So, are you all going to quit watching WWE?

[f_roEDGE]

I will stop watching Raw and SmackDown, but for reasons more than just the Daniel Bryan situation.

There is nothing interesting happening. Yesterday was the first time I refused to watch Raw, and after reading results, I didn't miss anything. And what's going to happen leading up to Elimination Chamber? More Brock steel chair attacks? Is Brock even going to be on the show? I can just stream Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania, which are sure to be garbage anyway.

Title changes don't happen on Raw and Smackdown. The shows are filled with uninteresting storylines and characters. Dolph and Kofi are going to continue to be caught up in this endless vortex of mediocrity. There's nothing new. WWE is spewing the same garbage on a weekly basis.

I am NOT buying WWE Network. Original content is garbage, and I could download any of the ppvs that I want to watch.

I will still watch PPVs....for now. But Raw and SmackDown are officially done. I would rather watch basketball or hockey on Monday and Friday nights.

 

[Mustang Sally]

All I have heard is people whine and complain about WWE's use of Daniel Bryan.

Daniel Bryan is in the midst of one of the biggest pushes a sports entertainment company can give a performer. He appears on every Raw and Smackdown and has been given high-profile programs to do his thing that we see every time we turn our TVs to WWE programming. I would bet every performer in the company would love to have the exposure given Daniel.

Problem is, there are a large group of viewers who think he's being treated in shabby fashion because he isn't the world champion, which is incorrect. Just because his dialogue suggests he's being screwed out of the chance to win the title shouldn't indicate to anyone that he actually feels that way.

If management left him out of the Rumble match, remember this: he did have a significant role at the PPV; it's not as if he was left home during one of the most important events of the WWE year. I would imagine the powers-that-be have their reasons for leaving him out of the run-in main event; they're aware of how hot Daniel is now and most likely had something in mind when he was kept out of it.

But if anyone wants to quit watching WWE because Daniel Bryan was left out of the big match, then I doubt they would have stayed fans for long, anyway.

 

[Pedigree1]

No way in blue hell do i ever quit watching the WWE. I get it,we have been extremely disappointed especially seeing Daniel Bryan getting screwed over and over again. But Triple H,has brought back the Tag Team division from the dead. I think what the WWE is doing with Daniel Bryan is genius. When was the last time an ultimate underdog such as himself,constantly getting screwed again and again but still is hanging in there.

Kofi is due for a push,a major push. Hell we have Big E Langston,Roman Reigns whos future is unlimited and the Wyatt family. Of course over the years the product has changed,it had too it now has corporate sponsors it is responsible for..

Yes,we were all mad that batista won the Royal Rumble,we all saw it coming as soon as he was signed. Trips and steph,are fully aware how insanely popular Daniel Bryan is,and IMO he will have his WM moment. WWE through the bad times,awful times,great times we support them. Daniel Bryan,i cannot think of a time when a performer such as him,was receiving the push that he is. No other performer in history,has received the treatment he has or a major push at WM that is going to happen for him.

 

[streicher187]

Yes -

Haven't watched a full Raw since Triple Ego returned to TV and haven't watched any Smackdown in a couple years.. Found out you can skip 5 or 10 shows in a row and not miss anything. Same scripted speeches, same matches etc.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

No, most of us are healthy adults. You guys are the only nerds who act like your life can't continue without DB getting his title. We just like watching the best possible product, and DB being the champ is NOT the best possible product. However, him fighting the WWE machine IS the best possible product.

Whats wrong with nerds? Nerds are awesome they drive the passion of the product like no other whether its wrestling, movies, music, or videogames. And I am super proud of being a nerd or a geek but I also have a life outside Wrestling, I do my cardio, eat well, work, and go on vacations to see the world as much as I can.

Also how can Bryan being Champ is not the best possible product? Fans made themselves loud and clear they wanted Bryan. The only reason why the WWE hasn't made Bryan champ yet is because WWE is the only game in town.

If another promotion as big as the WWE existed they would have made him champ to avoid Bryan jumping ship to another company.

