State of the WWE

[NYSandman]

Note that these are just opinions. If you disagree with anything, then that’s what these boards are for. Discussion.

I’m starting to really lose interest in the WWE. It seems that in the past few years, nothing very revolutionary has happened. It’s just the same old thing, week after week. I’ve noticed that, like a soap opera, I can go two weeks without watching Raw or Smackdown, and then still know exactly what is going on. Perhaps, just like in the movie industry, so much has been done already that the WWE just can’t think of anything it hasn’t done before. Like all the remakes that are being made.

Every time something new happens, like Orton winning the title, things are switched back to the old standard. We are again faced with the fact that John Cena most likely will win the WWE title, again. We will then have to deal with that until Wrestlemania, when Cena will prevail, again!

Even though the fans do not react to Cena as a babyface, and even though this whole thing with Orton has been done again and again, we have this match one more time. Hating a wrestler is fine, if they are SUPPOSED to be hated. Cena is supposed to be a Hulk Hogan like entity, yet he is universally booed out of every arena.

We have been stuck in storyline rut for months, with Vince having matches with a midget, and having a midget win some matches. We have been given storylines that lead nowhere, like the “limo” storyline. Granted, Benoit had a lot to do with that one being aborted, but still.

We’ve seen, time and time again, old things that worked scrapped. ECW, which had a rabid fan base, and which provided something different, has been murdered and left bleeding in the dust. We’ve heard the excuses of guys getting hurt too much while engaging in the “old” ECW style, but that seems like bullshit. Years ago, Vince had a huge opportunity when he took over WCW, and it seems that was ruined as well. Maybe Vince enjoys ruining his old competition.

We had a Royal Rumble in which 29 wrestlers had to step aside for a guy who has been gone for months, and who drew number 30. I am not bashing Cena in this thread, but it has gone too far for me now.

We are forced, week after week, to watch Ric Flair. Flair is, without a doubt, one of the greatest of all time, a man who deserves to be respected and honored for years of super quality wrestling. But, he cannot wrestle anymore, and seeing him is quite frankly painful. 1,000,000 chops and a ball shot is not my idea of entertainment.

Men who cannot wrestle, like Khali, are continued on as main eventers, even though they stink up every arena they are in.

And, doesn’t it seem that it’s been the same shit for years now? Like there has been no progression, no forward momentum, no changes.

I’ve started watching TNA, and quite frankly enjoy it. It is different, and new things are being done. Even though the production quality does not match Vince’s, it is new and exciting to me simply because it is DIFFERENT.

If you notice, most of this started when WCW and ECW went out. Vince knows he’s really the only game in town, and competition IS healthy. Even Jim Ross has said this. It also seems that the WWE no longer heeds the calls of the fans like it used to. PEOPLE ARE SICK OF CENA! Again, I go back to this simply because it is the best example. PEOPLE DON’T LIKE SNITSKY! PEOPLE DON’T LIKE KHALI! Years ago, if a babyface was booed, he was out of a job. No more.

What is the solution? There is none. Fans will not stop watching, and new, younger fans who don’t know what it was like will watch because they don’t know what they’ve missed.

They’ve missed Hogan turning on the world. They’ve missed Austin and Vince going to war. They’ve missed the NWO, the original DX, the four horsemen, Hulk Hogan in his glory days, Savage and Steamboat defying physics, Mick Foley flying off a steel cage twice in one night, Snuka flying like an eagle, Ultimate Warriors lackluster wrestling but incredible excitement, and all the other things I remember fondly. It may be we have to adjust as fans, or it may be that we will one day lose interest in this great sport.

Just a rant I felt like going on.

 

[MattMoses]

I’m starting to really lose interest in the WWE. It seems that in the past few years, nothing very revolutionary has happened.

Nothing revolutionary hasn't happened in the wrestling business for quite some time now. And with the current state of wrestling, I wouldn't expect anything revolutionary to happen for a while.

Every time something new happens, like Orton winning the title, things are switched back to the old standard. We are again faced with the fact that John Cena most likely will win the WWE title, again. We will then have to deal with that until Wrestlemania, when Cena will prevail, again!

