Why you can't market the WWE directly to kids....

[SilverBullet1929]

I've been dying to get this off my chest so here it goes... First off I've noted before that I'm an elementary school teacher. When I find kids who are wrestling fans I let them know that I am too and at times I bounce ideas off them. Besides being a wonderful way to get them to behave (lol), this is an amazing way to get a large sampe size of kid's opinions, thoughts, knowledge, and attitudes towards wrestling. I've learned a lot through these kids but sadly the bottom line is that its also taught me why you can't market wrestling and the WWE towards young children. So let me give you a few stories and quotes and feel free to discuss. FYI, I'm targeting elementary school kids between ages 4-11.

First off, kids don't have a clue what they want in life. You ask a kid what they want for breakfast and many would be happy with a bowl of Skittles. Kids are wonderful creatures but their decision making skills aren't developed enough to make every decision a correct one.

One day in 2009 I'm talking with a kid who tells me he HATES Randy Orton and the Legacy. Why? Because Orton, Rhodes, and DiBiase all wrestle in there UNDERWEAR! GASP! So the kid HATES Legacy because their attire reminds him of his undies! Well then I ask this young boy which wrestler he does like? His answer? Triple H! ...I ask the kid "Um, but doesn't Triple H wrestle in his underwear too?" ...the kid stares at me blankly. He hasn't said a word to me since that day.

In the buildup to one of the HBK Undertaker WMania matches, a group of kids were talking about who they want to win. One girl says she's going for HBK just because she doesn't like Undertaker because "he tries to kill women!" I walk over and ask what in the world she's talking about... she says one time on SmackDown! she saw Undertaker grab Vickie Guerrero by the throat. Number 1, I don't get how this kid assumes that this makes Undertaker a murder. Number 2, while I understand man over woman violence is uncalled for... a child cannot see that, in this instance, Vickie as the antagonist and most definitely did something to anger the Undertaker. And while yes Vickie is a woman, in a story, the protagonist Undertaker eventually has to attempt to defeat the antagonist. So I basically said to the girl, "He wasnt trying to kill her, but Vickie is a bad person and I'm sure she did something to upset the Undertaker."

One kid told me he HATES Yoshi Tatsu. Huh? Why would an 8 year old fan of guys like Kingston and Mysterio hate a fun loving childlike babyface such as Yoshi Tatsu? "Because he's Japanese and I hate Japanese people."

This isn't just one story but a combination of many... do you realize how upsetting it is when for years upon years the kids in my school have cheered Cena since they were born suddenly start cheering The Rock and have the nerve to tell me they've always liked The Rock and Cena suddenly sucks? Despite what adults think of Rock and Cena. How is it that a lifelong and I literally mean LIFELONG fan of John Cena at about 7-8 years old can suddenly say Cena sucks when they weren't even born the last time The Rock was wrestling? There's no logic there! The kids suddenly "hate" Cena because they hear the crowd hating Cena and loving Rock. I can't stand that these kids can't form their own opinions. Despite what I think of Rock and Cena I always tell those kids "You are a John Cena fan and he's not changed a thing, and you've never seen The Rock even wrestle a match... don't change your opinions solely based on what other people think, say, or do."

Kids logic is horrendous. Last year I told these kids how much Dolph Ziggler rules the world and how Ryback was no big deal. They all told me I was stupid. Now... now they tell me Ziggler is awesome and Ryback sucks. Huh? Who's stupid now? They can't even give me an explanation of this either.

CM Punk's 434 day title reign? That was over 400 days of me telling the kids Punk is the best because he's the champion and they tell me "that doesn't matter." I ask them doesnt being the champion make you the best? They said no. They said John Cena is still the best. This isn't a knock on Cena though... I tell them ok then why hasn't Cena taken the title from Punk? They can't answer. Period.

Also, do you know how many kids have no clue what's actually happening on TV? During Punk's reign, I would say Punk is my favorite because he's the Champion and so many kids would just say "No he's not, Cena's the champion." Um, do you watch the product or do you just see a picture of Cena on that other kids' bookbag over there?

I found some kids at recess playing with their wrestling toys and one kid told me Zack Ryder was beating Stone Cold... I look down and the two action figures are Alex Riley and Luke Gallows. I know Riley and Gallows aren't big name stars but... but... you don't know which action figures you bought??? This isn't weird to anyone else? I pointed to the word "RILEY" on the back of A-Ry's action figure's trunks and the kid was geniunely dumbfounded! He asked me who Riley even was!

