The ONLY reasons WWE is #1 - Brand loyalty, addiction, and the Walmart mentality

[Ambiguous Turd]

EDIT: 02/15/2010

And I am going to add one more element to the equation. The Walmart mentality that is present amongst fans. If the organization is bigger, there is absolutely no question that it has to be better.

These are truly the only reasons that WWE has been able to stay #1. Loyalty from fans. Loyalty, I might add, that Vince McMahon does not show back in return. And addiction because fans, for whatever reason can not give it up, no matter how disgusted they get.

You see it all around the message boards and elsewhere on the Internet ... fans who will absolutely defend WWE to the very end, no matter how awful the programming.

I have noticed, however, that the trend seems to be fans who are generally older have shown that their tolerance is wearing more thin, and even more thin, as time goes by.

For example, if you started watching in the Hogan Era, you are generally most disgusted with it.

If you began in the Attitude Era, you are still pretty disgusted by it. Especially since this product is complete opposite of the type of show you see on WWE today.

And if you started in the Post Attitude Era from 2001-2006, then you aren't quite as bad yet. Yeah, it's a different product today, but generally speaking your patience hasn't been worn quite as thin yet.

And of course, if you began in the PG Era, then you are none the wiser, and think everything is as right as rain.

We have a survey of about 350 people in the General WWE Complaining / PG Rating Sticky thread, which you can see the data on that.

Typically, I find the most passionate fans about today's WWE product are the newer fans from Post Attitude Era on to today. Where they are still relatively new, their fire and passion mirror what older fans used to be, who now feel abandoned by the direction Vince has taken the company.

Now, yes, there are still stragglers out there from the Hogan, New Generation, and of course Attitude Eras that stuck around, but that is because of brand loyalty and because WWE had such a tremendous effect on their childhoods. So many years have been invested in it, so why quit now?

It's like that security blanket that belongs to a kid, which he does not wish to give up even as he becomes a teen. And that is where the addiction comes in. For whatever reason, even though Vince has abandoned the older fans, the same fans that made him extremely wealthy, those fans can not turn their back on Vince. And in many cases, the stragglers will still go as far as to defend virtually every action Vince does, no matter what. He could come up with the absolute worst storyline, but those types of fans will defend it.

TNA hands down is the more adult product of the two companies. And where as it does not come up anywhere near to the adult programming The Attitude Era brought about, it is still hands-down the more adult product.

You see Bret Hart appear on TV, and well over half the live audience, and I dare say perhaps even 75 percent or more of the live audience, never saw Bret Hart before in their lives. They may have heard of the guy, but that's it.

Now this is ironic, because Vince himself is the one who essentially abandoned the very fans this angle is supposed to appeal to, over the past couple years. And now, he brought Bret Hart back, and he is astonished that Bret Hart isn't drawing better ratings.

Hello!

That's because you pissed off your older audience Vince and many of them left you. You still have some stragglers around, but they are few and far between, and they are barely audible in arenas.

But my question goes out to the newer fans as well as the stragglers out there who still support Vince and consider themselves loyal to him.

I need to understand why you feel this "Need" that you have to be loyal to Vince McMahon. Even though WWE may have been an important part in your childhood, you have to recognize that when you see Raw, you are virtually seeing the same show every week. Nothing noteworthy happens.

What's even worst is that you don't want competition to rise, and nor in many cases will "loyal" viewers even give it a chance, when it is well-established that competition makes the entire industry better, as all organizations are more motivated to put out better programming to compete against the other. However, these types of fans will not give competition a chance, and will actually even go as far as to try to prevent it from even rising in the first place.

So to the people who consider themselves "loyal viewers" to WWE, if you don't mind sharing your ages, just so we can get an idea of what demo you fall into, perhaps share when you began watching WWE programming, and tell us IF you are an adult, why you still consider yourself to be a WWE loyal viewer.

What draws you to the WWE and fuels your addiction and loyalty to Vince McMahon when clearly they are not the organization putting out the more adult product at the moment, which is more geared towards adult interests.

Third, why is Brand Loyalty to the WWE so important to you, if Vince McMahon is not loyal to you?

And lastly, why is it important to squash competition and prevent it from even rising, when you are essentially doing more harm to the wrestling business because of your missplaced brand loyalty, then you are helping it by creating a healthier market?

I genuinely want to get into your minds to understand your thought process better and see what makes you tick as far as your wrestling interests are concerned.

 

[marklouis]

I'm 30. I watch WWE and TNA. I watch WWE because, well, I gotta watch something. But it is a disappointing product. There are numerous reasons why-there are too many "superstars", the brand split doesn't work, they don't build storylines or rivalries. Every PPV seems to have the same main event, and when they do elevate someone new, like Sheamus, they pick the absolute least interesting guy to elevate. While I don't see any of these issues improving in the near future, I'll still watch, because as I said, I gotta watch something. And I'll continue watching TNA, because I'm genuinely intrigues about where they're going.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

These "loyal viewers" are analogous to someone blindly continuing to drink a brand of soda, even though it's recently changed it's flavor to that of a dead cats tongue. And, not only to they continue to drink it, they proclaim that anyone who happens to prefer a competitors soda is a moron!

I'm 28. Mainly a wrestling convert due to the Attitude Era. The current product (WWE) has absolutely nothing for me, as a grown man. I mean, a few weeks ago the biggest heat of the night was when HHH said that Hornswoggle wasn't coming out that night.

So my hope, as futile as it may be, is that by not watching WWE and watching TNA (a competitor that I feel gives me what I want from a wrestling show) I and others like me will force WWE through a drop in ratings to change and give me more choice.

The current product stinks. It's juvenile, sterile and bears not even the slightest resemblance to the product I first discovered in 1989 and fell in love with in 1996.

Why anyone would continue to give Vince their eyes eve though he feeds them garbage and tells them it's steak baffles me.

 

[MizMark]

I agree that there is definitely an addiction to it. I watch every RAW and PPV without fail, I don't watch Smackdown and ECW because I read the spoilers, so don't see a point in it.
Now I live in the UK, which means to watch all of them live I have to stay up until 4am, which I do, even if the previous RAW was awful

Sometimes I ask myself why I bother watching, but it really is an addiction, and to WWE's credit, while some of their skits are AWFUL, I am really into some of the storylines/wrestlers, and care about them, which make me want to watch the product.

Other reasons that viewers watch WWE:

1, It is interesting TV, it's not called World Wrestling ENTERTAINMENT for no reason, and it certainly is entertaining a lot of the time.

2, Marketing. Everyone knows who WWE are, not that's because they've been around longer, BUT you just don't see TNA adverts/commercials, or whatever.