Indeed. If we see another year long Cena run, things are going to get a little stale. Who on the RAW brand hasn't feuded with Cena yet? I'm hoping for a draft not long after WrestleMania, it will give me hope for some fresh feuds. Cena and Taker would be a great one.

Even though the fans do not react to him as a heel, and even though this whole thing with Orton has been done again and again, we have this match one more time. Hating a wrestler is fine, if they are SUPPOSED to be hated. Cena is supposed to be a Hulk Hogan like entity, yet he is universally booed out of every arena.

I wouldn't call it 'universally booed', but he does recieve his fair share of booing. At least he can still incite some form of reaction from the crowds.

We have been stuck in storyline rut for months, with Vince having matches with a midget, and having a midget win some matches. We have been given storylines that lead nowhere, like the “limo” storyline. Granted, Benoit had a lot to do with that one being aborted, but still.

Yes, some of the storylines over the past few years have been very weak. There's definately some kind of rut within the WWE writers, because some of their material has become very questional, bizarre and worthless. It seems the meaning of progression flew out of their vocabulary.

We had a Royal Rumble in which 29 wrestlers had to step aside for a guy who has been gone for months, and who drew number 30. I am not bashing Cena in this thread, but it has gone too far for me now.

Cena can't be blamed for that, it's the bookers fault. As a casual Cena fan, I can't say I was too happy with it myself, and don't agree with the decision the WWE made at all. But it still provided us with a great suprise, which most of us thinking Cena was the last person to make an appearance.

We are forced, week after week, to watch Ric Flair. Flair is, without a doubt, one of the greatest of all time, a man who deserves to be respected and honored for years of super quality wrestling. But, he cannot wrestle anymore, and seeing him is quite frankly painful. 1,000,000 chops and a ball shot is not my idea of entertainment.

While I agree his in ring work has become more the lackluster, the man is still wanted to be seen by the fans. He gets quite strong, positive reactions from them, and I, for one, still enjoy seeing Mr. Flair on TV.

I think he'd be much better as an authority figure or playing a managerial role opposed to still being a regular in ring worker.

Men who cannot wrestle, like Khali, are continued on as main eventers, even though they stink up every arena they are in.

I see him more as a stand in for lack of main event heels. Yes, he's crap in the ring, but he fulfils the role as a dominant heel.

If you notice, most of this started when WCW and ECW went out. Vince knows he’s really the only game in town, and competition IS healthy. Even Jim Ross has said this.

That's one major factor I'd say contributes to the WWE's entertainment quality as of late - lack of competition. They aren't motivated to better themselves every week to try new, different things, unlike 10 years ago.

What is the solution? There is none. Fans will not stop watching, and new, younger fans who don’t know what it was like will watch because they don’t know what they’ve missed.

The solution would be competiton. But we all know that's years off happening. TNA, the WWE's only possible threat in the future, has a hell of a long way to go before they can provide in any shape or form competition to them.

 

[rKo0019]

I agree with you NYSandman, the WWE seems to be in a rut as of late. Not financially, as we all know they are earning some big bucks. Creatively, they are mediocre.
I really haven't been excited about the WWE product since the beginning of the Invasion angle, and we all know that was handled very poorly. I have still watched it for the last 7 or so years, but not with as much interest. the main reason I got into wrestling was because of WCW. This is not a knock at all to WWE, but it was the ALTERNATIVE, something DIFFERENT.
The same thing applies to TNA. I have missed the last couple of weeks of Impact, and have been kicking myself fo doing so. But I am hardly saddened when I miss Raw (I hardly ever watch ECW or SmackDown). I guess it all comes back to the point that competition = good thing. Hopefully TNA will grow, exponentially or not, so we wrestling fans can see another boom in the business.

 

[CenaIsBetterThanYou]

Note that these are just opinions. If you disagree with anything, then that’s what these boards are for. Discussion.

I’m starting to really lose interest in the WWE. It seems that in the past few years, nothing very revolutionary has happened. It’s just the same old thing, week after week. I’ve noticed that, like a soap opera, I can go two weeks without watching Raw or Smackdown, and then still know exactly what is going on. Perhaps, just like in the movie industry, so much has been done already that the WWE just can’t think of anything it hasn’t done before. Like all the remakes that are being made.

