Vince Russo "SAMI ZAYN DOES NOT=RATINGS"

[Supreme Knowledge]

I'm not sure if anyone already posted on this or not, but on the front page there is an article by Russo about this pasts Raw that posted the lowest rating of the year and everyone complaining. I absolutely agree with him. Russo may be a nut, but he's a genius when given the proper filter. The excuse was "They were going up against the NBA playoffs", well that wasn't the case back during 1998-2005 when WWE was actually entertaining and it didn't matter what else was showing.

WWE doesn't have any stars outside of Cena, and Lesnar. I love Ambrose, and Wyatt. Rollins, Reigns, and D Bryan are all great....but they're not stars. They don't draw, and don't garner huge reactions. People are really overrating Daniel Bryan drawing ability. Compare everybody on this roster outside of John Cena(maybe you could actually compare Cena TODAY too) to "Too Cool" the Tag Team, Too Cool was much more popular than all of them probably combined and that was JUST a tag team. Look at the reaction to Too Cool. They started out as a team no one cared about, and in a matter of months they were getting reactions that would make the arena shake. Not the lame duck "oh hey, the YES guy or the guy with the bullet proof looking gear" reaction that most "Stars" get now, I'm talking legit EAR POPPING reactions. Nobody including Cena could come close to that now.

Is that to say that Ambrose, Wyatt, Reigns, ect don't have that ability? Absolutely not saying that, I believe Ambrose and Wyatt have major star potential. It's WWE's creative ability that I have absolutely no confidence in. They legit don't know how to build quality stars anymore. They don't know how to book and capitalize on momentum. They don't have any confidence in their young performers. WWE's WRESTLERS are no longer the big draw, the WWE name itself is the Draw. People come more for the live experience than the the stars. The last legit star that WWE produced was CM Punk, and you see what happened with that.

There are a lot of great in ring performers in WWE, and that was enough to get Chris Benoit over and to some extent my favorite Bret Hart, but today's in ring product is laughable because WWE limits it. Plus Benoit and Bret still had a lot of character and not just generic wrestler 1 vs generic wrestler 2. The problem is Charisma, most of the roster don't have it or are not allowed to show they have it.

Truth hurts, but it is what it is.

Here is the article: http://csrwrestling.com/sami-zayn-does-notratings/

 

[ASKane]

I completely agreed with what he said. On Monday night when casual fans were deciding between Raw or something and see a guy they have never seen before they are more than likely going to assume he is just a jobber who will be squashed and watch something else. This is one of the reasons doing vignettes is a good way to build up a debut as casual fans may see one and be intrigued so if they happen to be on Raw when he debuts they will stay but if it is a surprise with no build up hardcore fans will be thrilled and casual fans will change the channel. However I will say that too many vignettes and the debut or return isnt as interesting (see Sheamus and Los Matadores).

 

[justinsayne]

I completely agreed with what he said. On Monday night when casual fans were deciding between Raw or something and see a guy they have never seen before they are more than likely going to assume he is just a jobber who will be squashed and watch something else. This is one of the reasons doing vignettes is a good way to build up a debut as casual fans may see one and be intrigued so if they happen to be on Raw when he debuts they will stay but if it is a surprise with no build up hardcore fans will be thrilled and casual fans will change the channel. However I will say that too many vignettes and the debut or return isnt as interesting (see Sheamus and Los Matadores).

What casual fan is watching RAW Monday night & thinking oh this guy BRET FUCKING HART just came out in introduced for his debut match is "just another jobber", in fact what casual is fan using the term "jobber"? Russo hasn't know what draws ratings in well over 20 yrs., his time at WCW & everywhere else's he's worked since is just proof of that, so why the fuck would anybody listen to him about this now, Russo is just a fucking idiot seeking any attention he can get.

 

[SoulTrain4]

Russo and his troll army are really pushing this heavy. Russo doesn't really know shit about wrestling, he knows about trash TV like Jerry Springer and he copied that formula, that's pretty much his only claim to fame.

Zayn isn't even officially on the main roster. It was probably a one shot deal and it was mostly for the fans in the arena who got to see their hometown boy face Cena in a big match. Everyone knew he was going to lose, it wasn't about that, it was about showcasing Zayn to the world and the people who did see him weren't disspponted.

