No joke, what I'd do to "fix" WWE

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

This is just all of the stuff I'd like to see on TV. I'd...

- Talk to USA or whatever advertisers or suits necessary to make Raw a two-hour show again, so as to prevent fan burnout during the show

- Encourage more communication and collaborating between the main roster and NXT teams

- Promote John Cena to a face GM position over Raw and Smackdown, cutting his TV time to either bi-weekly or once a month. Mainly wrestles on house shows/PPVs, and maybe once every four months. Wears a suit jacket over his usual gear

- Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan, Sasha Banks, Tyler Breeze, Kofi Kingston, Luke Harper, Bayley and Dolph Ziggler are all likely to get superpushes

- Turn Ambrose, Roman Reigns heel

- Team Heath Slater with Jimmy Hart, and let them go on a Honky style midcard heel run

- Up the soap opera element, making the feuds about something other than "I hate you" and "me want title match"

- Write less meta stories. No more "brass ring" bullshit, no more hinting at stars not being properly pushed. The shows would feel more like 1980's WWF in tone

- More jobbers for the main eventers and upper midcarders to squash

- More interviews backstage, or at least I'd put the "heels discuss their plans" segments within that context

- Style the Divas division more like the NXT Women's, make it less "foxy boxing"

- Ignore CM Punk altogether

- Replace Bill DeMott with a nicer trainer

- Replace Lawler behind the booth with Dusty Rhodes

- Have a sitdown with Kevin Dunn for a man-to-man talk about how he feels about my ideas. If he's cool with them I'm cool with him, if not then I'll think about firing him

So did I kill the company?

[Push R Truth]

[Zombie Mod is not a ghoul.]

more non-sensical face/heel turns.
invading heel faction trying to take over the company repeated for several years.
hire russo!
empty arena matches during ppv's, half way through the ppv and not let half the fans back in unless they pay again.
hire editers who don't give a crap about the job and just slap the show together.



oh crap I've started channeling Dixie carter

[sportatorium]

The only place I differ strongly is to leave three hours alone, but make the first hour a pre-game of sorts highlighting a match of the week or a wrestler Fromm NXT. Do some sit down interview segments with people who don't normally get promo time etc. Just make the actual wrestling show 2 hours.

[Jimichiro Likes Erick Rowan]

I'm on board. Ideally I'd keep Ambrose face but I could compromise.

Why turn Dean, though?

[Dub H]

few good things,i few bad things.

Don't bring Dusty,the commentator booth needs something fresh i think,just like the roster needs to be fresh,so needs the commenting booth.

[HMARK Center]

I do like the idea of bringing back the 80s vibe.

No matter how insane guys like Hogan, Savage, or Warrior were, no matter how goofy angles got, everything was presented as legitimate. Yes, there was humor, but at the end of the day they were selling you on the product by saying "You should care about this! Buy the show or a ticket!"

Plus, the 80s was one of the last times the show felt a bit "timeless"; watch any WWF from about 1993-1999, and it feels like the 90s, like they were trying too hard first to use neon colors and strange early CGI graphics (New Generation era), then going the other way with Crash TV era stuff (1997-1999). Same kind of rings true now, it just doesn't feel timeless - have wrestlers being interviewed by legitimate looking interviewers (Renee seems like a good start on that), present all big cards as being important, and no matter how insane or over the top the characters or storylines get, sell it like it's 100% legitimate.

[thegame415]

My biggest problem is that stuff happens for no or lame reasons. Ambrose wants an IC title match so he can have his picture on a wall. What?!? Why doesn't he say he wants it because it was held by the likes of Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, The Rock and Randy Orton…he needs that title to get to the WWE title.

The characters need more depth. Why did New Day suddenly start doing this?

Character motivations are boring. Fans want to like guys like Luke Harper and Cesaro, but there's nothing interesting. Luke Harper makes funny faces. Wow.

[Ishmeal Loves Kaseyhausen]

I'm in, simply for Cena wearing a suit jacket over his wrestling gear.

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

Can we still talk about black helicopters and twerkin', Maggle?

