The New WWE: Prestige and Pushes

[JohnJohnson]

There is much talk and speculation on the internet of WWE moving into a new era after every tenth Wrestlemania. It's also no surprise that WWE officials are very high on stars such as Roman Reigns, Big E, Cesaro, Titus O' Niel, Bray Wyatt and a few others. There are some that believe that a push, for either of these, into the WWEWHC scene is premature. It is also pretty clear the that strap will likely be held by Orton, Bryan, Batista, Lesnar and inevitably Cena this year. Unfortunately the lower card titles are lacking in prestige and a lot of TV time is used on part timers. So it seems like we have a problem, right? I think this is a perfect time for WWE turn these problems to work to their advantage.

First, we give storylines, actual storylines, to aforementioned names that WWE is high on. Have these superstars be the main competitors in the IC and US title scene. These superstars can all put on great matches and I believe that their style could compliment each other. Seems simple enough, but then we have the issue of the mid card titles not carrying much weight. Two big reasons they don't carry much weight anymore are the fact that they are barely defended and the fact that they are featured so low on the card. How do we fix this? Simple, we feature one or both champions in the main event matches on TV weekly. At least once a month have one of the titles defended in a main event match. Make these actual title defenses in which the strap could change hands.

But wait, what about the WWEWHC? Simple, back in the days, one thing that made the World Champions seem so important, is that they weren't just wrestling on free TV. The champion should be appearing weekly on Raw in segments and meaningful promos. Top contenders like Cena, Orton, Batista, Bryan will be mostly built up throughout the month and be the main focus of each of the PPVs. Have a few rare TV matches They become a bigger deal. This accomplishes 3 key things:
-Gives the next generation of big stars more time and exposure in the main even scene as well as well as more time for storylines.
-Replaces the part timers with the current main eventers and really solidifying them as big names and big draws.
-It creates more interest in PPVs so that fans can watch the big World title fights. That would equate to more WWE Network subscriptions and even PPV buys.

Eventually you would see who does well in the main event scene and the top Face and top Heel from the newer generation of stars can feud with both belts for unification. I'd probably merge em into the IC title. With the IC title being prominent once again, it would be esier to elevate stare to the World Title scene. Eventually you have an entire new main event scene and can slowly start including the WWEWHC in matches on free tv after a roster has been better established and developed.

Thoughts, opinions, changes?

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

But wait, what about the WWEWHC? Simple, back in the days, one thing that made the World Champions seem so important, is that they weren't just wrestling on free TV. The champion should be appearing weekly on Raw in segments and meaningful promos. Top contenders like Cena, Orton, Batista, Bryan will be mostly built up throughout the month and be the main focus of each of the PPVs. Have a few rare TV matches They become a bigger deal. This accomplishes 3 key things:

-Gives the next generation of big stars more time and exposure in the main even scene as well as well as more time for storylines.
-Replaces the part timers with the current main eventers and really solidifying them as big names and big draws.
-It creates more interest in PPVs so that fans can watch the big World title fights. That would equate to more WWE Network subscriptions and even PPV buys.

I could not have said that any better myself, man. Back in the day, it was done so well, the champion indeed made their appearances and would occasionally defend the title on television but it wasn't done ad nauseum and done just right. I liked the opportunities that some wrestlers had at a champion in non-title matches as well. I just think the less is more approach works, and like you mentioned, you could rally behind these newer faces without having the World Champion overshadow them in matches, therefore the anticipation is built up for the champion to defend their title on PPV which in effect would lengthen the reigns. There was nothing worse than seeing titles get hot potatoed.

Yes, by now, especially more so in these days than in yesteryear, how the titles of course aren't truly competed for, but often championships have lost their storyline significance which is something I think we sorely need restored on a more consistent basis.

Hopefully something like this can happen, where we'll also see the IC and US titles get unified and that championship can have more precedence as a result. Time will tell what happens. But it's good to read that there are other fans out there that share some of my longing for some of the older staples of pro wrestling.

 

[lil steroid meat]

Definitely like the idea of main eventers like Cena, Bryan, Batista, Orton, etc. rarely wrestling on free TV. They should be more promo and segment features.