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

I see more people are pissed at Russo because he spoke the truth. Russo NEVER said Zyan couldn't become a star, he said he isn't a draw right now, which is ABSOLUTELY TRUE. That episode of raw was as bad as it usually is, NOTHING about it was must watch TV, and a random Sami Zayn appearance did nothing to change that.

I love professional wrestling, I love New Japan, I loved the ruthless aggression era, I love wrestling. I support Kevin Steen, Adam Cole, Ricochet, all of the indie talent because they have mass potential if used right....but the fact is, WWE does not know how to build stars like they used too.

What Russo said was spot on, if nothing else, hell look at the decline of WWE over the years and especially today. The name itself is much bigger than anyone on the roster.

 

[Navi]

You know I would listen to Russo a lot more if he actually watched wrestling, which he admitted he doesn't anymore. He has said he hasn't watched RAW in forever, the only one being the RAW after Wrestlemania. And the only reason he watched that one, was because he was doing a podcast about it.

So how can someone who doesn't watch the WWE anymore because it doesn't entertain him, have the balls to come out and say anything about it. It would be like me slamming The Walking Dead, saying it's a shit show, don't watch it, and I've never watched one episode. Would I be credible, no I'd look and sound like a fucking idiot.

This is what he said about Zayn and Rollins on his blog.

RAW is a television show and Sami Zayn is NOT a television star—nor—will he be anytime soon. Sami is an exceptional wrestler on a wrestling show, and the only people who care about him are those die hard wrestling fans who are looking for 5-star matches that the massive don’t give a !@#$% about.

That’s why as champion Seth Rollins isn’t drawing no matter how hard they push him. Seth Rollins is a great wrestler, who only appeals to those purists who watch RAW for quality matches. The casual masses don’t care about that. What they care about are characters and storylines that ENTERTAIN them like the other TELEVISION shows they watch.

Also no one knew Zayn was going to show up it was a surprise, so RAW's number's weren't low because he was on it. That's just bullshit to blame him. Last week's RAW delivered like it hasn't in a long time. And anyone who is a wrestling fan and missed it, missed a great show. Russo is not a wrestling fan anymore, I don't know what he is.

EDIT: And all wrestling fans do watch wrestling to see stellar matches, not the random and repetitive shit we see on a weekly basis right now. That's why this RAW was so refreshing. If you don't want to see good wrestling then why are you watching in the first place.

 

[stingray11214]

The problem is that the casual fan is just that: casual. They come for the lights and the flips. But, stay long term? You must be kidding. Problem is that RAW is in a middling flux. Is it a wrestling show in the guise of "Championship Wrestling"? Or, is it a TV show that has a physical component. When WWE figures out which, the fans will come. You have to give the casual fan a reason to become a fan. Right now, RAW is just not cutting it. Cutting it down to 2 hours will make life easier for those casuals to become fans.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I see more people are pissed at Russo because he spoke the truth. Russo NEVER said Zyan couldn't become a star, he said he isn't a draw right now, which is ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

Uh yeah, duh. Why the fuck are we supposed to lick his bloody cockhole for saying something that is plain as day?

Zayn had one night on Raw and his show NXT does not prolly even have half the audience of Raw. I could have made that astute observation.

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

Uh yeah, duh. Why the fuck are we supposed to lick his bloody cockhole for saying something that is plain as day?

Zayn had one night on Raw and his show NXT does not prolly even have half the audience of Raw. I could have made that astute observation.

The article was about more than just Zayn, it was about people making it seem like was such an amazing Raw that shouldn't have had the worst rating of the year, well fans obviously thought otherwise. His observation also applied to more than just Zayn, it also extended to Rollins and the like. It was also right.

 

[MWRedskins]

why should "I" as a fan listen to what Russo says?? dont get me wrong, he has some creativity (see Screamin' Norman Smiley, a few attitude era stuff and Booker T's push), BUT he also has a lot of head scratching moves. one of my biggest issues with Russo was how he pushed his and Ric Flair's feud...he booked himself to go over seemingly every time they faced. when McMahon feuded with Austin, sure he had moments where McMahon looked good, but Mcmahon didnt have himself beat Austin all the time. Russo fought Flair in a tag match where if Ric lost, he "retired." Other problems i had was the hot potato known as the world title. WCW's world title changed hands SO many times when Russo was in charge. between April 24, 2000-May 29, 2000 the WCW World title changed hands 8 times!!! i guess to Russo, that's ratings and that's my issue because i dont think that's ratings.

