Post by Cronant on Jul 13, 2012 13:40:37 GMT -5
About RAW 1000. Some good parts.
www.wwe.com/inside/raw1000/mr-mcmahon-interview
www.wwe.com/inside/raw1000/mr-mcmahon-interview
Speaking of Nitro, what was the best part of having prime time competition?
Generally speaking, good competition is great for a product. It keeps you on your toes, and forces you to adapt.
And Raw actually ran the competition out of business. Is that the show’s biggest accomplishment?
I don’t think we drove WCW out of business. That was certainly never our intent. That was the mindset of Ted Turner and WCW, but not WWE. See, if you spend all of your energy trying to kill the other guy, your product suffers. If you don’t kill the other guy, then he’s going to come back at you, and when he comes back, you won’t have done anything to make your house better. It’s no different than being in a fight and knowing that, if the other guy keeps on hitting you, that son of a bitch is going to wear himself out pretty fast.
Generally speaking, good competition is great for a product. It keeps you on your toes, and forces you to adapt.
And Raw actually ran the competition out of business. Is that the show’s biggest accomplishment?
I don’t think we drove WCW out of business. That was certainly never our intent. That was the mindset of Ted Turner and WCW, but not WWE. See, if you spend all of your energy trying to kill the other guy, your product suffers. If you don’t kill the other guy, then he’s going to come back at you, and when he comes back, you won’t have done anything to make your house better. It’s no different than being in a fight and knowing that, if the other guy keeps on hitting you, that son of a bitch is going to wear himself out pretty fast.
Any recent train wrecks come to mind?
To be honest, I’ve never been completely satisfied with a show. And I don’t think I ever will be. I’m always of the mindset that “well, maybe I could’ve done this differently,” or, “maybe we could have added more of this, and taken away more of this.” And that’s purely based on the reaction of the live audience. But, the success of a show is an overall thing. It’s not just based on ratings. There are so many different ways to judge whether or not a series of shows is successful.
To be honest, I’ve never been completely satisfied with a show. And I don’t think I ever will be. I’m always of the mindset that “well, maybe I could’ve done this differently,” or, “maybe we could have added more of this, and taken away more of this.” And that’s purely based on the reaction of the live audience. But, the success of a show is an overall thing. It’s not just based on ratings. There are so many different ways to judge whether or not a series of shows is successful.
How do you toe the line between appeasing fans that grew up watching the “Attitude Era” WWE, and trying to wrangle in new ones?
It’s a delicate balance. Prior to Raw, back in the territorial system, my father was on to something. He believed the future of the business was in “entertainment” more than the rest of the promoters. Raw stays true to that concept, because Raw is a variety show. You name it, and Raw has it. Action, drama, athleticism…Raw really does have it all.
It’s a delicate balance. Prior to Raw, back in the territorial system, my father was on to something. He believed the future of the business was in “entertainment” more than the rest of the promoters. Raw stays true to that concept, because Raw is a variety show. You name it, and Raw has it. Action, drama, athleticism…Raw really does have it all.