Every time something new happens, like Orton winning the title, things are switched back to the old standard. We are again faced with the fact that John Cena most likely will win the WWE title, again. We will then have to deal with that until Wrestlemania, when Cena will prevail, again!

Even though the fans do not react to Cena as a babyface, and even though this whole thing with Orton has been done again and again, we have this match one more time. Hating a wrestler is fine, if they are SUPPOSED to be hated. Cena is supposed to be a Hulk Hogan like entity, yet he is universally booed out of every arena.

We have been stuck in storyline rut for months, with Vince having matches with a midget, and having a midget win some matches. We have been given storylines that lead nowhere, like the “limo” storyline. Granted, Benoit had a lot to do with that one being aborted, but still.

We’ve seen, time and time again, old things that worked scrapped. ECW, which had a rabid fan base, and which provided something different, has been murdered and left bleeding in the dust. We’ve heard the excuses of guys getting hurt too much while engaging in the “old” ECW style, but that seems like bullshit. Years ago, Vince had a huge opportunity when he took over WCW, and it seems that was ruined as well. Maybe Vince enjoys ruining his old competition.

We had a Royal Rumble in which 29 wrestlers had to step aside for a guy who has been gone for months, and who drew number 30. I am not bashing Cena in this thread, but it has gone too far for me now.

We are forced, week after week, to watch Ric Flair. Flair is, without a doubt, one of the greatest of all time, a man who deserves to be respected and honored for years of super quality wrestling. But, he cannot wrestle anymore, and seeing him is quite frankly painful. 1,000,000 chops and a ball shot is not my idea of entertainment.

Men who cannot wrestle, like Khali, are continued on as main eventers, even though they stink up every arena they are in.

And, doesn’t it seem that it’s been the same shit for years now? Like there has been no progression, no forward momentum, no changes.

I’ve started watching TNA, and quite frankly enjoy it. It is different, and new things are being done. Even though the production quality does not match Vince’s, it is new and exciting to me simply because it is DIFFERENT.

If you notice, most of this started when WCW and ECW went out. Vince knows he’s really the only game in town, and competition IS healthy. Even Jim Ross has said this. It also seems that the WWE no longer heeds the calls of the fans like it used to. PEOPLE ARE SICK OF CENA! Again, I go back to this simply because it is the best example. PEOPLE DON’T LIKE SNITSKY! PEOPLE DON’T LIKE KHALI! Years ago, if a babyface was booed, he was out of a job. No more.

What is the solution? There is none. Fans will not stop watching, and new, younger fans who don’t know what it was like will watch because they don’t know what they’ve missed.

They’ve missed Hogan turning on the world. They’ve missed Austin and Vince going to war. They’ve missed the NWO, the original DX, the four horsemen, Hulk Hogan in his glory days, Savage and Steamboat defying physics, Mick Foley flying off a steel cage twice in one night, Snuka flying like an eagle, Ultimate Warriors lackluster wrestling but incredible excitement, and all the other things I remember fondly. It may be we have to adjust as fans, or it may be that we will one day lose interest in this great sport.

Just a rant I felt like going on.

This thread annoys me greatly. It is nothing I haven't heard at least a hundred times. It is turning into a bandwagon now. These days people say and do things just to look cool. I wanna make a couple of quick points:

1) WWE has done a lot since WCW fell through in 2001. They generated a whole new generation of superstars to replace the likes of Austin and The Rock. This new generation includes Cena, Orton, Kennedy, Edge, etc. They created a lot of good (and bad) storylines, came up with some new match types (Elimination Chamber, Ambulance, Punjabi Prison, Carriage, etc), have come up with new concepts (ex: MITB), and have found different methods to appeal to the general audience. And as much as wrestling marks here hate it those methods are working.

2) I remember Hogan "turning on the world," DX, Steamboat Vs Savage, and even The 4 Horsemen. I also remember The Evolution (quite possibly the best stable of all times), ECW 1 Night Stand, the return of HBK, Rock Vs Hogan, etc.

