Should WWE go 3-D? What do you think?

[Coco]

So I was watching my Essential Starrcade DVD and I couldn't help think that some of those lame introductions to the matches need some sprucing up. Sure, the ones with JR or Mean Gene were below average. But the ones with Ric Flair or Tully Blanchard were truly God awful. Really cringe-worthy stuff. The WWE really needs to take some initiative in finding a way to improve these things. A few more home releases like that and Vince McMahon might as well close up shop because he's throwing my and the adult male viewing audience's money away.

Go and watch Tully's intro to his I Quit match with Magnum. Corny, right?

But I think I've got the solution.

WWE in 3D.

Now, now. Give me a chance here. While that promo is lame when you watch it in 2D, if you felt as though Tully were in the same room as you then you'd be pretty darn intimidated. Me thinks that would really enhance the experience. Some things in wrestling just don't feel real enough these days. But what could feel more real than an over-the-hill Tullt Blanchard getting in your face and telling you about shoving a microphone in another grown man's mouth? And don't get me started on what 3D would do for Triple H's nose or Ric Flair's breasts.

Would you like to see the WWE in 3D? Do you think it's a real possibility?

 

[Pestilence]

NO!!! If they go 3D, then you better expect a ton of spots like things flying at you. Plus (I know this, as my Dad is a Cameraman), it would look horrible if they tried to do it live, so they would have everything taped in advance.

IF they did, than they should limit it to special events, and let you choose whether or not. Now, don't argue about how good Avatar or Up looks in Real 3D, because that takes quite a while to get it looking good.

 

[The Phenomenal One]

I've actually read something about Vince wanting WWE to go 3D. It wouldn't shock me, considering everything seems to be going 3D HD nowadays. Now, personally I think it could be pretty cool. Taker's entrance in 3D high def with the surround sound on. LOL that would be pretty awesome. But then there's HHH and his nose being in 3D. Wait, maybe the "going 3D" idea isn't so good after all.

 

[gd]

WWE moving into 3D would make no sense. Would everyone have to have 3D glasses at home or something? That's be a pain. Also, 3D is incredibly overrated. There was really no point for it in Avatar.

Also, what would we need to see? There aren't many "high flyers", which would look cool. Evan Bourne is one, I guess, but for every one of him there are millions of guys it'd be pointless for, like Koslov or Drew McIntrye.

P.S. I still wouldn't want to see Team 3D in 3D.

 

[SickJames]

I happen to love 3D but agree that it should only be for special occassions as far as big events go, but having it be exclusive to ONE show a week, say WWE Superstars! wouldnt be bad at all.

That would get more ratings for a minor show like that, then Smackdown! in 3D every now and then, that can be something Raw doesnt have. I like the idea

And DIVAS in 3D, if they ever bring back bra & panties matches we need 3D!!

 

[y2jnewhero]

"Some things in wrestling just don't feel real enough these days."

The answer to making it feel more real isn't in some gimmick. Did going HD improve the realism at all? Now I don't disagree that 3D is cool, and I don't want to sound like someone bashing an emerging technology, but wrestling doesn't need to be complicated to be realistic. For example, seeing Hornswaggle splash Big Show in 3D isn't going to make it seem any more believably damaging than it did in 2D. Realism comes from ring psychology, proper story telling, and well sold moves. Randy Orton will be just as bland and uninteresting in 3D as he is in 2D.

But it's still an interesting concept (for all entertainment) as long as the content is up to par first-and-foremost... then the additional gimmick just makes it that much cooler.

 

[Spaceman Spif]

I think I'd like to see it at least once ya know, just to see what it would look like. However I don't think they should do any sort of permanent 3D what so ever. I just do not think it would work out. In reality it would be a pain to have to keep 3D glasses handy, as it was said, it would have to be taped ahead of time so they can make it look really good, some wrestlers would probably try to do insane moves to make the 3D better and in reality screw things up probably. I think it would just be to big of a cluster to work right. However I could deal with a one time thing.

 

[Sean Valjean]

Eh, I don't know about his. I don't like a lot of the things WWE does in normal "D" so feeling like I'm apart of the crap would make it worse; I have no desire to have Hornswoggle jumping around in my living room. To be fair, I don't think it would work with WWE's style of wrestling. TNA would probably be the better show to do in 3-D since they always have guys flying around and imagine the Beautiful People's entrance in 3-D.

Is it possible? I don't see why not, I mean, what can't you "3-D" these days? Vince would probably have to sell the 3-D glasses on WWE.com and at the shows, then promote the show months in advance to give people time to get them.

It's an interesting idea, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen eventually, but other than Undertaker and John Morrison's entrances, there isn't much in the WWE I'd like to experience in 3-D.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I'm not a fan of 3-D. So this would be a horrible Idea in my opinion. Plus WWE would go the way of stupid 3-D effects, like the Sweet Chin Music, or the 619. I think that's why I hate 3-D, because nobody uses it effectively. WWE would be no different, and it would just look terrible, plus who wants to put on glasses just to watch a wrestler coming at them? It's a novel idea, but it's also a horrible one.

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

I think they should just try it in ECW. That way they could test the waters if one day they actually did want Raw and Smackdown to go 3-D. I do see how it can be bad. I mean, I dont want to see Big Dick Johnson dancing in my room. However, Imagine the divas in 3D... Hotness......

 

[LegendKiller716]

I think that if WWE wants any kind of 3D they should start it on home video. doing it live would most likely look terrible, and doing it for ECW would have to be done quickly as it is air about an hour after its tapped.

