Should WWE have wrestlers only meet once before a big match?

[WWEvsJosh]

Should WWE have wrestlers only meet once before a big match?

What if wrestlers only met once before there match in like a contract signing or just their first meeting? I think this idea would work very well for a big title match at Mania.

Here are some examples to show you what I am talking about.

What if John Cena and The Rock never meet face to face until the Raw before Mania. (Lets just say the Rock and Cena never had problems before Mania 27.) So the Rock host Mania 27 and does not screw Cena out of the title. The next night on raw Cena talks about how The Rock made another WrestleMania moment and then he says he should make another next year in a match with him. So then the next week on Raw The Rock comes out/or on the tron says he will do the match. No SS tag match and all we get are promos of them going back and forth. Raps, Songs, This is your life segments (one with Cena and a new one with Rock), History lessons, Videos of their careers and more all to build up to their first meeting.

Here is a second one that could happen more often

What if Punk and Jericho never meet yet. Let's say the EC match was a #1 contender match and Jericho won it. Each week building to WrestleMania both guys would talk trash, have some good matches, have some segments, and show some of the reasons why they think they are the best in the world. They talk about each other but you never see them talk to each other until the contract signing.

What do you guys think? Should WWE have wrestlers only meet once before a big match?

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

While I totally get where you are coming from, and think you have some good points...it is essential for talents to have more than one encounter or meeting, be it physical or not, especially leading in to an event like Wrestlemania.

Pro wrestling is all about conflict and drama, and programs built around guys not interacting with each other, will have neither. Should they wrestle each other before a huge event? No way, because it can give away too much of what fans are going to see during the big match they are hyping. But they need to interact.

This past Monday was a great example. Cena and Rock were both in attendance, and both cutting promos (albeit musically) for their match at WM, and it just didn't work as well as weeks prior when both men were in the ring together. Even if they aren't laying hands on one and other, there is a palpable tension when you have to wrestlers that are supposed to hate each other in the ring together at the same time. Guaranteed the last Raw before WM they will come to blows, just so people see them in the ring together, and to really push the fact they are in a bitter feud.

Jericho and Punk are sort of in the same boat. Just by nature of having CM Punk in a match at this point in his career and with his character, you can't not have him actively engaging his opponent, it would really kill a lot of what gives him his momentum and gets the fans behind him. If Jericho were to have come back, and never had any real encounters or one on one moments with Punk, the match, and his return would have fallen flat (his return already has in a lot of ways).

The key is to keep the wrestlers together, without giving away any elements of what will be their big time match, while keeping the drama high and the feud personal.

 

[daddyJ_t]

i disagree, the prime example for a great main event. see the formula with hogan and warrior. that was the perfect buildup. no prior involvement, then the royal rumble clash. then the tag matches where the heels cased one to level the next causeing more animosity. thats the brief rundown and it was a great match and possibly top 10 still to this day as far as mania matches go. thats how a buildup should happen, not an only one time face to face build up. for instance if i were to call u queer ass ropesucking fucktard, it wouldnt effect u and probably make u laugh, but if i was in your face in person saying the exact same thing its a totally different story. it builds the anger and makes the animosity seem more beievable

 

[AwesomeRko]

I think you raise some good points and I totally get where you are coming from. I don't really think Rock/Cena is the best example as both excel on the mic thus having direct face to face interaction is pretty key in their fued.

If, however you had two guys who's prime strength lies elsehwere say hypothetically Randy Orton vs a returning Brock Lesnar for a big match to decide who the most dangerous guy in WWE is for example this could work perfectly. It could be built in a similar manner to a big fight in boxing where you get the big pre-fight press conference to throw barbs etc whilst the rest of the time could comprise of the two attempting to outdo each other in seperate matches. This combined with other short vignettes/individual promos and training videos similar to what they did before Rock v. Brock could really work I think. But yeah thats juss the first example that came to mind there is a few superstars that your idea could work for.

 

[DirtyD79]

While I totally get where you are coming from, and think you have some good points...it is essential for talents to have more than one encounter or meeting, be it physical or not, especially leading in to an event like Wrestlemania.