Another classic story... I had a kid come to me sometime last year telling me what happened on Raw "a few days ago" and I was confused as all hell as he explained to me, in perfect detail, a storyline from like 2008... I was like um, ok. The kid was so excited about it that I just let him finish his story. A week later the kid comes to me to again explain what he saw on RAW and he was now explaining to me the second part of that storyline from 2008 in perfect detail. A week later, the third part of the story! I asked him where he was watching this and he said it was at home on TV. I'm not sure how, but the kid was several years behind, but was somehow following everything in perfect sequence! Wait until he realizes The Rock is coming back! Ha! I should bet this kid a hundred bucks that "in the future CM Punk will hold the WWE title for, umm, let's pick a random number and say 434 days!"

Lastly, this has nothing to do with kid's logic... but with MONEY! Disposable income! Kids have no disposable income. A young adult male, early 20s, late teens... likely has a job, is unmarried, doesn't own a home... can WASTE money on wrestling just because he genuinely likes it. Why market to kids who just can't but the upcoming PPVs!? They can't even buy a ticket to the events. Their money comes from their parents. Besides buying a cheap under deck seat for their kid as an early bday gift and an occasional ugly Tshirt at KMart loaded with 18 outdated superstar images sprawled across the front... parents will not spend significant money on wrestling for their kids. You expect parents to buy a $60 and up PPV every month? Doesn't happen. How do I know? The Monday after every PPV my classroom has a swarm of kids asking me the results because "my parents say we can't spend money on that."

Maybe if the WWE marketed to teens and adults who can spend money on PPVs consistently, maybe they'd have higher buyrates? What a concept huh?

Also, at its best... even at a PG level, pro wrestling is an interesting, emotional, but slightly violent soap opera. At its best, it simply isn't written for kids. Fart jokes and midgets are for kids. I say write the best storylines, hell even make it a point to keep them clean and simple topics... and THEN kids will watch because its interesting TV. Not because "oh the leprechaun is funny".

Also, you know whats a problem with writing TV directly for kids? When thos kids "grow up" and they're like 9, 10, or 11... they hate it! My fifth graders start hating wrestling because even they can't stand Hornswoggle, Khali, and other sillyness. If the WWE would market to an older audience, when the kids are older, they'll still watch. The WWE is pigeonholing their audience. Kids in the 80s grew up with wrestling... now kids watch wrestling at 6 or 7 years old and then they give up when they're 11 because its under the same silly category as the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoons they watched as a small child. How is that a productive way of building a fanbase?

I'm sweating over here... please discuss!

 

[Jaffa]

For a teacher you don't seem to know a whole deal about kids. Kids act as if it is real I don't really see the problem the most concerning I saw was the slightly racist child. They seem to like faces and dislike heels you just seem to not understand that which seems kind of obvious.

Disposable income doesn't really matter as there will always be parents who give into their children saying "I want......" If you ask me the kids of the 80's are still the target audience of the WWE hold on before you think I'm crackers. They grew up in a American PG and when the attitude era took place they were the late teens and early twenties types so it was still cool. Nowadays they are the ones with the families full of kids wearing Cena shirts. You have to shift your demographic from time to time otherwise your fan base gets stale and bored.

 

[Airehk]

I feel like this thread is masquerading as another "bring back the attitude era" or "Make wwe tv-14" thread.

Either way, you need to understand that kids are so easy to manipulate. They can't thin for themselves and it makes for an easy puppet to master for WWE. Also, people who are still around won't go away because there is unresolved business to attend like "who will be the next big star" and "when will Cena be dethroned as king of WWE". The WWE also does not need to flash tits or get overly violent or sexual to attract people because the Jerry Springer days are gone. They don't want to look sleazy, they want to look like a billion dollar entertainment conglomerate. Movies, channels, cross promotion, social media.. They want to attract people and not look like a hooker on the street, but an established corporation that is safe and fun for everyone.

Kids will buy into it no matter what. They see superheroes and villains, bright colours and flashing lights. Teens see the same, some tongue and cheek humor and some provocative words that shouldn't necessarily make it on the air. Young adults are hoping for the company to change to something better like it was in the Attitude days and anticipate Cena to go away, older adults just don't care and watch it if they feel like it, but don't invest much into anything.