I think you have to realize too that WWE is targeting the next generation of viewers, and that the older fans get, the less interested they will become anyway, because it is either aimed at 14-30 year olds, or as it is now, primarily aimed at kids. So alot Hogan era fans are just going to be too old for it anyway, and you have to remember that if WWE doesn't target a new, younger audience, then when the older audience gradually stop watching(which they will) the ratings will go down, house show attendances may fall as well.

 

[Tugboat77]

Ok. First of all I always appreciate when someone puts a lot of thought into a post and respect their opinion even if I don't agree. I watch both programs because I love wrestling. However it's hard for me to comprehend that you actually think TNA would beat WWE if not for brand loyalty. They both have their strongpoints and weaknesses but TNA is simply a mess right now. They don't know what to do with their wrestlers, they can't figure out who is heel or face from week to week, they are blatantly rehashing storylines from the 90's (the screwjob, Sting in the rafters) and the list goes on.

I very much respect the fact that you are loyal to your brand. But that goes both ways. If TNA genuinely put on a better product, then people would switch over or at the very least, watch both programs like I do. Remember, people's loyalty didn't stop WCW from taking the top spot for 80 plus weeks.

 

[MizMark]

These "loyal viewers" are analogous to someone blindly continuing to drink a brand of soda, even though it's recently changed it's flavor to that of a dead cats tongue. And, not only to they continue to drink it, they proclaim that anyone who happens to prefer a competitors soda is a moron!

I'm 28. Mainly a wrestling convert due to the Attitude Era. The current product (WWE) has absolutely nothing for me, as a grown man. I mean, a few weeks ago the biggest heat of the night was when HHH said that Hornswoggle wasn't coming out that night.

So my hope, as futile as it may be, is that by not watching WWE and watching TNA (a competitor that I feel gives me what I want from a wrestling show) I and others like me will force WWE through a drop in ratings to change and give me more choice.

The current product stinks. It's juvenile, sterile and bears not even the slightest resemblance to the product I first discovered in 1989 and fell in love with in 1996.

Why anyone would continue to give Vince their eyes eve though he feeds them garbage and tells them it's steak baffles me.

In 1996 you were what, 14? That WWE product, and for the next few years was aimed right at your generation. This is what people are forgetting, or not understanding, that WWE can't cater for everyones needs. The product was then aimed at the teenage/young adult male population, which you were. So it's entirely understandable that you don't want to watch anymore, because the product isn't necessarily aimed at you, it's aimed at a younger generation.

I don't watch TNA, but read the spoilers, and some of the stuff intrigues me, but alot of it baffles me, why is the Pope jobbing to Orlando Jordan one week and beating the World Champion the next? Or whatever the hell it was that happened, now logically that just doesn't make sense, doesn't matter about worked injuries, it just doesn't make sense. Now okay, some of what WWE is doing doesn't make sense, but their product flows alot better and gels together. Although that could be put down to WWE being around alot longer than TNA, but if TNA doesn't start delivering soon they are doomed. Two weeks in a row now they have rated 1.2. Back to where they were before Hogan came in. The initial interest has gone, and they haven't held any viewers.

 

[Loveless]

Absolutely right, I also think it's force of habit. I missed the first hour of this weeks RAW because, well I don't really care anymore but ended up watching the 2nd hour because I was bored and I knew it was on, as it always is.
I've been a fan since 1994 and this is the most bored I've ever been with the product. The standard over the last year has at times been insulting but you shouldn't misunderstand this as loyalty to the WWE, I'd consider it more loyalty to Taker and HBK as they're the only reason I watch the WWE anymore. Any new talents that were potentially interesting have been sacked, neutered or buried by this culture of punishment (but no reward) that's run by a bunch of ego monkeys. It's only now that a viable option is starting to emerge and it's about time. Once Wrestlemania is gone and Shawn and Taker disappear I can't see any reason why I'll continue watching.

 

[RKOChamp]

To answer your question on when I started watching: When I was really young I would try to watch, but my parents wouldnt allow it as they were strict in the day haha. But, I started watching regularly about 7 years ago. And before anyone starts saying that I only feel this way because of when I started watching, I have seen movies of WCW and WWE when they were at war, I know what WWE used to be like.

But here we go:

I need to understand why you feel this "Need" that you have to be loyal to Vince McMahon.

I do not have a "Need" to be loyal to Vince or the WWE. I simply just like to watch. Its not that I feel I would be unloyal if I didnt watch. Its me watching because I WANT to, not that I feel I HAVE to.

What's even worst is that you don't want competition to rise, and nor in many cases will "loyal" viewers even give it a chance, when it is well-established that competition makes the entire industry better, as all organizations are more motivated to put out better programming to compete against the other. However, these types of fans will not give competition a chance, and will actually even go as far as to try to prevent it from even rising in the first place.

I do want there to be some competition. I would love for the WWE to take their product to a whole other level because of it. Competition DOES make any industry better. But as far as me giving TNA a chance, I tried. And it was terrible. I watched 3 different episodes including some of the Jan 4. It amazes me how many people will say the WWE product sucks, but they will watch TNA, which to me, is a minor league wrestling show that is tacky as can be. My buddy and dad said the exact same thing.

Any ya know, if anyone chooses to watch TNA over WWE, more power to you. Thats the beauty of it. You can watch what you want to and I will watch what I want to. If one product doesnt work for you, watch the other, and let other people what they want to watch without having to pretty much slam them for it.

Just because WWE is not putting on as much adult material, doesnt mean it sucks. I find WWE very entertaining even thru the PG era. I do think that even 5 years ago it was more adult oriented, but its still entertaining. Its not that Im just being loyal or addicted, its that I find it entertaining. Not everything I watch, has to have "push the line" material.

To answer your third question, if I havent already...Brand loyalty plays no part in why I watch WWE. Like I said, Jan 4 I flipped between shows and TNA looked terrible (personal opinion, dont wanna get slammed for being a TNA hater). I simply like to watch WWE and I cant seem to understand how some people on here cant figure that out. Just because something isnt awesome to YOU, doesnt mean everyone else feels the same way...that goes for the WWE Forum Moderator too.

Your last question: Im pretty sure I already answered that but I will reiterate. Not once in any of my posts will you find me saying that I hope WWE will squash TNA. I have said that I think it will happen but never that I hope it does. Like you said, competition does make any industry better. But in this case, the competition up against WWE....its hard for me to call it competition. But I do hope that TNA turns into a bigger player because it will benefit fans of both companies.

Ill end this by saying to everyone, TNA fans and WWE fans. Quit trying to figure out why the other fans watch that show. Ill give you the answer, it works for THEM.

 

[jmyers19]

I can see where you're coming from. Now I don't care for TNA, I enjoyed it when I was like 15/16, but ever since the age of 12 (I'm 19 now) I've loved WWE. I remember the first time I got Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain, not long after Christmas 2003 me and my mam went to blockbuster, I saw it, she brought it for me, and ever since that year I've ALWAYS brought the annual WWE games. Its like a tradition.

