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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 10:53:56 GMT -5
Like as much as people online claim one bit of bad booking or whatever is going to put the WWE under, the one actual thing that could have put them under in the last decade they managed to survive.
People claim TVPG was due to Linda's senate run, but I think it was just as much to do with dealing of the fallout of the Benoit incident and trying to improve the companys image
If my memory serves me right they took quite a big hit rating and attendance wise in 2006.
And it was also around that time we got the birth of Super Cena.
I guess SuperCena was a result of the Benoit fallout as well as he was the WWE's way of playing it safe as they rebuild and it worked for them. Hell since then the WWE's booking all around generally got less riskier.
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Post by 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger on Sept 26, 2013 11:00:15 GMT -5
I'll give them credit.
In the immediate aftermath of the Benoit tragedy I started to think that maybe Wrestling had been completely destroyed and it would never recover.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 11:31:05 GMT -5
Super Cena was already up and running by the time Benoit died. He'd held the WWE Title for 22 of the last 27 months at that point.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 11:32:00 GMT -5
Who?
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Post by Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! on Sept 26, 2013 11:45:49 GMT -5
what I like is that they handled it the right way. they knew that steroids weren't the reason for Chris' actions, it was the hard-hitting, borderline dangerous style he worked coupled with the fact that not even his closest friends (Malenko, Holly) never even seemed to notice something was wrong with him until after he did what he did. I remember watching a shoot with Paul London and Bryan Kendrick where they talked about how they were part of his workout crew and even they were weirded out by the way he acted. they just figured since he was a big star and they were just a couple midcarders happy to have the tag-team titles it wasn't worth the risk to say anything about it. after that the company really changed and cracked down on guys like Chris who would take unneccessary risks all the time and refused help when they really needed it (Kurt Angle and Umaga for example). that's what the business really needed. policing the roster's health to make sure that if they ARE using drugs, they're medically prescribed and being used properly coupled with health and wellness assessments was the right thing to do. if a bunch of guys are on roids it's not a big deal in wrestling, the important thing is to make sure they're being used responsibly and the talent are taking care of themselves. I'm not saying the wellness policy is perfect (because it isn't) but I think it's gone a long way to helping the boys stay healthy.
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Post by Zaq "That Guy" Buzzkill on Sept 26, 2013 13:27:30 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 13:31:02 GMT -5
I'll give them credit. In the immediate aftermath of the Benoit tragedy I started to think that maybe Wrestling had been completely destroyed and it would never recover. If the government had gone ahead and investigated it could very well have been done. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 14:33:47 GMT -5
I'll give them credit. In the immediate aftermath of the Benoit tragedy I started to think that maybe Wrestling had been completely destroyed and it would never recover. If the government had gone ahead and investigated it could very well have been done. Didn't senate send an invitation to Vince to meet with them for a discussion about the industry? As it wasn't compulsory Vince had the sense to decline the offer. So they reached out to Dixie Carter who went there and when asked why if there product is not aimed at children do they sell toys and she ended up calling her fan base virgins. |
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Chip
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Slam Jam Death.
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Post by Chip on Sept 26, 2013 15:50:12 GMT -5
I wasn't watching the product at the time so I only heard about the incident as an outsider. The guy I sat next to in science class was a massive Benoit guy, basically worshiped the guy and that broke him for a few days. I think he even missed a few days of school because of it. Actually, funny story, he'd go to the WWE website from time to time in the school library and the divas photos down the side of the site got him detention one day because the school thought it was porn. Anyway, that whole incident really destroyed peoples perception of wrestling for a while, wrestling became a dirtier word then usual because suddenly it was tied with steroids (more so then usual) and child murder, rather then just half naked dudes grappling. It took a lot of people a lot of time to shake that I feel.
As many have said, WWE reacted to it in probably the best way they could have. They looked internally at their own potential failings and attempted to fix those, the fixes aren't perfect but considering the business it's likely the best they can really do. Did they do it as PR or to genuinely protect the wrestlers? Probably a little of both. In the end it was never going to be a quick fix, it was going to take time, I think we are finally seeing it start to properly pay-off.
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Post by BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps on Sept 26, 2013 16:03:55 GMT -5
I've been thinking that for a while. Whie they're not quite at an Attitude level of pop culture awareness/profitability, the fact they got so many sponsors like Subway, Mattel, K-Mart, Paramount, General Mills and the like to do business with them (not to mention remaining in NBC/Universal's good graces) is insane considering where wrestling was six years ago.
Incidentally, I think more so than his split reactions, the defining note of Cena's career will probably be how as the face of the company, he helped right the ship as far as WWE (and perhaps American wrestling as a whole)'s image, and steered it through the raging storm that was the Benoit murder/steroid fallout.
Quality wise it's been hit or miss, but it seems now they're in a comfortable enough spot where they feel like they can experiment with the younger talent.