WWE's creative writing as a whole though has gotten so lazy that they don't know how to advance a feud without an interference or some shit where the wrestler has to be in a match for the angle to work. Also, they have been so ratings-oriented for the past 20 or so years that having star studded shows seem to be the norm. They don't really have to worry about losing a ratings war now that there is no competition (other than Monday Night Football in the fall but fuck it, people are going to watch football, that will never change).

I believe that main eventers should rarely wrestle on non PPV shows. Maybe you have something leading up to the Elimination Chamber where the competitors wrestle each other (like this past Monday); same thing for Championship scrambles and other multiman matches, but they definitely should not be in pointless six man tags every other Monday Night.

IC and US Titles should definitely be unified and featured prominently on RAW/Smackdown. It's a shame that nowadays titles are props given to wrestlers because creative isn't creative enough to put them in actual angles.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I think that the business has evolved over time... from the 80's / early 90's approach of main event talent being scarcely featured on TV, making PPV's seem more important ... to the late 90's / early 2000's where featuring your main event talent every quarter or half hour was necessary to win the "ratings war", and where RAW was considered just as big or unpredictable as a PPV.

In today's world, I don't know how it will evolve further. But without another wrestling company, you don't need to trot your stars out every 30 min to win the quarter hour rating. But on the flip side, some of the best entertainment in today's landscape is weekly serial based. So should WWE be focused more on monthly big event pay offs? Or big weekly serial-type shows? I don't know, but with the WWE Network launching, the concept of "ratings" and even "buyrates" will become completely obsolete. It will be all about subscriptions and content, similar to Netflix.

So as a fan of any TV show, I'd prefer higher quality story development on a weekly basis, like Breaking Bad or Mad Men in order to keep my attention. But that's just me. So if WWE can find a way to monetize this (which they may have, with the network concept), then it's a win-win for both Vince and the fans.

 

[Dragonslayer]

I kind of like the OP's thought, and to be honest, I find myself surprised that I do.

I'll be turning 30 years old in a few months, so I still remember the glory days of wrestling in the early 90ies, and I still remember marking out for Hulk Hogan when it was still ok to do so, haha.

But what the OP said is true: On the usual programming we got over here in Europe at least, we got "Superstars" and "Challenge", and usually the programs constisted only of Mid-Card guys squashing jobbers, and only on "Superstars" you'd see two Mid-Card guys facing off against each other. If you were lucky, you'd even get to see an IC title defense. But that was about it. No signs of the world champ, no signs of main eventers directly facing off or anything of the like.

Sure, it wasn't overly spectacular, but it did one thing: It got you hyped for the big PPV events. The main eventers would do promos for a month (or longer, when there were still fewer PPVs), and then finally the big day came, and all was on the line. It made the whole thing mean that much more.

In a way, it would be nice to return that type of importance to a match and also to the title belts, especially the IC/US title; but I see a few problems with that:

1) The viewing habits have changed.

Back in the days of the Monday Night Wars, both WWE and WCW started dishing out main event and PPV caliber matches on a nightly basis, with mega-stars like Hogan, Sting and Flair for WCW and Austin, Taker, Bret Hart, Rock, HBK for WWE appearing on a nightly basis, and actually wrestling.

Sure, it was awesome to see all those huge stars every week in action now, but some 15-20 years later, it has dulled us down as viewers, I'd say. Audiences now are used to seeing 20-25 minute five star matches on weekly RAWs (e.g. Orton vs Cena or Cena vs Cesaro in recent weeks), which feature the absolute top tier stars... and I think it will be very difficult to "educate" the audience back to a more basic and less spectacular type of programming - maybe not as (admittedly) boring as "Midcard Guy vs Jobber" like in the early 90ies, but it might just be as difficult to put IC/US or Tag Team title challenges into the main event as opposed to the WWEWHC and contenders fighting.

It still happens from time to time, but it's really an execption to the rule. And I have serious doubts today's audience - especially the large part made up of kids - would accept to "settle for less", especially now that the threshold to (supposedly) more exciting weekly events has long been crossed.

2) The roster is too large for more title unifications.