In the end of the day popularity is whats important not the "look", the "mic skills" or even the "charisma". This is how Hogan left AWA to join the WWE, Hogan was the most over guy in the AWA but Verne Gagne wouldn't make him Champion because he felt Hogan lacked the technical in ring skills of a Champion. They even teased a Hogan AWA Championship run but reverted it shortly after (sound familiar?). I am not saying Bryan will be as big as Hogan but the similarities are there.

Unfortunately the Wrestling world is the WWE world so unless that changes WWE listening to fans is going to be secondary.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Hahaha, these nerds who make up a large proportion of the IWC have nothing else in their life apart from Wrestling. Without it they simply exist.

They wont quit watching, they wont boycott the network, they wont do anything apart from moan, whinge, cry on internet message boards and social media platforms.

10 years ago there was uproar Triple H was hogging the limelight.
The last 10 years there is uproar John Cena is shoved down their throats.
Now there is uproar Daniel Bryan is being held back.

There is always something but they are still here and I bet 90% have moaned about these three things constantly.

Funny thing is, Ratings were much higher with HHH on top of the card and no one sells merchandise like Cena, probably why they held the spots they have as long as they have.

Also, if WWE immediately gave fans exactly what they want when they want it ratings would plummet, it would be the most boring, predictable show on earth and no one would watch.

Finally, did you see the RAW opening, the whole "Bryan Controversy" was the main focus of the show, even more than Randy Orton and the upcoming Elimination Chamber. WWE knew what they were doing, they wanted to keep the fans on the hook, waiting to see if their hero will prevail. In every fued the fan fav has to be held back, usually unfairly, and quite honestly they cant always win because if the villains never prevail then again, you have a boring, predictable product that no one will want to watch. You have to keep people guessing, tease them, give them pieces of what they want, and keep them hooked. Right now, Bryan is hotter than he ever would have been had he won the title last year.

Finally, just giving someone a "feel good moment" or title run doesn't guarantee a successful run. Benoit's title run was a flop, Sting's first run was a flop, the watered down, kid friendly version of HBK as champ was not as successful as people thought it would be. The champ has to have charisma and ability that resonates with average fans, not just die hards, and he has to have quality opponents to face to remain interesting (something that has more to do with the bookers than the champ). Randy Orton has done well in this climate although most of his work to date in this reign has been against proven superstar John Cena. We'll see where he goes from here.

As for Bryan, he doesn't need the title to get over and there is no guarantee he would remain as popular if he won it. We'll see where it all goes, but for now he's as hot as he's ever been

 

[MCMG]

Very few people will stop watching. Just because you are displeased about something doesn't mean you stop watching.

Fans complain about the product. That is inevitable. Talking about what happened/what should/could have happened is part of enjoying wrestling or any TV show for that matter.

 

[rokuma]

I actually gave up on WWE after last year's Wrestlemania. I was kind of excited after Wrestlemania and tried to watch a few more shows and simply lost interest. It's just so bland. The same crap, week after week. Plus, who could listen to Michael Cole and JBL for 3 hours plus every single week? It's awful. And WWE's insistence on shoving cheesy, lame John Cena down everyone's throat is ridiculous.

I did tune into the Royal Rumble match this Sunday (nothing else...I eat up the Rumble) Daniel Bryan, CM Punk are both fabulous wrestlers. So are Antonio Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, and a multitude of others, but I get why they aren't pushed, but Daniel Bryan? What is the point of burying him in an obscure storyline while pushing an inflated muscular dude, who was gassed within 15 minutes of participating in the Royal Rumble? I don't understand.

After I abandoned the WWE, I took my kids to a TNA BaseBrawl event, mostly because I exposed them to old WCW/WWF videos and they love Sting, who happened to be wrestling. Thought this might be the only chance to see him in person, so why not? The event was fantastic. I've always preferred TNA's kind of old-school style booking and in-ring excellence and after experiencing the most fan-friendly wrestling event I've ever been to, I've been watching TNA since that day. And guess what? I enjoy it. They aren't perfect, there's stuff that isn't great or annoying, but I actually enjoy watching what I'm watching. I don't feel frustrated and annoyed every time I turn off their show. I feel good about what I watched - entertaining matches, characters I care about, and a solid wrestling show.

This may not work for everyone, but I couldn't do it with WWE any longer. I may tune in for the Rumble match or Wrestlemania, but I won't be watching every week. My son wanted to watch it in the hospital recently and it was just horrendous to me. It reminded me of how glad I am that I watch TNA only. However, if Sting jumps to WWE...ugh...please don't jump, Sting. Please don't jump......