Pro wrestling is all about conflict and drama, and programs built around guys not interacting with each other, will have neither. Should they wrestle each other before a huge event? No way, because it can give away too much of what fans are going to see during the big match they are hyping. But they need to interact.

This past Monday was a great example. Cena and Rock were both in attendance, and both cutting promos (albeit musically) for their match at WM, and it just didn't work as well as weeks prior when both men were in the ring together. Even if they aren't laying hands on one and other, there is a palpable tension when you have to wrestlers that are supposed to hate each other in the ring together at the same time. Guaranteed the last Raw before WM they will come to blows, just so people see them in the ring together, and to really push the fact they are in a bitter feud.

Jericho and Punk are sort of in the same boat. Just by nature of having CM Punk in a match at this point in his career and with his character, you can't not have him actively engaging his opponent, it would really kill a lot of what gives him his momentum and gets the fans behind him. If Jericho were to have come back, and never had any real encounters or one on one moments with Punk, the match, and his return would have fallen flat (his return already has in a lot of ways).

The key is to keep the wrestlers together, without giving away any elements of what will be their big time match, while keeping the drama high and the feud personal.

The promos and interacting with each other face to face is what builds the intensity. Taking swipes at each other on twitter and passive-aggresive barbs via satellite is not the same as getting face to face and in the ring doing a promo on each other. There's no real tension that at any second it could come to blows.

And you can still have the two get physical such as interfering in each other's matches even getting in a pull apart brawl during a contract signing or interview segment like Piper's Pit without giving away the big match. Two guys scuffling only to get broken up by the refs and security guys is not the same as an actual match.

 

[Azane]

There's a time and place that depends on every feud.

For some feuds, like HHH vs Taker, multiple meetings make a lot of sense, and build towards it.

Where as John Cena vs The Rock would of been better with only a couple meetings, because they're oversaturating us (Come on, we were sick of them hyping this a year ago)


All in all, doing the "Contract signing" vs doing the weekly fighting, neither one should always be the case, and there shouldn't be a rule on it, do whatever pushes the angle the best.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Really depends. Nothing is black and white.

Stuff like a first time encounter with two legends, yea, kinda. You still want to see them get into scuffles and stuff though.

 

[gers09]

I agree with TWJC it depends on the situation with the Rock and Cena I don't think it would work with just one meeting the feud is all about them not liking each other so we really needed all we have had or it just wouldn't work. It all about genuine problem they have with each other so if it had happened the way you have said rock didn't cost cena the belt last year and it being all about just putting on a great one in a life time match i don't think it would be the build up wouldn't be great and plus cena needs this kind of feud to get it over he not that good on the mic rock could pull it off one sided but cena would let him down cena needs to have a good feud for a match for him to get match over.

As for jericho and Punk i think they could pull it off that one about who is the best in the world and the WWE belt. They both have a reason to say they are the best and both can pull it off in the ring and on the mic. jericho has always been amazing on the mic on of the best ever and punk is as well

 

[theBec2101]

you do know that they have to build up the hype for the matches right. That doesnt even sound like it would be a good idea. I mean when has that ever happened. Even the contact signing go "wrong" and end up in a fight, where they are not suppose to touch eachother till they're match goes wrong or they get someone else. I mean they have to have a storyline and hype the match.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Stop reacting because you were not satisfied with this latest episode of Raw. Like has been previously said this is professional wrestling, it is a fake sport that relies on drama and personal conflict to sell. Sometimes two guys can build momentum without that conflict and drama but that is rare and it doesn't fill the 10 to 14 hours of television between PPV's. Look at the effect Rock and Cena have had on people around here. Their promos haves gotten fans more personally invested in the feud by choosing sides and criticizing not just the wrestlers but each other. A year of quiet would never bring out that much emotion in people, emotion leads to hype, hype leads to sales.

 

[WWEvsJosh]

Stop reacting because you were not satisfied with this latest episode of Raw.

What the heck are you talking about? I never said anything about me not likeing the last episode of Raw. In fact i loved both Cena's and The Rock's promos. I even said some of the things they have already done could fit into my idea.

Plus thats all this was an idea. I never said this needed to happen or WWE would be dumb not to do this. I just thought it would be a good idea.