Another tradition for me is watching Raw on a Tuesday night after College or if I'm off (Like I am this Tuesday since its half term) a little earlier, and watching Smackdown earlier than its aired in the UK. I know the PG era isn't perfect but I still enjoy it, I've loved watching WWE since I started watching it, I remember a lot of classic moments, Eddie's infamous Frog Splash from the top of the cage onto JBL, Orton being kicked out of Evolution, Benjamin beating HHH three times in a row on Raw. Granted these are moments from 2004 but still. And then there's moments from the past couple of years, Jericho's heel turn, Jeff Hardy's Title Victory, a brutal Cena/JBL Parking Lot Brawl (I aint a Cena fan but it was a hell of a match) CM Punk cashing in MITB, hearing about the death of Chris Benoit on WWE.com, Ozzy Osbourne singing the Judgement Day 2007 theme I Don't Wanna Stop live on Smackdown, and so many others.

Why do I keep watching? It aint as edgy as it used to be and some might even say watch TNA but I tried and don't like the product, I watched it a while ago when it was free on Virgin1, fell asleep during one edition and the other I just plain didn't like. I keep watching because I enjoy to some extent what they put out. Smackdown is my highlight of the week though, it's always been PG so it hasn't affected the overall value bar not seeing blood etc. but still, the wrestling they put on is great, CM Punk vs. Mysterio this week is just incredible. To some extent I don't agree with the gimmick PPV's, having 3 HIAC's in one night is over-doing it but I had a chance to see the three of them and enjoyed them, so the gimmick PPVs hasn't affected the PPV quality in my opinion. TLC was done right however, one ladder, one table, one chair and one TLC match, they could've had four TLCs instead they did a smart option and only had one.

The names are lame, yeah, but I don't care for the names, don't get me wrong, Unforgiven, No Mercy, Cyber Sunday, Armageddon and No Way Out are way better names but it isn't the names that make a PPV worth while its the wrestlers in whatever matches they're in, the names are there for the sake of being there. I don't agree with everything Vince does. I agreed with him repackaging ECW however. But I watched WWEECW when I could and enjoyed the show, they had younger talent which to me was/is fresh and exciting to see. I keep watching aswell because the wrestlers they have I'm familiar with, I know what they're like, I enjoy seeing what some have to say such as Edge, Punk, Orton, and the current DX angle they have going on I love (Even though they should disband and one should turn heel in my opinion).

I've just been watching it for so long that whether its good or bad I'll sit through it, there's some killer shows, there's some shows I watch and think 'the hell? that sucked!' there's some shows I watch where I think 'could've been better but not that bad' and then there's the shows I love and think 'that's awesome'. I aint afraid to admit it, I go into college I'll wear my 'Taker or HBK or Orton shirt or I'll be sitting in class listening to a wrestlers theme I don't care what others think, so through good and bad I'll still love the product cos I'm loyal.

 

[Kamaria]

I am 21 years old and I started watching wrestling in 2000, particularly June, or so I believe. My first episode was the one where Mick Foley was appointed commissioner. I had no idea what was going on, who Mick Foley was or Triple H or Kurt Angle or even The Rock (except that he was the champion at the time but I liked him. I didn't even know the concept of heel or face, so for a while I actually thought Triple H was a good guy, especially when Chris Jericho interfered in his triple threat match later that night. How's that for viewer first impression, huh?

Hell, I even marked for InVasion. Sure was a big surprise when I found out it sucked. All I knew back then were WCW were the bad guys and WWF were the good guys.

I only really started getting jaded with the product when I found the IWC and started to find patterns of predictability myself in the matches. I began noticing similarities in every match and little truths in what people were saying....how it was always the same people in the main event and stuff. And after looking back at the Attitude Era, thanks to archived video on a website....I've come to realize that today's product kind of sucks. Everything felt special. The Rock's second heel turn felt special, even though I knew it was happening...it was the perfect swerve because it made sense.

Today's WWE product is paint by numbers and predictable. It seems to go through the motions of all the old stuff, except without that special flair it once had, and it pains me to see King and Cole try to oversell something as being a big deal when it really isn't.

So why do I keep watching?

I like wrestling, plain and simple. WWE occasionally comes through with a good match or good storyline (see: HBK vs. Jericho, Punk vs. Jeff, HBK vs. JBL, HBK vs. Ric Flair, HBK vs. Undertaker....yes I know a lot of HBKs, but he's been in the best storylines the past couple of years). I watch for the moments of brilliance they do have that do just enough to keep me hooked. I'm watching because I'm hoping that someday it might get better and they'll realize a lot of their mistakes. I'm also watching for CM Punk who is the best wrestler on the brand.

But I'm also sadly watching because there are few readily accessible alternatives. TNA I watch on occasion, but the main reason I support it is because I want WWE to see it as competition and thus force it to improve to compete. In fact, if TNA actually was good enough to compete, I would watch both shows....record one and watch the other.

Unfortunately TNA isn't -quite- at the level of WWE. Other places, like ROH, I really wouldn't know where to begin watching. I feel like I'd be coming in too late, and I don't even have HDNet.

So while I do occasionally partake in watching other programs, there's just nothing quite -good- enough to actually physically replace it. It's become a force of habit at this point. The day I stop watching WWE is the day they do something fucking stupid...like put the title on Hornswoggle, or release CM Punk.

 

[Okay Fabian]

Lord, how do you expect to get earnest and well-thought out answers from your so-called "WWE loyalists" when you drop terms like "addiction" "missplaced brand loyalty" and "security blanket" in a blatant or decidedly conspicuous attempt to demean them? If you really want to figure out what makes wrestling fans "tick" try not being so smug with your queries, and maybe threads like these won't devolve into spamfests and might generate legitimate discussion. All in all, anyone on these forums has a wrestling addiction whether they admit it or not. Why else would I spend a Saturday afternoon crafting an articulate post.

Moving on. I am 22. I got into wrestling when I was 4. I started watching right in the midst of Hulkamania (or caught what I missed on Coliseum video). Now, I am by no means indebted to WWF/E for Hulkamania. I try to watch as much wrestling as possible, TNA, ROH, AAA, etc, because I generally want the industry to succeed. But, I almost always come back to WWE as my wrestling mainstay. It is just more accessible as a fan, considering a majority of my wrestling experience has come through WWE. Just because I do not watch the other promotions as much as the E does not mean that I want them to fail or to get crushed. I just don't feel obligated to "keep them afloat" with my viewership so to speak. And also, I am not a fan of Vince McMahon's business practices most of the time, so it's quite difficult reconcoling my love for the WWE roster/production/spectacle and my disdain for Vince.

