what gets me sometimes is not that I don't want to see as much storyline/promos is that I wish they were a little more condensed where they can be. Like the Big Show segment example, I see why they did it, I understand it but I just wish they'd cut to the chase faster.

The storyline of a corrupt boss is also a very good one and definitely adds to the meaning of matches.

So while I think storyline is important I don't think every fued needs to have an elaborate storyline but I think some sort of heat or angle needs to be present. Like AW working with Primo & Epico and getting together some sort of team is interesting and should lead to more interest in the Tag Team matches.

 

[DirtyD79]

The stoylines need to serve as what drives the match. Why these guys are fighting and what's in it for them. It doesn't have to be elaborate longwinded Shakepearean tomes of tragedy and triumph, of love and loss, yadda yadda. It can be something as simple as by beating so and so you advance further up the ranks to gain your shot at the championship.

 

[Dagger Dias]

There definitely needs to be a mix of both. When it comes down to it in the end, they are selling a PPV event full of wrestling matches. The wrestling aspect is very important. The storylines are crucial too though because they give you a reason to care about the match and help you pick which wrestler to root for.

If too much emphasis is placed on the wrestling then you will lose some fans. They need a reason to care about the matches and without storylines you have no idea who is a face or a heel going into the match. I'm far more interested in a match if I know who to root for ahead of time. Too much story telling is bad too though. A match could have the most epic build up imaginable, but if the match itself does not deliver even a decent effort, then they will lose fans there too. We do watch Raw/Smackdown/Impact/etc for wrestling, not just for promos. A show with nothing but guys shouting "I will end your career!" for two hours would be boring, action must follow! So.... Yeah. Both storylines and wrestling are important overall, WWE needs to focus on both of them.

 

[XXJJ]

You need a mixture of both. But the storylines are more important.

In ring wise everything has been done before. Their are only so many ways you can suplex or throw another human being. Its the characters and angles that get you invested and wanting to see them wrestle.