 

[GI Cake]

Oh god no, that is just a completely, and utterly stupid idea. Why in the world would you only want wrestlers to meet once or twice before a big match at a Pay-Per-View? Know how completely boring it would be to watch RAW or Smackdown to have John Cena and The Rock never to cross paths before Wrestlemania? Know how completely stupid it would have been if CM Punk had his shoot promo on John Cena on the Titantron instead of on the stage after fucking up his match with R-Truth?

Professional Wrestling lives on the drama and the hype. This isn't a real sport where the name alone can get fans hyped to see it. You can't call John Cena against the Rock at Wrestlemania a year ahead and only have them go face to face at the contract signing. That simply makes no sense.

 

[OutsiderDX]

In the case of Rock vs Cena.... They should have never had The Rock appear so many times.

They are essentially going against the idea that makes the fued interest. A past star / coming back to wrestle.

They are destroying the mystique of The Rock. You can't blame the fans if they no longer get excited when The Rock returns at WrestleMania. It's just human nature to get become accustom to repeitition. It's hard to get excited over seeing the same thing over and over.

Speaking from a creative side and not a financial side, the E should have never brought The Rock back for Survivor Series and should have never brought him out live during Raw's.

At minimum, they could have let him use twitter and do a few short taped vignettes.

The E took away the special attraction feel to The Rock and it feels just like another match.

 

[WWEvsJosh]

Even with all the people calling this a bad idea I still think it is great. I respect everyones thoughts on why they did not like it but i really do think this would work for a match like theses. I am not saying they should do this for every world title match or anything like that just the big matches.
Like
Cena vs Batista for the first time
Cena vs Rock for the first time
Goldberg vs Brock for the first time
Angle vs HBK
Austin vs Brock
You know matches that have that big feel to it. Matches that can sell on just the fact that two names are coming together for a dream match. Thats what this idea i think would work for.

 

[RicSpade]

So if I am understanding this right you want us to get emotionally invested in something without any build? So for example Sheamus and Daniel Bryan never go at it at all, never talk to each other but build up the ppv by fighting other people and cutting promos about one another?

Ok heres all the problems with this one... First off theres always some kind of encounter whether you like it or not whether its the 80's or today....Secondly even when you have a sport like MMA you have a build to the matches like TUF seasons for fighters and the coaches?

Again what would get me emotionally invested in this match if all we had was 2 promos about a guy and a contract signing? The key words to this would be....Nothing....

Just because Cena and Rock haven't had a few promos where there with each other, they still had confrontation, confrontation whether verbal or physical builds suspense, suspense leads to anticipation, and anticipation leads you to wanting to watch, and wanting to watch leads to having a product!

 

[FlairFan2003]

The STORY is what makes the match - Yes, athleticism, ability to convincingly sell the other guy's offense, dramatic finish, these are all very important (and without them we often feel cheated in big matches) but it is THE STORYLINE that makes us watch RAW every week, that makes us care about the match in the first place.

Pivotal points in fueds (which usually occur when the combatants are squaring off, either in the ring or in a promo) drive home the importance of the match and make us want to watch. In fact, you usually need lots of interaction between stars to really make a fued, and therefore the MATCH important enough that I will pay x amount of dollars to watch on PPV.

For me, things involved in the build up before the match are often as memorable as the matches themselves. The promos Ric Flair did before facing Vader at Starrcade 93 or HBK at WM 24 were awesome, I can still see Randy Savage coming down off the top rope onto Ricky Steamboat's neck with timekeeper bell, Hogan's heel turn, and before that Kevin Nash's surprise power bomb of Bischoff that kick started the NWO angle, these interactions between the feuding wrestlers drove those fueds, and made those must watch matches. Hogan vs Andre was not strictly speaking a classic in ring product. It was one of the biggest (I would say The Biggest, at least for WWE) matches in wrestling history because the awesome build, Andre's 20 year undefeated streak, turning his back on the fans and siding with Hogan's arch nemisis Bobby Heenan, without that build you have a young muscle guy facing an old (though quite large) overweight guy, on paper this looks like a match to avoid at all costs, in reality it kept the largest US attendance for a pro wrestling show on it's heels, riveted from start to finish.