An older adult wont buy a $20 action figure or a $15-$30 shirt and proudly wear it. A kid will. A kid will buy all the merchandise. That's who they want, so it's better to try and gear it to them, or at least to those who won't mind showing they are a fan. Even during CM Punks reign, as awesome of a time it was, who here who is over 20 years old, who remembers the Attitude era was walking around town flaunting their CM Punk shirt?

Star Wars and Kiss didn't get stupid rich over the movies or music for how well written they were. They got stupid rich over the toys, lunch boxes, shirts, pyjamas, pez dispensers, key chains, posters, video games and so on. Who buys this stuff and does not care if they are seen with it? Kids. Sure they don't have money, but their parents sure as hell do. If it was all geared to older teens and young adults, WWE can kiss their merchandising goodbye with the exception of some DVDs or Video Games where even then, you won't be a committed collector, but an occasional buyer as you are not a sheep, but a savvy consumer who is interested in other things too.

 

[BeastFromTheEast]

I never felt that the target audience was children. Sure, there are segments here and there that may be meant to appeal to the young audience but never to the full extent of a 3 hour Raw episode. It is logical to me. My daughter is 6. She loves to watch wrestling with me. Her favorite character is Sin Cara. Why? Is it because he is one of the most interesting spot monkeys in the business? No! It is because he wears a mask. Does this make her stupid? No! Why? Because she is watching and identifying with the aspect of why she likes somebody. She also likes Kane. Is it because he is big, and scary, and strong, and agile? No! It is because he wears a mask. So basically I think it is safe to say that what she enjoys about wrestling is colorful characters with gimmicks. Does this make her stupid? No! Why? Because that is what wrestling programs are about.

 

[SilverBullet1929]

Most of you are missing my point... I understand kids quite well, its what I do...

I know that kids think its real, I know they buy all the merchandise, I know it's not ok for a man to grab a woman by the throat, and I'm not asking for the WWE to go back to TV 14 or the Attitude Era.

My point is that kids don't even understand what they're watching... and can't spend money on PPVs and anything more than an action figure. They blindly follow what others do. That's fine for them and I'm not saying they can't be fans but marketing directly to that is a silly waste of time on the WWE's part. There's no logic to how most kids follows the product. When I was a kid, I liked the faces and heels like every kid but I knew exactly what was happening in all those storylines.

And disposable income matters because I have a son who asks for everything and he doesn't get everything... he gets what his mother and I decide he can get. Me on the other hand? I get every wrestling PPV, dvd, shirt, and ticket that I want because I have the money to choose to spend however I choose. There's no way you can tell me that a kid can spend their parents money on anything they freely want.

 

[BeastFromTheEast]

@SilverBullet1929, I'm not sure what makes you think that it is marketed directly at children. The PG rating? This to me just means kid friendly. That is smart marketing. It's not like it Disney on ice or anything. A great portion of many shows don't even seem to follow the rating guidelines with the language, extreme matches, or the occasional public displays of affection. As of late the shows have been a little more edgy than that past 10 years which slightly suggests a possible rating change in the near future. I say to just enjoy the product or don't and not get to into details of thing that are not controlled by yourself.

 

[SilverBullet1929]

@SilverBullet1929, I'm not sure what makes you think that it is marketed directly at children. The PG rating? This to me just means kid friendly. That is smart marketing. It's not like it Disney on ice or anything. A great portion of many shows don't even seem to follow the rating guidelines with the language, extreme matches, or the occasional public displays of affection. As of late the shows have been a little more edgy than that past 10 years which slightly suggests a possible rating change in the near future. I say to just enjoy the product or don't and not get to into details of thing that are not controlled by yourself.

I don't think its directly marketed only at children but the past few years have been more towards children than since the early 90s. FYI, the PG rating doesn't bother me one bit. I dont care if the WWE ever goes back to TV 14 or whatever it might be. And yeah as of late there's been more things that are not for kids along with the things that are. Then again, when I go to a WWE live event, the amount of kids there the past few years is alarmingly high. Despite him catching a glimpse of it when his mother and I are watching, I don't push my son to watch this because at the end of the day its about people fighting over their issues and he's not ready for that yet. When he's older, he'll ask me about it and then I'll explain it the way my dad explained it to me.

