What Would You Do To Make WWE (Wrestling) More Realistic?

[TheGreatLegend]

I would suggest making backstage segments look more realistic. Like a interviewer ,say Matt Striker Interviewing a wrestler,say Randy Orton when he is in his locker room training,doing exercise or something or finding a wrestler walking around in the arena,going for thier match etc.

Should not include background music in promos or segments like Aksana/Teddy Long or Kane/Undertaker promos in 2010.

Build legit heat between a heel and a face not just the heel saying I hate this audience or person watching around the world etc.Should be more believable if there are no constant face/heel turns like when Mark Henry started "Hall of Pain" it felt like firstly this guy was destroying ppl in 2006 like Undertaker etc then hanging with MVP acting like a goofy character then all of a sudden he changed again to a monster heel.It makes it less believable.

And Yeah don't include Hornswoggle in any segments,matches,etc.

Wrestling will be better and people will take it more seriously if it is billed like a real "Legit" sport even though its entertainment.

What would you do to make WWE (Wrestling in general) more realistic ?

 

[Larry]

Honestly I don't know what more you could do to make it more realistic when everyone knows it's all predetermined, story lines are planned out, some of it is scripted, and it's a lot harder too when anyone who knows anything about the technical aspects of wrestling in the ring knows that it takes the guy you are wrestling working with you to do most of the moves. If you're opponent isn't helping you or in trying to make it real, fighting you to avoid letting you do moves, you simply aren't going to be able to do 90% or more of what they do.The only thing you could do is turn it into MMA with dramatic story lines to drive the rivalries but that kind of defeats the purpose of it being professional wrestling.

What we've seen them do is try to bring out the real behind the scenes stuff and skew the line between what is a work and what is not, that's about all I can think you could do. You can't have real fights though and you can't let the outcomes be determined by real fights. They already allow punches to be really stiff, basically full on shots, and kicks while not meant to deliver full impact do hit you and can hurt so that is another thing they currently do to make it seem as real as possible too. The curtain has been drawn back too far, everyone is in on it now, we know too much to ever be convinced much of anything is real now. The only things that are real are the athleticism is takes to do it, the injuries, and the politics backstage.

 

[Millennia]

what is missing & imo is most important is WWE helping us to get to know each superstar..
imo it was what helped kill off John Morrison, that guy is uber-athletic & way talented enough to keep on any pro wrestling roster.. BUT we never knew who he was, what his goals were, and why he was doin it..???

a perfect example were those sit down interviews Jim Ross did in 1997 with mick foley as mankind.. or even alberto's vignette's that aired pre - his debut..

in 1990 about 4- 7 30second promos would air one after the other, the superstar would say A. hi my name is B. and here to... C.. i have beef with so & so , because.. D. & this is what i plan on doing about it...

simple. it works.

good example: Dolph Ziggler is probably the number all around worker in WWE right now.. thats why punk & orton wanted to work with him past 2 weeks.. hes a BUMP machine, great offense, great selling, great look & he can talk & he has a HEAT Seeking missle of a manager!! ( vickie)... BUT any chance he has to talk , all we hear is " i am soo good at this" its like hes mentioning how its a work!!.. he should talk more about how much money he will get paid if & when he wins a match compared to Losing..

Ehh.. this is so simple to me, and i fear no1 is gettin it..

another thing missing in WWE is a legit ranking system based on WINS / Losses.. at every show we should be REMINDED who each champion is then who each #1 contender is....all zack ryder would have to do after 2- 3 wins is pin or defeat the #1 contender & BOOM you have a LEGIT system that has made sense..

how come A. no 1 has made it clear they even want to take the intercontinental title from Rhodes...??? B. ehh A makes me sick, can some of you atleast just agree with me cause i fear there are too many 12 yr olds reading these things that r just gonna say " turn cena heel" or "punk is the best" or " push riley"

ehhh my stomach hurts..

 

[poppycock]

I don't think it needs to be made anymore realistic?! If you want something that looks 100% realistic with no Undertaker, Hornswoggle(as much as I hate him) type characters then maybe the WWE is not for you and you should stick to something that is realistic. When I watch WWE I leave logic at the door as if I am watching a movie so for that period of time it is realistic to me but at the end of the day it is a predetermined show with a mixture of wrestling and entertainment that comes across as real as it possibly could in my opinion. SHort of the TNA backstage segments (which are hit and miss) I am not sure what else you could do other than totally change the whole concept and I don't ever want because I am a fan for the cartoony, silly stuff just as much as the wrestling.

