Why isn't the WWE doing more original programming for the Network? They own WWE Studios!
Hmm, Orange Is The New Black with the Divas. Might have something there.
What I legitimately WOULD like them see develop into a show is of course Are You Serious, complete with Puppet H. There should be enough YouTube episodes in the can that they can even edit them into 2 or 3 half hour shows to start and buy time to make new ones.
Sure, they'd probably be terrible at it. But at the very least, shouldn't all of the movies be available on it? They could even be hyping "Special Network Premieres" for all the upcoming movies. Heck, they might even luck into creating their own "Orange is the New Black", or "Walking Dead", and get more casual fans ordering subscriptions.
Here's a few show ideas they can have:
Here's a few show ideas they can have:
- The Marine, The Series (Hell take any movie they've done and add "The Series" to it)
- Tag Team: Remake the Roddy Piper / Jessie Ventura cop show
- Welcome to Parts, Unknown: Northern Exposure meets sports enterainment. A young doctor (or lawyer) takes a job in the small town of Parts Unknown with its eclectic cast of masked and face painted residents.
- 4th and Take Down: A football comedy about a fictionalized West Texas A&M with players based on the actual wrestlers who went to that school (Dusty Rhodes, Tully Blanchard, Tito Santana, Terry Funk, Stan Hansen, Ted Dibiase).
- Celebrity Tough Enough
- Learning the Ropes: The New Class
- Space Slam: Space Jam - Michael Jordan + John Cena in an 8-man tag match with Bugs, Daffy and the Tasmanian Devil vs Aliens = ALL THE MONEY
Any pitches for shows you'd like to see on the Network?
Mike
They actually had a list of wacky show ideas they were developing a couple of months ago, before the bottom fell out of the Network, and about the most interesting idea they had was Steve Blackman working as a bounty hunter. I would watch the shit out of that.
Definitely the WWE Studios garbage should be on there, just to fill out content if nothing else. They keep replaying the same fucking 8 hours of live stream over and over! Stick See No Evil or Chaperone 3: Still Chaperonin' in there to fill two hours, maybe. I'd sit through Marine 2 for free, for example. I usually keep enough booze around the house for that.
I would renew my network subscription for years if they renewed Are You Serious. Need to find someone like Josh Matthews to host, though. He was great in that role.
ReplyDeleteGiven their inability to add content that's already made, I don't think I'd hold my breath waiting for actual new stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe Chaperone 2: Electric Boogaloo-uh
ReplyDeleteWait, that Steve Blackman show was going to be a thing?
ReplyDeleteRemember when he made that random cameo on Raw and flips out?
Are you Serious would be great!! It is the perfect use of the archives.
ReplyDeleteEven run the JBL/Cole show in between shows of the stream.
More legends Roundtables would be nice.
How about just 30 min specials highlighting mid card stars. You can do a few days of sit down interviews and just cut together some archive footage and you can highlight guys like Tito Santana, Greg Valentine, Bobby Eaton, Chris Adams, etc. and use that to promote the old-school shows and pay per views.
I agree on the Legends Roundtables. I enjoyed all of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for the complete XFL 2001 season.
ReplyDeleteThe Chaperone 2: Chaperoner
ReplyDeleteI didn't think of Celebrity Tough Enough (which is fantastic), but I've been saying for a while that a reality show where a bunch of "Wrestling is easy, anybody could do it" haters had to survive wrestling school would be great.
ReplyDeleteHell, Kurt Angle would be PERFECT as host.
An?
ReplyDeleteA.
Sounds like no one is signing up for this. They actually literally laughed at the WWE network on CNBC last night. A hedge fund guy came out and said independent market research shows sub growth as slowed down even more and that most people who have it dont like it and aren't keeping it.
ReplyDeleteThe last thing they should do is waste money on horrible original programming that will not bring in or keep one subscriber and will add to the negative second rate stigma it has.
Reminds me of that South Park episode.
ReplyDelete"We're going to see Zoo Keeper 2: Zoo Keepier.
The soundtrack should be all Motorhead songs.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note...good to see Ariel Winter lost some weight. She was in to "DJ Tanner, late in the full house run " territory for awhile there.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably wildly inappropriate since she's like 16, but am I the only one who noticed her boobs are completely out of control?
ReplyDeleteThis is the pilot preview of Blackman's show. It was not necessarily made for the network:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nes9kwlB2dk
See....I wasn't gonna go there but you picked the ball right up on that one.
ReplyDeleteGiven that her family life seems to be kind of a mess too, a better comparison for her career might be Stephanie Tanner.