 

[BeastFromTheEast]

I don't think its directly marketed only at children but the past few years have been more towards children than since the early 90s. FYI, the PG rating doesn't bother me one bit. I dont care if the WWE ever goes back to TV 14 or whatever it might be. And yeah as of late there's been more things that are not for kids along with the things that are. Then again, when I go to a WWE live event, the amount of kids there the past few years is alarmingly high. Despite him catching a glimpse of it when his mother and I are watching, I don't push my son to watch this because at the end of the day its about people fighting over their issues and he's not ready for that yet. When he's older, he'll ask me about it and then I'll explain it the way my dad explained it to me.

But that has nothing to do with the marketing. That is the personal choice of parents choosing to share this experience with their kids. There is a great chance that if a parent watches it then the kids will too. I don't force it upon mine. She just likes to watch. The in ring action is what appeals to her, not silly segments designed for kids. Those segments designed for the kids are just a way of trying to maintain family friendly entertainment.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Hate to be the one to tell you this, but if you are a truly lifelong fan you'd realise that with the exception of 4 years, the WWF/E has ALWAYS been marketed towards kids.

Cos adults were the driving force of ice cream bars, action figures, Plush Wrestlebuddies and Nintendo games right? Of course not, adults bought them... for their kids.

Vince knew when his dad had the company it could be a goldmine if made a childrens show that adults could watch and that's what he did no doubt leaving Vince Sr. doing shooting star presses in his grave. Within a year of him buying the company, the beer swilling guys heading to MSG and other shows were bringing their kids... 3 tickets sold instead of 1... instead of 2 beers and a hot dog bought, you got 3 foam fingers, 3 posters and that beer with 2 sodas and a hot dog... sheer economics made the formula work. Then the Hogan cartoon hit and they had to go every month AND buy the PPV's AND have cable to watch the shows on TV...

When the formula got stale and the business was literally going under unless something happened, Vince took the gamble and went older and it paid off - but the build was no different,instead of plush buddies and NES games it was N64 games played by teens and adults and replica belts, Action figures (in the box of course) and T-Shirts that were being bought... it did it's job, it turned the tide of the ratings war against WCW and got them the win, but Vince was always gonna go back to plan A at the first chance.

I've long believed that Vince is angling to get the WWE bought into/out by Disney rather than let Triple H and Steph turn it back towards wrestling. He always wanted it to be a standalone entertainment empire but that's clearly not on the cards as they can't get the network off the ground... but you can imagine Vince casting jealous gazes at George Lucas and the Marvel guys for the money Mickey and Co. paid for their IP and at the end of the day WWE is very much Vince McMahon's Intellectual Property. I could see it happening, Vince goes off into the sunset/consultant role and Cena and co literally become part of the Magic Kingdom....

Pray it doesn't happen... but this is a guy who has never let any control go... do you really think he's gonna let his son in law undo what he spent years creating?

 

[thebowtiekiller]

when i was a real young kid i was aloud to watch and have been hooked since my fave was undertaker i really thought he was undead and had special powers this was a time full of far out cartoonish characters and as a very young child i thought it was very real and brilliant as i imagine most kids would do.

im grown up now and would prefer wwe not to aim there shows directly at kids but theres no reason why they cant after all they where doing it for the past few years for a while there wasnt a single swearword sexual innuendo,or any other kind of slur also anything considered excessively violent was a no no it was laughable sometimes they have loosened the leash a lot since but if toning it down to the extent they did isnt catering directly at children i dont know what is.

wwe also made sure everyone knew when they went pg there are reasons such as lindas senate race put forward for this but i think it is mainly because the attitude era stained the wwes reputation to such a point they needed to formulate a plan in order to make parents beleive its safe to let there kiddies watch in turn hooking a new generation of fans.

i think this goes to show wrestling can succesfuly be directed at kids at the risk of allienating its older fans i have to say though im pretty happy with the way wwe is now its not too overly childish or overly violent and vulgar both kids and grown ups can enjoy it together.