Sami Zayn to me has a ton of potential. the Ole chant can get over like the Yes chant if WWE lets it, plus Zayn can actually wrestle. i dont know if Russo knows this, but RAW is a wrestling show and if the fans aren't watching it for good wrestling, then what do they want?? i want good to great wrestling, that's why i like seeing Rollins as the world champion, that's why i like Bryan, why i liked Punk and why i am glad Ambrose is in the main event match and why i think Zayn has a future. all those guys (and others) can go in the ring.

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

Also no one knew Zayn was going to show up it was a surprise, so RAW's number's weren't low because he was on it. That's just bullshit to blame him. Last week's RAW delivered like it hasn't in a long time. And anyone who is a wrestling fan and missed it, missed a great show. Russo is not a wrestling fan anymore, I don't know what he is.

EDIT: And all wrestling fans do watch wrestling to see stellar matches, not the random and repetitive shit we see on a weekly basis right now. That's why this RAW was so refreshing. If you don't want to see good wrestling then why are you watching in the first place.

First the show was nothing to brag about, at all.

Main point, anyone who considers themselves a WRESTLING FAN and tunes into WWE for "Good wrestling" must not be a true WRESTLING FAN at all. The shit they produce is half baked at best. Every now and again there is a quality match, overall its a joke. TNA, Lucha Underground, and NJPW produce way better quality as far as "in ring" product weekly. Besides that, that observation couldn't be anymore wrong.

WWE and WCW were never EVER built on in ring product, the success for both companies were 80% because of character development and story telling. Anyone who says otherwise is simply in their own SMALL world. Me myself, I love pure wrestling, I love the performance art, that's why NJPW is the ideal choice for that and its not even close. The problem for EVERY wrestling organization right now, is that simple fact...its NOT entertaining. Story telling is in the toilet and it's not a surprise that at the peak of the story telling boom, WWF/WCW/ECW were considered "cool" in pop culture, which equaled ratings, which equaled millions....compared to now where Pro wrestling is considered "lame" and ratings are declining, and interest is wavering. Russo point was very accurate, fan boys who eat garbage up no matter what would of course be outraged.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

To be fair this was Zayn's first appearance on RAW. I'm pretty sure the first time Austin or Rock where on RAW they didn't draw the same type of ratings they did in 98-03. This doesn't mean I think Zayn will be the next Austin or Rock but just that you can't say a guy can draw based on his debut.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

What casual fan is watching RAW Monday night & thinking oh this guy BRET FUCKING HART just came out in introduced for his debut match is "just another jobber", in fact what casual is fan using the term "jobber"? Russo hasn't know what draws ratings in well over 20 yrs., his time at WCW & everywhere else's he's worked since is just proof of that, so why the fuck would anybody listen to him about this now, Russo is just a fucking idiot seeking any attention he can get.

Took the words out of my mouth.

Vince Russo knows dick about what makes money and what draws ratings. He knows what to do to lower ratings, but has no idea otherwise.

As was mentioned, the fact that Bret Hart comes out... in MONTREAL... and introduces Sami Zayn is about 1000 better than any vignette or build they could give Zayn.

Russo wants to stay relevant and he's having a tough time realizing no one takes him seriously anymore.

 

[Blade]

Main point, anyone who considers themselves a WRESTLING FAN and tunes into WWE for "Good wrestling" must not be a true WRESTLING FAN at all. The shit they produce is half baked at best. Every now and again there is a quality match, overall its a joke. TNA, Lucha Underground, and NJPW produce way better quality as far as "in ring" product weekly. Besides that, that observation couldn't be anymore wrong.

Hey, guys! Supreme Knowledge has finally cracked the mystery of what makes someone a true wrestling fan! We can stop debating it!

Thank you, oh wise one. Forgive the ignorant on this site who claim you're talking crap. They just don't get your wisdom.

Anyway, Russo hasn't been relevant in, what, a decade and a half? If that? The fact is, if he actually knew what draws, he'd be working for WWE. Or Jarrett would've snapped him up. Hell, at the very least, he'd be working for TNA. Instead he blogs about other people are out of touch. Let that sink in for a moment.

At the end of the day, I'm not sure anyone understands what makes a draw at the moment, in this era of fickle fans. The WWE is in one of those awkward New Generation transitional periods. But the WWE Network has completely screwed up how we view Raw's TV ratings. We have no idea how many people were actually watching Raw this week.