 

[d_henderson1810]

Daniel Bryan is in the midst of one of the biggest pushes a sports entertainment company can give a performer. He appears on every Raw and Smackdown and has been given high-profile programs to do his thing that we see every time we turn our TVs to WWE programming. I would bet every performer in the company would love to have the exposure given Daniel.

Problem is, there are a large group of viewers who think he's being treated in shabby fashion because he isn't the world champion, which is incorrect. Just because his dialogue suggests he's being screwed out of the chance to win the title shouldn't indicate to anyone that he actually feels that way.

If management left him out of the Rumble match, remember this: he did have a significant role at the PPV; it's not as if he was left home during one of the most important events of the WWE year. I would imagine the powers-that-be have their reasons for leaving him out of the run-in main event; they're aware of how hot Daniel is now and most likely had something in mind when he was kept out of it.

But if anyone wants to quit watching WWE because Daniel Bryan was left out of the big match, then I doubt they would have stayed fans for long, anyway.

You're right. Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Big Show and Cena were left out of the Rumble too. In fact, the only guys who "doubled up" were Goldust and Cody, but that was on a pre-show, and they were only in the Rumble to tease their dissention storyline.

In fact, if you do a study of past Royal Rumbles, you would see that if a superstar wrestled elsewhere on the card, they weren't in the Rumble as well. Few times did people double up (though it does has happened, when there is a storyline build for WM involving the superstar, or there is a smaller roster). The thinking being, it gives more people a chance to appear on PPV (for some, this will be their only PPV appearance this year).

If Bryan had not wrestled Bray Wyatt earlier in the night, then he most likely would have appeared in the Rumble match.

 

[The Brooklyn Baller]

Hey all, I've been reading the forums for a couple years so better late than never to join in the fun right?

I've been a fan over 30 years & back in the day....mid 80s....went to tons of live events. I watched consistently up until a couple years after the attitude era. Since then it's been more sporadic, checking out the big PPVs and catching RAW & SD every so often.

This whole Daniel Bryan situation actually has peaked my interest more than anything in recent memory, and I'm back to watching more rather than attempting something so silly as a boycott. I really don't see how that would have any affect. I'm loving the reaction. I haven't seen this much of a deal being made about a superstar since Punk's pipe bomb, and this is exponentially greater. Whether you like Bryan or not the guy is over in a way we haven't seen in quite a while, there's no denying it.

It will be cool to see how this all plays out. Forget the boycott, I'll be watching more now!

 

[justinept]

In fact, if you do a study of past Royal Rumbles, you would see that if a superstar wrestled elsewhere on the card, they weren't in the Rumble as well. Few times did people double up (though it does has happened, when there is a storyline build for WM involving the superstar, or there is a smaller roster).

That's not true at all. From 2010-13, there were 8 matches on the Royal Rumble undercard that weren't for the WWE Title, the WHC or the ECW Title. Those 8 matches featured a total of 16 superstars. Of those 16 superstars, 9 came back to wrestle in the Royal Rumble.

The lists includes guys like Cesaro, Miz, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes in 2013... R-Truth in 2011... Miz and MVP in 2010...

There were no angles that were furthered by the involvement of these guys - and the rosters had more than enough depth at the time.

The thing is that the WWE does what they feel like, and that's fine. Some years, they'll include guys on the undercard in the Rumble, other years they won't. There's not always a rhyme or reason to their madness. So this wasn't the reason Bryan was taken from the Rumble match ... and neither was yesterday's conveniently leaked story that it was part of a larger program.

The reason Bryan was left out of the Rumble was probably because the WWE thought Daniel Bryan getting eliminated would deflate the crowd, and thus take away from the thunderous ovation they expected Batista to get when he won. They probably felt the safest bet was to keep Bryan from the match altogether and hope people just wrote it off for exactly the reasons you are: no other superstars that wrestled on the under-card participated in the Rumble, and Bryan was no different.

Something tells me they misjudged the fans reaction badly.