 

[Eyebrows]

The world is replete with examples of companies that make money out of children. I'm going to use the example of Pixar as a comparison. Sure, they bring in adults as well because of the high quality of the films but it doesn't mean it isn't marketed predominantly at kids. Pixar does tremendously well at the box office marketing to children but children are no more equipped to buy a cinema ticket than they are wrestling tickets, PPVs or merchandise. Sure, you widen your net by bringing in adults as a periphery demographic. The issue is not the product being marketed directly at children but when it's directed solely at children. That's why they throw the adults a bone from time to time.

Hell I wouldn't have even said that the Attitude Era was solely marketed to adults. In my experience there were a shitload of kids aged 12-15 that ate the attitude era up. I was one of them and I bet that there's a whole load more on this forum alone who were too.

The issue with PPV buys is only a question of the quality of the product and not about who the WWE is marketing to. If the quality of a product is good, if the writing is good, if the story is good, even if it's PG and marketed at kids, you'll get adults that will buy. I'll refer back to the success of Pixar for that.

 

[prestonluv]

Its the parents job to monitor the kids and tell them right from wrong. To tell them what is real and what is fake. It is not the WWE's or any other telelvision shows job to teach kids about life.

If the WWE only marketed to adults and many of the children stopped watching than they would find another show that markets to them and is edgy. Then they talk about that program at school.

Children are a product of their parents. Stop blaming how kids act on television and the WWE and start focusing on their parents.

Also, if the worst a kid does is talk bad about TV characters than they are pretty damn good kids imo.

 

[scomvp316]

This whole idea that VKM wanted to go back to the target audience he had in the 80's is just a myth
Vince can spin it whatever way he chooses but there are two reasons he changed and not the fans even though he has said in the past he will change the product based off of the fans and that turned out to be a lie
He wanted to change the PR perspective of his company
He had to be more sponsor friendly to continue biz as usual in a horrific economy
The funny thing is Nielsen did a research a month ago and found out the target audience for WWE based off of numbers from the 80's is drastically less
In fact at no other time of the VKM WWE has this company brought in less of the kiddie audience since 2006
The strange thing is during Attitude more kids were doing the catch phrases than the adults were
WWE changed their audience when some believe Vince sold out and went TV-14
Say what you want about Disney but when the idiot Eisner was running the company and when the stock fell under $7 Disney stayed the same with their audience
Disney has rebounded well and in the last 12 months no other entertainment company has had acquisition sales like Disney has
Last month the CEO said Disney wasn't done yet and planned on more company purchases
Wouldn't be surprised in a few years if VKM sold some parts of WWE to Disney especially for marketing purposes

 

[Alastor]

Most of you are missing my point... I understand kids quite well, its what I do...

I know that kids think its real, I know they buy all the merchandise, I know it's not ok for a man to grab a woman by the throat, and I'm not asking for the WWE to go back to TV 14 or the Attitude Era.

My point is that kids don't even understand what they're watching... and can't spend money on PPVs and anything more than an action figure. They blindly follow what others do. That's fine for them and I'm not saying they can't be fans but marketing directly to that is a silly waste of time on the WWE's part. There's no logic to how most kids follows the product. When I was a kid, I liked the faces and heels like every kid but I knew exactly what was happening in all those storylines.

And disposable income matters because I have a son who asks for everything and he doesn't get everything... he gets what his mother and I decide he can get. Me on the other hand? I get every wrestling PPV, dvd, shirt, and ticket that I want because I have the money to choose to spend however I choose. There's no way you can tell me that a kid can spend their parents money on anything they freely want.

So you were special when you were a kid as compared to kids these days? Pro-wrestling is juvenile. We watch it as a guilty pleasure. WWE has ALWAYS been about kids and the juvenile adults.

McDonald's marketing 101. Target the kids and not only the parents but the rest of the family will become your customers. A child wants to eat at McDonald's for the Happy Meal, the parents and other kids in the family are then additional customers you didn't need to market for. Ethically we might disagree with this strategy but that isn't the point here.

 

[Kunztown]

I'm 32, and still watch wrestling and I don't know why. Nobody I know watch it, and I can't even discuss it with anyone. When I was in school, some people use to talk about it and that made it cooler. The reason they appeal to kids is because kids live in a fantasy world, and are more intrigued and interested. I am not sure how I started watching. I believe I was flipping through saturday morning cartoons, and saw superstars. I remember being a kid, and my parents banned me from watching wrestling when I was 7.... I had to hope my parents slept in on saturdays to watch superstars, but superstars didn't come on until like 11am!... and they always woke up, and told me to turn it off...haha. Anyways it isn't intersteding now mainly because there is nobody my age that is still interested in the product. I must say..... even with how bad the product is, it is still better to watch on TV then most shows.... That's the only reason I watch.... I'm not interested in buying ppv, go to shows, or spending any money on the product. It just needs more edge and surprise that can still be pg like when the nxt debuted!

