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Post by madness50 on May 22, 2022 0:54:39 GMT -5
WWE has been coasting along for over 20 years now.
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ssdrivin
ALF
Claims to be squishy, has yet to be proven.
Posts: 1,042
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Post by ssdrivin on May 22, 2022 1:39:34 GMT -5
I mean he can temporarily drop the title to Drew at Clash and win it back at the Rumble or something, then face the Rock That would break the historic 1,000 day reign they're shooting for. Then they'd better not book that match for Clash, because who in the flaming pits of hell would think "let's have the epic home ground challenger lose at the biggest opportunity for him to shine since literally forever"? As I said in another thread, either have Drew win against Roman that day, or just don't even book that match and force a decision between Roman's streak and Drew's local win, because I'd rather see Drew face someone else and win - even for no title - than see him lose probably the biggest match of his entire career on home turf just for the sake of Roman Wins LOL. I don't trust WWE to not screw up that match after making people pay fat stacks of cash to show up and see their local guy at the biggest show in 30 years. No sane booker would miss an opportunity for a feel-good career-topping moment like that, would they? I certainly wouldn't, if I were booking it. But this is WWE, and they don't run with that logic.
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Post by "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay on May 22, 2022 6:07:44 GMT -5
I don't watch any more but when I did they weren't coasting and that was part of the problem
There seemed to be a blood vessel bursting level of effort put into everything and yet it still felt bland and lifeless
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lucas_lee
Hank Scorpio
Heel turn is finished, now stripping away my personality
Posts: 6,792
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Post by lucas_lee on May 22, 2022 7:04:25 GMT -5
Even when I had a good time watching it 2011-2018 there still felt like they were something brewing and I think the sponsors holding them hostage for the most part on storyline content, plus having shareholders really sanitized and made the product sterile. The in-ring product despite the WWE style is still really good though
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,739
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Post by nisidhe on May 22, 2022 8:21:46 GMT -5
Then they'd better not book that match for Clash, because who in the flaming pits of hell would think "let's have the epic home ground challenger lose at the biggest opportunity for him to shine since literally forever"? As I said in another thread, either have Drew win against Roman that day, or just don't even book that match and force a decision between Roman's streak and Drew's local win, because I'd rather see Drew face someone else and win - even for no title - than see him lose probably the biggest match of his entire career on home turf just for the sake of Roman Wins LOL. I don't trust WWE to not screw up that match after making people pay fat stacks of cash to show up and see their local guy at the biggest show in 30 years. No sane booker would miss an opportunity for a feel-good career-topping moment like that, would they? I certainly wouldn't, if I were booking it. But this is WWE, and they don't run with that logic. It would not be the first time WWE pulled that stunt, and have been even more trollish and cruel in doing so before. Remember, Davey Boy Smith was originally booked to be the first-ever European champion.
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Post by TheMediocreWarrior on May 22, 2022 9:56:17 GMT -5
As much as I tired of Cena's long title reign in 2006-2007, at least he was the face. Roman Reigns with the Usos as his goons dominating for almost two years is a drag, and it seems like the best options for a face to dethrone Reigns have been exhausted. I guess there is Cody now, but that means that WWE had to go outside of their roster and find someone else, and it was lucky that he had a falling out with AEW that allowed them to pick up a top face from somewhere else. It would be a little different if this was the 80s with fewer big shows, but how the heck is WWE going to kill time until the next WrestleMania?
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ssdrivin
ALF
Claims to be squishy, has yet to be proven.
Posts: 1,042
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Post by ssdrivin on May 22, 2022 11:51:56 GMT -5
Then they'd better not book that match for Clash, because who in the flaming pits of hell would think "let's have the epic home ground challenger lose at the biggest opportunity for him to shine since literally forever"? As I said in another thread, either have Drew win against Roman that day, or just don't even book that match and force a decision between Roman's streak and Drew's local win, because I'd rather see Drew face someone else and win - even for no title - than see him lose probably the biggest match of his entire career on home turf just for the sake of Roman Wins LOL. I don't trust WWE to not screw up that match after making people pay fat stacks of cash to show up and see their local guy at the biggest show in 30 years. No sane booker would miss an opportunity for a feel-good career-topping moment like that, would they? I certainly wouldn't, if I were booking it. But this is WWE, and they don't run with that logic. It would not be the first time WWE pulled that stunt, and have been even more trollish and cruel in doing so before. Remember, Davey Boy Smith was originally booked to be the first-ever European champion. Oh, absolutely, I have no preconceptions that they won't pull that stunt in Wales, but it would be a gigantic insult, in my opinion. Would I personally be rioting? No, I expect that sort of thing from WWE, I didn't pay hundreds of pounds to be there, and I'm not invested in the week to week product because I've already learnt what I can and can't tolerate from WWE. But if they do it, right there, right in front of my eyes, at a show I know people have paid hundreds, even thousands to be at, that's going to put a really big nail through the coffin labelled "WWE" that's been slowly getting nailed shut for me over the years. It's sad that such a thought should even occur. What other TV show or sporting event or live performance would do that, on purpose? None that I can think of, and certainly not repeatedly, extensively, year after year, storyline after storyline. But we know, we've seen it, we expect it at this point. Frankly I feel like a mug for even paying them for a chance to be shown it first hand, live and in the flesh, it's bad enough when you've paid £10 to watch it on the Network. So I won't be surprised, I won't be shocked, I won't be upset, but I will be disappointed - disappointed that, given an open goal, surrounded by neon signs, a free golden opportunity to show they actually do still care about sending the fans home happy, they'll take the opportunity to laugh in those fans' faces and not do it, on purpose, to spite them. Then I will go and get drunk, forget it ever happened, and be even more reluctant to pay for the WrestleMania streams on the Network than I already am, as that's about all I watch these days. But, in the event that they do it right, I will be pleasantly surprised, I will give them credit, and I will celebrate with the crowd. WWE sure does mess up, a lot, by their own stupid hands, but they can still get it right, sometimes, occasionally, even if by accident. That's why I can't walk away, why I'm attending this event, and why, however small a chance there is, I still believe WWE can make a happy show.