 

[three count bout]

That's not true at all. From 2010-13, there were 8 matches on the Royal Rumble undercard that weren't for the WWE Title, the WHC or the ECW Title. Those 8 matches featured a total of 16 superstars. Of those 16 superstars, 9 came back to wrestle in the Royal Rumble.

The lists includes guys like Cesaro, Miz, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes in 2013... R-Truth in 2011... Miz and MVP in 2010...

There were no angles that were furthered by the involvement of these guys - and the rosters had more than enough depth at the time.

The thing is that the WWE does what they feel like, and that's fine. Some years, they'll include guys on the undercard in the Rumble, other years they won't. There's not always a rhyme or reason to their madness. So this wasn't the reason Bryan was taken from the Rumble match ... and neither was yesterday's conveniently leaked story that it was part of a larger program.

The reason Bryan was left out of the Rumble was probably because the WWE thought Daniel Bryan getting eliminated would deflate the crowd, and thus take away from the thunderous ovation they expected Batista to get when he won. They probably felt the safest bet was to keep Bryan from the match altogether and hope people just wrote it off for exactly the reasons you are: no other superstars that wrestled on the under-card participated in the Rumble, and Bryan was no different.

Something tells me they misjudged the fans reaction badly.

Correct again, justinept. I'm also sure they figured throwing a perennial top babyface in Rey Jr out last would ease some of the forthcoming negativity however they grossly misjudged that particular audiences fervor. In retrospect bringing Batista back wasn't a bad idea, he just happened to return during a period where someone is ridiculously over with the crowd who is relentless in their efforts to get him to have his big moment. WM will be interesting if they don't course correct soon.

 

[SrWilson]

If Bryan is not champion by extreme rules ppv im done I've had enough!!!!

CENA ORTON BATISTA HHH SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS its fucking 2014 MOVE ON!!!

Bryan vs Sheamus at mania is a fucking joke he should be in the title match I hope the WWE change that title match because the crowd is going to BURY Boretista and Boreton its all HHHs new real life Clique.

Fuck that shit!!! Make Bryan the champion and MOVE ON!!! dumb dumb dumb company.

And unlike others when I say im done I really will be I am a man of my word and nothing has fucked me off like this ever in 25 years of watching, we are STILL WAITING FOR BRYAN TO AVENGE THAT CASH IN instead hes been owned by the heels over and over with no Payoff whatsoever.

Seeing that mother fucker Cena trying to attach himself to Bryan too makes me sick fuck off Cena you stale twat!!

They never get my money anyway I stream ppvs fuck em only way I'll come back is when someone msgs me saying Bryan is now champion and the product has moved away from the same fuckers named above... which will be never probably!!!

Anyone else who feels like stopping watching too when time comes be a man of your word be a fucking man and stand by it.

Wish WWE had some competition and they would definatly listen to the fans for change then!

 

[Logisticalbooker86]

Once the WWE Network goes live I may consider it. Daniel Bryan is awesome, but my decision to stop watching would have nothing to do with him.

Three hour Raws are too long for my taste. After the opening segment, they all seem to follow the same basic formula every week with a few exceptions. This is not WWE's fault exclusively. Three hours is just too damn long for a wrestling show that airs every week.

The WWE network is very appealing to me. Especially the on-demand aspect.

 

[V Dogg]

I couldn't agree more with the OP. It will take something REALLY stupid on the WWE's part to make me quit watching.

 

[keith hall]

look I love wrestling....so even if I dislike the product I will still watch because its my favorite thing...

how many people dislike the Simpson's new episodes but continue to watch

 

[CaptainZaltan]

I've quit watching for the moment. And I've quit watching in the past. Sometimes for a few weeks, sometimes a few months, sometimes a year or more. As a wrestling fan, and with WWE being the only place to see some of my favorite wrestlers, it's hard to just flat out quit watching forever. Even when I've 'quit', I might watch a segment online, or catch a few minutes of RAW when my wife is watching it (although this time, she's more fed up with the product than I am). When it looks interesting, and more enjoyable than irritating, I might start watching whole shows again. Hell, I WANT to enjoy wrestling, as I'm a wrestling fan. But when it's the other way around, I'll do something else. Prior to last week, I hadn't watched a full episode of RAW or Smackdown in months.