As for Sami Zayn not being a draw, well... Yeah, no shit. No one is a draw in their first televised match. Does that mean WWE should stop debuting new wrestlers now? Christ.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I agree that Zayn doesn't equal ratings, but that's because he he's not exactly someone that's overly well known with more casual fans. At the same time though, it doesn't surprise me that last night's Raw drew so poorly because in terms of sheer, raw star power, it's no secret that WWE is hurting. I do think that Vince is partially to blame in that sense because, in my opinion, it seems to be a reflection on his outdated philosophies. In this particular case, it references to Vince McMahon putting all or most of his eggs into one basket, who happens to be named John Cena, but a ton of fans are bored with, burned out on or just flat tired of Cena being in THE spot and there's really no one else that could step in because nobody's been built up or pushed to the needed level. While there are always going to be some who're viewed as bigger stars than others, there was no singular "face" of WWE during the Attitude Era; nobody was built up to such an untouchable level that they were detrimental to their own popularity. Austin & The Rock were the two top guys of the era but there were options for someone to step in if necessary. If Austin was injured, The Rock could step in, or vice versa; you also had guys like Taker, Angle, Triple H, Foley, Jericho and possibly a few others who could be counted onto step up to the plate with little to no loss in fan interest. The only POSSIBLE guy that fans flocked to was Daniel Bryan and it's because the man connected with a lot of fans in an organic sort of way that had little to do with what management was looking for, but the issues surrounding his neck issues and whatever it is that's got him out of action right now have just put the kibosh on that; even if he was healthy as could be though, getting Vince to push him as the "face" of the company is like trying to hammer nails with your forehead because Daniel Bryan doesn't meet with Vince's cosmetic ideals pertaining to someone in that spot.

As far as Vince Russo goes, however, the hell does he know about who draws and who doesn't? When Russo was in the WWF, he had a creative filter named Vince McMahon who, at the time, had his fingers still firmly on the pulse of the American wrestling fan. In WCW, he had no such filter and the dismal quality of Russo's chaotic hodgepodge booking strategies was some of the most unwatchable programming in wrestling history. Vince Russo didn't "kill" WCW as far as its presence on television, but he did kill WCW's quality as a brand. Also, if Russo had any real notion of who could draw or how to create marketable stars, what's his excuse with TNA and the near decade he was with them? Russo's grand plan for a good portion of that time was a transparent rehash of recycled storylines and angles from the late 90s and into the 2000s; he'd start up some big super faction of heels who were looking to "take over" the company, various babyfaces would stand against them with mixed success before eventually rallying around one another and the legit power regime of TNA, every storyline, feud, or angle that had any relevance would essentially fall under the faction wars/power struggle umbrella, the heel faction would eventually fade away and they'd then start all the same thing all over again.

As with most wrestling personalities, Russo isn't speaking "the truth", he's speaking his own opinions while trying to spin it as being "the truth." I have absolutely ZERO problem with that and I've never said that he doesn't have some good points at times, but I have also NEVER bought into the notion that this guy is some sort of genius; in my eyes, his time in WCW and TNA have long since proven his creative genius to be FAR more mythical than factual. In my opinion, the guy's a huckster that's been riding on the reputation of things that he HELPED, not single handedly but HELPED, bring about nearly 20 years ago. I can only speak for myself, but I do watch wrestling for stellar match quality and not just for the storylines and personalities, the matches are supposed to be the singularity that brings all of these storylines, angles, feuds and personalities together; without strong wrestling content to tie it all together, it's like sex without an orgasm. I don't care if a guy's 7'0" or 5'10" as long as he can make me interested in who he is, what he's involved with and seeing him do what he does inside the ring.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I don't always agree with Vince Russo's views but I do this time.
The IWC usually tend to get a hard on for certain guys which comes along and I guess this Sami Zayn guy is their latest crush.
Don't get me wrong you need a couple of Sami Zayns on the cards but 5 star wrestling isn't everything a card full of 20 Sami Zayns every night would be dull to watch especially to the casual fan, In my opinion right now wrestling is lacking personality and characters.

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

Hey, guys! Supreme Knowledge has finally cracked the mystery of what makes someone a true wrestling fan! We can stop debating it!

Thank you, oh wise one. Forgive the ignorant on this site who claim you're talking crap. They just don't get your wisdom.

Lol No problem gwass hoppa. Always willing to enlighten the dumb, deaf, and blind.