I guess I am a glutton for punishment sometimes. It's easy to watch a bad episode of RAW when you have a grasp of the larger context. I don't see WWE episode by episode but as a "season" if you will. I am not the kind of guy who gives it up after one bad episode because there is always something entertaining to cultivate from it.

I find I am the same way when I watch my other favorite TV shows like SNL and 24. Sure, some of the episodes of SNL are real stinkers, and some of the episodes of 24 are not nearly as action-packed as previous ones, but I always know that at some point in SNL I will laugh my ass of at least once, and eventually the storyline in 24 will really start to get going. So, being a WWE loyalist does not mean I'm addicted or would kiss Vince's ass at the drop of his pants. I like wrestling. I like WWE. But I could live without it.

All in all, I just want the wrestling industry to survive. And as long as WWE is around, I think the industry will be in pretty good shape, save for anything drastic.

 

[Schizophrenic]

I'm 22 years old and began watching since I was maybe 1. I was a Hogan fan then a Hart and Michaels fan then an Austin fan. Ive been through alot of the "eras" in wrestling and I have never been really dissapointed in the WWE until now. Now I'm sure part of my dissapointment is because I live in an area (colorado) that WWE visits maybe once a year and sells out everytime (including most house shows) and yet they visit New York and California god knows how many times and has a hard time seeling out PPV's. I do think that loyalty and addiction is a reason behind me still watching WWE is probably seeing the new generation of McIntyre, Sheamus, Dibiase, Rhodes, Orton, Swagger and others like that becoming the stars they will be in the future. I enjoy all the wrestling companies on television (WWE, TNA, ROH) but I do feel that more of my allegance to wrestling is going towards TNA & ROH whom I feel have the better product on television. I agree with Sid and others in saying that TNA is not trying to make me feel like a 10 year old fan by pushing guys that I dont really want to see all the time like Cena and Triple H. Guys who are different and who are something new like the ones I mentioned above are the ones that the older generation is interested in because they are making wrestlingnew and exciting again. Not guys who have been doing the same things for a decade and think it's still going to be as "cool". Partially the reason I watch mainly Taker's Mania matches and not many of his TV matches because I've seen his matches for over 10 years, not much else he is gonna do that makes me go "Wow!"

Do I still watch WWE as much as I can? Yes but it's mainly due to the young guys nowadays and yes because of my loyalty to the name. However I am more and more becoming less interestedin WWE's programming with some few exceptions because I feel it's become stagnant. I enjoy TNA & ROH more and I do hope that they become more and more successful so that Vince starts to think again and want to be undeniably #1 again. Im just hoping that he doesn't decide to buy TNA or ROH as competition is what makes wrestling fun. I don't really think TNA nor ROH want WWE to go out of buisness but want to be able to say they are #1.

But I do think that sometimes loyalty and addiction has become a bad thing for fans as many from day 1 have been praying and clammering for TNA to die so WWE doesn't have competition. I just don't get it. You want WWE to get good but they have shown they only do enough to get by when they are unnopposed. Competition will bring back the exciting, fun "attitude era" like action that we are hoping to return.

 

[cody]

I'm almost 22 and began watching wrestling during the Attitude Era, I consider myself a "reluctant loyalist".

I really got into wrestling when Nitro was at its peak, and I could flip back and forth between that and RAW. I had every WWE action figure that came out and never missed a single episode.

I still don't miss an episode of RAW, I even made sure my work schedule was set up so I would be able to watch. But my loyalty now does not lie with Vince McMahon. It lies with the superstars. I stuck around for the HHH, Shawn, Undertaker, hell even Kane. But as I was watching I got invested into the newer guys.

When you have this much invested in something you don't give up on it so quickly. I see this as just a phase. Because these kids that Vince is targeting are going to grow up and want an edgier product. The Attitude Era will come back, maybe not to the extent or the success that it was at. But to some extent it will.

Now TNA is trying to compete, and I welcome it. I enjoy watching Impact when I get the chance. Their show is definitely geared towards the wrestling I enjoy most. That being said, I will not "cross the line" completely. Will I watch yes, but I will still go back to the E.

 

[The Doctor]

That may be true for some people, but it certainly isn't true for me. I enjoy WWE.

Yeah, I said it. I LIKE watching it every week. And guess what? I've only been a fan for the past few years. Every week, there is always something to entertain me. ECW and Smackdown are always solid, and there's always a promo or match on RAW that makes me stop fast forwarding and watch.

However, I will say that if it wasn't for Smackdown and ECW, I wouldn't be as much of a fan as I am. RAW has been quite mediocre (though going to it live on the night of Bret's return was still a thrilling experience) but things look to be looking up yet again. The Rumble was enjoyable, and the episodes after have so far been quite entertaining.

I will never be a blind defender, but that doesn't mean I can't watch the shows with an eye looking for the good rather than the bad. It has nothing to do with loyalty, but rather it has to do with optimism and getting some genuine enjoyment out of watching WWE.

 

[Legend_Killer]

I am 25 and I am loyal to WWE.And you know why wrestling is boring for those Attitude era fans because they grew up and they realized that wrestling isn't real.When I was watching attitude era I was child too but I knew that that is not real and I was litle bit disgusted like many other fans with some parts of it.And now Vince has done something to make older fans and young fans to watch not the granparents but older fans so nobody can sue him for something it's friendly show.WWE has everything better T-shirts,Entrance Music,Wrestlers and thank god they don't have blood thats stupid to make people to cut themselves.And some people say Vince humiliates his divas with his matches and Piggy James but in TNA Abyss broke the arm of Daffney in match so wgats better to be called Piggy James with everybody knowing thats not real and bigger paychecks or to have Abyss breaking your arm less money and to have some "good knockout matches".
WWE is just better than TNA.

 

[SickJames]

I'm 19 and I'm a loyal and I dont think anything not just WWE, anything is fair to bash because it goes through the natural stages as everything else does. You wont have a product be the same forever, everything changes. It's evolution.

I'm loyal and that means yes I stand by the WWE even though I wish it was more Attitude something about it draws me in still and I still love it.


But if you pay attention you can see things repeating themselves. I dont care what ppl say about the war, there is a MNW II. And WWE vs TNA is exactly a mirror image of WWE vs WCW only WWE is PG & TNA is not.

Now you have Tod Gordon & Paul Heyman making a big announcement in July 2011 and saying something will start in August 2011. I wonder what that could be? ...Could it be a new wrestling company to take the place of ECW in this new MNW like TNA has become WCW, I personally think so


So here's how I see it.

