Everything Wrong with the WWE in 2018

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

Shin is fluent in like 5 languages

But Shinsuke no speak English

 

[Rell Lauren]

Good thread with many valid points.

 

[jadillac]

The problem with NXT is that it's still 100% under the wwe umbrella. As great as it is, it's still limited in what they are allowed to do and try. In the end, vince still has final say even if he doesn't watch a lick of it.

OVW was different in that it was ran by Cornette and other non ordained wwe office guys.

 

[DaHNIC82]

Plus the Crowd energy aside from smark towns are dead in the water. It would also help if they change the look for PPVs in terms of presentation. Every PPV looks like a typical Raw and Smackdown

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

Plus the Crowd energy aside from smark towns are dead in the water. It would also help if they change the look for PPVs in terms of presentation. Every PPV looks like a typical Raw and Smackdown

Bad segments, repetitive matches, and the same set designs on the pay per views as on raw and smackdown matter. Makes them feel less important.

 

[Damnshow]

Plus the Crowd energy aside from smark towns are dead in the water. It would also help if they change the look for PPVs in terms of presentation. Every PPV looks like a typical Raw and Smackdown

the problems with pay per view events have been going for decades actually, when the business began hotshotting for short term value, and then for the main event you would be left with couple of interesting matches at best and bunch of matches that look exactly the same as monday night raw

 

[dh86]

Seeing the Lex Luger stuff from 25 years ago illustrates how FAST Vince threw him in the bushes. Vince wanted him as the successor to Hogan for many years, gets him and then gives up within months. Meanwhile it’s an over 4 year odyssey with Roman Reigns. Why the fukk they won’t just put the belt on him and get shyt done with is beyond me, but it’s the power of there being a competitor.

 

[R=G]

Plus the Crowd energy aside from smark towns are dead in the water. It would also help if they change the look for PPVs in terms of presentation. Every PPV looks like a typical Raw and Smackdown

Why would there be crowd energy if u think about it? They sabotage the faces that fans like..Zack Ryder once upon a time...they had Cripple H come from hiatus TO PIN THE REBEL for no f1cking reason No one still has explained why that happened till this very day. They prolonged the original Bryan face turn..he was ultra over after WM 28 and they did Team Hell No, which got major over because Bryan was red hot as a super cheered heel. They sabotaged RVD in 2002 to put over Cripple H? Booker T in 03 to put over Cripple H...they had Benoit playing second fiddle to Cripple H vs Eugene just like AJ is today and how The Rebel was for Cena vs Johhny Ace.

Bryan was definitely main eventing everything as champion but the injury changed everything. Even though Ambrose was very over, the WWE created a odd narrative to make Roman come off as the man to end 2014. They had him win superstar of the year over Bryan Did that embarrassing Rumble 2015 sh1t. Tossed out Bryan in 10 minutes and had Roman coming in like he was 98 Goldberg..fans saw right ficking through it and he hadn't been seen in the same light ever since.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Even more than an offseason, I think they need to change the format of the show. I've said this before, but Raw is fundamentally the same show it's been since the Attitude. They've toned down the raunchiness and the quality of the in-ring work is better, but what has actually changed about the show? They have nicer cameras and all new characters. That's it.

There's been no evolution in how they build storylines or the kinds of stories they tell. In previous eras, the storylines were made to fit the characters involved. The Hogan era had more kid friendly, cartoonish stuff. The Attitude era was wild, crash TV stuff. The Ruthless Aggression era turned up the violence.

What identity does the modern era have in terms of the stories? I suppose you could say this era is all about "competition," but that's hardly a unique quality. When I first started watching again, it seemed like there was some real change happening as I was seeing more men of color get pushes and the women being taken more seriously across the board. But as time passes, they've slipped back into mostly white dudes being at the forefront of things.

A bunch of good points here, especially the presentation. With better advancements of technology have come a presentation that is extremely glossy, clean, over the top, hokey, and very safe. They have these massive elaborate sets, LED lights, super in your face graphics yet in plan lettering, etc, yet have completely taken away the things that made the WWE great before. They practically have made the show off-putting because of that.

Another things, the WWE doesn't do the little things well at all anymore. Barely have vignette to introduce new/returning characters, have micromanaged crowd signs to the point where they're nearly non-existent, every backstage segment is in the same areas with every possible advertisement in the background for the worst type of subliminal messaging they can offer, trash at making shirts (mentioned that earlier).

Just look at the following. Which show would you rather watch....

This one....???

Or this one...??

You can even say the same about the themes. Which one would make you hype to watch a show more, this one....?


Or this one.....?

 

[FunkDoc1112]

I hate how WWE books the women for all of the reasons you said, and also because they act like any woman who isn't directly competing for the title might as well not even have a storyline. This Sasha/Bayley feud should be a serious breakup bu thtye're treating it like an absolute joke, first taking too long to pull the trigger and then doing lame comedy skits.