ReplyDeleteYou know...Alex Dumphy on meth could make for an interesting story arc.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pilot he put together himself and reached out to many networks, including wwe
ReplyDeleteGiven that their family seems to have infinite wealth despite no one having to work more than 10 hours a week, she would certainly have no trouble procuring hard drugs for an extended length of time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I re-upped my subscription last week, and at this moment I'm not really sure why. There's nothing I currently want to see. I'm definitely not watching $9.99 worth of it. I've turned it on for a total of 15 minutes since the re-up. It's kind of "meh" at this point, at least to me.
ReplyDeleteI think Jesse James and the clips made the show. And puppet h
ReplyDeleteThe Chappening, Shirley?
ReplyDeleteAnd we can listen to Michael Hayes talk about how great and influential he is on each one too.
ReplyDeleteI see it playing out like a modern, darker, Jesse Spanno story line...Alex takes meth to stay up and study and overachieve, (as she tends to do) and it ends her being...well... so excited...and yet so scared.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I want to see is basically free, Road Stories.
ReplyDeleteI've done the math, there's almost 4 billion students in the tri-state area looking for video production and editing internships. Grab some of those kids, make them follow guys around, free content.
I've mentioned this before but I still believe the Network should have a show where Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Matt Hardy drink heavily and give callers relationship advice.
ReplyDeleteThey should introduce a Barney the Dinosaur character to babysit kids as they watch Raw, this show would really reach their desired demographic.
ReplyDeleteBecause they hire people to run the network who don't fucking care.
ReplyDeleteNo Jake the Snake?
ReplyDeleteI would absolutely watch a show about a fictionalized West Texas A&M.
ReplyDelete"Tag Team: Remake the Roddy Piper / Jessie Ventura cop show
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Parts, Unknown: Northern Exposure meets sports enterainment. A young doctor (or lawyer) takes a job in the small town of Parts Unknown with its eclectic cast of masked and face painted residents"
YES! YES! YES! YES!
Celebrity Tough Enough was done witn Celebrity Championship Wrestling, and Biscoff said is was very expensive to produce.
He can have the beer but the whiskey is mine.
ReplyDeleteYou need rotating guests to keep the show fresh, but Jake is in a good place right now and wouldn't fit the vibe I'm going for. I'm picturing Matt yelling at the camera while crying and burning a picture of Lita, while Ric tells Hulk to bust himself open before the cops show up.
ReplyDeleteA Tony Garea biography containing all his greatest matches and interviews would be an awesome mini series th
ReplyDeleteYou need a good strait man
ReplyDeleteSomething happened in the past calendar year that made them back off their plans for reality programming. Their annual report stated that original and reality programming would be a component of the Network. The list of shows they rolled out earlier in the year made it look like the Network would be the wrestling version of TLC. They must've received some pretty terrible feedback and realized that nobody was going to buy a subscription to see shitty reality shows.
ReplyDeleteI know they brand themselves as an "integrated media and entertainment" company, but they are really a wrestling company with wrestling fans. They need to figure out what they want.
I'm perfectly fine with none of these suggestions ever seeing a second of airtime on the Network. I have Netflix and HBO Go to watch crappy movies. I don't need WWE Network for that.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how adding WWE Studios content would get new subscribers OR make the existing subscribers more likely to stay. So why bother? If anything, it would result in fewer DVD sales for WWE Studios (although they probably don't sell a lot anyway).
ReplyDeleteJohn Avery and my Chicago Enforcers FTW!
ReplyDeleteLol. Good being the key word
ReplyDeleteYeah, I want out of my subsrciption ASAP. I've already watched everything and the current product is just putrid. I would rather spend my time watching new sports.
ReplyDeleteI'm really curious to see how Jim Ross does calling football. I always thought NFL should give him shot.
ReplyDeleteStill remember when they showed this insane Fabulous Ones video of them oiled up working out in a gym in just speedos and Matthews, Dogg and Puppet H just exchange open mouthed "What the HELL?!" looks.
ReplyDeleteAlways loved their running list of "Things WCW ruined."
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for the Network to show the IC tournament in Rio De Janerio and Bret Harts legendary match with the Shreiking Sheik
ReplyDeleteNot gonna lie, I would watch the shit out of Celebrity Tough Enough. I watched that god-awful Hogan celebrity wrestling show, there's no way it could be any worse than that. Steve Blackman: Lethal Bail Enforcement Agent also sounds pretty awesome. I kinda miss Steve Blackman.
ReplyDeleteMake Knucklehead a full series, that would mean Big Show would have to be gone for prolonged periods of time. Make him an old school kiddie show host if you want, I don't care.
