How seeing WWE Live kills your suspense of disbelief

[SirLucas]

What are some things you witnessed by attending a WWE TV taping or PPV that take you out the match?  Yes, we all know it's predetermined, but there are some subtleties that as a live viewer, can completely kill the viewing experience. I'll name a few that come to mind. Don't get me wrong, going to live WWE events are a lot of fun. The experience itself from seeing wrestling in person, especially the atmosphere, often can't compare to the same excitement one gets from watching it from home. Then again, there's times I've been to live shows and thought, "wow! this looks super phony compared to how it is presented on TV." 

1. The obvious one is when a run-in is about to occur, and the camera crew are strategically placed by the entrance to film that wrestler before he or she about make that surprise entrance. Back when Kane would make his surprise entrance, the stage crew would be laying out his ramp pyro just before he came through the curtain. 

2. Set changes while a match is occurring. I was at the SummerSlam where Taker/Brock main evented. The match before they went on was Owens/Cesaro. The stage crew was pryo testing Taker's  flames as the freaking match was going on. 

3. Street fights or brawls to the outside that appear well orchestrated rather than spontaneous.  Before the action is set to spill to the outside, you will see several arena security guards huddled around one pocket of the floor. Then when the action spills from the ring to the outside, the wrestlers will obviously gravitate to where the security has been congregating since the previous match. I've even witness head of security call over the building custodial stuff to mop up a section of the arena floor a couple of matches before the advertised street fight. And once the street fight happened, Sheamus and Barrett fought in exact spot where the cleaning took place earlier. 

4. Props using later in a show that are visible earlier in the night. Remember the dive Jeff Hard did on Orton many Raws ago? I was there to witness the crash pad being wheeled out a match or two earlier in the night. How about the match between Lashley and Strowman at Extreme Rules? That drywall sheet was on a dolly in the back of the arena throughout the night. Just before their match, it was moved into position. 

Can anybody think of any other examples you recall? 

[Deleted]

I was at the show after Mania 33 and about an hour before Emma's return they mistakenly flashed her graphics on the screen for a minute so we knew it was coming.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Nothing has taken me out

You just appreciate it from the other side. On TV you don't see the wrestlers walking out after lost or were eliminated or the production people setting up a big entrance. It adds a fun layer to the show imo

[Cyno]

I've been to a house show and a Raw taping and nothing really took me out of either. I'd say the most "weird" thing was someone coming to the ring before a commercial and then they're just standing around in the ring for a few minutes. Though Seth Rollins IIRC heeled a bit on the audience during the break before it came back from commercial, so that worked out well.

[ERON]

I was at a taping where something went wrong with Undertaker's entrance, so they had him stop halfway down the aisle, go back, and do it over again. My brother's suspension of belief was so shattered, he quit watching wrestling altogether after witnessing that.

[Tenshigure]

May 12, 2020 18:07:57 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

Nothing has taken me out

You just appreciate it from the other side. On TV you don't see the wrestlers walking out after lost or were eliminated or the production people setting up a big entrance. It adds a fun layer to the show imo

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I'd pay a premium to be able to get a behind-the-scenes feed of the production crew/commentary just to see how they're running their ship during the tumultuous live shows. Even having a 'gorilla cam' would be cool enough just to see how the backstage officials are prepping/reacting to things in-ring (even if it may seem dull most times).

[Bang Bang Bart]

I saw an episode of Smackdown that ended with Rusev kicking Randy Orton, then the ring crew began to set up for 205 Live, so that meant they had to walk around Orton being checked up on.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

May 12, 2020 18:22:25 GMT -5 Tenshigure said:

May 12, 2020 18:07:57 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

Nothing has taken me out

You just appreciate it from the other side. On TV you don't see the wrestlers walking out after lost or were eliminated or the production people setting up a big entrance. It adds a fun layer to the show imo

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I'd pay a premium to be able to get a behind-the-scenes feed of the production crew/commentary just to see how they're running their ship during the tumultuous live shows. Even having a 'gorilla cam' would be cool enough just to see how the backstage officials are prepping/reacting to things in-ring (even if it may seem dull most times).

Yea,, I got a little glimpse of that at Elimination Chamber this year. I was right behind where they do production next to the announcers desk so when Corey, Cole, King, Saxton etc come off air they are sitting right next to me and right in front of me was Phillips on the headset looking at everything from camera level 

The Undertaker documentary has a lot of good backstage footage. Considering the cameras are always on I would love for them to release just crazy shit people get into backstage like how they do with Manias and all that and show everyone just preparing for their matches and communicating with legends and all that

[Main Eventer]

A Raw I went to had Andrade beating up a jobber. During the beat down we saw the production team setting up the pyro for Ricochet's run in. Me and my friend starting joking that Ricochet is a huge diva backstage and refused to help the jobber until he got his pyro.

[Deleted]

Seeing MITB in person made me realize how much playing dead outside of the ring they do.

[fw91]

I was a the RAW after Summerslam in 2018 when Roman fought Balor in the main event and Braun lurked on the outside with MITB. A crew was inspecting the announce table before the match so I was expecting a table spot. Sure enough, Shield Reunion.

[Chiral]

I went to the house show the night before TLC and TLC the night after (best wrestling weekend live it was incredible) but it was a bit immersion breaking that a few of the matches were the exact same both nights.

[SirLucas]

May 12, 2020 18:50:50 GMT -5 @blahblahblah said:

Seeing MITB in person made me realize how much playing dead outside of the ring they do.

Oh yeah, and then the ref will walk over to someone playing dead and whisper in their ear, which is their cue to pop up and get in the ring. 

[Alice Syndrome]

Not my live experience personally, but there was a video on Reddit of Aries and Neville's entrances for a Cruiserweight Championship match compared to camera phone footage, and Aries doesn't actually enter the ring when he's implied to by the camera work, because the ring crew is still quickly putting the purple tape on the ropes.

[Shark]

May 12, 2020 17:55:06 GMT -5 kdogdeluxe said:

I think in general it makes me really appreciate how talented the production crew are in highlighting what's necessary to tell a good story and hiding the elements they don't want to make it on screen.

From the different angles you can more easily tell how the "magic" is performed - especially when it comes to slams and aerial maneuvers and the distribution of weight and momentum by the wrestlers.

Same boat. One thing that blows me away was seeing them flip the ring from Smackdown to 205 Live. From the end of Smackdown, to the start of the show, they have maybe 2-3 minutes to change the aprons and put new tape over the ropes. It's like watching a huge pit crew at a race.

[ayumidah]

We haven't had a taping here since 2007 but I did see Kane in Hornswoggle's hat once. That was pretty jarring

[Bang Bang Bart]

There’s video out there of somebody filming Bray Wyatt coming out from under the ring just before doing a Fiend attack, as well as him running up the ramp when it comes time for him to “disappear” (which you can kinda recreate in WWE 2K20 when you win as the Fiend in a daytime arena).

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

I don’t notice. When I’m watching at home, I’m a 33 year old slightly jaded smark. When I’m at a live show, I’m a 10 year old superfan.

[Dean-o]

When a wrestler is standing on the ramp, or slowly walking back from the ring, you can see the cameraman give them cues on where to stand, start taunting, and when to leave once the camera is off them.

It’s an amazing production for sure, but watching it all unfold live you quickly realize they are only performing for the cameras. You’re there to make the show look good on TV.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

It's really weird to see wrestlers make an entrance and then stand around in the dark for three minutes while they go to a commercial break. I feel like they should at least have them interact with the crowd and cut a promo or something.