If the wrestlers dont interact then why are they feuding and if they have no legit reason to feud why am I watching them ?

Although we've seen plenty of Rock lately WWE has never given us a satisfactory reason for this feud, at least from Rock's perspective (I can see why Cena doesnt like him, he's an obnoxious @#$ who cost him a World Title Match last year for no good reason, then ran and hid in Hollywood for the rest of the year, avoiding any contact let alone an actual match). The explanation as to why Rock doesnt like Cena has never been good, it takes away from the feud and makes this match less exciting. We're actually getting much better build to Jericho-Punk and HHH-Taker III.

Bottom line, you need more interaction, not less between feuding wrestlers to make a story engaging enough that Id want to watch the payoff match.

Also, if the matches are done right, you can wrestle more than one big PPV match and keep fans interested. In 1989 no one complained about seeing Flair-Steamboat staged as often as it was, a decade later everyone watched Rock-Austin in their re matches.

 

[WcW VS EcW]

If the WwE SuPeRsTaRs MeT OnLy OnCe before their big match it wouldnt be any build up. To the audience and the viewers of the show, it would feel as though they made a last minute match. But promo wise, it would feel awkward. The superstars talking shit on idk, titantron, it would be weird. They would have nothing to go on as to why they are fueding. Thats just my opinion.

 

[WWEvsJosh]

Lest say in 2005 HBK and Kurt Angle never fought and Angle was still on Smackdown.

Kurt Angle get done with a match at the Bash PPV and then gets on the mic. He says "I just proved why I am the best this company has to offer. I am the show stopper. Its true its damn true"

Next night on raw HBK comes out and says he saw The PPV and he heard what Angle said. He then says himself that he is the best this company has to offer and that he want to fight Angle at SummerSlam to prove it. Later that night he has that match he had with Shelton.

On Smackdown that week Angle says he will do the match at SummerSlam and says he liked what he saw on Raw but says he can do better. He then has a good match with some superstar on smackdown (Booker T would be a good choice).

Then each week each star is trying to out do the other in matches and in promos to prove that they are the best. But each does this on their own show so they do not ever see each other until the built up Smackdown meeting when the both get their last two cents on why they are the best before the match.

That type of built up is not for Sheamus and Bryan, or Ziggler vs Ryder, or just any match. It has to be a match that sells withsout a story. I never said any match can be like that. Just big matchs and matches that are to prove who is the best. Thats why i used Rock vs Cena and Punk vs Y2J.

 

[Headman]

Don't they need content for their weekly television shows? Besides, the OP's idea assumes that the fans will be interested in paying for the match based on it's announcement alone. It's the interaction between the characters that builds the drama that leads to fans buying the ppv. Otherwise it would be like "Oh, Jericho is fighting Santino next month. I think I'll buy that.". I don't see it.

 

[WWEvsJosh]

Don't they need content for their weekly television shows? Besides, the OP's idea assumes that the fans will be interested in paying for the match based on it's announcement alone. It's the interaction between the characters that builds the drama that leads to fans buying the ppv. Otherwise it would be like "Oh, Jericho is fighting Santino next month. I think I'll buy that.". I don't see it.

I have alot of respect for you and all but its clear that you either did not read what I wrote and just looked at what other's said or you just did not read it right. No I dont assume that fans will be interested in paying for a match based on it's announcement alone. In my first post talked about promos and matches of each star trying to one up each other. I never said anything about "no build up". Its about build up without each star getting in each other's face. They talk trash about each other but dont say it in their face until their meeting one night on raw or smackdown.

Here is an example that did happened but their was not a match.
Rock and Cena before Mania 27. Rock came back and talked some trash about Cena. The next week Cena did his rap. The week after that Rock did a vid promo. Week after that Cena did one more rap. The week that followed Rock did the skit with the kid. Then came the big meeting of The Rock and Cena. No one had to hit each other or anything. Thats the build up i am talking about. They talked trash to each other but they did not get in each other's face until the Raw before Mania.

One more thing. I said "big" matches. If you read my post then you are telling me you think Santino vs Jericho is a big match? Nothing wrong with thinking that but i just would not think that.