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Post by muzzle on Sept 26, 2013 16:03:58 GMT -5
Its a CON-spiracy.
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Post by Citizen Snips on Sept 26, 2013 16:12:28 GMT -5
Sadly, we have yet to bounce back from this joke. |
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Post by JTG Fan on Sept 26, 2013 16:14:18 GMT -5
People don't seem to realize it but from 2005 to 2007 WWE made a lot of money with Cena and Batista on top, putting them in a much better spot than they were from 2002 to 2004, and it continued pretty well into 2008 before the recession hit and people suddenly couldn't justify plunking down $40 for a PPV and even more for tickets for their families/friends.
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SEAN CARLESS
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Post by SEAN CARLESS on Sept 26, 2013 16:26:17 GMT -5
People don't seem to realize it but from 2005 to 2007 WWE made a lot of money with Cena and Batista on top, putting them in a much better spot than they were from 2002 to 2004, and it continued pretty well into 2008 before the recession hit and people suddenly couldn't justify plunking down $40 for a PPV and even more for tickets for their families/friends. The recession is a smokescreen WWE liked to blame for the downturn in business. The fact is, UFC and the Box-Office ended having some of its most profitable years during this supposed down time. And even during the actual depression in the 30's, entertainment and sports were relatively unaffected by the economics of the time. People, in the face of harsh times, always turn more toward entertainment, not away. If WWE was bombing it was for other factors. |
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Post by JTG Fan on Sept 26, 2013 16:34:17 GMT -5
People don't seem to realize it but from 2005 to 2007 WWE made a lot of money with Cena and Batista on top, putting them in a much better spot than they were from 2002 to 2004, and it continued pretty well into 2008 before the recession hit and people suddenly couldn't justify plunking down $40 for a PPV and even more for tickets for their families/friends. The recession is a smokescreen WWE liked to blame for the downturn in business. The fact is, UFC and the Box-Office ended having some of its most profitable years during this supposed down time. And even during the actual depression in the 30's, entertainment and sports were relatively unaffected by the economics of the time. People, in the face of harsh times, always turn more toward entertainment, not away. If WWE was bombing it was for other factors. I agree, in part. I don't think the recession is a good excuse for why their business continues to fall, but if you look simply at the numbers in 2008, it certainly seems to play a part. Cyber Sunday in October 2008 drew 153,000 buys, the lowest buyrate number since December 2 Dismember in 2006. I don't know that it is a coincidence it occurred weeks after the economic collapse. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 16:38:12 GMT -5
People don't seem to realize it but from 2005 to 2007 WWE made a lot of money with Cena and Batista on top, putting them in a much better spot than they were from 2002 to 2004, and it continued pretty well into 2008 before the recession hit and people suddenly couldn't justify plunking down $40 for a PPV and even more for tickets for their families/friends. They made loads of money but that was in part because in 2006 they went to 17 ppvs in that year and a similar number in the next 2 years and also diversified their income sources in other ways. TV Ratings and Live attendance were down quite a bit, but WWE were smart and found ways around it. |
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chazraps
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Post by chazraps on Sept 26, 2013 17:03:37 GMT -5
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Chip
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Slam Jam Death.
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Post by Chip on Sept 26, 2013 17:05:38 GMT -5
People don't seem to realize it but from 2005 to 2007 WWE made a lot of money with Cena and Batista on top, putting them in a much better spot than they were from 2002 to 2004, and it continued pretty well into 2008 before the recession hit and people suddenly couldn't justify plunking down $40 for a PPV and even more for tickets for their families/friends. They made loads of money but that was in part because in 2006 they went to 17 ppvs in that year and a similar number in the next 2 years and also diversified their income sources in other ways. TV Ratings and Live attendance were down quite a bit, but WWE were smart and found ways around it. ......... 17?! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 17:09:33 GMT -5
They made loads of money but that was in part because in 2006 they went to 17 ppvs in that year and a similar number in the next 2 years and also diversified their income sources in other ways. TV Ratings and Live attendance were down quite a bit, but WWE were smart and found ways around it. ......... 17?!1. NY Revolution. 2. Royal Rumble 3. No Way Out 4. Mania 5. Backlash 6. Judgement Day 7. One Night Stand 8. Vengeance 9. Great American Bash 10. Summerslam 11. Unforgiven 12. No Mercy 13. Cyber SUnday 14. Survivor Series 15. December To dismember 16. Armegeddon Ok 16 then. They also did 2 Saturday Night Main Events |
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Post by Young Game on Sept 27, 2013 0:15:30 GMT -5
I remember watching a shoot with Paul London and Bryan Kendrick where they talked about how they were part of his workout crew and even they were weirded out by the way he acted. they just figured since he was a big star and they were just a couple midcarders happy to have the tag-team titles it wasn't worth the risk to say anything about it. The funniest part? When Kendrick ordered an all-sugar breakfast and Benoit was like "No. F*** that! He's gonna have steak!". |
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