Right now we are all looking at a slowly progressing 2ND PEAK of Pro-Wrestling. Jan 4th through 2011 this MNW II will get hot and ppl are gonna be into it big time, take the suspected new company in August 2011 and you've got even more interest in the war because you know thats gonna be involved somehow

WWE Network launches as well around that time


I can see wrestling and all three promotions being huge in late 2011 & 2012 and on

I see WWE losing the PG Rating in 10-12 years, at some point they will drop it especially if the company Paul & Tod have is extreme & you have TNA being TV-14 too, WWE will have to go TV-14 and compete with an Attitude Resurrection Era

thats my opinion, but this is really what I see happening


but either way, anyone can bet on WWE changing the rating at some point. And as far as everything else a lot of ppl complain about I can only say ppl need to be real and understand that this is a huge transitional period.

Sometimes I wonder if this is some big behind the scenes plan to bring a new war in because some things seem a little too suspicious

I wouldnt be surprised to see Paul & Tod in July 2011 announce a new wrestling company and then have Shane McMahon running it with them bringing it even more attention


I just speculate a lot over it. I really think something's up, but whether it is or not there's gonna be three companies in take two, MNW II

so get ready


WWE HAS to be the way it is because it's in the transitional stages, once this 2010 year of fully building the next generation they'll be ready for what comes next in 2011

thats honestly the way I see it. I truly think this is all preparation and Shane is gonna pull a shocker
Todd said it'd be the greatest collaboration in wrestling


As far as my loyalty yeah, I have an addiction and I love it. The only thing I love more than wrestling is my family. Give me wrestling and I'm happy. I'm straight-edge, dont have any addiction accept WWE. That's my high every week.

 

[WWEIsLife]

I am 26 going on 27 years old and I have watched Wrestling since I was about 6 yrs old starting in 1990. My first Favorite Wrestler believe it or not was The Ultimate Warrior (yeah laugh if you wish) but im not ashamed of it. However overall Bret Hart is probably my Favorite Wrestler of all time and I have throughly enjoyed his Return. I was there when RAW was born in 1993,I was there when Smackdown was born in 1999,I remember Bret's 1st Title win,Warrior's Surprise Return at Wrestlemania 8,Chris Benoit winning the World Title at Wrestlemania 20,Undertaker's Debut to name a few moments.

Ive seen just about every single Wrestlemania,I have every one of the WWF/E,WCW,and ECW Games and even the TNA one which is ok I guess. I can tell you how many times RAW,Smackdown,and PPVs have been to a certain City off the top of my head,anyone use TheHistoryOfWWE.com? I do. Ive also been to Numerous Shows including this year's Royal Rumble and Ive had a great time at them all.

Ive watched WCW and a little ECW,I have the Rise & Fall Of ECW DVD and I had a New Respect for it. I watch TNA a little bit but for the most part they leave alot to be desired and they lack the Energy in their Shows that WWE has. So Sid you can call it what you will but I am Loyal to the WWE first and foremost but I do like Wrestling if its WWE,WCW,ECW,and a little TNA.

 

[vertigolowe]

First of all I just want to point out that the survey thing you mentioned is really meaningless since it doesn't poll all viewers, all wrestling fans, or even all internet wrestling fans. It just polls internet wrestling fans who frequent this website AND use the forums.


I'm 29 and have been watching since I was 9 (Royal Rumble 1990 was the first show I remember seeing). I've been watching WWE(F) ever since.

That being said, during the Monday Night Wars I watched both shows religeously. Nitro had a replay later in the night so I could watch both shows in full. I also would watch every ppv. I guess during that time I was the perfect doobie because I watched everything.

Somewhere in the middle I found the ECW weekly show. It was on Saturday Nights at 1am on the Spanish Channel so it was a complete fluke that I found it.

When WWE did the brand extension I liked it because the undercard tends to be more entertaining to me and it has given them a chance to use more talent overall. The 2 world titles allowed them to move guys up to the top. Can anyone honestly say that Jeff Hardy, CM Punk or even Edge would have won a world title if they had to compete with HHH, HBK & Taker for what would have now been 1 top spot? I doubt it.

Why do I keep watching? Because wrestling goes in ebbs and flows. wrestling sucked hard from like 92-95, then was good until around 2000/2001. Then it slacked off a bit. Then it seemed to get better for a while with Evolution and Cena's ascension. After that Cena had the belt surgically attached to his waist and things got sort of lame again.

With all that said, even the suck periods have had some great wrestling in them and some great storylines, while the good periods have had some absolute garbage in them.

As for your statement about wanting TNA to fail, I have 0 interest in seeing TNA fail. Of my favorite wrestlers I think more than half of my top 10 are in TNA. It's the writing and general lack of logic to storylines that makes TNA seem less like a show I really want to catch each week and more of something to watch if nothing else is on.

At this point I can't say that I watch every second of any show where I used to watch every second of every show from every fed. Now I try to just have wrestling on and sort of pay half attention while doing something else. I also only order Wrestlemania and occassionaly the Rumble. Other than that I just pick up the DVD if the show seemed to do well. It's just waaaaaaay too expensive.

I still watch WWE shows because I like the talent. Before anyone jumps on that, I did not say that I like ALL of the talent and I also did NOT say that the talent is better than elsewhere. I would have said that ROH has the best overall talent but with Danielson and McGuiness gone I have to give the edge to TNA in that department now. (as far as wrestling goes)

So I guess to sum it up what I'm saying is that I watch WWE because I watch all wrestling that I can.

 

[Zeedeevel]

I'm 21 and started watching in the hogan era, and yea I like wwe and hate tna, but its not because I don't want there to be competition. I would love for there to be competition but tna just cant do it right now. I feel no need to be loyal to wwe, its just something fun for me to watch on mondays when im not out with my friends or working. What makes me laugh is the fact of people who sit and complain about the product so much, including you Sid, that still sit and watch it. If you don't like what is on your tv, turn it off.

People will never like everything about a tv show. Take the simpsons for example: they have had some crappy episodes, and some great ones, nothing can be good all the time.

So the real reason WWE is #1 is not brand loyalty and addiction, its simply the fact that there are a lot of people like me who just simply like wwe and think tna is absolute crap. It has nothing to do with addiction or brand loyalty just a matter of taste

 

[mell413]

I am 24 soon to be 25. I started watching wrestling in the late 80s. So I have seen the PG stuff then the attitude era and then back to the PG stuff. I am loyal to the WWE. I've enjoyed wrestling since I was a kid and WWE is the best wrestling company at the moment. I do need my wrestling fix and the WWE delivers.

I do watch WWE because I want to watch it and not because I'm trying to be loyal to Vince. The product now is not what it was at it's peak in the attitude era, but I still enjoy it. I'm also not the 14 year old kid I was during the attitude era. I don't need a lot of the stuff that made that era what it was. I'm not the same blood thirsty kid I was in the late 90s. I've grown up. I can still get something out of watching a good wrestling match. If you can have compelling storylines you can succeed even if its a PG era. The product is getting better so I will continue to watch. Even when not at it's peak there is still something or someone that captivates me. I'm a big fan of the Miz and I want to see what he does. If I didn't like the product I would not watch. It's not some kind of sub conscious thing trying to be loyal to Vince. Also this business like sports team goes in cycles. WWE is slowly building a younger fan base and it will take off again at some point.

