PG = Lower PPV buys?

[PsychoGoatee]

Feb 5, 2009 15:02:05 GMT -5 Cypress said:

Not to mention tame storylines and cheesy face characters with zero edge, toned down heels.

I honestly don't think any of that has changed since before the rating change. Compare now to, say, 2006.

We have Randy Orton, a violent psycho heel who is brutalizing people all the time. The cheesy face characters, well, we have Cena like we did back in 2006, and guys like Kofi sure.

We have not cheesy faces like CM Punk and HBK of course.

But man, the heels definitely have not been toned down. We have Orton at his height, a very angry Jericho, JBL ,and Edge.

[Lucha Lee Tour 2009 [SOLD OUT]]

PPV's haven't got the edge they used to, I wouldn't buy any except the rumble and mania.

[heyguesswhatidid]

Feb 5, 2009 15:28:08 GMT -5 Lucha Lee Tour 2009 [SOLD OUT] said:

PPV's haven't got the edge they used to, I wouldn't buy any except the rumble and mania.

No Mercy 2008 was a great show, I'm watching it right now on 24/7. And I believe the PG era had already started in Oct.

[Big Daddy Bad Booking]

Feb 5, 2009 15:31:30 GMT -5 heyguesswhatidid said:

Feb 5, 2009 15:28:08 GMT -5 Lucha Lee Tour 2009 [SOLD OUT] said:

PPV's haven't got the edge they used to, I wouldn't buy any except the rumble and mania.

No Mercy 2008 was a great show, I'm watching it right now on 24/7. And I believe the PG era had already started in Oct.

I thought NM, outside the two titles matches, was just meh, but its not because of any rating.

Kids, remember in 1997 when WWE had most likely its best product ever, and what was the rating? You're damn right, PG.

[C2THAJ is a pretty princess]

i think the buy rates would be higher if they went to NC-17

[heyguesswhatidid]

Feb 5, 2009 15:40:25 GMT -5 Big Daddy Bad Booking said:

Feb 5, 2009 15:31:30 GMT -5 heyguesswhatidid said:

No Mercy 2008 was a great show, I'm watching it right now on 24/7. And I believe the PG era had already started in Oct.

I thought NM, outside the two titles matches, was just meh, but its not because of any rating.

Kids, remember in 1997 when WWE had most likely its best product ever, and what was the rating? You're damn right, PG.

Really? I thought everything clicked that night, the 2 title matches were both ****+ IMO and I liked Taker/Show and Kane/Rey more than I thought I would and I thought everything else was above average.

[domrep]

It's still $40 and buys have been down before the PG initiative. They can't get any lower unless they start driving fans away.

[YellowJacketY2J]

Feb 5, 2009 21:05:10 GMT -5 heyguesswhatidid said:

Feb 5, 2009 15:40:25 GMT -5 Big Daddy Bad Booking said:

I thought NM, outside the two titles matches, was just meh, but its not because of any rating.

Kids, remember in 1997 when WWE had most likely its best product ever, and what was the rating? You're damn right, PG.

Really? I thought everything clicked that night, the 2 title matches were both ****+ IMO and I liked Taker/Show and Kane/Rey more than I thought I would and I thought everything else was above average.

My thoughts on the ppv exactly. I watched it yesterday, and found nothing really bad. Sure, some of it wasn't good (Batista vs JBL), but none of it was unwatchable. The HBK/Y2J ladder match was good, and Hardy/HHH stole the show IMO. Kane/Rey was fun, and Show/Taker had its moments. Even Hardy/Henry was tolerable (one of their better matches). I'd put it in my top five ppvs of 2008.

[johnconnor316]

I really don't see the rating as a deciding factor in buying a PPV, it's too silly.

"Hmmmm, that Backlash PPV is looking nice, great matches and such, but whats this? It's PG? No deal, not buying".

[Agent P]

Feb 5, 2009 16:12:32 GMT -5 C2THAJ is a pretty princess said:

i think the buy rates would be higher if they went to NC-17

I am sure you were being sarcastic, but NC-17 is a movie rating. The highest a tv show can go is TV-M.

[héad.casé]

Personally, i'm liking the change.

I have a 4 year old niece, and nephews that are 1 and 2 years old. They see me watching wrestling sometimes, and even when i've been watching TNA my niece won't go to bed until the show is over. I want them to have a glimpse of what I like, and to see if they like it themselves. If they choose to become wrestling fans, I would much rather them watch a family friendly product that the WWE is gearing towards.

Hell if they do become wrestling fans, i'd like to take them to shows themselves. I know every time i've been at a show and there's been kids with their parents around me i've always watched my language, and it's never stopped me from having a good time.

[theshowstoppa]

it's not the PG thing.

It's the terrible build ups, weak stories, same recycled "main events" and boring undercards.

At least, to me.

[bretclark]

There was the WWF during the early 90's and they had all sorts of gimmicky characters from Trashmen to Clowns to Repo Man, and the WWF was still able to sell PPV's.

- bretclark

[King Fox -1017 Bricksquad]

Feb 5, 2009 11:41:04 GMT -5 Loki said:

I still think most of that PG thing is in the minds of some fans...