3) Stop bagging on Cena. He is the best thing WWE has going and I'll tell you why. The 8-13 yr olds love him and the smarks hate him. He gets a loud reaction no matter where he goes or what he does. And these 8-13 yr olds will be 18-23 yr olds in 10 years and believe me, they will still cheer for him.

 

[dancing monkey]

I understand the points that have been made so far on this thread but I myself have a few problems with the WWE right now. I thought I was the only one to notice that the same wrestlers were fighting each other over and over agaiin. Also I think that belts are being held for over extended periods of time and therefore making them irrelevent. The biggest problem right now with the WWE is the brand split. There is just not enough wrestlers to go around anymore in order to make it competitive. You have Batista in every championship title fight since Summerslam. MVP has held the US belt for almost a year and rarely defends it (although I suppose he will when Hardy comes back). The US title has become a joke. The cruiserweight title disappeared and an ECW tage team is holding the WWE Tag Title. Vince should get rid of ECW and distribute the wrestlers equally between Raw and Smackdown. Also it should be manditory for a title to be defended within 30 days or the wrestler risks forfeiting it. The last point I will make is Vince should stay out of the ring and start managing his company properly. Maybe if he wasn't in the ring all the time he could stand back and see what's going on and make the changes required to keep the WWE going.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

WWE is perfectly fine, ratings are lower than the Tude era, SO WHAT, those numbers were enormous. Plus, there are more channels now, more channels means more options, also, Tivo, which means more people will record and watch something else, plus the internet, which means more people can watch shows on the internet.

By all my estimations, WWE still sells a shitton of merch, especially Cena shirts to kids, Globally, they seem as strong as ever also.

They aren't in a funk at all, they're just leveled out. Nothing revolutionary, but they've changed, they're building a base again. Remember, Hogan was a kid guy too, then when those kids got older, they turned to more edgy programming, I'm inclined to believe that WWE is trying to make a cycle of kid-teen-adult, kid-teen-adult and keep the same viewers as time goes on.

Also, the wrestling isn't THAT bad at all. Cena is underrated and getting the best reactions of anyone in at least 5 years consistently, they're buy rates are still big, Wrestlemania drew 80,000 last year and will likely draw 100,000 again this year.


WWE is in great shape, are they putting on IWC style shows no, but why would they, that doesn't sell and they have never done that. I dont' want things to be like the attitude era, the wrestling was worse than it is today and the storylines were even more out there. Entertainment sells more than sport, and that's why WWE does what they do, and why they're still a very healthy company today.


I mean Jesus, the heading on the WZ main page made it sound like Raw did horrible ratings, news to some maybe, but a 3.4 ISN'T horrible, it's very solid and WWE has been consistently drawing mid 3's-4's for the past 3-4 years. WWE is in no trouble of failing. Plus, they've built a whole new group of able main eventers and appear to be grooming more.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

NYSandman, I agree with everything you said in your first post, except for one thing, and that's TNA being a nice alternative.

I have tried watching TNA several times, and I just can't stand it. The commentators remind me of some lackluster developmental program, where a guy walking into the ring gets an "OH MY GOD LOOK AT THAT WALKING!" kind of reaction. There are a few wrestlers that have a lot of talent...AJ Styles being one of them...but at the same time, there are a lot that are just worn out and boring. Do I really want to see an overweight Goldust 3.0 with an infatuation with a rat? You do say the production quality is lower, which I obviously have to agree with, even in terms of the entrances. And as far as storylines go, they aren't doing anything to be proud of or anything revolutionary either. I mean...Judas vs Abyss....they're related in a brother format, Judas's manager is related, they have slightly demonic gimmicks, etc. Doesn't that ring a bell when you remember the whole Kane/Undertaker/Paul Bearer angle?

WWE's definitely suffering from a Creative brain fart right now, but I don't think anybody in TNA has the answers. I think one of WWE's main problems is HHH. Now, the guy's been a great performer, but we all know he manipulates what goes on in the company in favor for himself and those he likes as opposed to what the fans want. Hopefully, with the draft and post-Wrestlemania shift that seems to happen every year, they can start cleaning things up and moving back into the right direction.