 

[SilverBullet1929]

Ok, apparently I'm completely wrong in how I'm seeing this kids as fans thing.

I'll say this though... I've never been against kids being fans, I was a fan as a kid and I'm happy that so many kids enjoy it as well. The WWE has every right to market to kids and I understand why they do it.

Since I deal with kids on an almost day to day basis, I guess I've just seen quite a few examples of how their wrestling knowledge is quite shaky, yet amusing. Oh well.

 

[deadtaker]

I will equate the argument to one I had with a teacher in High school 10 years ago, about which movie would make money in its first 3 weeks, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?

In this case its very similar to the kids vs. late teens/adults argument. Lord of the Rings had all the people with disposable money while Harry Potter had Kids who had to ask to go see the movie. The thing is where Lord of the Rings gets 1 or 2 people to see the movie Harry Potter gets 4 or 5 people to see the movie.

Harry Potter beat Lord of the Rings not just at the box office but in the toy department afterwards. When kids like something they want to get as much stuff as they can get there hands on. Doesn't mean they will get everything but they will get more than a teenager or adult would.

Every wrestling item that comes out of there favorite wrestler they must get. Plus they are easy to manipulate that they will change there minds on wrestlers and want to buy new items. If a teen likes CM Punk they will likely not switch to John Cena as a favorite and start buying his items.

A Kid will easily switch from Cena to The Rock and start asking for Rock Items while a Teenager who already has a rock item will not buy anymore. A kid is also a fresh market coming in with nothing and looking to add. Where a teenager may be coming in with some stuff and just looking at adding a few pieces.

Its like a person moving out from there parents home they start with nothing and will buy a bunch of items. They will buy a lot of items they don't really need either as they don't know what they do or do not need. Then picture them going from the apartment to there own house they have pretty most of what they need and will just add a few of the items that they don't already have. They are smart enough now not to buy what they don't need and focus of the 1 or 2 items they do need.

The one moving out of there parents is like the kids. They don't know what to buy and what not to buy. They buy more on impulse and want than Knowledge and need. The second part is a teenager who have many items already and will just get the one or two items they need and that's it for the year.

 

[Headman]

Luckily it's not directed exclusively towards children. It's accessible to children but marketed to families. And as we all know family entertainment will always be a lucrative market. With that said, I started watching wrestling as a kid and I'm sure many of you did as well. So having wrestling be more accessible to children is obviously not a bad long term strategy.

 

[faltemer]

Most children i used to know that liked WWE either spent all their allowance on stuff related or their parents just bought them everything. In fact the second occurrence was more common. Without hard numbers on a ton of different factors, stating what they should and shouldn't do economically is laughable at best. I trust they know what they are doing and that they operate mainly as a business first. As such I will continue to watch and trust them on this fact until I get tired of their work, like many other things and similar products.

 

[J3Piecenickas]

Can't market it solely to kids. Kids are not the ones who buy PPVs. Yes parents will buy merchandise for their kids but to spend nearly 50/month (60 for HD) on PPVs is not something likely to happen. That's where the older generation comes in. Well at least the part of that generation that doesn't stream it illegally.

 

[The Brain]

Forgive me, but I'm going to be that guy that responds to the OP before reading any other responses so you may find me repeating someone else's thoughts.

Kids logic is horrendous. Last year I told these kids how much Dolph Ziggler rules the world and how Ryback was no big deal. They all told me I was stupid. Now... now they tell me Ziggler is awesome and Ryback sucks. Huh? Who's stupid now? They can't even give me an explanation of this either.

I don't understand why you, a 31 year old adult are trying to convince a bunch of kids that a bad guy is awesome and a good guy sucks. Let them have their fun. They're kids so don't explain it to them through the eyes of an adult. I bet in 1988 you thought The Powers of Pain were awesome and Demolition sucked but in 1989 you thought Demolition was awesome and The Powers of Pain sucked. Kids like the good guys and don't like the bad guys. It's a pretty simple concept.