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

I agree that Zayn doesn't equal ratings, but that's because he he's not exactly someone that's overly well known with more casual fans. At the same time though, it doesn't surprise me that last night's Raw drew so poorly because in terms of sheer, raw star power, it's no secret that WWE is hurting. I do think that Vince is partially to blame in that sense because, in my opinion, it seems to be a reflection on his outdated philosophies. In this particular case, it references to Vince McMahon putting all or most of his eggs into one basket, who happens to be named John Cena, but a ton of fans are bored with, burned out on or just flat tired of Cena being in THE spot and there's really no one else that could step in because nobody's been built up or pushed to the needed level. While there are always going to be some who're viewed as bigger stars than others, there was no singular "face" of WWE during the Attitude Era; nobody was built up to such an untouchable level that they were detrimental to their own popularity. Austin & The Rock were the two top guys of the era but there were options for someone to step in if necessary. If Austin was injured, The Rock could step in, or vice versa; you also had guys like Taker, Angle, Triple H, Foley, Jericho and possibly a few others who could be counted onto step up to the plate with little to no loss in fan interest. The only POSSIBLE guy that fans flocked to was Daniel Bryan and it's because the man connected with a lot of fans in an organic sort of way that had little to do with what management was looking for, but the issues surrounding his neck issues and whatever it is that's got him out of action right now have just put the kibosh on that; even if he was healthy as could be though, getting Vince to push him as the "face" of the company is like trying to hammer nails with your forehead because Daniel Bryan doesn't meet with Vince's cosmetic ideals pertaining to someone in that spot.

As far as Vince Russo goes, however, the hell does he know about who draws and who doesn't? When Russo was in the WWF, he had a creative filter named Vince McMahon who, at the time, had his fingers still firmly on the pulse of the American wrestling fan. In WCW, he had no such filter and the dismal quality of Russo's chaotic hodgepodge booking strategies was some of the most unwatchable programming in wrestling history. Vince Russo didn't "kill" WCW as far as its presence on television, but he did kill WCW's quality as a brand. Also, if Russo had any real notion of who could draw or how to create marketable stars, what's his excuse with TNA and the near decade he was with them? Russo's grand plan for a good portion of that time was a transparent rehash of recycled storylines and angles from the late 90s and into the 2000s; he'd start up some big super faction of heels who were looking to "take over" the company, various babyfaces would stand against them with mixed success before eventually rallying around one another and the legit power regime of TNA, every storyline, feud, or angle that had any relevance would essentially fall under the faction wars/power struggle umbrella, the heel faction would eventually fade away and they'd then start all the same thing all over again.

As with most wrestling personalities, Russo isn't speaking "the truth", he's speaking his own opinions while trying to spin it as being "the truth." I have absolutely ZERO problem with that and I've never said that he doesn't have some good points at times, but I have also NEVER bought into the notion that this guy is some sort of genius; in my eyes, his time in WCW and TNA have long since proven his creative genius to be FAR more mythical than factual. In my opinion, the guy's a huckster that's been riding on the reputation of things that he HELPED, not single handedly but HELPED, bring about nearly 20 years ago. I can only speak for myself, but I do watch wrestling for stellar match quality and not just for the storylines and personalities, the matches are supposed to be the singularity that brings all of these storylines, angles, feuds and personalities together; without strong wrestling content to tie it all together, it's like sex without an orgasm. I don't care if a guy's 7'0" or 5'10" as long as he can make me interested in who he is, what he's involved with and seeing him do what he does inside the ring.

You get it sir, and I agree with pretty much everything you said.

Russo on his own, terrible idea. That's why I said "with a filter" the man can absolutely be a genius. Alot of people HATE Russo and I get it, I'm no mark for the man....but there is no doubt he was instrumental in the AE era along with vince and co. Russo says some BS sometimes, but he was spot on with this article.

I'm glad you're not a WWE fan boy who accepts everything and you can clearly see that huge poems that wwe have right now with the product.

Also, it's pretty obvious that most did not read the article, otherwise they would realize that Russo didn't say he wasnt a draw because of 1 random night on raw. Read the article, gain some perspective, and then provide a comment instead of being a biased fan boy because of the thread title .