Big Show. I just made a similar suggestion above, Knucklehead as a kids showso he don't have to see him wrestle but your idea to put him in a giant dumbass costume is even better - stop him from wrestling AND! humiliate him! Muahahaha! (drums fingers together)
ReplyDeleteDang, I hoped he was gonna be in his wrestling attire with the kendo sticks...
ReplyDeleteAnd with that list, you've displayed 1000% more creativity than the people running the damn thing.
ReplyDeleteI'd totally watch a bunch of insane 70's and 80's wrestling expy's playing football.
Legend's House was a pleasant surprise, but that's more because I care about some of the legends on that show. A Divas reality show (proof enough from Total Divas) or something involving today's "superstars" would be absolutely terrible.
ReplyDeleteyeah she's getting to Kat Dennings territory
ReplyDeleteThe Goulet Army will supplant this heathen Garea worship around here, by golly.
ReplyDeleteTriple H battles the terror of chapped lips.
ReplyDeleteThe wrestling pedigree of that school is astounding.
ReplyDeleteKevin Nash says -
ReplyDelete"Look at the adverb . . . strait!"
That would be great if it were up there just for crazy completists, but I'm betting if they never have to show stuff from/talk about the XFL they never will.
ReplyDeleteI think I pitched on the blog once before about WWE doing a movie of the week. There's the WWE Studios movies, but they could also get other movies that wrestlers were in. I'd watch "Ready To Rumble" if they brought in DDP, Sting & David Arquette to bag on how shitty it was! I suppose cost is the major hurdle, with movies being tied up by Netflix, HBO, Starz, TBS or whoever. But for a one-time showing on the live feed, who knows if that would be cost prohibitive or not? Imagine "Predator" or "Running Man" hosted by Jesse Ventura, or Hogan hosting "No Holds Barred". Also they have their relationship with SyFy, why not show a movie like "Sharknado" a week or so after they debut? Have Renee Young host, a few WWE stars as part of a watching party, hashtag the shit out of it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know, it'd cost money. Seems to me they could figure out something though. Just a matter of working out the details.
Joey Styles?
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Parts, Unknown produced by David Lynch would be amazing.
ReplyDeleteI know. Call me crazy but I bought it to watch wrestling. I do weird shit though.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that Parts Unknown would be like that crazy movie "Doomsday".
ReplyDeleteWith your comments about what's happening on CNBC on this and the other thread, and Scott's remark about the bottom falling out of the network, do you think it's really going down? Like it's this years XFL or WWF Restaurant?
ReplyDeleteHaha I was thinking if writing something like that but felt bad about it
ReplyDeleteMichael Hayes should be the new Madea.
ReplyDeleteI so want Steve Blackman: Bounty Hunter. Who doesn't love Steve Blackman.
ReplyDeleteThey should do something to reignite kayfabe, maybe shoot some of these on 35mm film, like they do in the NFL.
ReplyDelete"DID YOU KNOW?: CNBC's ratings suck compared to Fox Business! Just saying!"
ReplyDeleteI have no idea if that's true or not.
NOTE: Never invite Ric Flair.
ReplyDeleteThey should get a handful of former wrestlers together and stick them in a house and have them do wacky stuff. I bet that would be really interesting and provide some insight into their personalities.
ReplyDeleteHeck, I'd even recap it.
Way too weird.
ReplyDeleteHeck, Just put Barney the Dino on there, it's not like he's doing anything.
ReplyDeleteRougeaus Tonight! ROUGEAUS TONIGHT!!!
ReplyDelete(this is a nightly talk show starring Jacques and Raymond Rougeau with bandleader Jimmy Hart)
ReplyDeleteThere was a Roddy Piper/Jesse Ventura cop show?!
ReplyDeleteThere was a pilot, I think.
ReplyDeleteNever knew that.
ReplyDeleteThey're not going to commit to any major content like this until they get over a million or more subscribers. And they're not going to get those until they commit to major content. So yeah. Fucked probably.
ReplyDeleteThe only episodes I didn't get through were the ones Flair was on - made me sad, as most of his appearances do now
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it was called Fox Force Five or something like that.
ReplyDeleteIt really doesn't look. It might take a year or two but if they start actually dropping subs under the 700k baseline the network is done for. Right now they have basically killed their #2 revenue stream for a venture that 8 months in is looking worse, and Vince can't bullshit investors because these mega funds have dead on market research systems and MTI dudes making algorithms that can predict that stuff way out into the future. I think the top people at the wwe badly misread their audience size and interest level.
ReplyDeleteAlso a company like Netflix or any movie studio has way more options if something goes wrong. The wwe sells wrestling. From what I'm reading/hearing and seeing with my own eyes its possible Ott won't work with such a limited niche.
