Post by Sephiroth on Nov 30, 2007 18:22:05 GMT -5
I have noticed an increasing debate amongst the IWC boards about what is going on in WWE right now. There appears to be a strong divide in the reception of the recent story-lines involving Hornswoggle. There has been universal dissatisfaction with John Cena, Randy Orton, and Batista as champions, but a just as universal embrace of the return of Chris Jericho. There is still lingering sentiment over the sad tale of Chris Benoit that took place earlier this year. So I have decided to lay it all on the line and give an up front summary of the way things seem to be going to me, and I hope at least some of my fellow crappers will agree with me.
Fact is, WWE is in a pretty chaotic state right now. They endured a harsh year. Just about every major storyline and character push they attempted ended up getting derailed. The all too familiar Benoit tragedy of course was a major factor. But then we also take into account the string of injuries to main event stars, and the firings and suspensions for drug policy violations. They have done the best they can with what they have been left with. The results have not always been great. The best example being all the attention suddenly put onto Hornswoggle. To the best of my knowledge, they had intended for the death of Mr. McMahon story to play out over the course of most of the year, with the ultimate result being Mr. Kennedy as Vince's secret love child, thusly cementing his man event status. Of course, this did not happen, and in the scramble to salvage something from it, we got what we see on our televisions every Monday night.
WWE is also in the midst of something of an identity crisis. They are trying to recapture some of the family friendly warmth they enjoyed in the 80's, during the time of Rock and Wrestling and Hulkamania. But they also display an incredible nostalgia for the Attitude Era. The result has been a rather bizarre mix. The push of Hornswoggle, the booking of John Cena, and to a lesser extent, the push of CM Punk, are all attempts to recreate the 80's boom. But yet the one night returns of DX and Steve Austin, the sexed up storyline involving Edge and Vickie, and the ever bouncy, ever scantily clad diva's show their hesitation to drop tactics that brought them success in the late 90's.
And finally, lets be honest guys, we on the IWC do not know everything. I am going to go on a wire and guess the average age of my fellow crappers is mid to late twenties, with some older and some younger. We lived through wrestling's two biggest boom eras. We've seen the rise and fall of countless superstars. We like to think of ourselves as knowledgable and educated fans. But this has also apparently bread a sort of high and mighty belief that we all know how a wrestling company should be run and what will draw ratings. Numbers do not like-while we all seem to loathe John Cena and Batista as main events, the greater audience loves it.
And of course, the final say is always, if you don't like it, don't watch it. Watch TNA or ROH instead. Put in some tapes or DVD's from the Attitude Era. Or find some other program that entertains you more. Do what myself and I am sure many others did in the early to mid 90's-simply quit watching wrestling for a while till it starts to spark your interest again. No one is forcing you to watch it.
I am sure this thread will get a lot of flames, but hope for some agreement as well. I think this all needed to be said up front. Thanks for listening, have a great weekend.
Fact is, WWE is in a pretty chaotic state right now. They endured a harsh year. Just about every major storyline and character push they attempted ended up getting derailed. The all too familiar Benoit tragedy of course was a major factor. But then we also take into account the string of injuries to main event stars, and the firings and suspensions for drug policy violations. They have done the best they can with what they have been left with. The results have not always been great. The best example being all the attention suddenly put onto Hornswoggle. To the best of my knowledge, they had intended for the death of Mr. McMahon story to play out over the course of most of the year, with the ultimate result being Mr. Kennedy as Vince's secret love child, thusly cementing his man event status. Of course, this did not happen, and in the scramble to salvage something from it, we got what we see on our televisions every Monday night.
WWE is also in the midst of something of an identity crisis. They are trying to recapture some of the family friendly warmth they enjoyed in the 80's, during the time of Rock and Wrestling and Hulkamania. But they also display an incredible nostalgia for the Attitude Era. The result has been a rather bizarre mix. The push of Hornswoggle, the booking of John Cena, and to a lesser extent, the push of CM Punk, are all attempts to recreate the 80's boom. But yet the one night returns of DX and Steve Austin, the sexed up storyline involving Edge and Vickie, and the ever bouncy, ever scantily clad diva's show their hesitation to drop tactics that brought them success in the late 90's.
And finally, lets be honest guys, we on the IWC do not know everything. I am going to go on a wire and guess the average age of my fellow crappers is mid to late twenties, with some older and some younger. We lived through wrestling's two biggest boom eras. We've seen the rise and fall of countless superstars. We like to think of ourselves as knowledgable and educated fans. But this has also apparently bread a sort of high and mighty belief that we all know how a wrestling company should be run and what will draw ratings. Numbers do not like-while we all seem to loathe John Cena and Batista as main events, the greater audience loves it.
And of course, the final say is always, if you don't like it, don't watch it. Watch TNA or ROH instead. Put in some tapes or DVD's from the Attitude Era. Or find some other program that entertains you more. Do what myself and I am sure many others did in the early to mid 90's-simply quit watching wrestling for a while till it starts to spark your interest again. No one is forcing you to watch it.
I am sure this thread will get a lot of flames, but hope for some agreement as well. I think this all needed to be said up front. Thanks for listening, have a great weekend.
