He personnifies what I now feel is the #1 problem with WWE: they stopped listening to the fans.
Even if you can't book, you can at least listen to the fans. The fans have clearly wanted certain events. They voted with their crowd reactions. In 2002, WWE hasn't listened.
The fans popped madly for the nWo's first appearance. They were pumped to see them beatdown people. Whether or not anyone here wanted to see it, the fans had voted for more nWo beatdowns.
The fans didn't get what they ordered. They got the nWo beatdown and split apart.
The fans started to vote for a heel Rock at WM. It was an interesting idea. But the boos for Rock were clear. They said they wanted a heel Rock.
The fans didn't get what they ordered. They got an impromptu McMahon-Rock feud on draft day to try to salvage Rock's face heat and then Rock left.
I was in a bar for the last PPV. After Austin's match, the fans got up and left. They had voted that they want to cheer Austin. Probably at the top of the card.
The fans didn't get what they ordered. They got pointless feuds for Austin and now NO Austin.
The fans did not order Lesnar from the menu. They sit on their hands for Glasnar.
The fans didn't get what they ordered. Lesnar appears to be moving up the card with his key intervention at RAW.
The fans are coming in to order more infrequently these days. Attendance and ratings are dropping.
---
Compare with Hogan's career. Fans stopped ordering helpings of face Hogan. Promoters kept offering face Hogan. Fans asked for heel Hogan but there wasn't any. Suddenly Hogan turns heel. Imagine that, fans came back in DROVES and bought it.
I could be wrong, but didn't I read somewhere that Lesnar's segments were usually some of the highest rated ones on Raw ( I think second only to Austin's)? If that is the case, it would seem the fans are getting what they want by him being pushed. I know he's one of the few reasons I watch Raw these days...
I attended a house show a few weeks ago, and Brock Lesnar actually got one of the bigger reactions. A few people tried a "Goldberg" chant, but that was quickly quelled, and instead about half the arena started chanting "Les-nar" at him to the tune of the Goldberg chants. He did a great job of playing to it too, looking around at the crowd as if we were insane to dare to chant at him. It may not translate as well on TV (or he may be one of those guys who only gets a good reaction in Canada, I don't know), but I'd say that people do care about Brock.
I tihnk one thing that we've learnt is that cheers don't necessarily make a big draw. Lesnar may not get huge reactions, but he seems to be building a fanbase and garnering attention, and that's a whole lot more important. I spoke to at least five people in my area at Insurrextion that were looking forward to seeing Lesnar the most out of the whole card. And believe me, the place came unglued when he came out.So actually, he seems to be working on every level.
Yeah, Hogan gets crazy long cheers, but he isn't pulling in the ratings (beyond the initial pop.)
That being said, I think Lesnar could do it, given the chance. And no, that doesn't mean give him the top belt right away. But he's got something of a character, he works and he sells. If he can talk, that's everything he needs for the top of the card.
Oh, and when I read this thread, I did get this perverse excitement that they were going to give Lesnar Glacier's old gimmick, because that would RULE.
(edited by Scorpio on 15.6.02 0737)
PMMJ
"Nothing remains interesting where anything may happen." -H.G. Wells
Glacier had his own goofy appeal, I think. I never minded him. He wasn't that bad in the ring. Hell, I wish his last appearances as Norman Smiley's buddy had been extended, they always made me laugh.
"All I ever asked for in life is an unfair advantage." Microchip, Punisher Annual #2
I can't tell how over Lesnar is.. it's hard to judge from the fans reaction. He must be a horrible talker, though. But at least he looks like a real-life action figure that's being controlled by the head of Crash Holly.
"My brother saw the Undertaker walking through an airport." - Rex
A friend of mine had a tape from OVW I think where Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin were tag team partners. Lesnar did cut a promo and he sounded really poor. Envision a really Southern accent and a monotone delivery and you have what Lesnar sounded like on that tape to me. However, if Benoit can start cutting promos, anybody can.
Originally posted by kokolums2 The fans popped madly for the nWo's first appearance. They were pumped to see them beatdown people. Whether or not anyone here wanted to see it, the fans had voted for more nWo beatdowns.
The fans didn't get what they ordered. They got the nWo beatdown and split apart.
The fans popped for seeing some 'legends'. They got what they wanted. Hogan and the nWo split up. Alas the nWo didnt pan out, due to injuries, due to bad booking.
The fans started to vote for a heel Rock at WM. It was an interesting idea. But the boos for Rock were clear. They said they wanted a heel Rock.
The fans didn't get what they ordered. They got an impromptu McMahon-Rock feud on draft day to try to salvage Rock's face heat and then Rock left.
Rock got booed because he was going against Hogan. Not because people wanted him to turn heel right there. Rock merely played along with it, helping getting Hogan over even more. Other than the IWC going 'hehe..rocky played the heel' I doubt if anyone expected him to turn heel..
I was in a bar for the last PPV. After Austin's match, the fans got up and left. They had voted that they want to cheer Austin. Probably at the top of the card.
The fans didn't get what they ordered. They got pointless feuds for Austin and now NO Austin.
No comment. You might be right. Time will tell..
The fans did not order Lesnar from the menu. They sit on their hands for Glasnar.
The fans didn't get what they ordered. Lesnar appears to be moving up the card with his key intervention at RAW.
In order to order Lesnar they will need to let fans know he is out there. Promote him as the dish of the day. 'the chef recommends the Lesnar today. Freshly caught!' Nothing wrong with that. This is the only way you can introduce something new to the market.
Compare with Hogan's career. Fans stopped ordering helpings of face Hogan. Promoters kept offering face Hogan. Fans asked for heel Hogan but there wasn't any. Suddenly Hogan turns heel. Imagine that, fans came back in DROVES and bought it.
And what is your point in this? They should bring back Austin just like that? Have him do his thing all the time?
(edited by kokolums2 on 14.6.02 1930)
"...And I use that to fuck them some place fairly uncomfortable." "What, like the back of a volkswagen ?" -Mallrats
Thread ahead: The sad part about 90% of the WWE champion posts... Next thread: A few points about the Austin situation Previous thread: Billy Kidman, put your clothes back on.
I like Nitro and thought that the Morrison gimick had potential. But it was too obscure and out of date. I really think that Nitro could use a Diesel type of muscle to back him up. He is a good wrestler but he is too skinny.