 

[ahoyhoy]

Have Punk fly off after MITB. Get him to do things like go to indie shows w/ Cabana, make his twitter page worth following (and thus making anyone he tweets worth following, and thus making WWE twitter a sensation). Then get him showing up at ROH to challange the champion, whether it was Davey or Eddie at the time. Get him going to Japan when Cabana was wrestling with Noah and just see his sight seeing through his twitter page or meeting big names in Japanese wrestling. Take months doing it and build up an angle worth bringing him back, which leads me to part two.

Have many of the wrestlers, refs, camera men, announcers, backstage staff and so on become so distressed by a hostile work environment that they 'leave' and protest and strike at arenas. Monday nights you'd be fascinated to see what the people left behind did on Raw, who came in to fill time such as injured wrestlers, former legends (easy pops to get people interested, just look at Dwayne) and champions seeking an opportunity to influence how the industry goes forward. But Monday nights would also have you fascinated to see twitter, youtube and news coverage of what goes on outside the arena, the interaction with fans and so on. Say 'Miz and Truth uploaded this from outside but we still own their contracts (and we have time to fill) so we're going to show it here'. You could have build over months, trying to convince refs or announcers to come back etc, you could make it more realistic by presenting a kayfabe inner workings of the industry, building to an all out match for the industry itself as a hostile takeover. An invasion angle based around inside mutiny.

Oh, but WWE would never have circumstances fall on their plate for such storylines to happen and make people doubt whether wrestling is fake or not. In 2011!

Other things:

Making the sporting aspect more important. What I love about the Cabana show, and what I loved about the mid-nineties is the importance put on who trained guys. Shawn Michaels was trained by Killer Kowalski and had Jose Lothario in his corner. He was trained by a hall of fame guy and had one of the best keeping him in top shape. All the while Bret came from a dungeon! Just the name spoke volumes and one shot of Stu in the crowd and you knew you still wouldn't wanna mess with him! The Cabana show goes into more detail about it, and it shows how much these guys went through to get where they are, how hard they trained, who ripped them off etc. Add a bit of that Rocky element that *everyone* loves - it all leads up to this moment.

The suggestion by someone else here of bringing back those sit down JR interviews would be great.

Get rid of Michael Cole, obviously. He is snarky all the time in a way that says 'i know better than you' in a condescending fashion; so when something dramatic does happen, it is hard for him to turn on a more appropriate and more believable style.

I can't remember the last time there was a fued that was just 'i think i can beat you up' v. 'i think i can beat you up'. Why not have someone like Tyson Kidd or Bryan Danielson Bryan just say 'well, I want to prove i'm the best' and go against much of the roster. Maybe whoever does it would lose a match, but then see him train on why he lost, go back and try again until he defeats a guy. There could be a 2 year face push to the top out of this.

 

[Trail_Blazin]

Just like Austin said...

Get rid of the script. Let the guys shine on the mic. Those that can will elevate (Rock, Austin, even HHH). Those who can't will flounder. Improv. It will make things so much more realistic.

Now, obviously, there have to be key points to talk about in any and all promos. You can't always just let them go... But skip the script and let them do their thing.

 

[WunNightStan619]

Just like Austin said...

Get rid of the script. Let the guys shine on the mic. Those that can will elevate (Rock, Austin, even HHH). Those who can't will flounder. Improv. It will make things so much more realistic.

Now, obviously, there have to be key points to talk about in any and all promos. You can't always just let them go... But skip the script and let them do their thing.

There it is. Kill the scripted promos. Most of these guys are awful actors but have a ton of personality. When your conveying message to an audience its gotta come from a real place in order for them to relate to it and be drawn in. That really what i think is the main difference between CM Punk and the rest of the roster. Not that punk is such a genius on the mic, but you that he legitimately means what hes saying and not just memorizing what the writers told him to say. If we saw more of this i guarantee you that the lines between real and kayfabe would be much blurrier, and in essence more entertaining

 

[Azane]

I'd split the company in two, and make a UFC league, and keep wrestling over the top and gimmicky, because it's what it is.