They love dragging out storylines until nobody gives a shyt by the time they actually start moving forward with it.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Fans have always valued interesting characters. Ring work without any emotional investment in the characters is just hollow.

I'd argue you only get that investment through characters. They don't have characters anymore; they have catchphrases and monikers.

Seriously, in one sentence, can anyone sum up who any of the top guys/gals are? in one sentence.

 

[MartyMcFly]

I hate how WWE books the women for all of the reasons you said, and also because they act like any woman who isn't directly competing for the title might as well not even have a storyline. This Sasha/Bayley feud should be a serious breakup bu thtye're treating it like an absolute joke, first taking too long to pull the trigger and then doing lame comedy skits.

They love dragging out storylines until nobody gives a shyt by the time they actually start moving forward with it.

That’s what killed it for me on Monday. What happened last week was serious shyt. Bayley cursed at her. It was violent. And to shift from that to a comedy act, one where Sasha is cool with being in the same place as Bayley without fukking her up on site, is a microcosm of everything wrong with the product right now.

Trying to serve way too many masters. Right now, WWE is drake or 2000s New York rap: we gotta have something for everyone.

 

[ALTRUISM]

Presentation is everything. Just look at how much more appealing everything today comes off when you even replace it with something from back then.



Now I'm not saying "GO BACK TO THE PAST!" but a solid intro & theme can go a long way in determining how much investment and memorability something has on the viewer. Take the modern Raw intro posted above; nothing more than crappy slideshow with a generic pop song that no one's ever heard of. In other words, just not stuff you really associate with wrestling. Wrestling is generally about violence and all the fukkery underneath. I suppose you can say "mainstream" but they also did it in the past with other genres like rap/hip-hop/rock and it was handled so much more tastefully that it fitted the tone of the brand. Other stuff too like the "clean" camera work, unfocused pacing, redundant sets, lack of on-location set-pieces, and more also play a part.

Even my 60+ year-old grandmother was looking at her phone once during a Raw and she can binge through a marathon of long, drawn-out movies and soap operas. I asked her why and she responded that everything bored her from the start.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Presentation is everything. Just look at how much more appealing everything today comes off when you even replace it with something from back then.



Now I'm not saying "GO BACK TO THE PAST!" but a solid intro & theme can go a long way in determining how much investment and memorability something has on the viewer. Take the modern Raw intro posted above; nothing more than crappy slideshow with a generic pop song that no one's ever heard of. In other words, just not stuff you really associate with wrestling. Wrestling is generally about violence and all the fukkery underneath. I suppose you can say "mainstream" but they also did it in the past with other genres like rap/hip-hop/rock and it was handled so much more tastefully that it fitted the tone of the brand. Other stuff too like the "clean" camera work, unfocused pacing, redundant sets, lack of on-location set-pieces, and more also play a part.

Even my 60+ year-old grandmother was looking at her phone once during a Raw and she can binge through a marathon of long, drawn-out movies and soap operas. I asked her why and she responded that everything bored her from the start.

The ill shyt tho? They don't even show the damn intro

 

[Playaz Eyez]

I hate how WWE books the women for all of the reasons you said, and also because they act like any woman who isn't directly competing for the title might as well not even have a storyline. This Sasha/Bayley feud should be a serious breakup bu they're treating it like an absolute joke, first taking too long to pull the trigger and then doing lame comedy skits.

They love dragging out storylines until nobody gives a shyt by the time they actually start moving forward with it.

And this is the opposite of how women were booked from 97-maybe 2006. You had women that were feuding for titles, and then you had women paired up with a ton of men and made themselves apart of the show. Chyna was with HHH for awhile, then grew into her own, including being equals with Eddie. Ivory was paired up with D'Lo and Mark Henry for a bit, then apart of RTC, probably being equals with Steven Richards as far as talking. Jacqueline was with Marc Mero and APA for a pinch, Luna was with Goldust then Gangrel, Terri was with Goldust, Meat, The Hardyz, and Saturn, Lita was with Essa Rios and the Hardyz, Trish was with Test and Albert, Val Venis, and was key in the Jericho/Christian feud. All of these women made themselves apart of the show and weren't just background, even the ones that didn't at all belong in the ring. Currently it's either 2 women fighting for a title with the rest just aimless doing stuff (or not even on tv), or they just pile all the women in 6-8 women tag or elimination matches and keep it moving. That's why I was really digging the Usos/Naomi vs Rusev Day/Lana segments cause they still had something to do even though they weren't in the title picture. It's pretty sad that the WWE collectively has the most talented women they've ever had, yet those women only feel important for a fraction at a time.