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Post by Gelatinous Parasite on May 22, 2022 12:46:40 GMT -5
So long as the company continues to deliver satisfactorily for shareholders, nothing will change. That's not even a criticism at this point. Just a statement of priorities.
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Mecca
Wade Wilson
Posts: 25,128
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Post by Mecca on May 22, 2022 12:55:04 GMT -5
So long as the company continues to deliver satisfactorily for shareholders, nothing will change. That's not even a criticism at this point. Just a statement of priorities. And being satisfactory to shareholders really has nothing to do with being a good tv program.
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Post by Hit Girl on May 22, 2022 12:58:53 GMT -5
The brand sells itself now.
The days of character and storylines are over.
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Mecca
Wade Wilson
Posts: 25,128
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Post by Mecca on May 22, 2022 13:08:37 GMT -5
The brand sells itself now. The days of character and storylines are over. They fan proofed the product... Brand above talent...20 years of being the only game in town created fans that are loyal to a fault... TV Deals Merch deals Saudi The list goes on and on They turn massive profit before ever selling a f***ing ticket.
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ssdrivin
ALF
Claims to be squishy, has yet to be proven.
Posts: 1,042
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Post by ssdrivin on May 22, 2022 14:06:50 GMT -5
The brand sells itself now. The days of character and storylines are over. That's about the only thing that is over. Aw yeah. Unf.
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nisidhe
Hank Scorpio
O Superman....O judge....O Mom and Dad....
Posts: 5,739
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Post by nisidhe on May 22, 2022 18:49:14 GMT -5
The brand sells itself now. The days of character and storylines are over. They fan proofed the product... Brand above talent...20 years of being the only game in town created fans that are loyal to a fault... TV Deals Merch deals Saudi The list goes on and on They turn massive profit before ever selling a f***ing ticket. So...what are we doing here if they don't need us and, let's be honest, seem to be demonstrating that they don't even _want_ us around?
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Post by Hit Girl on May 22, 2022 22:58:20 GMT -5
They fan proofed the product... Brand above talent...20 years of being the only game in town created fans that are loyal to a fault... TV Deals Merch deals Saudi The list goes on and on They turn massive profit before ever selling a f***ing ticket. So...what are we doing here if they don't need us and, let's be honest, seem to be demonstrating that they don't even _want_ us around? The reason we are here is because at this point most of us on this site are fans of each other rather than WWE.
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Post by mrtuesday on May 23, 2022 1:51:03 GMT -5
The brand sells itself now. The days of character and storylines are over. They fan proofed the product... Brand above talent...20 years of being the only game in town created fans that are loyal to a fault... TV Deals Merch deals Saudi The list goes on and on They turn massive profit before ever selling a f***ing ticket. I mean, their highest profitable year was one where no fans were in attendance. That says everything.
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Post by Gelatinous Parasite on May 23, 2022 3:54:46 GMT -5
So long as the company continues to deliver satisfactorily for shareholders, nothing will change. That's not even a criticism at this point. Just a statement of priorities. And being satisfactory to shareholders really has nothing to do with being a good tv program. Exactly. If profits/share price are considered too low, they'll look to reduce costs -- hence, the mass releases of recent years. The only way we could see more effort put into the quality of the shows is if the networks express concern about show quality when the TV deals are next up for bidding -- and only then if this concern affects the amount the networks are prepared to offer.
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Burst
El Dandy
*inarticulate squawking*
Posts: 8,604
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Post by Burst on May 23, 2022 4:12:21 GMT -5
Granted, getting into Apple vs. Everybody Else arguments is its own can of worms, but now that I think about it, that's kind of the vibe the WWE has fostered over the past number of years... Loyalty to the brand above everything else to the point that they don't have to directly call out their competition since their fans will do it for them, and a walled garden environment for both the wrestlers and the product in terms of what goes in and what comes out. And obviously, being able to sell themselves on their name alone and being handed money without anything they actually do really seemingly mattering.
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