 

[Audioslave]

The major difference between WWE and TNA is that I can actually follow WWE from week to week and TNA seems to do the whole Crash TV (mutated with a surplus of ridiculous) thing even though that style of wrestling television died out years ago and it stopped being effective after Russo left WWF. Maybe even before, I dunno.

Kreski brought a new era of sense to the booking, even if they made quite a bit of a lot of mistakes since then (not pushing Jericho and RVD to the moon to fill the gap left by Austin/Rock being chief among them). Everything has a point A and point B and they generally progress logically.

TNA is a WHOLE other ballgame. I don't even think that THEY know what they're doing, no less the fans that watch it.

All I think the WWE needs is that overarching storyline that encompasses some of their top stars and elevates some of their younger guys. What that'd be, I don't know. I think they suffer from the fact that Stone Cold is too injured to come back, because I figure if they had him in the fray things would be a bit better. Maybe.

 

[caster troy]

your joking right. 80000 people. the last time we go more than 80000 people at wrestlemania was about fucking 20 years ago. vince lied about the revenue capacity. he told lilian garcia purposely. there was only like 67000 people.

 

[Ropow]

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the new storylines, they are semi-appealing. I remember when I was younger and was just entranced with the story lines, but now a days I just can't seem to get into them like I used to.

Personally, I think what would make the show more interesting is if they use Steph's pregnancy as a publicity stunt. Use this to bring to terms Triple H and Steph as a real life couple, only as if they'd been having a secret affair behind Vince's back, brings back the Mcmahon family back into the WWE,

 

[figure4]

Creatively, WWE is in a rut. One reason is becasue 2007 was a rough year, barring the steroids issues, multiple injuries (including to the company's top star), and not to mention a certain wrestler killing himself and his family. I think a couple of things need to happen in order for WWE to be more enjoyable. Granted, I've come to grips with the fact that we will probably never see another Attitude era, but I think a few changes would be for the better.

First, Vince McMahon needs to get off of TV. Honestly, the last time he wasn't domnating RAW with his ridiculous stroylines (back in 2005), the product didn't seem as stale as it is now. Granted, Hornswoggle is kinda funny and over with the fans, but McMahon's constant prescence and long, boring segments make RAW unbearable sometimes.

Next, creative needs to stop murdering the "other" championships on both shows. Back in the day, the Intercontinental champion was considered the second best wrestler in the business. The belt had more integrity and meaning, and the feuds centered around the belt were important programs for rising stars on the roster. Now, the IC belt (and U.S. Title belt) mean absolutely nothing. The same principle applies to the Tag Team belts. FANS ENJOY TAG TEAM WRESTLING! So why is it that the tag team division is so meaningless nowadays?

Third, SmackDown and ECW should be taken more seriously. I know RAW is the money-maker of the WWE, but the shows they put on Tuesdays and Fridays should at least be watchable. Those shows have no sort of innovation, whatsoever. I mean, C.M. Punk and Chavo do not have to fight EVERY SINGLE WEEK, do they? Nor do Batista and Mark Henry/Big Daddy V. It's the same boring stuff every single week. WWE can do better than that. They have enough talent to produce three enjoyable programs every week.

I could list a lot more things but I feel like I've ranted enough.

 

[Curry Man]

God, do I ever hate WWE right now. It seems anyone with a gimmick doesn't go anywhere, but anyone who isn't a redneck or a guy stuck in the 50's actually gets a title shot.

And Big Daddy V? Just another fat guy jammed into a suit that's 2 sizes too small.

They need to change their ways, do what TNA's doing, dip into the talent pool of some indy feds, or some japanese feds.

 

[ryantheking07]