One thing I have quit cold turkey, is giving my money to the WWE. I don't buy PPV's anymore, because they aren't worth the investment. And I'm not a person who has a problem paying for a quality product; I've bought plenty of shows in the past, and would gladly do so again if I was enjoying the product or wanted to support a particular main event. I was considering getting the WWE network if there was any indication that the WWE was going to start listening to it's fans (and DB is a symptom of that much greater problem), but there hasn't been such an indication, so I won't. The WWE can't air a 60 dollar ppv without filling it with commercials, and they can't air a 3 hour episode of RAW without filling it with product placements in addition to the other commercial blocks. Why would anyone pay for an entire network of content from a company that nickle and dimes them at every available opportunity, and still fails to give them anything they want to see?

 

[Best in the World]

I just find it now to be all apart of the criticism and heat of the moment kind of thing really. People get so frustrated that they really want to quit watching, but each time they get drawn back in the next week. People I know refer to it as "a car crash you can't stop looking at", which I could kind of get if you're speaking on a personal level.

Which I get, because you know, you get frustrated, you get mad, you don't like something, you just say I give up. I equate it a lot to a video game, you get so frustrated because you can't do something, then you stop playing, give it a couple days, you go in with a clearer head and then you do it. Raw is a lot like that, for the majority that tend to only watch Raw, you go into it one week, you hate something that happened, you say "I QUIT" then you're back next week after you've cleared you mind.

With PPV's it's really more along the lines of, you watch it, hate it and then you watch it the next night to see just what happens after it, who knows? Maybe there will be another feud set you might be interested in seeing? Or have been wanting to see? Royal Rumble was a perfect example, you watched it, hated it but then you watched the next night and look at that, someone you might like is now suddenly in the main event of the Elimination Chamber PPV, and in the Elimination PPV for the title?

I just think people tend to jump the gun on it, I love wrestling personally, been a fan for many years in fact, and I have enjoyed, sure some things I didn't like, but I'm willing to give them a chance just to see what they'll do.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Funny thing is, Ratings were much higher with HHH on top of the card and no one sells merchandise like Cena, probably why they held the spots they have as long as they have.

Also, if WWE immediately gave fans exactly what they want when they want it ratings would plummet, it would be the most boring, predictable show on earth and no one would watch.

Finally, did you see the RAW opening, the whole "Bryan Controversy" was the main focus of the show, even more than Randy Orton and the upcoming Elimination Chamber. WWE knew what they were doing, they wanted to keep the fans on the hook, waiting to see if their hero will prevail. In every fued the fan fav has to be held back, usually unfairly, and quite honestly they cant always win because if the villains never prevail then again, you have a boring, predictable product that no one will want to watch. You have to keep people guessing, tease them, give them pieces of what they want, and keep them hooked. Right now, Bryan is hotter than he ever would have been had he won the title last year.

Finally, just giving someone a "feel good moment" or title run doesn't guarantee a successful run. Benoit's title run was a flop, Sting's first run was a flop, the watered down, kid friendly version of HBK as champ was not as successful as people thought it would be. The champ has to have charisma and ability that resonates with average fans, not just die hards, and he has to have quality opponents to face to remain interesting (something that has more to do with the bookers than the champ). Randy Orton has done well in this climate although most of his work to date in this reign has been against proven superstar John Cena. We'll see where he goes from here.

As for Bryan, he doesn't need the title to get over and there is no guarantee he would remain as popular if he won it. We'll see where it all goes, but for now he's as hot as he's ever been

You see, you're right, and I think that the fans have been spoiled, because they think every superstar persecuted by authority should prevail constantly.

Look at Austin-McMahon feud. Far from being held down, Austin came out of the feud on top, nine times out of ten. The only times Mr McMahon got one over on Austin was the 1999 Royal Rumble, the Higher Power reveal, and one night on Raw when McMahon pinned an exhausted Austin in a Gauntlet, and then spat beer in his face, as Raw went off the air. Every other time, Austin has been standing victorious over a stunned Mr McMahon or one of his lackeys.

So, now, in this rehash of the McMahon-Austin feud (Triple H is McMahon, Bryan as Austin), the fans expect their hero to end every show standing over a prone Triple H, instead of being screwed constantly, only to finally prevail.