Unfortunately they hired Tammy Sytch
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfb44tRcnO8
CNBC is definitely the #1 network to put on for your dog when you leave the house or to play in a lobby as inoffensive background noise.
ReplyDeleteA great lead-in to Rougeaus Tonight would be to just wholesale rip off Austin's idea of doing a Wrestler's Cut of a match. Sit some of the old-timers in (not Ricky Steamboat. Fuck kayfab) in the studio and have them explain what was going on. If we could get Magnum and Tully or Bret and Shawn.
ReplyDeleteA succesful real estate agent in the area they live in can make big money. Sell a couple of houses and you pull in 6 figures of commission. this is California real estate in a upscale community. As for Winters, she is goingto be like Punky Brewster. Needing a reduction within a couple years.
ReplyDeletethe bottom line is that they need to make the IC belt more prestigious in order to ensure the company's survival.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a chicken or the egg argument. To attract people they need content. But they won't put up content unless they are sure it will get more subscribers. IMO what would attract subscribers (other than a Attitude era, Rock and Wrestling style revival) would be a menu of programming. That means celebrity tough enough, wrestlers dishing on their matches, Blackman being a bounty hunter, a backstage show on current WWE, maybe some movies, etc. Right now you offer two things: ppvs and classic ppvs.. Sure you've got main event or NxT but I believe that is available on the website even without a subscription. Cheaper ppvs is a selling point and classic content for us wrestling nerds is a selling point. But with a full menu of programming they might be able to move the needle. But, as I said with the chicken or the egg, that won't happen until they see more subscribers to justify the cost. At this point I'm wondering if they might not sell the service to someone who will fold it into a larger streaming service. NBC/Comcast? They do have the relationship with Raw on USA. Maybe a content provider like WB that doesn't have a streaming service but might be looking to put their library up (Movies, Friends, etc.) and have the WWE as an added enticement. They do have a distribution agreement for WWE movies.
ReplyDeleteWhy spend money on developing new programs that you'll just shit all over when they have thousands of hours of ready made programming for you to enjoy and shit on? They aren't Netflix, they literally have no competition and no need to make new programs to draw viewers in.
ReplyDeletethat has to be the keystone of any improvements they try to make
ReplyDeleteAlso, does the "MTI" dudes' algorithm predict when Punk comes back?
ReplyDeleteActually, they do have a need to draw viewers in. Strong take, though, jackass.
ReplyDeleteYou want to solve the issues with the network not gaining enough subscribers?
ReplyDeleteIt's quite simple, No Holds Barred Football with the losing team being executed by a firing squad.
How's about we worry about getting the wrestling up first?
ReplyDeleteNo they don't. They have ZERO need to spend 100k plus on making new programming for their finite audience when they have thousands of hours of programming they could freely put up at any time. Nice try though
ReplyDelete#hotwrestlingtakes
ReplyDeleteHow does this approach attract new subscribers?
ReplyDeleteneither new programming or old wrestling programming will bring in new viewers. You're both wrong. The product is ice cold right now. There just aren't enough eyes on it. The hotter the current product is the more buys your network will have.
ReplyDeleteSpeed Force.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love it sometimes, the WWE Network is like the WBF, the XFL, his idea in '96 to have Piper vs. OJ Simpson at Wrestlemania XII, his idea in '02-'03 to have an incest storyline with Steph, and Katie Vick...anytime, ANY TIME Vince really, really wants to do something, he will do it wrong. So very wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't what I said. I said they do have a need to draw new viewers in. It's probably the most obvious statement ever made about a product they invested in millions and millions of dollars in.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see them do the Dirt Sheet, but most of the people they talked about (Festus, Cryme Tyme, and Morrison himself) don't work there anymore.
ReplyDeleteThat was the pilot of a nascent BET sitcom starring Ernie Ladd and Thunderbolt Patterson.
ReplyDeleteEven a cheap documentary like Storm Wrestling Academy would be cool. I'd prefer to have wrestling, but if they're intent on not giving me that I want something fun.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to the chicken and the egg, WWE might consider that if they do advertise in places that former fans might be watching (UFC, boxing, whatever demographics work), seeing adds for the network might gain some subscribers. They may come for the attitude era content but they may try the new product as well. It seems reversed to use the network to draw eyes to Raw rather than vice versa, but one hope for WWE to become more popular again is to draw back the lapsed fan. The problem with this strategy (in addition to costing $$$ that Vince seems reticent to spend) is that it would require a quality product to be on Raw and probably an edgier product. It's thinking a bit outside of the box, but what other options do they have? Hope that Cena catches fire and suddenly becomes the next Austin or Hogan or see the Network go down in flames and the ppv model destroyed so the company has to downsize somewhat (less contracted talent, cheaper production, lower salaries for all). The company can survive just on the TV deal, house shows, and merchandising but it isn't ideal and you might see an exodus of talent when their checks are cut in half.