I have given TNA a chance. I started watching them in 2005 and they kind of helped me start liking wrestling again.When they moved to thursdays in 2006 I thought I would start paying more attention. Unfortunately I was busy at school or going out on thursdays and didn't have time to watch. Now that I finished school I'm trying to get back into it. I've watched a few episodes and I have not been impressed so far. The thing that got me into TNA before was that their wrestling was different. They offered something that the WWE didnt. The problem now is that TNA cannot beat the WWE at the WWE's game. The wrestling styles seems to have changed and a lot of the guys in TNA lack the charisma to work the WWE style. It was easier for them to get over before because they could do whatever they wanted. Now that the style seems more conservative they need guys that can work the crowd and they are failing at it. Besides Anderson, Angle, and the Pope there is no one that wrestles makes me want to tune in every week. I'll stop flipping when Flair or Hogan are on though. My problem with TNA and Hogan as that they are trying to beat Vince at his own game and that is not TNA's strength.

 

[Davi323]

Why is this even in the WWE section? All it is a pro-TNA propaganda thread, based on completely erroneous assumptions...(A TNA fan making an erroneous assumption about the relative qualities between the two companies? NO WAY!!!)

Sidious, to this day, given your hatred of the WWE, I cannot understand why the hell you are the WWE forum moderator. I don't mean that you suck, or anything like that, but, given your disdain for the WWE, your blatant pro-TNA stance on just about everything, it just seems like you are perhaps a bad fit for the WWE section. Especially when you, as a mod, create a lot of WWE bashing threads.

But, lets examine your post:

For example, if you started watching in the Hogan Era, you are generally most disgusted with it.

I am 34 years old I started watching when Bob Backlund was still champ. And I am not disgusted in the least by the WWE.

Now, yes, there are still stragglers out there from the Hogan, New Generation, and of course Attitude Eras that stuck around, but that is because of brand loyalty and because WWE had such a tremendous effect on their childhoods. So many years have been invested in it, so why quit now?

Its interesting that you focus on those stragglers from the Hogan era...considering who is the number one name in TNA right now...Shouldn't those fans who started watching wrestling during the Hogan era have switched to TNA because of well, Hogan? Your statement is easier to pick apart than a pulled pork sandwich.

You see Bret Hart appear on TV, and well over half the live audience, and I dare say perhaps even 75 percent or more of the live audience, never saw Bret Hart before in their lives. They may have heard of the guy, but that's it.

You mean the same people who have never seen Hulk Hogan before? The same fans that you are astonished when you find out they aren't abandoning the WWE for TNA, which is led by a guy even older than Bret Hart is?

Half of the live audience? Based on what? You claim the WWE audience is clinging on to some sense of loyalty out of the Hogan and Attitude eras (of which Bret Hart would of course be known), but then at the same time, claim that 75% of the WWE audience is too young to remember Hart? What kind of logic is that? People are loyal to the WWE from the 80s and 90s, but, none of them are old enough to remember Bret Hart...that makes total sense...unless you live in the real world. Because in the real world, your post is terribly contradictory.

And lastly, why is it important to squash competition and prevent it from even rising, when you are essentially doing more harm to the wrestling business because of your missplaced brand loyalty, then you are helping it by creating a healthier market?

TNA hasn't proven it is competition. You can only squash competition when it is actually competing in the same league as you. But, lets explore this...what is Vince doing to squash TNA? Give me specifics. You have made a very broad generalization, so I ask, back it up. What is Vince McMahon specifically doing to squash TNA? How is he preventing TNA from being a real competitor? The only thing that is holding TNA down is TNA. Its TNA's weak roster, its TNA's complete lack of production values, its TNA's reliance on over the hill wrestlers who have been WWE castoffs. Its the bad booking, its everything that TNA does wrong that is holding down TNA.

Why does Vince have to ensure a healthier market? Does Coca-Cola have an obligation to help out RC Cola, or the cheap walmart knockoff cola? Hell no. Your complaint is utterly ridiculous. Why should Vince give a damn about any wrestling company but his own, especially one that hasn't shown it can take a chunk out of his pocketbook the way WCW did? Coca Cola has to worry about Pepsi, but Pepsi is like WCW. It was a real contender, not a pretender like TNA.

Why is the loyalty of WWE fans misplaced? Because you can't fathom why we haven't all been enlightened as you have, because you can't figure out why everyone isn't jumping ship to a crappy 3rd rate wrestling company like TNA? If TNA can prove it can be a real competitor to the WWE, more power to them. But, in order to do that, they will have to change everything they are, which will alienate TNA fanboys like you. As soon as TNA takes the necessary steps to be real competition, you will abandon them, because they are becoming more like the WWE. You piss and moan that WWE should be more like TNA, without it ever dawning on you that the WWE doesn't have to be like TNA, if TNA wants to be more successful, they have to be more like the WWE. I don't want TNA to fail. I want TNA to succeed. But they have to give me a reason to watch. They have to prove that they mean business, they have to show that they understand the steps needed to be a real wrestling company. They have failed miserably at that. At least WCW understood how to challenge the WWE. Competition is a good thing, but not competition just for the sake of competition. I don't have to support TNA just because they are an alternative, they have to prove to me that they are worthy of my support first. As long as they keep down the road they are going, they will never, ever show me that they are worthy.

I am a wrestling fan, not just a WWE fan. I watched ECW when I could, at 1am on Saturday nights, I watched the NWA/WCW on TBS on Saturday mornings, WCCW on ESPN, I watched any wrestling I could. During the Monday Night Wars, I taped both RAW and Nitro, I also watched TNA when it first started too. Now, I absolutely will only watch TNA if it is a last resort, everything else is a rerun, and there aren't any good sporting events on. TNA failed to earn my respect as a wrestling company. They failed to give me any reason to watch. I prefer the WWE over TNA, because it is a vastly, vastly superior product. TNA is utter rubbish to watch. It is poorly run, the booking is horrendous, the production values lacking, the stars are either WWE has-beens or people who nobody knows or cares about. The announcers are terrible too. C'mon, Don West? Really? Mike Tenay, the so-called "professor"? TNA is a joke. TNA has trouble filling up high school gymnasium sized locations, forget about filling up a 20,000 seat arena, you know, the type of place the WWE fills up every week?

