So, Vince is changing the name of his company from 'World Wrestling Entertainment' to simply 'WWE'. A move that has been reported to cost upto ONE BILLION DOLLARS once all costs for advertising, promotion of the new product, changing merchandise, updating websites, changing sets/props on TV, etc are all taken into account. (Don't forget, it's less than ten years since they changed from 'World Wrestling Federation')
It was also only a few short years that Vince decided that his superstars should be called 'Sports Entertainers' as opposed to 'Wrestlers'.
I can understand Vince trying to make his product more appealing to the main-stream media, and to open it up to new potential veiwers. The problem is however, without changing the actual product, you won't get any new fans.
Most people who don't currently watch WWE choose not to watch, not because of it's name, but because they have no interest in wrestling, just like I choose not to watch porgrammes like Glee because I have no interest in bad actors singing very badly. Changing a name will not change the perception of something.
Maybe the demise of 'Wrestling' has been partly due to 'Wrestling' fans. I know a lot of peope who are secret wrestling fans (including, to an extent, I must admit, myself). People who watch wrestling, but feel embarrassed or ashamed to own up to their guilty pleasure, fearing ridicule from the very people that Vince is now trying to target.
I don't know of anything else in the world that has as many 'closet fans' as wrestling. No-one hides their fondness for their favourite sports teams, or television shows, or musical artists.
Wrestling is the only product that is able to blur the lines between 'Sports' and 'Entertainment', but this seems to open it up to ridicule from both audiences. 'Sports' fans dislike wrestling for being fake, whereas fans of 'Entertainment' shows hate it for trying to seem real. Wrestling isn't just fighting a losing battle, it's fighting two, resulting in a war that it is gradually losing.
Could this be why Vince has seemingly turned his back on 'Wrestling'? This seems like a strange thing for him to do, seeing as he, more than anyone else in history, brought wrestling to the attention of the world, giving it an allure that it had never had before. He took wrestling from local gyms and bingo halls, and took it all over the world, in front of massive crowds. And for doing this, Vince has been very well rewarded. 'Wrestling' has made Vince a Billionnairre, but his latest act shows a lack of appreciation, and a lack of respect for the word, and the industry that has given him everything he has.
But Vince isn't the only one who seems to wants to rid the world of 'Wrestling'. The three biggest 'Wrestling' companies (if we can still call them that) are WWE, Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) and Ring of Honor (ROH).
Is it a coincidence that none of them have 'wrestling' in their names?
Is it a coincidence that no wrestling company formed since the collapse of ECW and WCW has garnered any significant media interest or publicity (or used 'Wrestling' in their names)?
Vince isn't the only guilty party. The whole of 'Wrestling' seems to want to rid the world of 'Wrestling'. It appears to me that the 'wrestling' world is killing itself off, trying to re-create itself as something new in order not to die out completley. 'Wrestling' looks like it is willing to rid itself of 'wrestling' fans to appeal to main-stream entertainment markets. This could be 'wrestling's' last chance to survive, maybe even thrive in the future. But how can you be a 'wrestling' fan in a world without 'wrestling'?
I, like all of you, fell in love with 'Wrestling', however, I believe the change from 'World Wrestling Entertainment' to 'WWE' is the final nail in the coffin of 'Wrestling' as we know it.
These are, of course, just the opinions of one man. Now I want to hear your opinions
It was also only a few short years that Vince decided that his superstars should be called 'Sports Entertainers' as opposed to 'Wrestlers'.
I can understand Vince trying to make his product more appealing to the main-stream media, and to open it up to new potential veiwers. The problem is however, without changing the actual product, you won't get any new fans.
Most people who don't currently watch WWE choose not to watch, not because of it's name, but because they have no interest in wrestling, just like I choose not to watch porgrammes like Glee because I have no interest in bad actors singing very badly. Changing a name will not change the perception of something.
Maybe the demise of 'Wrestling' has been partly due to 'Wrestling' fans. I know a lot of peope who are secret wrestling fans (including, to an extent, I must admit, myself). People who watch wrestling, but feel embarrassed or ashamed to own up to their guilty pleasure, fearing ridicule from the very people that Vince is now trying to target.
I don't know of anything else in the world that has as many 'closet fans' as wrestling. No-one hides their fondness for their favourite sports teams, or television shows, or musical artists.
Wrestling is the only product that is able to blur the lines between 'Sports' and 'Entertainment', but this seems to open it up to ridicule from both audiences. 'Sports' fans dislike wrestling for being fake, whereas fans of 'Entertainment' shows hate it for trying to seem real. Wrestling isn't just fighting a losing battle, it's fighting two, resulting in a war that it is gradually losing.
Could this be why Vince has seemingly turned his back on 'Wrestling'? This seems like a strange thing for him to do, seeing as he, more than anyone else in history, brought wrestling to the attention of the world, giving it an allure that it had never had before. He took wrestling from local gyms and bingo halls, and took it all over the world, in front of massive crowds. And for doing this, Vince has been very well rewarded. 'Wrestling' has made Vince a Billionnairre, but his latest act shows a lack of appreciation, and a lack of respect for the word, and the industry that has given him everything he has.
But Vince isn't the only one who seems to wants to rid the world of 'Wrestling'. The three biggest 'Wrestling' companies (if we can still call them that) are WWE, Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) and Ring of Honor (ROH).
Is it a coincidence that none of them have 'wrestling' in their names?
Is it a coincidence that no wrestling company formed since the collapse of ECW and WCW has garnered any significant media interest or publicity (or used 'Wrestling' in their names)?
Vince isn't the only guilty party. The whole of 'Wrestling' seems to want to rid the world of 'Wrestling'. It appears to me that the 'wrestling' world is killing itself off, trying to re-create itself as something new in order not to die out completley. 'Wrestling' looks like it is willing to rid itself of 'wrestling' fans to appeal to main-stream entertainment markets. This could be 'wrestling's' last chance to survive, maybe even thrive in the future. But how can you be a 'wrestling' fan in a world without 'wrestling'?
I, like all of you, fell in love with 'Wrestling', however, I believe the change from 'World Wrestling Entertainment' to 'WWE' is the final nail in the coffin of 'Wrestling' as we know it.
These are, of course, just the opinions of one man. Now I want to hear your opinions