WWE's universal HD stage set

[rko102]

I'm surprised no one has started a thread about this since it's been on my mind for the better part of two years but anyway...

I still remember the night RAW was going to air for the first time in high definition...early January 2008, two years ago already. I was so excited to see what the new stage set was going to look like; I thought this HD thing was huge and that it was gonna be a big step forward. I'd been watching WWE for upwards of a year and I'd always loved that each show had their own unique stage, especially Smackdown's, which I always found was kickass with that huge fist right smack in the middle of the stage.

OH MAN! The intro came on, then the theme., pyros and....what the fuck? It was the most unexpected thing...this HD set was not at all what I thought it would be. I thought it would very much resemble the old set, just made for HD cameras. But no, it was this huge thing that was apparently supposed to be modeled after the way a computer looks when you're on the internet watching videos. Anyway, I was pissed and disappointed, and it only got worse when I watched ECW and Smackdown that week and realized that each brand was now sharing that one, same set. All that was being modified was the logo and colors.

All in all, I've never felt the same satisfaction when watching WWE since those stages all became this one huge thing. I was expecting a different one for each brand, but made for HD television.

So what do you forum members out there think? Is the universal HD set a good thing or a bad thing, and if a bad thing, would it have been better to make a separate HD set for each brand? I look forward to reading your replies.

 

[Saritafan]

I made a thread about this a year ago and most of my replys said that they like the HD stage because every wrestler gets their own unqiue background/logos

At first, I didn't like the HD stage I thought it was WAY TO BIG and fancy but over time, I got use to it and I like it better now then the old Raw stage. Recently Raw and Smackdown have gotten new logo designs and it makes the titantron look better with the darker colors, when the new HD stage first came the colors and designs looked horrible but WWE fixed them over time

It would be nice for each show to have it's own look but that would totally screw up WWE's taping schedule because smackdown, superstars, and ECW are all taped in the same night and they can't keep taking down stages to put up the others, that takes a lot of time

 

[JJohns]

As much as I loathe the fact that each show no longer has a signature look, I can understand the logistics behind it. Having a single set allows them to actually do things like they are doing with Superstars, where they can just have everyone that's going to have matches on that show usually only show up when their "home brand" is doing their taping. Having multiple sets kills that.

What I actually started to hope for recently was that WWE would switch to their MSG set for all the shows. It allows them to sell more tickets in some arenas, is an almost old school approach to the shows, and I thought looked even BETTER in HD.

The only other thing I could see them doing is take Superstars and tape it ahead of Raw (or after during a West Coast event) and do multiple sets for two shows, giving Superstars and ECW both "minimal" sets and curtain off the main Raw and Smackdown Sets.

 

[rayisawesomeness]

They're boring for me. I mean, the titantrons used to define the shows. For instance, Smackdown had the fist and ECW had the indy entrance. Now, all the shows just feel the same, but I do like how each superstar gets their own background and stuff.

 

[SickJames]

I totally love the stage too. Will always miss the old stuff, Heidenreich on the SD! Fist and the vintage Raw big screen titantron

just because it's still cool to me, and the Ovaltron is too


I like how during WrestleMania week they have the very top part only at the arena in the city it's taking place in and that's set up top of the stage in the arena for the Hall of Fame ceremony

And the base is used for WrestleMania AXXESS where the stars come out after walking down the long fence leading from the back of the base part to a door and side area cause they dont need it for the stadium since they use a special HD Stage, that was my experience at WrestleMania 25


anyway I just think the take it apart like legos thing is cool

One issue I have is what is the WWE doing? Where's the side bar thingy? Anyone know what I'm talking about when it first debuted there was a long pole like thing that was like the thing Zordon was in on Power Rangers but green lit


One minute they use it the next they dont, or they dont use it for SD! as often and it's usually only to the left of the set if you're facing it


So what's up with that part? I dont even recall seeing it on Raw

 

[CFH]

I hate them, pure and simple. When I first saw it on raw I liked it but when all shows used the same set I hated it. Its worse enough each show doesn't even offer you anything different in wrestling style, now they don't even offer you anything different in their appearance.