Before the TNA Slammiversary PPV at the Palace last year, they did a House show in Grand Rapids, at the DeltaPlex. The DeltaPlex is a small, third tier sized arena, housing around 6,200 people. My girlfriend dragged me to go, because she loves Kurt Angle...well, at that house show, the last TNA live event before the PPV, there were 245 people in attendance. TOTAL. How do I know? Because I was able to count them. Every WWE house show I have gone to has been packed, at the Van Andel Arena, a much larger venue. In fact, I have seen bigger crowds attending a Michigan Championship Wrestling event. Even a non-televised local only promotion can outdraw TNA. What's the point? Nobody really watches TNA but hardcore fans like you. All they have to do is watch 20 seconds of Impact, watch 20 seconds of Raw for comparison, and they understand that WWE is big time, TNA is bush league. I hesitate to even say that the WWE is the NFL, and TNA is the CFL, because I don't want to insult the CFL. A better comparison would be the NFL to the AFL2.

The truth of the matter is, the WWE produces a better product than TNA does. Its simply higher quality. From the matches to the lighting, to the set design. Their TV show has much higher production values, their PPVs matter. Wrestlemania, by itself, will probably draw more PPV buys than any 6 TNA PPVs combined, if not outdraw their entire PPV schedule for the year.

Yet, rather than acknowledge the WWE is popular, you have to drag it down by claiming the audience is too old, and is just following what they know, because we are all mindless sheep, but, the audience is too young to know who Bret Hart is. If they are too young to know who Bret Hart is, they sure as hell are too young to know why they should care about Hulk Hogan too...but, obviously, the irony of your position is completely lost on you.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I've been watching wrestling for, literally, as long as I can remember. Everything from bootlegged VHS tapes to pirated satellite signals to live events to any and everything in between. I love wrestling, I always have whether it be the shows out of Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, the Mid-Atlantic region, just everywhere. This particular thread is one of several I've seen Sid create over the past year with virtually the exact same theme: namely that people primarily watch the WWE out of habit and not because they actually like it.

Well, I'm sure that's probably true in some cases. It's true for other shows on television from all walks of life so I'm sure that it applies to the WWE to some degree as well. However, most consumers of entertainment media aren't exactly the sheep that Sid attemps to make them out to be. If viewers don't like what they see on television, most of them change the channel to something else or they simply do something else with their time. If word of mouth gets around via talk or reading reviews or whatever of the latest release by a recording artist, if it's not to the taste of a lot of people, they're not going to buy the CD or download it online.

Television shows are cancelled every season for reasons varying from the network just hating it to poor reviews to poor ratings to just not fitting in with the times to sometimes a combination of any or all of the above. Some of the best known television shows in history, shows that are apart of Americana, all feel victim to at least one of these reasons. Every show has highs and lows, periods of tremendous success and periods in which they're not as successful. The WWE isn't immune to any of these factors. The Attitude Era is an example of the WWE reaching great heights and it worked for several years but times changed just like they always do.

There are too many options in life than to just waste them doing and/or watching something that you simply don't like. Wrestling fans can be very very fickle, they always have been. Maybe its because wrestling isn't a "real" sport or their tastes change or they grow older or whatever. But, there's simply too many other choices on television for people to watch something that they think isn't any good. Bunching the majority of WWE viewers into a category of "they're only watching out of habit" is just inaccurate generalization and, quite frankly, I think it's a cop out.

I don't like everything that the WWE is done or that the WWE will do. Shit, that's how it is with just about every aspect life has to offer in anything. I've watched the WWE since I was a child, but if I didn't like what I was seeing, I'd change the channel and I have before. If the WWE changes as a whole to something I don't find appealing, I'll stop watching it. I'm not "loyal" to Vince McMahon. He's never paid any of my bills, put a roof over my head, clothes on my back or food on my table. If I don't like his product overall, I won't watch it. It's just that simple.

Now, does that mean I still watch sometimes if what I see on the screen for a particular segment isn't something I like? Yeah, sometimes I will. Not always, but sometimes. Accepting the negatives with the positives, and hoping the negatives will be improved upon and won't be around for long doesn't make one a shareholder, it makes them a fan. A real fan sticks through with it through the tough times and the bad unless the bad become so overwhelming that it's time to just move onto something else to watch. That's what a fan does, accept the bad along with the good sometimes. Babe Ruth didn't hit one out of the park everytime he came to bat, he struck out more times than anyone in history I think, but people still stood by him even during times when he just flat out sucked. That's what a real fan does. I can understand if someone sees what's on the WWE for a long enough period and doesn't like it and stops watching it. That's life. That's how it is with television shows, sports teams, movie franchises and so on and so forth.

When I watch an episode of Raw or Smackdown and see 12, 14, 15,000 people or more at an event, I find it very difficult to believe that the vast majority of those people are going to throw away their money to watch something that they don't really like, especially with things as they are today. Hundreds of thousands of people aren't going to add $40 and $50 to their cable or satellite bills every month to watch something out of habit rather than want. Do some? Sure, people do weird things all the time.

 

[theHeadliner]

I'm 23.5 years old. I began watching in late 1993 (New Generation Era). I remember I started watching in the summer/fall of 1993. I am loyal more for the wrestler and the hard work they do in the ring (particularly Shawn Michaels) rather than Vince McMahon, who has really disgusted me lately. He's not about wrestling anymore; he's about Wall Street and entertainment ventures. The product is as stale and generic as its ever been; even the announcers are generic for the most part. I've always like the WWF/WWE brand since I was younger, I felt it was superior to the others, but I stopped watching WWF at the Attitude Era because I could really care less about sleaze and shock TV. I would occasionally watch WCW until it went under. I returned to watching in 2006,for the most part because of the Heartbreak Kid, so in a sense I was loyal but only because I didn't see TNA as anything serious at that time. I've pretty much gone back and either watched or read about all the major matches, angles, and such that I missed in the times I stopped watching. I don't like the idea of squashing the competition. Vince is just a stubborn megalomaniac who feels he's the only one that matters in professional wrestling. If TNA gets better, I'll tune in.

 

[The Roid Rage]

So to the people who consider themselves "loyal viewers" to WWE, if you don't mind sharing your ages, just so we can get an idea of what demo you fall into, perhaps share when you began watching WWE programming, and tell us IF you are an adult, why you still consider yourself to be a WWE loyal viewer.

Glad to oblige Sir. For starters I am 25, born in 1985, god what a great year to be born. Anyways, I got an early start at wrestling. I can remember matches from clear back when I was only two years old in 1987. My moms husband was a big wrestling fan and got me into it. I remember watching it with him and my mom. Andre the Giant was the biggest thing in the world, Hogan was Immortal, The Warrior was the most energizing character on the planet, Mach was arguably the best in the company, then there was Jake the Snake Roberts, Superfly Jimmy Snuka, Ricky Steamboat, Big Boss Man, Rick Rude, Rick The Model Martel, the list goes on and on. Everyone was hooked. As some mentioned I remember watching the Coliseum Home Video, getting the fuzzy dialed in pay-per-views, and watching Wrestling on Saturday mornings. The characters were larger than life, and seemed capable of anything, it was almost magical as a kid. Every time you thought Hogan was down for the count, and he kicked out and Hulked Up it was Good coming back to beat Evil. It was very exciting.