 

[three count bout]

You see, you're right, and I think that the fans have been spoiled, because they think every superstar persecuted by authority should prevail constantly.

Look at Austin-McMahon feud. Far from being held down, Austin came out of the feud on top, nine times out of ten. The only times Mr McMahon got one over on Austin was the 1999 Royal Rumble, the Higher Power reveal, and one night on Raw when McMahon pinned an exhausted Austin in a Gauntlet, and then spat beer in his face, as Raw went off the air. Every other time, Austin has been standing victorious over a stunned Mr McMahon or one of his lackeys.

So, now, in this rehash of the McMahon-Austin feud (Triple H is McMahon, Bryan as Austin), the fans expect their hero to end every show standing over a prone Triple H, instead of being screwed , only to finally prevail.

No the fans wanted the most over guy in the company to fight in the rr

 

[Tyler44]

I haven't watched WWE regularly in 8 years, but now I'm starting to tune in because I admire what WWE is doing with this storyline.

They are playing off the crowd and the IWC so well. You people are eating this up and reacting exactly how they want you to. Daniel Bryan is not being held back, as he is clearly the main attraction the show. WWE knows this. It is their plan.

Mick Foley tweeting about it? Daniel Bryan's tweet about it? HHH and Stephanie mentioning him being held back in a promo? Daniel Bryan raving about it on his twitter and in a promo? Come on people, you're better than that.

The storyline is holding Daniel Bryan back and is setting up for his Wrestlemania match. They will keep putting this off and making a bigger and bigger buzz and reaction out of you guys so for when he wins at Wrestlemania, the place explodes and is the most prominent "YES" chant yet.

I don't know what the initial plan is, but plan on seeing Daniel Bryan win the title at Wrestlemania.

 

[Pylon]

I've started watching a bit more because of the new talent. Nice to see the picture change. Seeing the NAO with the PG restrictions on them just looks kinda sad.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I DVR RAW and watch it in maybe 20/25 minutes tops. I stop on the people I like to watch and skip the rest. So no I am not going to stop watching the twenty minutes that I like.

As for Bryan, he doesn't need the title to get over and there is no guarantee he would remain as popular if he won it. We'll see where it all goes, but for now he's as hot as he's ever been

This is wrong because the point of the push is Bryan winning the title. If he doesn't the whole Bryan storyline is a failure. He has to overcome those holding him down or he comes out of it looking weak.

 

[enviousdominous]

Your thread is a complaint regarding how fans that disgust you don't use their free-time for anything more productive than complaining. Will I purchase the WWE Network even though I'm of the opinion that the WWE creative team would do a hell of a better job if they were all replaced with brain damaged parrots? Umm, no. I have this thing called the internet, it produces literally any form of electronic media I may ever desire. If I want to watch an old WWE PPV that badly, I can pay three dollars and watch it online without being a cheap-skate.

I threw a fit over the use of Joe Hennig as Heyman's new "it" guy and swore that I was done with pro-wrestling. Daniel Bryan renewed my faith in it, and I'll admit made a liar out of me. I honestly don't care that Daniel Bryan didn't win the Rumble or his match. Daniel Bryan was used for an awesome match that was granted an ample amount of time to show off his skills. For that, I'm happy and honestly have no complaints in regard to his usage. Just put him on the card and give him time, that's all I ask.

 

[lowandmighty]

I like this thread and I think its true that some fans are addicted to WWE these days as if it were a drug.
At the same time I think lots of people particularly in the IWC actually like complaining. People love to bitch about who's not getting pushed enough and even about who should have been pushed 20-30 years ago but never did.
Even I get complaint messages and negative reps from people who's favourite wrestler I've shared an opinion on as if it even matters at all what I say.

I think these are lost soul wrestling fans, I mean they have nowhere else to go apart from haunt the wwe and its easy to do since WWE is so more accessible than any other wrestling companies now days.

WWE is everywhere. They have so many shows now plus the internet with so much content on the WWE website, their own apps, videogames and so many of them. I can see how its easy to get addicted.

Even I'm addicted but I'm still high on what I'm seeing probably because I don't have a favourite wrestler to complain about not winning enough.

I'd love to see these people complain with their actions and support a different wrestling company, I'd love for another wrestling company to grow. Thats what would make WWE better because there would be an actual threat.