WWE relying more on old stars?

[mrbananagrabber]

Is it me, or has WWE gone backwards recently with regards to pushing and creating new stars and instead relying on older guys to bring in their viewers?

Yeah we've got the Shield and Langston making a splash, but as of last year we've seen the Rock return to become champion again, Batista returning to (please Christ no) a possible main event at Mania, and certainly a 2 year contract. Mysterio is still there, Hogan is coming back, the New Age Outlaws have been heavily featured and even turned heel.

I really hope this is a fad. The company is full of great new talent, we don't need to dwell on the past here.

[Apricots And A Pear Tree]

In theory it gets people who don't watch anymore to take a look.

[paywindah]

Recently? They've been doing this at Mania time for the last 2-3 years. Part-timers get the top spots and they tell the audience the guys who work all year don't matter. Amd then they wonder why nobody buys the other PPVs featuring those same guys they push aside during the most important time of the year.

[Phil Parent]

My guess is Triple H feels that these are names people know and will tune in to watch, and by doing so, they will be exposed to the younger talent that WWE wants to build up for the future and care for them.

This is an attempt to bring back Attitude Era fans.

Goldust, RVD, Jericho... same deal.

[Deleted]

"They are all young to me dammit, brother!" - Hulk Hogan

[Boo!]

Jan 14, 2014 17:38:59 GMT -5 mrbananagrabber said:

Is it me, or has WWE gone backwards recently with regards to pushing and creating new stars and instead relying on older guys to bring in their viewers?

Yeah we've got the Shield and Langston making a splash, but as of last year we've seen the Rock return to become champion again, Batista returning to (please Christ no) a possible main event at Mania, and certainly a 2 year contract. Mysterio is still there, Hogan is coming back, the New Age Outlaws have been heavily featured and even turned heel.

I really hope this is a fad. The company is full of great new talent, we don't need to dwell on the past here.

You say 'great new talent' as if being new automatically means being over?

There are reasons why these guys get the biggest reactions. Yes some of it is nostalgia but they're strong, engaging characters. So much of modern wrestling is Mr Bland A vs Mr Bland B and they job for each other for 6 weeks until nobody gives a damn and then they each repeat the programme with someone else. That's proven not to work. Yet if you try the opposite wrestling fans (myself included) scream overkill and bemoan the 'superman' push.

Unless you have a GREAT character or you're protected and made to look good - chances are nobody will care about you in the long, medium or even short term.

Also the industry has always had older guys. Andre back in the 80s, Flair and Hogan in the 90s, the likes of Undertaker and HBK now plus guys like the Rock who is about intermittently. It's always been a concept that's underpinned the business and been used to draw fans and interest. People are over for a reason and any promoter would be nuts not to utilise that. I think the problem today is there aren't enough people like that anymore. Partly because over the last 15 years it's become so sanitized and dull that there are few few elder statement of interest any longer.

Far from hoping that it's a 'fad' I hope in the coming years we continue to see a mixture of young and established as few things in the industry have proven to work better.

[Jessica Cadavre]

It's Wrestlemania season. They'll go away in a few months.

[rnrk supports BLM]

It's more that the last era that really mattered is receding further and further into the past. It's no accident that the emphasis on special attraction nostalgia acts coming back to pop the big PPVs started right after HBK/HHH/Undertaker all drifted away from working fulltime schedules.

[Viva]

I think it's one last go around for Wrestlemania XXX. And then buh-bye.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

You draw the money 27, 28 and 29 drew. You can show up whenever the hell you want. I'm not even a Rock fan but that dude is good for the company.

[mizerable]

Jan 14, 2014 19:46:00 GMT -5 Viva said:

I think it's one last go around for Wrestlemania XXX. And then buh-bye.

I doubt it.

[BigWill]

Jan 14, 2014 19:46:00 GMT -5 Viva said:

I think it's one last go around for Wrestlemania XXX. And then buh-bye.

No, they'll keep doing it every year until the past stars can't go anymore. Then they'll hit the panic button, confused as to why none of the full-time wrestlers are big draws.

[Viva]

Jan 14, 2014 20:12:59 GMT -5 BigWill said:

Jan 14, 2014 19:46:00 GMT -5 Viva said:

I think it's one last go around for Wrestlemania XXX. And then buh-bye.

No, they'll keep doing it every year until the past stars can't go anymore. Then they'll hit the panic button, confused as to why none of the full-time wrestlers are big draws.