I have continued to watch all through my life, never stopped, never plan on it. I was a full fledged Hulkamaniac as a kid, and I loved The Ultimate Warrior just as much. It's crazy reflecting back as I can remember just about every historic debut, event, and match that has happened in the last 20 years. I loved the early 90's and into about 1996. Once Stone Cold came around in the WWF, I was not as interested. I hated him so much I didn't even want to watch, I couldn't stand anything about him. I cheered for Bret Hart in that case, and McMahon in the next. Even though they were heels, they were heroes to me for standing against the man I hated for real, Stone Cold Steve Austin. He just represented everything I hate. I kept watching just in hopes of seeing him get his ass kicked. Then when The Outsiders went to WCW that gave me something else to watch.

I thought the Attitude Era or Monday Night Wars, were horrible. I hated most of it. I liked the NWO because they were about their business, but I didn't really like much else about WCW. Then I hated hated hated Stone Cold, and didn't like how the WWF had turned into a bunch of toilet bowl humor, sexual innuendo, racial tension, and filth. It was a hard time for me to stay into wrestling. You just have to remember, I was growing up on "Training, taking your vitamins, and saying your prayers" all of which I did. This new brand of wrestling was disgusting to me, against all my beliefs, but I still watched to see the good guys hopefully win. Instead I got Montreal.

I couldn't have been happier when it all ended because I figured "Finally, wrestling will get back to what it used to be, the way it was meant to be, not this trashy excuse. Then when you get into the Post MNW era, I think things got better, especially with the Invasion angle. From there on into today I am happy with the product. Do I think some things could be better or that they need to make some changes? Sure. I just don't want a repeat of the Attitude Era.

What draws you to the WWE and fuels your addiction and loyalty to Vince McMahon when clearly they are not the organization putting out the more adult product at the moment, which is more geared towards adult interests.

I guess because although I am an adult, I am still a kid at heart. I never thought wrestling was to be geared to adults, it's for kids mostly. I like what they have done now days. Vince finally went back to what he knows makes money, instead of all the ridiculous stuff they did in the Attitude Era taking risk after risk. Balance never exists in harmony. Either the pendulum swings far to one way or the other. Right now we have went completely the opposite way of the mid 90's to early 2000's, and I believe eventually if not soon we will return to an edgier product. I like how they have moved back to where the lines are more clearly drawn. You know who is a good guy and bad guy. They don't have to go to extreme lengths with risqué material, and tasteless programming. To me it is every bit as exciting.

I have always been a fan of wrestling, I have almost always been a fan of the WWE product, and I guess I am just easy to please. As long as there are the storylines, as long as I can have my favorites, and as long as I can watch the product without feeling offended by what they are putting on t.v. I am going to stay. As I got older and learned more about Vince McMahon in real life, the most I've liked him too. I have a great deal of respect for him, and I trust his judgment. The company didn't become as big as ever was because Vince has poor judgment, and didn't know how to make a quality product. Some argue that today it's this, that, or the other thing, and lacks this, that, or the other thing but I think it is just fine. The problem I believe is that people seem to want to go back to the Attitude Era, which I thought was horrendous. That just isn't going to happen again. The networks, the fans, and American society in general won't allow it, or so I think. What they did then just was not acceptable for kids to be watching, and although some feel Wrestling is for adults, it has almost always been for the kids.

Third, why is Brand Loyalty to the WWE so important to you, if Vince McMahon is not loyal to you?

Firstly, I don't think Vince owes me anything. To me, he has been loyal to the fans. He gave me Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor, Hogan, Mach, Warrior, The Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, so on and so on. He has entertained me my entire life. That is worth a little loyalty in my book. I know that there is the argument that he is putting out a lack luster product, doesn't listen to the fans, audience of one, the whole bit. But, I would have to argue in return "Is it really our call what happens in the WWE?" Not really. Either we like the product or we don't. You have the option of watching or turning the channel if you think he is so disloyal. I have got what I wanted from what he has presented and I continue to today.

I am not as big a critic when it comes to how Vince will or will not run his company, and what he will or will not green light. I think we should trust him a little more than that. As I said earlier, It's not like his company became so big because he didn't know what he was doing or how to please the fans. I don't even think all of this is his fault. The fans now, more than ever, seem to want too much. There is this idea that the Attitude Era was the end all be all of wrestling history. I would argue that the Hogan Era was the peak despite what numbers say.

And lastly, why is it important to squash competition and prevent it from even rising, when you are essentially doing more harm to the wrestling business because of your missplaced brand loyalty, then you are helping it by creating a healthier market?

I don't think this really applies to everyone. Business is Business. If the competition can't compete, that is not the fans fault, it's not Vince's fault, it's not anyones fault except the company who is failing at being competitive. I would love to see TNA make it's mark and become some legitimate competition simply because of how much it would enrich the business. But, if they don't do it right, if they fail, I can't blame anyone for it but them. If they were so great than they would capture their audience, they would get bigger, they would do better. The WWE is a well oiled, high functioning machine that doles out hundreds of hours of entertainment a year on T.V. and even more in arenas across the world. That's hard to compete against.

I don't think anyone doesn't want competition, they just don't want it for the sake of having it. If someone is going to rival the WWE throne, than they better be damn good in all areas of the business. It's not going to come cheap. TNA has light years to go. They are just getting their wings, and starting to take off. Maybe in a few years they will be a legitimate competitor to the WWE but they are going to have to earn it. That is something I don't think they or most of the people pondering the situation get. You can't just come out with Hulk Hogan, say "This is the best wrestling on the planet" and expect people to just nod and agree. That isn't going to get you pay-per-view buys, it's not going to raise your ratings enough, and it's not going to gain any loyalty. You have to earn a fans loyalty, and the WWE has been around long enough, done enough, and continues to do enough to keep fans loyal. Could they possibly do better? Maybe. Would legit competition ensure they did? Of course. Is it worth having a company that isn't ready going head to head with the WWE prematurely enter the battle field? No. That is suicide. You just need to be patient. It's not going to happen over night. I would rather see TNA as a big time company who is holding their own in numbers to WWE going head to head, than the current product. It doesn't mean I don't want competition, it just means I want GOOD competition.

 

[Malkore]

This post reminds me a lot CM Punks usual speechs about how addiction is bad.

Anyway. I only started watching WWE near the end of 08 and while i admit i didn't see the attitude era which most people are talking about being the best part of the WWE. but i still enjoy every episode of Raw and Smackdown and watch it every week. i don't watch ECW unless there is something interesting on it. I have never seen TNA as i don't get it here in New Zealand.

The Thing is people watch things because they WANT to not cause they feel loyalty to Vince and such.