Home video would be perfect cuz they could add some effects if needed, plus they can have a non 3D option and if the 3D version dosnt sell they can stop.

 

[wolvdog316]

"I don't like a lot of the things WWE does in normal "D" so feeling like I'm apart of the crap would make it worse; I have no desire to have Hornswoggle jumping around in my living room"

LMAO couldn't have said it better brotha. WWE can't even produce a good 2 hour show now days. And you want them to introduce 3D? Now if we talking about ONLY Diva matches being in 3D ok, you sold me. Anything other than that and it's moronic

 

[vols]

is anything on tv even in 3-d right now? how is this even possible, i seriously doubt you could do that for anything live....and if you did it for taped shows like smackdown, you have 4 days to convert it all to 3-d before it airs? doesnt seem good....last thing i ever remember being on television in 3-d were some ABC shows like 15 years ago like home improvement...and only then it was for one night....i know movies now and their subsequent DVD releases get put out in 3-d but...that took months and months to finish up......this just seems like the worst idea ever, sorry.

 

[neildittmar]

Generally speaking, 3D has literally been touted for decades and really hasn't amounted to much more than a slight "niche factor" for already established programming. In the last few years, the "hardware" utilized for 3D presentation has certainly increased 100-fold (from garbage red/blue cardboard glasses to things like IMAX and nVidia 3D vision) and new televisions with built-in 3D capabilities loom on the horizon.

However, none of these updated technologies have penetrated the mass marketplace yet. In the case of nVidia 3D vision, it was introduced at a semi-prohibitive price point ($200 for the glasses plus the price of a premium 120hz monitor). When televisions that incorporate stand-alone 3D technology are introduced, they will surely be offered at price points that initially make them luxury class items. Much like LCD's, it will take a number of years before prices level out and 3D becomes an included feature as opposed to a premium upgrade. That is, if this new iteration of 3D really catches on at all.

So what does all this have to do with WWE in 3D? Well, if by going 3D we mean WWE using an over-abundant red/blue color scheme on its programming and those attrocious cardboard glasses, it will take far more away from the product than it could ever add. 3D remains the gimmicky, quirky, "doesn't quite work right" feature that it has always been.

If we mean something a little higher end, like 3D Vision, the market penetration just isn't there to make it a true value proposition for the viewer. There currently is no market penetration for 3D televisions since they haven't been formally introduced by the big names yet. When they are, they'll initially command a price tag that puts them out of reach of anyone but enthusiasts and early-adopters with cash to burn.

In a few years time when/if 3D television begins finding a mainstream audience, it may make sense for the WWE to go in this direction. If they were to do this beforehand, it would amount to nothing more than a bullet point on a feature list that might initially make some difference to the stockholders, but essentially no difference to viewers watching the weekly programming.

 

[EnglishControlWwe]

Those of you who said they hate 3D will have to learn to live with it as it is the future. Like the transition to HD, companies are now developing the new technology to be used in television.

As of this moment 3D would make the product awful with the extremely outdated blue/red 3D technology. However, when 3D goes mainstream it would be right for WWE to push the product in 3D as it could gain an audience of people wanting to use the 3D technology in there TV.

Vince McMahon is pushing for a WWE channel so why not also have a WWE 3D channel in the future. It could be used for promo's entrances and for recaps of events that have happened putting moves in 3D.

 

[Tougie]

Now I could actually see WWE switching too 3D, especially now in the PG Era. Cause once again, who does 3D appeal to? Children, so hell if WWE switched to 3D next year i wouldn't be surprised. But honestly its not like WWE looks like 80's NWA. Oh and IMO the sometime underlit interview areas were great for NWA because if you look at WWE they were the exact opposite. I personally think 3D would ruin wrestling, I mean yeah it would be funny as hell to see Triple H's nose in 3D, or the Divas but seeing a technical match in 3D would be boring as hell. Now if they were to use 3D for highspot matches (which is basically a ladder match now and is extremely repetitive) i would be all for it.

 

[CaptainZaltan]

Ive worked for Imax doing 2D to 3D footage conversion in the past. It's far too time consuming and expensive for the WWE to ever afford to convert their past libraries. It took a team of about 25 people a month to do 15 minutes of shaky/fast moving footage, so that should give you some idea of whats involved. Of course the worse the quality of the footage, the longer it takes. And I'm not convinced the end results justify the costs. So as for them converting the old stuff, I'd rather they not.

Now, the 'new' 3D looks good, at least in theaters. It involves using 3D cameras rather than editing footage after the fact, so as those cameras become more affordable and prevalent it's going to become a matter of saying 'why not'? I've already heard rumors about 3D novelty channels debuting in the future, so I suppose having a 3D broadcast would open the door for WWE programming to be carried on those channels. The real question is, what would it cost the WWE to film content in the new 3D, and how much if any editing is required behind the scenes before it can go to broadcast? If it is affordable in the future, then again, why not do it? There's no way the WWE would replace their regular broadcasts with blurry 3D footage and just expect the viewers to wear glasses; no, if it's done it will be on 3D specialty channels exactly in the manner in which HD was rolled out. If the WWE can make money in such a format, than all the more power to them. I think it could look pretty awesome.

 

[BladeRunner]

I don't think 3d is at the capability yet that they should truly switch over to it.

But, I do believe a special edition of raw or whatever else in 3D, would attract a lot of viewers.

A big reason theatres have been doing well recently is because they've had 3D movies.

Doing a 3D special could only benefit WWE.

I'd love it myself.