Personally, I love that the WWE and WHC have been unified. I have no problem with the IC and US titles exisiting on seemingly the same level, but I never liked having two supposed "top tier" titles (even if one was obviously always inferior to the other; in theory, they were supposed to be equals). There should only be ONE World Champ, so I'm glad we're back to that now.

But the recent developments have shown that the roster is quite big and there's really a crowded WWEWHC title scene now with lots of potential contenders: Orton, Cena, Bryan, Sheamus, Del Rio, Christian, Batista are only the obvious choices, and some mid-card guys are also on the brink of entering the main event scene... For all these guys to only have one title to fight for will be increasingly difficult, and it will be tougher for WWE Creative to come up with decent storylines for all those guys (when they are already struggling now to come up with entertaining concepts for those ME guys that are actually fighting for the belt, see the uninspired Orton/Cena feud with the Cena's-Dad-rehash).

So I don't think a US/IC title unification would be a good idea, because it gives the lower card guys even less to do.

I'd suggest keeping both the US/IC title, but trying to give the IC belt more relevance in the future, effectively creating a 3-Level tier again:

1. WWEWHC - Absolute main event superstars, very small circle
2. IC - Upper-Midcard players who are looking for a break, e.g. guys like Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, but also guys who were main event at some point but have not maintained that momentum like Rey Mysterio, Miz, Dolph Ziggler etc., which receive the most screen time on shows
3. US - Lower-Midcard guys who are new to the main roster but need something to establish relevance, or can put on great matches; especially cruiserweights could be mixed up into this division, as long as there is no real Cruiserweight title.

I think with such a roster split, WWE could achieve several things:

a) By reducing the number and screen time of main event players, the PPV showdowns could receive more of a "big match" feel again; their rarer appearances will seem like much more of a big deal;
b) the Upper Midcard guys get most screen time and can show off and develop their in-ring and promo skills. The audience will relate to them better since they are more used and accustomed to seeing them in weekly "main event" feuds as opposed to the absolute superstars, and will rally behind them more easily when they finally get the push to the main event level.
c) the lower midcard is still featured prominently and WWE can establish new stars on a "slow burn" mode.

And of course you could always use the Tag Title scene for additional intrigue and pushes.

 

[JohnJohnson]

1. WWEWHC - Absolute main event superstars, very small circle
2. IC - Upper-Midcard players who are looking for a break, e.g. guys like Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, but also guys who were main event at some point but have not maintained that momentum like Rey Mysterio, Miz, Dolph Ziggler etc., which receive the most screen time on shows
3. US - Lower-Midcard guys who are new to the main roster but need something to establish relevance, or can put on great matches; especially cruiserweights could be mixed up into this division, as long as there is no real Cruiserweight title.

I think with such a roster split, WWE could achieve several things:

a) By reducing the number and screen time of main event players, the PPV showdowns could receive more of a "big match" feel again; their rarer appearances will seem like much more of a big deal;
b) the Upper Midcard guys get most screen time and can show off and develop their in-ring and promo skills. The audience will relate to them better since they are more used and accustomed to seeing them in weekly "main event" feuds as opposed to the absolute superstars, and will rally behind them more easily when they finally get the push to the main event level.
c) the lower midcard is still featured prominently and WWE can establish new stars on a "slow burn" mode.

And of course you could always use the Tag Title scene for additional intrigue and pushes.

Exactly. This way no one can complain about big named part timers returning, and if for some reason a part timer is used, then they will be more of a surprise.

All these rising stars can be the main feature of the show, rather than constantly having the already established stars carrying the shows.

The WWEWHC will be THE belt even more so, as it will only be defended on PPV.

The first hour of the show would consist of promos between the new group of talent that will be getting the weekly main event spots(Reigns, Big E, Cesaro, Wyatt, Titus, Rhodes). This gets plot development and hype for the main events. Then we have some matches throughout the card with some solid regulars and some less prominent guys. Perhaps give guys from NXT a one off match here or there. Somewhere along the way have a segment or two to get the big WWEWHC hyped up(even a contract signing). The majority of the last hour will feature the new main eventers and the now relative US and IC titles.