I don't want to watch UFC when I turn on RAW, and every thing they do to make WWE look more realistic kills a bit of my inner fan.


Give me Doink the Clown over Shelton Benjamin anyday.

 

[rokuma]

After watching the best of Monday Nitro, I think that the WWE's goal should be to make wrestling LESS realistic. Let's go back to storylines that were unpredictable and shock us. Look, fans know wrestling is scripted...it's not a surprise anymore. So, why try to make the product as real as MMA? Let's have quality matches, enjoyable feuds, and do things that seem outlandish. As far as realism, let's make it more like a "sport" again. Remember when Gorilla Monsoon or even WCW's announcers would talk about strategy during the matches and the reasoning behind certain moves instead of promoting that night's main event (ala Cole)? It made it seem more realistic...it made the matches more meaningful knowing that they could be in line for a WCW Television Title match if they won this one. That's one thing I like about TNA is that Tazz actually treats wrestling like it's still a sport and not "entertainment." If WWE wants to make their product better, move away from realism in some spots and give us that feel that it's a sport again. It'll make for more believable television.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

Give me Doink the Clown over Shelton Benjamin anyday.

Now, What Doink are we talking about? The original, evil, sadistic, insane clown (Matt Bourne), or the idiot with the midget? Evil Doink was awesome...

Anyways, I would say that they need to make the effects of different moves a little more realistic, or at least relative the the effects of another move. Someone getting power bombed, or superplexed, or even thrown over the top rope would suffer more punishment and effect than someone who gets the Attitude Adjustment from Cena. This isn't "Cena Bashing" or anything, its just realistic. The AA is just a simple firemen's carry throw where the guy is flipped off of Cena's shoulders and falls to the mat. the fall from a powerbomb is farther, so shouldn't simple logic mean that the Powerbomb should cause more of an effect than an AA? the superplex is a lot farther, so shouldn't there a lot more effect? if someone can get up from those moves and continue a match why does the AA cause even the biggest names to seemingly falling into a short coma?

Moves should look like they can hurt someone (without actually doing it, of course), and finishing moves should look like they can either knock the person out, or make them give up. at best the AA, and other moves like it, should be set up moves and "stun" the person or weaken them for the knockout finisher.

 

[marklouis]

Why does wrestling need to be more realistic? It isn't real. It is a predetermined event. It's not a sport. Wrestling at its best is theater. It's drama. There are steps that can make it better drama. In my opinion, FCW is not doing a very good job of developing new talents, & WWE really suffers from the death of the territory system. There was a time when guys would come to the company ready to hit the ground running because they had worked for large promotions before their arrival. Now, all guys are trained in the same style & told to speak the same. But I don't know how the company can fix that. And yes, creative could certainly do a better job in crafting storylines. But that wouldn't make the product more realistic. It would just make it better.

 

[Dagger Dias]

One thing I would absolutely 100% change is to limit the amount of times someone is allowed to say "I'm gonna end your career!". When have we EVER seen a career end after a heel says that in their promo? Rarely. VERY rarely. It is a line that cannot be taken seriously. Something along the lines of "I'm gonna kick your teeth in!" or "I'm gonna break your arms!" would make more sense. They throw that line out WAY too often in both WWE and TNA.

There isn't really much else that should change. The point of pro wrestling is to provide a show for the fans while making a profit off of it. If I wanted to watch a real fight, I'll order the next UFC PPV. I watch wrestling for a show, an ESCAPE from reality. The same can be said for TNA. All of the things that make pro wrestling a show are what make it great. Faces/heels, entrances, storylines, gimmicks, pyro.... Even the predetermined results. Why fix something that isn't broken? Wrestling does not need to be realistic because we have real sports for that.

 

[WrestlingFanSinceThe80s]

*-indicates a MUST

*1) Make SMACKDOWN LIVE on Tuesday nights. Have Friday Night SMACKDOWN television program renamed to WWE SMACKDOWN. I really tired and fed up with the fact internet wrestling fans view internet wrestling news sites for their inside scoop on the wrestling/sports-entertainment business and "The B-show". I really hoped this issue would be resolved a few years back, BUT that wasn't meant to be. If the SyFy network has a problem airing on Tuesdays, THEN it's time for SMACKDOWN to switch to the USA Network. What's the point of the RAW & SMACKDOWN Supershow if one show is LIVE and the other show is taped. Anything can happen on a LIVE WWE show, anything!