CM Punk's 434 day title reign? That was over 400 days of me telling the kids Punk is the best because he's the champion and they tell me "that doesn't matter." I ask them doesnt being the champion make you the best? They said no. They said John Cena is still the best. This isn't a knock on Cena though... I tell them ok then why hasn't Cena taken the title from Punk? They can't answer. Period.

No offense but it seems really weird that you are trying to debate pro wrestling with a bunch of kids. What are you trying to prove?

I found some kids at recess playing with their wrestling toys and one kid told me Zack Ryder was beating Stone Cold... I look down and the two action figures are Alex Riley and Luke Gallows. I know Riley and Gallows aren't big name stars but... but... you don't know which action figures you bought??? This isn't weird to anyone else? I pointed to the word "RILEY" on the back of A-Ry's action figure's trunks and the kid was geniunely dumbfounded! He asked me who Riley even was!

It's called imagination. I had a bunch of action figures as a kid but there were several guys that I didn't have figures for. I didn't have a Ted Dibiase figure so I would pretend my Terry Funk figure was Ted Dibiase. I didn't have a Davey Boy Smith figure so I would pretend my Brutus Beefcake figure was Davey Boy Smith. I don't think that's all that unusual.

Another classic story... I had a kid come to me sometime last year telling me what happened on Raw "a few days ago" and I was confused as all hell as he explained to me, in perfect detail, a storyline from like 2008... I was like um, ok. The kid was so excited about it that I just let him finish his story. A week later the kid comes to me to again explain what he saw on RAW and he was now explaining to me the second part of that storyline from 2008 in perfect detail. A week later, the third part of the story! I asked him where he was watching this and he said it was at home on TV. I'm not sure how, but the kid was several years behind, but was somehow following everything in perfect sequence! Wait until he realizes The Rock is coming back! Ha! I should bet this kid a hundred bucks that "in the future CM Punk will hold the WWE title for, umm, let's pick a random number and say 434 days!"

If you feel good about outsmarting an eight year old go for it.

Lastly, this has nothing to do with kid's logic... but with MONEY! Disposable income! Kids have no disposable income. A young adult male, early 20s, late teens... likely has a job, is unmarried, doesn't own a home... can WASTE money on wrestling just because he genuinely likes it. Why market to kids who just can't but the upcoming PPVs!? They can't even buy a ticket to the events. Their money comes from their parents. Besides buying a cheap under deck seat for their kid as an early bday gift and an occasional ugly Tshirt at KMart loaded with 18 outdated superstar images sprawled across the front... parents will not spend significant money on wrestling for their kids. You expect parents to buy a $60 and up PPV every month? Doesn't happen. How do I know? The Monday after every PPV my classroom has a swarm of kids asking me the results because "my parents say we can't spend money on that."

Parents buy their kids everything these days. I see ten year olds with iphones. If the kid wants it he gets it. Parents are looking for things to get for their kids for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Adults don't spend money on much besides the PPVs and maybe DVDs. Kids want that stuff too. Kids also want action figures, t shirts, posters, magazines, etc. I went to a lot of house shows as a kid in 1988 and 1989. The WWF sold a ticket to me, my brother, my cousin, and sometimes a friend. Because we couldn't go alone they also got a ticket sale out of my dad and my aunt. Why do you think every Disney movie is breaking box office records. The kids want to see the show but the parents have to go too so for every group of kids that want to see the movie they're selling an extra ticket or two to the parents who wouldn't go on their own.

Also, at its best... even at a PG level, pro wrestling is an interesting, emotional, but slightly violent soap opera. At its best, it simply isn't written for kids. Fart jokes and midgets are for kids. I say write the best storylines, hell even make it a point to keep them clean and simple topics... and THEN kids will watch because its interesting TV. Not because "oh the leprechaun is funny".

Also, you know whats a problem with writing TV directly for kids? When thos kids "grow up" and they're like 9, 10, or 11... they hate it! My fifth graders start hating wrestling because even they can't stand Hornswoggle, Khali, and other sillyness. If the WWE would market to an older audience, when the kids are older, they'll still watch. The WWE is pigeonholing their audience. Kids in the 80s grew up with wrestling... now kids watch wrestling at 6 or 7 years old and then they give up when they're 11 because its under the same silly category as the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoons they watched as a small child. How is that a productive way of building a fanbase?

