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The W - Pro Wrestling - Time Rant
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MightyBastard
Pinkelwurst








Since: 4.5.03
From: Cleveland, OH

Since last post: 7264 days
Last activity: 7146 days
#1 Posted on
Wanted to bounce off a couple thoughts about the roster split.

First, I have to admit that I loved the idea. I thought there was a ceiling on the WWF, and that splitting up the roster would create more stars. But it hasn’t seemed to happen yet. The only real star created to break into the upper level since the split has been Brock Lesnar. And Lesnar, with his look and skills, is about as much of a can’t-miss prospect as anyone.

Now, part of the reason is politics (insert HHH rant here). But I think there’s a more fundamental problem. Take a look:

RAW
====
(a) Eric Bischoff, Steve Austin, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Stacy Kiebler
(b) Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Rock

Smackdown
===
(a) Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Sable, Roddy Piper, Torrie Wilson
(b) Mr. America

The (a) list are people on the rosters that are given significant screen time every week, but aren’t wrestlers. The (b) list are wrestlers on the roster who don’t wrestle house shows.

Watch any RAW or Smackdown. I’ll bet 1/3 of every show is devoted to people on the (a) list. Each show has only two hours (minus commercials) to get people interested in the product, to buy the Pay Per Views or Merchandise. Add the people on the House Shows and I’ll bet the ratio is more than ½ of the time devoted to the TV is for people who won’t be at a show the WWE is asking me to pay for.

And that’s the fundamental problem. The most precious commodity the WWE has to create new stars is their TV time- four hours every week watched by the people who buy the PPVs and put money in the WWE’s coffers. And every minute spent on someone on the (a) list is a minute not spent on making a new or bigger star.

That’s why the ‘Steve Austin as co-GM’ angle drives me nuts. Not that he’s not good in the role, or that it will bomb. It’s that Steve Austin won’t be at most houses; Rico, on the other hand, will be. Rico doesn’t get as much TV time in three months as Austin will on one show.

Rico might get over is he’s given some of the time that Austin gets. And if he won’t, someone else might. But we won’t know, because the WWE doesn’t have enough time to give most of the roster more than a temporary, half-hearted push. Hurricane is a perfect example of this.

Even more than the politics, or even the booking, I think this might be the fundamental problem: Using every week’s TV time to emphasize non-wrestlers instead of the people who actually work the cards.




"Most human problems can be solved by an appropriate charge of high explosives"- Blaster, Uncommon Valor
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Excalibur05
Knackwurst








Since: 19.1.02
From: Minnesota

Since last post: 2915 days
Last activity: 2783 days
#2 Posted on
Here's the problem with your "a" list for RAW:

Bischoff = Yes, he's given alot of TV time. He is, however, usually involved with one of the wrestling personalities on the show. So, I rarely have a problem with what he does.

Steve Austin = It's really too early to tell.

Jim Ross = Sure...I guess...A few segments...

Lawler = If he's involved in an angle, it usually at the very least leads to a match.

Stacy = Her angle is just as much about Steiner and Test as it is about her.



Cinco de Satire (wienerboard.com) <- No kidding, right?
Buffy 7.19 gets a 8.33 Cat fighting! Clem! Curly Fries! Faith dancing! It's a bumpy ride to the end. Next week: Faith and Wood? Ech.
The Vile1
Lap cheong








Since: 4.9.02
From: California

Since last post: 5456 days
Last activity: 5188 days
#3 Posted on
I agree with a lot of what MightyBastard is saying. I think the problems he was talking about were around long before the Brand split extenstion started. WWF/E had acquired such a large roster they didn't have enough TV time to devote to it. So they split the shows and some new guys get brought up, rather than continuing RAWS's storylines on Smackdown. However, the focus of the shows continues to be thrust upon non-wrestling personalities that have long 20-30 minute half hour interviews to set-up usually lame matches




"Just a humble bounty hunter, ma'am."
-Spike Spiegel
BlondeSexySiren77
Weisswurst








Since: 8.5.03

Since last post: 7625 days
Last activity: 7625 days
#4 Posted on
i hate this brand crap, i wanna see WWE return to the way it was, this brand extention is getting old.



what a sweet talkin' honey with a little bit of money can turn your head around
ges7184
Lap cheong








Since: 7.1.02
From: Birmingham, AL

Since last post: 2178 days
Last activity: 2166 days
#5 Posted on
I would bet that both Steve Austin and Stacy Keibler generate more revenue for the company than Rico. I would also bet that would still be true even if Rico was given significantly more TV time. (As far as Lawler, J.R. and Bischoff goes, point duly noted)
jwrestle
Lap cheong








Since: 4.4.03
From: Nitro WV

Since last post: 1322 days
Last activity: 640 days
ICQ:  
#6 Posted on
Well, heck this all boiled down to the bottom line of "Garbage in, Garbage out" a term that i've come to know in college. What ever there doing wrong now with marketing of the product they keep doing thus we get the perception we have now of the WWE pathetic state. So, if they ever wisen up they need to go to the roots of the problem and quit trying to trim up the tree we're already looking at. At this point they need some Miricle Grow=New Stars which doesn't see to be happening anytime soon except for Brock who they pretty much saw as next in line as an easy build. If Randy Ortan and Batista ever get off the injury list they could provide where they left off, considering the TV time they were getting, in some form or fashion to actually helping the currrent situation..or mabe not.



Banned Once! The independant thought alarm went off, knew to much about b*tching.