 

[Joseph718YaHurd]

Its funny I'm reading this because tbh lately I haven't been watching wrestling all together ... It just lacks at times BUT I am a huge fan of NXT , that may be the ONLY wrestling show I watch nowadays ... But I always read up on my wrestling news and when I read Sami accepted cena's open challenge and faced him ... I just had to see it so I watched it , but only for that particular match ... Like I said I'm not the Biggest fan of the raw product , but I AM a fan of Sami Zayn And NXT as a whole , for anybody to say Sami doesn't have star power is just ridiculous ... How can you predict something like that so prematurely ? On his debut he faced Cena , John Fucking Cena and was brought out by Bret Hart ... That HAS to mean something , you would have to think the Higher ups in the Company VALUE this man , im sure they see the potential .. Similar to when Cena made HIS debut against Angle ... It was a losing effort BUT a strong showing ...

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

I don't always agree with Vince Russo's views but I do this time.
The IWC usually tend to get a hard on for certain guys which comes along and I guess this Sami Zayn guy is their latest crush.
Don't get me wrong you need a couple of Sami Zayns on the cards but 5 star wrestling isn't everything a card full of 20 Sami Zayns every night would be dull to watch especially to the casual fan, In my opinion right now wrestling is lacking personality and characters.

Exactly. I love technical wrestling, but I also love good storytelling and characters with personality. Most of the wrestlers now can be labeled wrestler 1 or wrestler 2

A short list of a past roster booming with in ring talent and character: Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, HHH, Rock, Austin, Taker, Mankind, Kane, Hardys, Too Cool, Dudleys, RVD, AL Snow, Ken Shamrock ect. That's just a short list of wrestlers BOOMING with ring talent, charisma, and character. A roster with Bryan, Reigns, Rollins, Shemus, Cena, Rusev, ect can't begin to compare in the slightest and a lot of the blame has to go too WWE and the Internet boom.

 

[SJ5522]

Not sure if this will have been covered already or not, but WWE in the past 5 or so years, or since NXT began, WWE has favoured building up its new talent gradually, starting them off with a fall, compared to watching 10 or so years ago the amount of jobber/squash matches have really decreased, which I find to be a positive, but sometimes I do miss the old method of building up a superstar with gradual vignettes and a dominant debut. I think the problem was not the squash match method, just 10 or so years ago, EVERYone got a squash debut, and it led to there being 30+ guys on the roster who are all over 6 foot 5 tall, and the vast majority of them getting ambivalent reactions from crowds until they got released

Debuts like Daniel Bryan's and Sami Zayn's get those guys over quickly and magically though. They might not bring the PPV buys in themselves today, but that could be just a matter of time. Think of Cena, he debuted on Kurt Angle's Open Challenge dressed like a jobber in some plain tights in a pretty similar fashion to Zayn. Cena's Royal Rumble he comes to the ring spitting a rap, to more or less complete silence from the crowd. The following year's Rumble, Cena gets the biggest pop of the lot.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Well, from bussinessside point of view he has a point. NXT is good product but even if its better quality of matches then RAW, at the end of the day RAW is RAW. Its big league product that WWE earns most while NXT is developmental and if you are true wrestling fan you will tune up to see some of future WWE stars there. Like how people knew about Danyel Bryan before he went to WWE and marked when he came to NXT. And yet, when he went on TV he needed character and support from casual fans(example is people chanting "Yes" at football game) to be real draw(eventhough OP doesnt admit that). So Russo is right about that and that WWE now doesnt have some "big draw" like Austin or Rock who would make people change chanell from NBA game to RAW.

However, he is wrong about Zayn. Stick him with right character, let him show what he show on last RAW and he could be draw. Its still early to tell wheather he would be draw or not especially when he is not even on RAW and it was just one time thing where he wasnt even advertised.

 

[OYDK]

RAW is a television show and Sami Zayn is NOT a television star—nor—will he be anytime soon. Sami is an exceptional wrestler on a wrestling show, and the only people who care about him are those die hard wrestling fans who are looking for 5-star matches that the massive don’t give a !@#$% about.

That’s why as champion Seth Rollins isn’t drawing no matter how hard they push him. Seth Rollins is a great wrestler, who only appeals to those purists who watch RAW for quality matches. The casual masses don’t care about that. What they care about are characters and storylines that ENTERTAIN them like the other TELEVISION shows they watch.

Vince Russo's philosophy to pro-wrestling in a nutshell. Vince Russo doesn't care about the wrestling aspect of pro-wrestling... never has and seemingly never will. It's why matches during the AE were 5, MAYBE 7 minutes long and always ended in DQ's. It's why Vince and company cut 20-25 minute promos every week. It's why logic was thrown COMPLETELY out the window in an effort to entertain. Angle advancement was the name of the game, and admittedly, it's what people wanted at the time. The problem with this philosophy is that professional wrestling is changing and evolving, while Vince Russo remains stuck in his past ways.