Anyone remember the days back in 2002 and 2003, when Smackdown was actually good?..(I'm not including the earlier days of Smackdown, even though they were some of the best times ever). I think back in 2002 and 2003and perhaps 2004 Smackdown was taken VERY seriously, and I actually prefered it to Raw, I mean back then the cruiserweight divison was intact with great talents, now the title has been vacated, and we're forced to see Vicki Guerrero (God bless her and Eddie, but I don't think she needs to be on TV) on tv with Edge fighting Batista or Rey Rey for the 8th hundred time, or even Rey Rey/Batista taking on Mark Henry or Big Daddy V, the only reason I still tune into Smackdown to this day is cause of Taker' honestly, and it depends if they have a good card worth watching. Now since we can't unfortunately go back to 4-5-6 years ago, I think what WWE needs to do, is...Get rid of Khali, or atleast make him an enforcer/non wrestler. Change Cena's gimmick..Because when it all comes down to it, is is CREATIVE that controls who does what, etc, unless you're Hogan and have creative control over everything, get rid of ECW (Please, just let the original company rest in piece, it will never be able to be duplicated no matter how hard you try), start pushing some of the mid carders that have worked their butts off and perhaps give them runs with the title, guys like Matt and Jeff deserve it, I'd like to see Stevie Richards get some kind of title shot for all that he's done for this business, even Tommy too, and a lot of other guys. I say either drop the brand extension as well, or keep it, but switch all wrestlers onto either Raw or Smackdown via draft, and then have interbrand matches anytime they choose, or appear on either show (Like how ECW and Smackdown have a current "Talent Exchange Program). I think doing these things might help WWE a lil bit, but eh idk. It'd be nice if Ring of Honor got a cable deal..and I mean cable as in like WWE programming, on USA, FOX, etc, cause not a lot of people have the money to pay for PPV shows, or etc. At least, I don't =P.

 

[Curry Man]

Yeah, I miss the Rock-days of Smackdown. And not only on SD, but on Raw, like when Eric Bischoff introduced him as the best wrestler, then they showed that weird cutscene of the plane flying overhead, then his music hit and he walked out, or when Mick Foley said "I said I was coming to RAW, but I wasn't coming alone".....then you heard "IF YA SMELLLL-L-L-L-L" and out BLASTS the Rock, down the ramp, and runs in and starts wailing on Randy Orton, Ric Flair and Batista. He nails Flair a few times, does a strut, then wails on Ric, sending him out of the ring.

JR: Orton's so scared, he forgot to wet himself!

I miss those days.

 

[mr zbow]

they need to shake up the rosters a lot at the next draft. And they need to make some significant changes. No one cares if Khali (for example) gets moved around because he sucks. They should move HBK to SD and move Taker to RAW. If i am not mistaken both HBK and Taker have been on their respective brands for 5-6 years and they are running out of rivalries on their brands. Turn HHH heel after he wins the title at mania and have Taker feud with him. They should shove ECW up everyones candy asses and get rid of it because it is a waste of 1 hour. and if they're not going to do that then they should give them all the cruiserweight stars (rey, chavo, super crazy, jimmy wang yang, jamie noble, shannon moore etc) and the cruiserweight title. I dont know about anyone else but i personally love watching lucha libre. This might be a bit 'out there' but reinstate the hardcore title (with the 24/7 rule) and let guys like JBL, Y2J, the hardys (maybe), dreamer, stevie richards, balls Mahoney etc beat the hell out of eachother.

 

[D.Miller]

Perceiving WWE's uppermost issues over the years, causing the eventual dying interest within most eyes of the wrestling fanatics, I'd say for starters, the demise of WWF, WCW and ECW as stiff had competition motivated the programming. The remaining aging Attitude Era Superstars that which some have dispersed to other federations and the WWE remainers who are beginning to slowly get tired to watch in and out a week, though they still somewhat deliver, and perpetuate the WWE. The sheer predictable of outcomes and futuristic events. The coveted championships belts either not pledged in contests or given to the wrong people, stripping away any credibility it once had. Nothing is revolutionary, or new, or something seen for the first time and feuds aren't exactly up to par. The new generation of wrestlers in which ceases to offer satisfaction of entertainment, in my opinion, but maybe Batista and John Cena, a person I'm not too a fan of and some can say the same. That's my take.

 

[SpiralHands]

Im actually not minding the WWE at the moment, but granted it will never be as good as the Austin, Rock Aittitude days but lets face it guys thats well behind and will remain that way. I think one of the reasons I like WWE is because TNA is so bad, I look at WWE and the production apart from anything else and the prestige it has just makes me like it even more. But I do admit that the Intercontinetel as well as the Tag belts are now wasted. I mean when watching Raw, they focus on the top 6 stars, the main event of that evening and Vinny Mac. I mean all the other matches just feel like fill matches, to give the crowd something to do before the main event. They really need to develop feuds with the mid card guys and tag team division. Them matches should all be top quality and they aint.