*2) RAW & SMACKDOWN will compete together on weekend house shows NOT separate house shows for each WWE brand.

*3) There will ONLY be 12 WWE Pay Per Views a year, NOT more than 12. The following is my fantasy 2012 WWE PPV calendar:

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event on Saturday March 10th 2012
WWE WrestleMania on Sunday April 1st 2012
WWE Vengeance on Sunday April 22nd 2012
WWE Over The Limit on Sunday May 20th 2012
WWE King Of The Ring on Sunday June 17th 2012 (Father's Day)
WWE The Great American Bash Sunday July 8th 2012
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event on Saturday August 11th 2012
WWE SummerSlam on Sunday September 2nd 2012
WWE Night Of Champions on Sunday September 23rd 2012
WWE Extreme Rules on Sunday October 21st 2012
WWE Survivor Series on Sunday November 18th 2012
WWE Cyber Sunday on Sunday December 16th 2012
2012 WWE Slammy Awards on Monday December 17th 2012

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

Why do you need it to be more realistic when it's still fake no matter what? I don't mind how it is right now. It's been like that for decades.

 

[JohnOldSnake4]

It's a tiny little thing, but I'd bring back the time limits for matches. I think the product needs just the little things like that in order to seem more legit.

 

[evilashv02]

Throw out the scripts..give the wrestlers the basic jist of what there suppose to say and let them do the rest..it just feels way too scripted...its that simple

 

[The Hardcore Kid]

I don't think it needs to be made anymore realistic?! If you want something that looks 100% realistic with no Undertaker, Hornswoggle(as much as I hate him) type characters then maybe the WWE is not for you and you should stick to something that is realistic. When I watch WWE I leave logic at the door as if I am watching a movie so for that period of time it is realistic to me but at the end of the day it is a predetermined show with a mixture of wrestling and entertainment that comes across as real as it possibly could in my opinion. SHort of the TNA backstage segments (which are hit and miss) I am not sure what else you could do other than totally change the whole concept and I don't ever want because I am a fan for the cartoony, silly stuff just as much as the wrestling.

This, this, this. Sometimes I wonder why some of you even watch wrestling. If you want a hyper-realistic product, I don't think pro wrestling is what you're looking for...try MMA. Wrestling is supposed to be more episodic and fantastical...that's why it's sports-ENTERTAINMENT, not just a sport.

 

[TheGreatLegend]

Look at 1997-1999 and 2002-2005.WWF/WWE looked realistic in those years with there angles and storylines. Even though its entertainment they should always bill it as "Real".That is the purpose of "Sports-Entertainment" .

 

[Headman]

Make it more realistic? Well for starters eliminate all of the flashy moves and holds and strip it down to actual wrestling moves. Fire all of the talent except for the guys who wrestled in college and highschool, and maybe some of them because they wouldn't be able to hack it against the actual wrestlers that would be brought in.

Wait, that sounds horrible. Nevermind, I'll keep my pro-wrestling the way it is and leave this thread alone.

 

[sdelfin]

Different people want different things from their wrestling shows. Some think the wrestling doesn't matter as long as the storylines are strong. I like wrestling with simple storylines that are simply based on competition and championships. So, with that said, I'd make the shows more about wrestling and make the titles mean something. And I think they should use more logic in the shows. I don't think the in-ring product needs to resemble MMA very much, though there are a few aspects that could be incorporated well such as making submissions seem more dangerous so that guys avoid them rather than stay in them. But I think WWE could learn about promotion of the product from the UFC at this point. But I'm a 90s AJPW guy and Ring of Honor is giving me a similar product I like a lot right now and I can see it thanks to their TV deal. What Ring of Honor is doing is what I think would work the best for the majority of wrestling promotions.

 

[Davi323]

I think its a ridiculous premise...once the Pandora's box of kayfabe is opened, you can't put it back. However, IF you are saying how to make wrestling look more like a legit sport, then hypothetically, instituting a clear cut standings system, like sports leagues do would make it more realistic. Yes, we all know it's still fake and predetermined...but we already look past that with the feuds, so I am operating on the assumption that we can suspend disbelief already.