Just because we don't have Austin flipping the bird and Divas flashing their boobs or mooning, it doesn't mean WWE have suddenly turned inot Pope TV...

I think it has. When's the last time on WWE TV someone flat out said "I wanna kick your ass"! It's been a while hasn't it. Not that cursing makes the product better, But it sounds more convincing than "I'm gonna knock your brains out".

[Red 'n' Black Reggie]

Feb 6, 2009 4:16:56 GMT -5 King Fox -1017 Bricksquad said:

Feb 5, 2009 11:41:04 GMT -5 Loki said:

I still think most of that PG thing is in the minds of some fans...

Just because we don't have Austin flipping the bird and Divas flashing their boobs or mooning, it doesn't mean WWE have suddenly turned inot Pope TV...

I think it has. When's the last time on WWE TV someone flat out said "I wanna kick your ass"! It's been a while hasn't it. Not that cursing makes the product better, But it sounds more convincing than "I'm gonna knock your brains out".

"i'm gonna knock your brains out" has, as far as i can remember, been said once in the history of WWE, and the guy who said it has been ripped to shreds by everyone from teddy long to alex shelley ever since. i can't remember jake roberts ever cursing on TV, but i do remember him being the most terrifying guy on earth. hulk hogan never threatened to kick anyone's ass, but you knew he was gonna do it. likewise, randy orton manages to be "edgy" without swearing, or spilling a drop of blood. i've never been pro-language censorship, but in terms of the WWE product, it makes absolutely no iota of difference.

wrestling doesn't need blood in every match, naked women every five minutes, etc to be done well. ever since the PG rating came in, the WWE has been the best it's been in years, because they've finally decided that this isn't the attitude era anymore, and we need to move on with the direction of the product.

[baerrtt]

Feb 6, 2009 12:33:34 GMT -5 Red 'n' Black Reggie said:

Feb 6, 2009 4:16:56 GMT -5 King Fox -1017 Bricksquad said:

I think it has. When's the last time on WWE TV someone flat out said "I wanna kick your ass"! It's been a while hasn't it. Not that cursing makes the product better, But it sounds more convincing than "I'm gonna knock your brains out".

"i'm gonna knock your brains out" has, as far as i can remember, been said once in the history of WWE, and the guy who said it has been ripped to shreds by everyone from teddy long to alex shelley ever since. i can't remember jake roberts ever cursing on TV, but i do remember him being the most terrifying guy on earth. hulk hogan never threatened to kick anyone's ass, but you knew he was gonna do it. likewise, randy orton manages to be "edgy" without swearing, or spilling a drop of blood. i've never been pro-language censorship, but in terms of the WWE product, it makes absolutely no iota of difference.

wrestling doesn't need blood in every match, naked women every five minutes, etc to be done well. ever since the PG rating came in, the WWE has been the best it's been in years, because they've finally decided that this isn't the attitude era anymore, and we need to move on with the direction of the product.

Very true. And the thing is there probably were many smarts saying the exact same things about the WWF back in the 1980s during the 'boom' period.

Barely any blood in matches all of a sudden, a champion who (contrast to Ric Flair) seemed marketed to only appeal to kiddies etc. And yet we all have good memories of that period(and like now the fact that there was stuff which wasn't exactly suitable for children) where if there was an internet back then you'd see countless threads on how Gorrilla Monsoon 'sucked' as a commentator, Hogan's limited abilities and so on and so forth.

[Fade]

I was watching the Legends of Wrestling Round-Table discussion about the Monday Night Wars and at one point, they bring up why WWE started losing against WCW and I think it was Hayes who commented because WWE was "PG. With Colorful Characters. That questioned intelligence" And everyone seemed to unanimously agree that the lack of success was due to the PG nature the product had at that time.

And I'm sitting there like...*Sigh*...

[Loki]

WWF being PG in the early 90s was a problem because WCW were pushing the envelope and the audience of once-kids now teenagers-young adults was sick and tired of the cartoonish style.

Now that EVERYTHING raunchy, controversial and borderline offensive has been done, several times, what's the point in keeping the same old trite formula we've been fed for a dozen years already?

Unless they go for legit violence, CZW level of insane spots and softporn T&A stuff, there is NOTHING they can't do in the non-PG realm that hasn't been done, and better, during the Attitude Era,

What about fans have been going away because they felt they were watching a lousy spin-off of the Good Old Feuds, just with least interesting characters?

The 90s are over. Even the 00s are almost over, and yet we haven't find a "defining style" for that decade. And it being a "Attitude Era Redux" doesn't help to establish it...

So, having accepted the fact the Attitude Era is physiologically and "socially" over, what's wrong in toning down the aspects that don't fit anymore?

As said, Jake Roberts never used a swear word in his promos, nor did Hogan. It wouldn't made sense for their character, just like it doesn't make sense now for many guys.

I don't know... is it THAT difficult accepting one phase is over and keeping it "alive" just because you still think it was the best ever, despite clearly not being suited for the current trend/product/characters, won't help matters one bit?

[Mac]

I'll be honest I havent noticed a difference one way or another. Im sure theres some subtle changes but most have occured over such a long stretch they seem to flow together fine.