I also think Smackdown and ECW is dredful, they have so much talent but seems like they think, well Raw makes us money no one really watches Smackdown so we can do whatever we want, its a joke show. They need to stop the two brands I think and make people want to watch Smackdown and ECW by giving them a cliff hanger on Raw.

But giving TNAs current product WWE seems like a god.

 

[lapel8533]

Vince runs a business just like any other business, like selling T-shirts, being a street vender, a hot dog stand guru etc. Only his business is a gillion times more greater. But ultimately it boils down to the same concepts as any other business, "I sell you buy." His business is doing great, he is still making a lot of money every year and that's all that really matters. He is still rich and is staying rich. What he is doing with the wwe is good enough. He's fine and the fans that watch are fine, maybe not all of them but most of them are doing ok. He is showing no signs of becoming homeless anytime soon. This idea that the wwe is going down and "is about to be put out of business real soon" is hogwash. That same thing has been said for the past 3 years and nothing has happen. People who hang out on message boards are the majority of the complainers and have created there own world in there own reality in there own heads while the majority of people who show up at events and watch at home are the real normal fans.

 

[mattropolis]

WWE is weak right now no doubt. Watching Smackdown in particular bores the pants off me. I hate the vault matches too, a clear sign that the entire system is being stretched too thin. I mean I get the *point* but it's lame.
I'd like Taker to go to Raw and as someone mentioned around here not long ago the titles should be on the line at Raw/Smackdown main events more often not just PPV's. For a while I just read recaps online before PPV's without even watching the weekly shows, it just wasn't worth it.

As for TNA, it sure seems like a mess sometimes but compared to watching WWE programming that's more predictable than the alphabet, I consider it a breath of fresh air.

 

[RKO Orton]

I actually think that the WWE is looking pretty good right now. Yes, all of the wrestlers possible are being suspected of taking steroids, but, only a select few have actually been suspended. I believe Vince has told the guys to tone it down on the juice so they aren't under that steroid cloud anymore.

As for the wrestling standpoint, it couldn't look any greater. Their best selling superstar (Cena) came back about 8 months early, they are getting mainstream exposure because of Mayweather, and are really lacking in any type of competiton. (Sorry TNA, but a 1.1 rating per week doesn't result in competiton.) Sure, they may have lost some huge superstars to TNA (Angle, Christian, ect.) but that may have led to the push of guys like MVP, Jeff Hardy, Umaga, ect. So it wasn't a terrible thing that they lost those guys to TNA.

Right now, the WWE looks pretty decent and will be on for possibly a few more decades.

 

[Saiquan]

I agree with your threadd completly. I ask people do they watch wrestling and you know what they say "i used watch it back in like 1999-2001" Why do you think they say that o maybe becuz shit used to happen back then. You couldn't predict a damn thing back then. Now i can tell you what will happen every week on raw, the next pay per view, and who will be the champion after that pay per view. I dont watch impact becuz i dont like thier ring.

 

[SCSA31693]

This post is really throwing it out there but its just what id like to see.
After mania when HHH has the title and Taker has his title end the seperate brands, have taker and hunter fued over each title, bring back the undisputed title, or have it just the wwe title and have everyone on every show. this way theres fresh rivalries more superstar power on each show. eliminate ecw but not the show just the name. bring heat back to tv, and have the guys who arent ready for the big dogs flaunt what they got on that show.
I honestly think the brand split is killing the wwe, i garuntee ratings would blow up if that ended, the fans would wanna see thier favorite guys on both SD! nd Raw.
Having the 2 big titles is too much. have 1 superior title.
keep the IC and United states title since the US title can make up for the cruserwieght title.
Bring back the fucking hardcore title please god, the 24/7 rule was the shit.
Keep only one tag team title set.
IMO this would be sickk, it would bring a little excitment back to the world of the Wwe.

