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Post by arthuradams2002 on Dec 24, 2010 0:03:55 GMT -5
We love to sit here and analyse and critique the program. We sit here day after day to discuss the details like character depth and storyline development. The inconvenient truth is that all the intricate details that we consider important to a good wrestling angle isn't not relevant to the WWEs target audience. I don't know if you guys have been to any live events recently, but I would say about 80% or more of the crowd is comprised of parents with their young children.
The turning point was when Cena, as JR said it, was the most controversial champion in WWE history. If you remember back in 2003, Cena was a real badass antihero, in the same way Stone Cold was. Though I wasn't a big fan of rap, I enjoyed how Cena would tell off his opponents with rap, then hold up the mic for the crowd to finish the curse word in the rap. He wasn't afraid to get in his opponents face and tell them off.
Then, WWE toned Cena down for the kids. He got booed at first, and the WWE had a chance to do a "Rocky Sucks" like heel turn with him that could have skyrocketed his character. Instead, Cena remained a babyface and Vince systematically forced the smarts away from the product. I think Vince's goal was to get rid of all the smarts to where he had a completely fresh, young audience who has no idea what character development is.
So, does a critical analysis of the character development really matter nowdays considering the product is marketed towards elementary school age children ? We can sit here and decipher if Wade Barrett is getting enough heat at this stage in his career, but the reality is WWE can give the kids juvenile stuff like Hornswoggle's Court under the ring and the kids will buy it up like candy.
And I really don't think elementary school children are "smart" to the wrestling business. Grant it, most of us didn't have the internet when we were in elementary school. We couldn't look up what was going on behind the scenes. I just don't think the majority of young viewers nowdays don't really care what goes on outside of the wrestler's in-ring persona.
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BigJerichool222
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
THE BIG DOG!
#NotInMySalad
Posts: 17,424
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Post by BigJerichool222 on Dec 24, 2010 0:07:33 GMT -5
While in line for an ECW/Raw taping, I overheard these kids talking about how Kane was nice "in real life," so maybe they're smarter than we give them credit for.
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Post by arthuradams2002 on Dec 24, 2010 0:15:49 GMT -5
I just don't think Vince want us there anymore.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2010 0:17:15 GMT -5
maybe the program isn't for you anymore but i'm loving it
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percymania
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Percymania will live forever! Oh yeah!
Posts: 17,296
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Post by percymania on Dec 24, 2010 0:20:06 GMT -5
Oh look, it's the weekly rant about how WWE is for kids.
Target children while throwing an occasional bone to the older audience to keep them interested. This is how wrestling has always been. Not much has changed over the years... you have.
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Dec 24, 2010 0:22:39 GMT -5
For me I'm in one of the periods where my interest is really waning, so when that happens I do what I always do, bail on shows that I'm either finding kinda dull or actively disliking, and tuning in later when I feel like it.
It works well to 'recharge' my interest.
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SEAN CARLESS
Hank Scorpio
More of a B+ player, actually
I'm Necessary Evil.
Posts: 5,770
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Post by SEAN CARLESS on Dec 24, 2010 0:23:06 GMT -5
The irony is, their actual audience is far older than the one they're targeting. The average RAW age median is 38, apparently.
And I already think they're creating a happier medium since Linda's failure. And as well they should. Take away International expansion, domestically, buy rates and house show attendance is terrible. Survivor Series just scored its lowest domestic buyrate IN HISTORY, despite a Cena retirement stip. That's kind of unsettling.
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Post by deadstock on Dec 24, 2010 0:23:47 GMT -5
Its the same game it has always been , the game don't change the players do.
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Post by Zaq "That Guy" Buzzkill on Dec 24, 2010 0:26:52 GMT -5
Its the same game it has always been , the game don't change the players do. I thought the game buried the players?
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Post by MichaelMartini on Dec 24, 2010 0:35:06 GMT -5
I'm amazed that people can see the difference in the product. It's similiar to the new generation era, but even then, with their cartoon characters, they still treated the product with some degree of seriousness. Logic was followed and matches and feuds were given dramatic weight.
Every commercial is for some merchandise aimed at kids, every shot of the crowd is to show some kid. It's been totally aimed at kids and solely at kids since they made Cena the main guy.
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Post by forgottensinpwf on Dec 24, 2010 0:36:55 GMT -5
maybe the program isn't for you anymore but i'm loving it Same here. Sure some things are insufferable, but the PG era is finally turning the corner.
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Post by Beets by Schrute on Dec 24, 2010 0:41:30 GMT -5
Why is it aimed at kids? It's wrestling (aka fighting).
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percymania
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Percymania will live forever! Oh yeah!
Posts: 17,296
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Post by percymania on Dec 24, 2010 0:43:18 GMT -5
maybe the program isn't for you anymore but i'm loving it Same here. Sure some things are insufferable, but the PG era is finally turning the corner. Same here. I'm almost 30 years old, and I just came back to watching WWE full-time again this year despite the fact that it's "for kids." I dunno how you can explain that other than the product is much better than what it has been in recent years.
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percymania
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Percymania will live forever! Oh yeah!