I can completely see why you would doubt it. There's not a whole lot of evidence to support it. However, with the WWE Network, these old farts are going to get their rub. It makes no sense to keep pushing them over viable younger talent.


WWE doesn't do a whole lot of things that make sense. But I like to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

Jan 14, 2014 17:49:54 GMT -5 Boo! said:

Jan 14, 2014 17:38:59 GMT -5 mrbananagrabber said:

Is it me, or has WWE gone backwards recently with regards to pushing and creating new stars and instead relying on older guys to bring in their viewers?

Yeah we've got the Shield and Langston making a splash, but as of last year we've seen the Rock return to become champion again, Batista returning to (please Christ no) a possible main event at Mania, and certainly a 2 year contract. Mysterio is still there, Hogan is coming back, the New Age Outlaws have been heavily featured and even turned heel.

I really hope this is a fad. The company is full of great new talent, we don't need to dwell on the past here.

You say 'great new talent' as if being new automatically means being over?

There are reasons why these guys get the biggest reactions. Yes some of it is nostalgia but they're strong, engaging characters. So much of modern wrestling is Mr Bland A vs Mr Bland B and they job for each other for 6 weeks until nobody gives a damn and then they each repeat the programme with someone else. That's proven not to work. Yet if you try the opposite wrestling fans (myself included) scream overkill and bemoan the 'superman' push.

Unless you have a GREAT character or you're protected and made to look good - chances are nobody will care about you in the long, medium or even short term.

Also the industry has always had older guys. Andre back in the 80s, Flair and Hogan in the 90s, the likes of Undertaker and HBK now plus guys like the Rock who is about intermittently. It's always been a concept that's underpinned the business and been used to draw fans and interest. People are over for a reason and any promoter would be nuts not to utilise that. I think the problem today is there aren't enough people like that anymore. Partly because over the last 15 years it's become so sanitized and dull that there are few few elder statement of interest any longer.

Far from hoping that it's a 'fad' I hope in the coming years we continue to see a mixture of young and established as few things in the industry have proven to work better.

Those guys are "bland" because Creative isn't doing anything with them or giving the opportunities to work on a character.

[Boo!]

Jan 14, 2014 20:51:55 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

Jan 14, 2014 17:49:54 GMT -5 Boo! said:

You say 'great new talent' as if being new automatically means being over?

There are reasons why these guys get the biggest reactions. Yes some of it is nostalgia but they're strong, engaging characters. So much of modern wrestling is Mr Bland A vs Mr Bland B and they job for each other for 6 weeks until nobody gives a damn and then they each repeat the programme with someone else. That's proven not to work. Yet if you try the opposite wrestling fans (myself included) scream overkill and bemoan the 'superman' push.

Unless you have a GREAT character or you're protected and made to look good - chances are nobody will care about you in the long, medium or even short term.

Also the industry has always had older guys. Andre back in the 80s, Flair and Hogan in the 90s, the likes of Undertaker and HBK now plus guys like the Rock who is about intermittently. It's always been a concept that's underpinned the business and been used to draw fans and interest. People are over for a reason and any promoter would be nuts not to utilise that. I think the problem today is there aren't enough people like that anymore. Partly because over the last 15 years it's become so sanitized and dull that there are few few elder statement of interest any longer.

Far from hoping that it's a 'fad' I hope in the coming years we continue to see a mixture of young and established as few things in the industry have proven to work better.

Those guys are "bland" because Creative isn't doing anything with them or giving the opportunities to work on a character.

Not at all. You have to make a gimmick work. You can sit someone on the toilet but you can't make them crap. Hogan, HBK, Rock, Austin - didn't all get over because of great gimmicks. In many ways their gimmicks are fairly generic. All American babyface, arrogant heel, rebel. These were never 'wheel inventing' gimmicks, they'd been tried on many different guys over the years. It's the worker than makes a gimmick work.

They got over because of their ability to work the gimmick. If you've all the charisma of a sack of spuds the reason you're not working out isn't the fault of Creative. Of course at times it is but a lot of the time it's because guys can't make a gimmick work. If you have to be spoonfed into being successful, you never will be.

[Hit Girl]

It's a combination of the two. It's certainly true that some guys just aren't talented enough to get over and fail due to their own limitations, but it's also true that today's WWE gives them shit to work with, both in terms of character and promo material, and the booking doesn't help them either.

[Deleted]

Its a time-honored tradition that doesn't really work.

Like booth babes at conventions. Sounds like a slam dunk, but really works counterproductive to what you're trying to do.