I understand that the set is quite large and that it would be a hastle to set up one giant set for one show, then have to set up another mammoth one for another. However, I think each show should have gotten new, simple, "show defining" sets that contrast one show form the other. I mean when I watch ECW, I wan't to feel like I'm watching ecw not raw with purple lights and a different logo.

And as for those backgrounds everyone is so fond of, I think they could easily add them to the titantrons of the wrestler instead of making some fancing electronic backgound for them.

 

[Big Ol' Buckta AIDS]

I like this set MUCH better than the old sets for Smackdown! and RAW. That fist was always annoying and it just looked ******ed. And the Screen they had on RAW looked stupid as well. My favorite were the one's before the lame ass fist and the slated screen, With RAW just having a massive Screen and Smackdowns original set.

 

[bowdring123]

does the set make the wrestling any better, no, if u want different sets watch ppv's, period! i dont know why u dont like them and to be honest im not really fond of them either but looks dont mean anything, i watch wrestling for the chance to see someone tap out, or take a finisher, not because of a stupid set, ughhh!

 

[Tastycles]

I'm not really bothered either way. The way it is set up now should and could make for more interesting entrance routines, as there are a range of different screens to be used, but in most cases they aren't. What the HD set certainly does do is make the production values a hell of a lot better. It doesn't take a genius to work out that if you watch WWE and then a rival company, be it wrestling or even MMA, you know which one looks more big time, and a lot of that is to do with the entrance area. No other company can come close to matching the magnificence of the WWE entrance area, I just wish they'd use it a bit better.

 

[VintageWWE]

What the HD set certainly does do is make the production values a hell of a lot better. It doesn't take a genius to work out that if you watch WWE and then a rival company, be it wrestling or even MMA, you know which one looks more big time, and a lot of that is to do with the entrance area. No other company can come close to matching the magnificence of the WWE entrance area, I just wish they'd use it a bit better.

I completely agree with what you said. To me the set isn't really a big deal. I don't really care how it looks but like many of you have said before I too enjoy seeing the superstar's each individual backrround. The HD set makes the show look more grand as compared to any other promotion but then again their old sets still looked better than any other promotion. All in all any of you that said you don't like it I'm sure it will grow on you and as you get use to it no one is going to care.

 

[mister_b1LL]

To keep things short:

It looks great on RAW, decent on SmackDown!, okay on ECW, and has no place on Superstars.

To keep things long:

The HD set is probably my most favorite Titantron that RAW has had. It's huge, has a big clusterfuck of graphics going on at the same time (good thing this time) and really add a lot to the aura of the wrestlers. For example, when Randy Orton comes out and it gets to that part of "Voices" where the singer says "I hear voices crying..." and the hardcore strobelights flash, it really adds another cool aspect to Orton's entrance. Same thing goes for when Triple H does his entrance and a big orange splash fills up the background the same time Hunter spits water on the stage.

Although the HD set in my opinion looks cooler on Smackdown than on RAW because the blues look beautiful, I still miss the Fist. I just wish that there was something that could help SD's stage look different in some way.

When the HD set comes to ECW it looks okay but if you look on the top of the tron, the ECW logo barely takes up a quarter of that spot, whereas the RAW logo, the SD! logo, and even the Superstars logo are stretched all the way. But then again, it somewhat symbolizes how much WWE cares about ECW: barely even worth a quarter of their time.

Superstars is the one that does not deserve as amazing of a tron as the HD set since nobody watches it anyway and it's not used to build storylines which completely eliminates Superstars' worth.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I honestly think it's a good thing that all the brands have the same set for the entrance ramp. Think about it. Raw, Smackdown, and ECW are all brands of the same federation. You can still see what show you are watching by looking at the colors of the ring ropes because on Raw they are red, Smackdown's are blue, and ECW has silver. The ring rope colors represent the brand you are currently watching but they all belong to the same federation.... WWE.... which is why it makes sense to me that all shows have the same set on the entrance ramp now. Sure, the fist from Smackdown's old set was interesting, but I don't miss it much now that it's been gone for a while. I like the universal HD set and think that it's a good thing because shows that belong to the same federation SHOULD have similar sets.