Posts: 17,296
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Post by percymania on Dec 24, 2010 0:44:35 GMT -5
hmmm... or maybe I like it because it makes me feel like a kid again. That's possible, I guess...
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Post by Hanz Moleman on Dec 24, 2010 0:46:20 GMT -5
The product hasn't really changed. Sure there isn't blood and tits on my screen right now but thats not the end of the world. You don't have the star power you once had. Rock and Stone Cold were better than Cena and HHH could ever hope to be. Also, the popularity of the attitude era was an anomaly. It was the right time, in the right country, with the right people, with the right amount of edginess.
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Post by arthuradams2002 on Dec 24, 2010 0:50:12 GMT -5
I guess the hardest part is because I am in my mid 20s and most of the people I know who grew up watching wrestling have grown out of it by this point.
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Post by Raja Lion on Dec 24, 2010 1:01:32 GMT -5
Why is it aimed at kids? It's wrestling (aka fighting). True, but the over-the-top characters and situations appeal to kids the way comic books do. Wrestling typically has a very clear delineation between good/evil. Throw in the pyrotechnics (not speaking about pyro, meaning all the extras) and its a very appealing dish for children. The product is very watered down to almost stupefying levels, but I don't think that has anything to do with PG. The downfall occurred when WWE in particular moved from writers who were WRESTLING writers first and foremost to entertainment/sitcom writers. There is no character development because the writing doesn't allow for it. Its structured in a way that the character is in place even before they debut. Thats why there are so few new stars being created (true stars, not fly-by nighters who get a push here and there). The best ever were always able to interject their own spin on their characters and that doesnt happen anymore. Cena in particular has a tried and true formula in regards to pro wrestling character. It worked for Bruno, it worked for Hogan, and its working for Cena. The Attitude era shook this notion up. What made Attitude succesful was its unpredictability. You didnt know if Stone Cold was going to beer bathe Vince on any given night etc. Its also very easy for guys to get stale especially if they've been in the E their entire careers. The best thing about territories and Attitude was there were multiple places to get REAL exposure, to hone your craft and find something that worked for you before getting to the "big time" where guys have to learn on the fly these days. These days guys are thrown to the wolves far too soon and they get discarded when something doesn't work immediately. Sure, theres places like TNA, but they don't try to set themselves apart from WWE, which IMO is their biggest problem, so its just a giant circle jerk. TNA is nothing more than a cheaper and less glossy version of WWE with more "Attitude" elements like the sexual innuendo. Sexual innuendo is great, but it needs to be presented the right way and not done just to make it seem that they're different. WWE is definitely more kid-friendly now than they've been since Attitude, but theres ways to create compelling wrestling that appeals to all ages. The problem is that the writers write a specific way and there's barely any wiggle room for the performer to grow.
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percymania
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Percymania will live forever! Oh yeah!
Posts: 17,296
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Post by percymania on Dec 24, 2010 1:04:39 GMT -5
The popularity arc kind of goes like this in my eyes - Wrestling boomed in the 80's. Kids love it then with characters like Hogan, Savage, Warrior, Roberts, etc...
As kids got older, it became "uncool" to watch wrestling - popularity in the early 90's started to wane. Things like the steroids trial helped contribute to this.
WWE brought those fans back with the attitude ara. Those kids in the 80's are now young adults who desired the more mature content.
Popularity wanes again in the early 00's as once again it become "uncool" to continue watching wrestling. Things like frequent deaths helped contribute to this.
Here were are in the late 00's/early 10's (that sounds weird btw) and those who were children in the 80's now have children of their own who can get into the product. They WWE does enough to keep us adults entertained with constant nods to their history (Old School Raw, Bret Hart, etc.) as they try to build a new generation of fans who will spend money of their product for years to come. The Hogans/Savages/Warriors of my day are the Cenas/Ortons/Mizs of today.
Using this cycle of events, I would predict WWE continues booming (they still manage to sell out arenas every week despite a down economy afterall - and the kids aren't the ones buying the tickets) before we get a bump in the road followed by a return to more mature content in another 10 years or so.
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Post by spartan on Dec 24, 2010 1:06:46 GMT -5
maybe the program isn't for you anymore but i'm loving it Yeah WWE PG is better. I prefer good wrestling programs with women wrestlers who wrestle and guys like CM Punk and DBD being featured stars. It's treated like a sport now more than the 20 years. This like it or not is a hell of a lot better than guys with animals, wrestling pimps, naked old ladies, porn stars, and repo men.
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Post by Raja Lion on Dec 24, 2010 1:17:25 GMT -5
maybe the program isn't for you anymore but i'm loving it Yeah WWE PG is better. I prefer good wrestling programs with women wrestlers who wrestle and guys like CM Punk and DBD being featured stars. It's treated like a sport now more than the 20 years. This like it or not is a hell of a lot better than guys with animals, wrestling pimps, naked old ladies, porn stars, and repo men. Theres a still a problem because there is no depth to anyone anymore. Its not compelling anymore. You can be kid friendly/PG and be compelling. This is the fault of the writer. Say what you will about Attitude, but it was almost always compelling/interesting even if it was stupid. Now its just stupid aside from very few times (Nexus debut springs to mind) that the writers end up ruining anyway.
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