First of all, it's not written directly for kids. If it was WWE would have a G rating. PG suggests that it's ok for kids but with some Parental Guidance due to the adult themes. Secondly, did you feel that wrestling shouldn't be directed at kids when you were a kid. Did you feel that Junk Yard Dog and Hillbilly Jim were corny? Were you tired of Hulk Hogan hogging the spotlight that Rick Rude deserved or did you just enjoy cheering the good guys and booing the bad guys?

I assume that you got hooked on wrestling as a kid and have stuck with it all these years even though your points seem to contradict that being possible. If I'm wrong in that assumption I can't help but wonder how an adult ever got into a kids show in the first place.

 

[SilverBullet1929]

Wow. Ok guys I gotta be honest, I woke up this morning and this thread was the first thing that came to my mind. I'm reading through and, I kinda feel like shit. Not gonna lie.

Then I realize everything I've said just comes off like I'm better than the kids. So let me backtrack cuz I definitely don't feel that way.

I shouldn't have titled the thread as I did. Because you definitely CAN and should market the WWE to kids.

I just so happen to work with hundreds of kids who are WWE fans and through that I've compiled a bunch of stories that are amusing to us as adult wrestling fans. Like a wrestling version of "Kids say the darndest things!" So let's rename this thing as "funny things kids say about wrestling." Moving on...

I'm not trying to outsmart or out debate these kids, I know they're kids. I'm having fun with them as they're having fun with me just cuz they can't believe one of their teachers is a wrestling fan. Its amazing how reading through this thread I've come off like a total dick of a teacher. Awesome way to start the new school year.

Anyways, thanks to all of you for replying to this positive or negative, I appreciate the talk. Later...

 

[Eyebrows]

Wow. Ok guys I gotta be honest, I woke up this morning and this thread was the first thing that came to my mind. I'm reading through and, I kinda feel like shit. Not gonna lie.

Then I realize everything I've said just comes off like I'm better than the kids. So let me backtrack cuz I definitely don't feel that way.

I shouldn't have titled the thread as I did. Because you definitely CAN and should market the WWE to kids.

I just so happen to work with hundreds of kids who are WWE fans and through that I've compiled a bunch of stories that are amusing to us as adult wrestling fans. Like a wrestling version of "Kids say the darndest things!" So let's rename this thing as "funny things kids say about wrestling." Moving on...

I'm not trying to outsmart or out debate these kids, I know they're kids. I'm having fun with them as they're having fun with me just cuz they can't believe one of their teachers is a wrestling fan. Its amazing how reading through this thread I've come off like a total dick of a teacher. Awesome way to start the new school year.

Anyways, thanks to all of you for replying to this positive or negative, I appreciate the talk. Later...

I don't think you came off as a dick at all, at least you're interacting with the kids and showing some interest. I'm sure that you disagreeing with the kids is done in a playful way and in an effort to get them to think more deeply and not yelling at them that they're wrong.

I think your point has some merit, in that you do still need to have a palatable product that adults wouldn't mind their kids watching. Not sure if anybody watches the Apprentice (UK) but they had a task on the last season where they had to design ready meals. One group chose kids as their target audience and created a product ('Deadly Dinners') that was met with tremendous feedback with kids but was hated by adults and as such came on the losing end because none of the retailers would buy it.

So, while I disagreed that you can't market it to kids, I do agree that you have to somewhat target the parents who have the purchasing power in their family which I think is the main point you were trying to make.

As for the reasons kids like or don't like someone, I don't think the E cares too much as long as they're watching.

But yeah...being a teacher? Important work and hard work. I couldn't do it so props to you and anyone else who does teach.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It's harsh for people to critisize you, at the end of the day if you can relate to the kids you teach through wrestling then thats a good thing as they'll listen when you say "don't do it in the playground" or similar stuff... It's always good to have some common ground.

But look at it the other way, if they didn't market to kids, you wouldn't have half as much fun as it sounds like you have, talking about it with them... if it was Attitude, they wouldn't be allowed to watch most likely or it'd be "frowned upon" that you discuss it with them.

 

[tuffy412]

WWE has always done a decent job at marketing to kids imo!! From the rock n wrestling era,attitude era and even now!! Parents will always pay for what their kids want....BOTTOM LINE within reason ofcourse!!