The buildup to the match? Or the match-up itself? I started wondering this after a few "this PPV-quality match on TV" comments were uttered. When you have your PPV set up, all matches are set and the event is ready for selling, what's more important? Who's wrestling who? Or Why he's wrestling him? From a non-fan point of view, the who vs who is more important. If a big name is fighting a big name, it draws the curiosity of non-fan's to see to 2 household names go at it. But from a fan's point, it's more about the build-up. Why is Triple H fighting Orton again? Why is Kurt Angle wrestling Jeff Jarrett? Sell for the fan's? Or the non-fans? For events like Bound For Glory and Wrestlemania, the respective company tries to aim for both by giving its best possible match-up with the best possible build, but not always.
Take the upcoming Money In The Bank event. John Cena vs Sheamus. A regular wrestling fan would be wondering if Cena will finally get one over the new guy, Sheamus. A non-fan will be wondering, "I know who John Cena is, but who is Sheamus?" Same thing with the Smackdown main event (Rey/Swagger). Now we look at TNA's Victory Road. RVD vs Jeff Hardy vs Mr. Anderson vs Abyss. A fan: "will Anderson win and turn on Jeff? Or will Jeff win and feud with Anderson? Or will RVD retain and make the build-up seem pointless? A non-fan: "Jeff Hardy? Rob Van Dam? Mr. Kennedy? Kennedy? Who's Abyss? Well 3 out of four is good."
Not exactly how a non-fan would react, but it's pretty accurate, I believe. In TNA iMPACT! we've seen a huge feud between Kurt Angle and AJ Styles, but only had 1 PPV match which paled in comparison to the TV matches. Then you have Samoa Joe and RVD going at it for 5 minutes and left people wanting more. 2 dream matches used on TV before a PPV. However Joe/RVD match left some to be desired. But would putting in on a PPV main event card without build-up be enough to attract? We saw what they can do with a limited time-span. Is removing the limit enough to sell? Or does the possibility of a great match fail to sell? Would HBK/Taker have sold without HBK dressing as "The Overtaker"? Would HBK/Taker II sell with no build-up? With the only glimpse of it being last years match? That's my question?
Take the upcoming Money In The Bank event. John Cena vs Sheamus. A regular wrestling fan would be wondering if Cena will finally get one over the new guy, Sheamus. A non-fan will be wondering, "I know who John Cena is, but who is Sheamus?" Same thing with the Smackdown main event (Rey/Swagger). Now we look at TNA's Victory Road. RVD vs Jeff Hardy vs Mr. Anderson vs Abyss. A fan: "will Anderson win and turn on Jeff? Or will Jeff win and feud with Anderson? Or will RVD retain and make the build-up seem pointless? A non-fan: "Jeff Hardy? Rob Van Dam? Mr. Kennedy? Kennedy? Who's Abyss? Well 3 out of four is good."
Not exactly how a non-fan would react, but it's pretty accurate, I believe. In TNA iMPACT! we've seen a huge feud between Kurt Angle and AJ Styles, but only had 1 PPV match which paled in comparison to the TV matches. Then you have Samoa Joe and RVD going at it for 5 minutes and left people wanting more. 2 dream matches used on TV before a PPV. However Joe/RVD match left some to be desired. But would putting in on a PPV main event card without build-up be enough to attract? We saw what they can do with a limited time-span. Is removing the limit enough to sell? Or does the possibility of a great match fail to sell? Would HBK/Taker have sold without HBK dressing as "The Overtaker"? Would HBK/Taker II sell with no build-up? With the only glimpse of it being last years match? That's my question?