ReplyDeletewait....wait.....wait... Was he seriously considering O.J. for Mania?
ReplyDeleteAccording to several people on the Piper DVD. Not total proof of course but certainly believable.
ReplyDeleteseriously hyped for Still Chaperonin'
ReplyDeleteTime to chaperone...TIME TO CHAPEROOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!
ReplyDeleteOr just No Holds Barred. I'd watch it 10x a day every day. D-D-D-D-DOOKIE???
ReplyDeleteStay with me here. What if O.J. resigned himself to playing full-blown heel? People would get all pissed off and they'd get tons of bad press but they'd also get buys right? Who wouldn't want to see O.J. "finally get his"?
ReplyDeleteVince of course.
ReplyDeleteJoined alongside 'Heat Vision and Jack", and that one about a ghost possessing Truckasaurus in the bin of tragically short-sighted TV cancellations.
ReplyDeleteJordan?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, just keep the YouTube shows going on the Network and give them a full 30-60 minutes. AND BRING BACK PUPPET H GODDAMMIT
ReplyDeleteBob Holly better be a guest trainer, at least,
ReplyDeleteWhat if Puppet H was the star of Charperone?
ReplyDeleteThat'd put a lot of butts in seats.
ReplyDeleteWhere will the talent go, if they leave on there own. Half of what they are making now is still more than they'd make elsewhere. They're not TNA
ReplyDeleteIt's sad their YouTube channel had more creativity than their Network. Of course, this company is afraid to do anything as evidenced by them pulling that creative cartoon that everyone liked because they received a handful of complaints about it.
ReplyDeleteSo wait... bignasty may have been right about this?
ReplyDeleteThey've hit the wall as far as attracting subscribers with the archive content. There's no data to suggest a vast swathe of fans waiting for them to add Tuesday Night Titans, WCW Saturday Night or AWA All Star Wrestling. They need to add more subscribers to be profitable, and to continue to add them on a regular basis. That means new content. They also need to build brand awareness and have technology on their side, both of which take time.
ReplyDeleteThat would be the best seventeen minutes ever.
ReplyDeletewhat were the complaints about?
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem though: There weren't enough if us. They only convinced about a quarter of the RAW audience to spend money on the product, offering a ridiculous amount of content for a ridiculously low price. The fact that the PPV market wasn't completely cannibalized shows there are some fans unable to take advantage for technological reasons. The vast majority, though, just couldn't be bothered to care. Fixing the current product would help that. Beyond that they have to figure out something to put on there that will get fans interested enough to pay. If they're too afraid or cheap to do that then they may as well pull the plug on it now, and try to resuscitate PPV. Vince went all in on this, he can't get cold feet now.
ReplyDeleteTall Tales (four stories about famous matches, only one of them is true)
ReplyDeleteSome Travel Channel-esque show where the wrestlers rate/critique various arenas/cities
Six Degrees of Hulk Hogan (Hogan talks about his dubious celebrity connections)
Scott Steiner the Science Guy
Pop-up video deal but with matches instead of music videos
Is It Bigger than Big Show's Head?
Can You Dig It, SUCKA? (Booker T discusses beatnik literature)
Sid Screams at the Camera for Thirty Minutes
Kevin Nash and Juventud Guerrera commentary track for old episodes of Thunder
Stockholders. When that quarterly report came in and investors saw how few Network subscribers there were, and the new TV deal being so much less than they (stupidly) predicted, the stock price plummeted, making it so Vince isn't going to spend a nickel more on the Network until they can cut every corner they can to make the company appear profitable.
ReplyDeleteNo they don't.
ReplyDeleteA PG version would suck, though.
ReplyDeleteEvidently it was all about the Undertaker shocked dude's head exploding. Too violent! Give me break.
ReplyDeletedepends on the wrestler. Some may grin and bear it. Lower card guys might be able to make more doing indies (a lower card guy only makes 100k now BEFORE expenses). And some guys may tell WWE to fuck off out of simple pride. Try acting, UFC, running an auto dealership like Meng does. Who knows. But some talent would walk.
ReplyDeleteI liked my idea of copying Madden Nation and having people play the 2k15 game in a tournament and having them meet superstars and such. It'd be fun to watch, I think.
ReplyDeleteSo you're saying just keep offering the stuff that they already know isn't enough to make the network profitable?
ReplyDelete