 

[hulkamania_running_wild]

What the WWE neesd to do is merge the roster into one and have it like it was before the draft happened. The storylines are stale due to these 3 different brands. Just have raw and smackdown, get rid of ECW. IN the case ECW is kept they need to make it how it was before , hardcore. It would be prety cool to see MVP feud with Ken Kennedy, them 2 are going to be future champions one these days.

 

[mr zbow]

This post is really throwing it out there but its just what id like to see.
After mania when HHH has the title and Taker has his title end the seperate brands, have taker and hunter fued over each title, bring back the undisputed title, or have it just the wwe title and have everyone on every show. this way theres fresh rivalries more superstar power on each show. eliminate ecw but not the show just the name. bring heat back to tv, and have the guys who arent ready for the big dogs flaunt what they got on that show.
I honestly think the brand split is killing the wwe, i garuntee ratings would blow up if that ended, the fans would wanna see thier favorite guys on both SD! nd Raw.
Having the 2 big titles is too much. have 1 superior title.
keep the IC and United states title since the US title can make up for the cruserwieght title.
Bring back the fucking hardcore title please god, the 24/7 rule was the shit.
Keep only one tag team title set.
IMO this would be sickk, it would bring a little excitment back to the world of the Wwe.

I like this idea. 1 world championship is better than 3 i reckon. Back before the brand split in 2002 they would barely ever have the same 2 guys in a PPV main event for the title. On SD, the past year has seen something like 5-6 title matches involving both Batista and Undertaker. It has also seen Batista in 14 (i think) title matches. from royal rumble 2007 against Mr Kennedy to Armageddon 2007 against Edge and Taker he has been in every single title match (including the 20 man battle royal that Khali won, his match with kennedy on the SD after the rumble and the steel cage match against taker which was the same night edge cashed in MITB). that would never have happened before the brand split and believe it or not, seeing a guy in 14 title matches in a row (probs more because i'm not counting before RR 07) gets a bit boring.

Another thing, back in the attitude era, if estabelished main eventers weren't in the title picture, they would be tag champs or the intercontinental champs. How long has it been since 2 main eventers were tag champs (not including Cena and HBK coz that was a joke). 1999-2001 u'd have tag champions like taker and the rock, taker and kane, rock n' sock, austin and HHH as well as mid-carders like the hardyz and Edge and Christian. but main eventers being tag champs gives the tag championships more meaning.

 

[mightymare]

The wwe need to go back to the origional format of all the superstars performing on all the shows. None of this raw roster, smackdown roster crap.
People are sick of the storylines because we are limited to the same superstars on each show each week. Thus having an effect on the storylines and how far they can go with them because of the limited amount of superstars.

WWE was good when you sat down in front of the tv just before raw or smackdown and you had no idea who was going to be on the show, you didn't know what storyline was going to unfold because there was NO raw roster or smackdown roster. Now there are poor quality matches and squash matches because there isn't enough good quality superstars to fight it out week in week out.
We turn on RAW now and you know its either, orton, cena or hhh coming out to promo. How exciting would it be to have the Undertaker, Batista, Rey, Edge and MVP coming out.

Simply put there is no room for movement at the moment so they need to scrap this draft/ split roster system. They need to scrap the smackdown belt and just keep 3 major ones.

WWE Champ
Intercontinantle
US

You would obviously have the elite going for the wwe belt, then you have a mixture of the next stringers or up and coming wrestlers vying for the inter with those not involved in a feud for the wwe belt.
Then the US belt purely for the up and comers of the business.

If they make this change then the WWE will once again be exciting and not so predictable.

Also some persona changes are needed to i think. Cena should turn heel, not only because he is getting a mixed reaction but he just knows how to work a mic. I think he and Jericho could create a good feud. 2 very good talkers and 2 superstars who shouldn't be at the top of the card at the moment.
CM Punk and Chuck Palumbo have potential to be topliners they just need a good gimmick and the right push. Mr Kennedy is a superstar, he isn't the greatest wrestler as we all know, however he has that bad attitude of a stone cold, which the crowd loves. i think he should turn face. Also i think MVP needs a new gimmick, and i think he should also turn face at some stage to take the next level.

Anyway thats my 2 cents. But i have no doubt the WWE would be better off if they scraped the split rosters.