Could be the hierarchy has something against diarrhea of the keyboard?

In the words of a dear friend of mine "You treat me like B*tch, I treat you like a B*tch, and now do you have anything to say about it, A$$Clown?

MonteCarl
Potato korv








Since: 21.1.02
From: Saginaw, MI

Since last post: 3254 days
Last activity: 2283 days
#7 Posted on
I agree with what Excaliber was saying. Most of the (a) list for RAW are involved with the wrestlers and getting them over. In fact, if it wasn't for Bischoff, do you think Sean Morely would be over if it wasn't for his role as Bischoff's lackey? He hasn't been over for the past 3 years, but now he is. And Stacy's whole role has been to get Test over, which she has. However, if she ever leaves him, he'll go back to getting no reaction. And how can you say Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler get too much time? They're the announcers! Of course they're on every show.

The Smackdown list you have is a little bit more guilty of what you're accusing, but Stephanie really hasn't been on TV much at all, and when she is, it's to make a match such as when she came out to make the Tag Title Ladder Match. I don't know where the Mr. America thing is going, but, while admitedly not making any new stars, it is damned entertaining and at least it's not the main event and he's not going for the WWE Title. Plus they'll make a lot of money selling Mr. America merchandise, too. And Piper has also taken on a role as Shawn O'Haire's mentor, so his whole role is to get a younger guy over. The women's division on Smackdown is non-existant and their role is mostly eye candy and "soap opera" storylines. But, again, they sell money for calendars and magazines and videos, so there is a point to them being there.

--Monte N
Spaceman Spiff
Knackwurst








Since: 2.1.02
From: Philly Suburbs

Since last post: 1336 days
Last activity: 1 day
#8 Posted on


    In fact, if it wasn't for Bischoff, do you think Sean Morely would be over if it wasn't for his role as Bischoff's lackey? He hasn't been over for the past 3 years, but now he is.

I like Morley, but he's barely over, if at all.



    And Stacy's whole role has been to get Test over, which she has.

Test is not over.



    However, if she ever leaves him, he'll go back to getting no reaction.

Which proves my point above. The fans cheer for Stacy, not Test, thus Test isn't over.



    I don't know where the Mr. America thing is going, but, while admitedly not making any new stars, it is damned entertaining and at least it's not the main event and he's not going for the WWE Title

True, it's not in the ME, but it *is* taking up a lot of time. It must have taken up at least 25 minutes, between the opening segment and hogan's time in the ring.




    but Stephanie really hasn't been on TV much at all

After seeing her involvement last night, I've got a bad feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of Stephy on camera.

(edited by Spaceman Spiff on 9.5.03 1520)


MightyBastard
Pinkelwurst








Since: 4.5.03
From: Cleveland, OH

Since last post: 7264 days
Last activity: 7146 days
#9 Posted on
Replying to your post, MonteCarl...

It's a question of investment... Raw has about 90-100 minutes of air time to fill every week. And it seems that more than half of that time is used on people who don't wrestle.

Look at last week- how much of that time was spent on Austin/Bischoff/JR/Lawler/Morley segment? Probably 20-30 minutes. The only actual wrestler involved was Morley, and he was completely buried.

Wouldn't it have smarter to compress all of that to five minutes, and split the remaining time to the guys that will actually wrestle?

Hurricane is a perfect example of this. His stuff with the Rock was great, and he gets great reaction. Why isn't he on RAW every week? He's the exact wrestler who should be trying to build momentum, so that they can put him on a PPV match and have people be wanting to see him in a sustained angle?

Instead, after having a run with one of the fed's main eventers, he's taken off the show, completely killing his momentum. Why? Because they don't have time to give him a match or a segment every week.

You pointed out Morley and Test as wrestlers who wouldn't get over without Bischoff or Stacy. Stacy is probably a bad example for this- she's only on a few mintues every show, and they always involve Test. So she does help a wrestler get over, and isn't a bad time investment.

Bischoff and Austin are another story. They take up a HUGE amount of time, every week, and for every wrestler they help by putting over, they cost five more by taking away the time that could be used to get them over.

In the end, the WWE needs the wrestlers to get over- that's who the fans go to see the matches. Especially the house shows that won't have Austin or Bischoff or the McMahons.

The wrestlers need to get over. That takes time- and every minute used on a non-wrestler is a minute that the WWE is wasting away.





"Most human problems can be solved by an appropriate charge of high explosives"- Blaster, Uncommon Valor
Monte
Mettwurst








Since: 27.3.03
From: Montauk, New York

Since last post: 5126 days
Last activity: 2525 days
#10 Posted on
"Hurricane is a perfect example of this. His stuff with the Rock was great, and he gets great reaction. Why isn't he on RAW every week? He's the exact wrestler who should be trying to build momentum, so that they can put him on a PPV match and have people be wanting to see him in a sustained angle?

Instead, after having a run with one of the fed's main eventers, he's taken off the show, completely killing his momentum. Why? Because they don't have time to give him a match or a segment every week."

Well if they took 10 minutes off that brawl between Nash and Trip, you could have a very cool angle with Hurricane!




"Keep On Keepin' On." - Joe Dirt
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DrJayPHD, we're only expressing our opinions on the matter. No harm in that. It's just nice to have some wishful thinking every now and then. Yeah, but you know it's probably going to degenerate into a Mark Henry/Gowen flogfest at some point.
- drjayphd, The WWE Shuffle. (2004)
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