If people didn't give a shit about Seth Rollins, he wouldn't be WWE Champion today, period. If he didn't garner a legitimate reaction every time his music hit, than MAYBE I could agree with Russo... but given the fact that the crowd reacts every time he's in the ring, I can't follow his line of thinking. Roman Reigns is the prototypical "Russo guy"... somebody who looks like a star and damn the rest of it... but Roman Reigns got booed for a long time before earning some respect. What does that tell you? People WANT to see good wrestling ability in the people they watch ... if they didn't, than people like Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, etc. would be footnotes in the WWE landscape and Roman Reigns would be the champion right now.

As for the draw argument... I liken that to an argument a toddler would use at this point... nobody knows what a fucking draw is anymore so people should stop using the term. It's nearly impossible to determine what a "draw" is in this day and age.

Russo needs to accept that the times are changing and he just doesn't have the capacity to change with it.

 

[Supreme Knowledge]

Vince Russo's philosophy to pro-wrestling in a nutshell. Vince Russo doesn't care about the wrestling aspect of pro-wrestling... never has and seemingly never will. It's why matches during the AE were 5, MAYBE 7 minutes long and always ended in DQ's. It's why Vince and company cut 20-25 minute promos every week. It's why logic was thrown COMPLETELY out the window in an effort to entertain. Angle advancement was the name of the game, and admittedly, it's what people wanted at the time. The problem with this philosophy is that professional wrestling is changing and evolving, while Vince Russo remains stuck in his past ways.

If people didn't give a shit about Seth Rollins, he wouldn't be WWE Champion today, period. If he didn't garner a legitimate reaction every time his music hit, than MAYBE I could agree with Russo... but given the fact that the crowd reacts every time he's in the ring, I can't follow his line of thinking. Roman Reigns is the prototypical "Russo guy"... somebody who looks like a star and damn the rest of it... but Roman Reigns got booed for a long time before earning some respect. What does that tell you? People WANT to see good wrestling ability in the people they watch ... if they didn't, than people like Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, etc. would be footnotes in the WWE landscape and Roman Reigns would be the champion right now.

As for the draw argument... I liken that to an argument a toddler would use at this point... nobody knows what a fucking draw is anymore so people should stop using the term. It's nearly impossible to determine what a "draw" is in this day and age.

Russo needs to accept that the times are changing and he just doesn't have the capacity to change with it.

Lol half the things you said couldn't be more wrong. You claim AE era were 5-7 minute matches? Lmfao, do you watch today's WWE? That's what they do regularly. DQ finishes? That's what this new generation is built on. 25 minute promos? Lmfao dude you're describing the VERY product today.. the difference is, during the AE era it was actually entertaining, hence why the ratings were the best they ever been and haven't come close to since.

The wrestling during the Attitude Era was not better than the ruthless aggression era, but they were damn sure better and more entertaining than today's wrestling BY FAR. Nothing produced in the last 8 years can touch Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit Ladder Match Royal Rumble 2001, Test vs Shane McMahon Summer Slam 1999, HHH vs Rock 60 minute Iron Man judgment day 2000, HHH vs Jericho Last Man Standing Fully Loaded 2000, Wrestle mania 2000 first TLC 1 with Hardys, E&C, and Dudleys, Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker HIAC Badd Blood 1997, Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Wrestle Mania 13....and that's a short list that absolutely murders anything WWE has produced in this era. The difference is, it was actually entertaining and refreshing. I guess some people think the combination of Kane/Big show/Rollins/Orton/Cena/Reigns every single week aand paper view doing the same shit over and over is entertaining.

The reason why a Draw is so confusing now, is because the only draw is the WWE name itself. You think there was ever any confusion on weather or not Goldberg, NWO, DX, Austin, Rock, The corporation, Sting ect were Draws? He'll no, ratings speak for themselves.

Rollins, Bryan, ect are great wrestlers and I'll continue to look for their matches, but they aren't stars.

 

[ABMorales787]

Of course Sami Zayn isn't a ratings draw.

A) He was never advertised.

B) He's completely new to the main WWE product.

You don't become a star over night. It takes years of investment, work, ingenuity, commitment and collaboration. Things Vince Russo has shown to not be capable of.