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Mar 5, 2015 15:40:32 GMT -5 Jimichiro Likes Erick Rowan said:

I'm on board. Ideally I'd keep Ambrose face but I could compromise.

Why turn Dean, though?

I like the idea of Dean as a Jake Roberts style bastard, as opposed to the faux Austin thing he kinda is now.

[freeze Austin]

Can't disagree with most of that and it would fix a lot of the problems that I myself and many others have with the current state of the product.

I really think a lot of the current criticism would at least be diluted somewhat if it felt like the hardcore fan favorites were better protected in the booking (instead of just having their popularity used to put over the guys they have big plans for and the "real" stars), were promoted like they're a big deal regardless of their spot on the card, and actually had a strongly featured, quality story instead of being treated like an unimportant afterthought that WWE is being forced to put something together for at the last minute while rolling their eyes in an attempt to appease a vocal portion of the audience. Basically putting an end to the "reality era" and "These guys aren't featured stars or promoted as draws, but only because the heels running the show want it that way and they'll rarely get any meaningful comeuppance for it! Haha, brilliant!" work the internet, insider BS like you mentioned.

I would also add to your list of suggestions that if they're going to do comedy, at least make it smarter or not completely groan worthy. I have never had a problem with comedy and fun in wrestling when it was done correctly with guys like Angle, Rock, Foley, Austin, E&C, Jericho, Eddie, early Cena, Team Hell No, etc. Of course those were all guys talented enough to take even the worst material and make it awesome, but still. A lot of the guest host comedy, barf/gross out comedy, and Adam Rose getting humped by a bunny just doesn't cut it. I think a guy like Ryback could become a really fun, oblivious mid/upper mid-card character the way Angle was for a while.

Give more guys a well thought out and distinct personality (funny or serious) like they're doing with Miz, Mizdow and Axel so that it might translate to people actually caring about what they do in the ring, sort of like your idea for Slater. Taking some time away from the never-ending opening promo and giving a little bit of mic time to some of the lower card guys on a regular basis couldn't hurt. I'll never understand why they have guys signed and on the main roster, yet not only do they not have a clear vision for them and do everything they can to help them maximize their minutes, but at times it seems like they're intentionally going out of their way to sabotage them due to some petty or inexplicable reason (see: Ascension, The).

[Nickybojelais]

Take out the part about having Dusty Rhodes on commentary and I'm with you.

[dreamer75]

Mar 5, 2015 17:39:42 GMT -5 Nickybojelais said:

Take out the part about having Dusty Rhodes on commentary and I'm with you.

Unless he is drunk or on ecstasy or whatever he was on when he did this fine commentating... www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrrOepdhnH0

[Sir Woodrow]

Can you fire JBL?

Like, out of a Cannon?

[froggyfrog]

Cena as GM?

:bigsean:

[revolver86]

•Change the look of the show. Strip down the set, make it smaller and less guady. Saves on money and you can sell more tickets. Less focus on the hardcamera and having performers playing to it. Kevin Dunn's McDonald's approach to production must end.
•If you're gonna put someone on TV, make us give a shit. 3 hours of ten minute matches that have no stakes is a bore. Every minute of the show should be advancing the narrative.
•End the shilling and over self promotion. WWE used to be a lot more subtle about this stuff. They now consistently break the "show don't tell" rule to the point where you can't really get behind anything.

[OldDirtyBernie]

Two things I'd do at some point -

Set up some type of talent exchange/agreement with NJPW. Secure the rights for DVD releases and whatnot, then send some people over for international matches, bring in some of their people, and possibly do an extended run or so.

I'd also funnel some money to ROH in an unofficial manner and use them as a minor farm system. Allow talent to have some matches there or, if one of their guys is hot, bring him up to WWE. I love NXT but it would expand the farm system a bit and could be beneficial for both companies.

[BigWill]

Well I like about half of those ideas, which at least is a higher percentage than that of the current WWE product.

[Starshine]

I like most of those ideas. The one that might bring it down to me is the soap opera storylines part. If it's anything like what we got in the build to Mania 25, I have no time for that crap.

One other thing I'd like changed. Can they please stop doing the fade to the titantron during the backstage promo part?