Essentially, do something kind of like Smackdown vs. Raw 2011's WWE Universe mode, where you can see the pecking order of who is in line for what championship, where they stand in the contenders list, etc. However, you would have to keep it accurate, once established. Before a rival can become the #1 contender, they have to go through the guys on the list before they get their chance. Basically, you have to work your way up more than just bashing the current champion with a chair or something.

 

[trashboy]

Now, What Doink are we talking about? The original, evil, sadistic, insane clown (Matt Bourne), or the idiot with the midget? Evil Doink was awesome...

Anyways, I would say that they need to make the effects of different moves a little more realistic, or at least relative the the effects of another move. Someone getting power bombed, or superplexed, or even thrown over the top rope would suffer more punishment and effect than someone who gets the Attitude Adjustment from Cena. This isn't "Cena Bashing" or anything, its just realistic. The AA is just a simple firemen's carry throw where the guy is flipped off of Cena's shoulders and falls to the mat. the fall from a powerbomb is farther, so shouldn't simple logic mean that the Powerbomb should cause more of an effect than an AA? the superplex is a lot farther, so shouldn't there a lot more effect? if someone can get up from those moves and continue a match why does the AA cause even the biggest names to seemingly falling into a short coma?

Moves should look like they can hurt someone (without actually doing it, of course), and finishing moves should look like they can either knock the person out, or make them give up. at best the AA, and other moves like it, should be set up moves and "stun" the person or weaken them for the knockout finisher.

Well, the AA actually could hurt. Sometimes Cena has taken the guy, kind of thrown him up in the air and actually slammed him on the mat on their back.. sometimes it just doesn't look as impactful.. but let me do it to you and I'm sure you'll be hurting afterwards

and yes, they need to quit having that stupid music play during promos and backstage segments.. I remember during WWECW, they had Zack Ryder falling in love with what's her face and there'd be goofy music and hearts floating around his head.. it was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen

and also, take the scripts away.. give them bullet points obviously, but see if the wrestlers can take it and go.. some guys may not be able to do that

 

[King of the Words]

Well, for one, have the door locked during steel cage matches. Every time someone gets the upper hand in one of those, and decides to climb out instead of going out the door is idiotic. A true insult to the viewers intelligence. I could see if there were no pinfalls or submissions, and going out the door is the only way out for the big guys like Big Show and Mark Henry. But as long as there are pinfalls and submissions they don't need that door to be there and open for exiting.

Also, the Big Show's WMD punch as a finishing move? Give me a break. A finishing move needs to be something, in most cases, that takes time to wear their opponent down, before they can do it to them. With a knock out punch, that can be done soon as the match begins. Big Show does it in a flash when talking to Mark Henry but in 20 minute matches he can't seem to remember he has a fist. He could have won both matches they had so far with that in like 10 seconds yet there is going to be a third encounter between them at TLC which Big Show will more than likely loose. This kind of stuff just makes me sick and feels like I'm waisting my time watching stuff that insults my intelligence. The Big Show should stick with just the chokeslam. The WMD is such crap because he never uses it when he needs to. Once a match is over or 20 minutes in he then remembers the fist. Please, this is insulting even for kids. That's 2 things off the top of my head that I would like to see changed which wouldn't take much effort on WWE's part.

 

[blairvb79]

There it is. Kill the scripted promos. Most of these guys are awful actors but have a ton of personality. When your conveying message to an audience its gotta come from a real place in order for them to relate to it and be drawn in. That really what i think is the main difference between CM Punk and the rest of the roster. Not that punk is such a genius on the mic, but you that he legitimately means what hes saying and not just memorizing what the writers told him to say. If we saw more of this i guarantee you that the lines between real and kayfabe would be much blurrier, and in essence more entertaining

just to add to this make the storylines go a little longer make it a build up to a match and not just one week they have a fued the next week there is a match, kinda like what they are doing with randy and wade.

 

[kokoBawesome]

Wrestling is fun, and ultimately for kids. I wouldn't make it more realistic. Its a good mix right now of great wrestlers that treat it like an art, and entertaining characters that realize younger viewers are their bread and butter. I don't watch wrestling for realism, I watch it because its fun.