Thought you and the BOD would appreciate this: Harvard Business Review and a love letter to WWE storytelling:
As to their conclusion , if the phrase "hijacking the show" becomes a thing, then you're doing a shitty job of listening to the fanbase.
Thought you and the BOD would appreciate this: Harvard Business Review and a love letter to WWE storytelling:
As to their conclusion , if the phrase "hijacking the show" becomes a thing, then you're doing a shitty job of listening to the fanbase.
I can't believe people still give the benefit of the doubt to the WWE, as if this Bryan stuff is all an angle. Remember, the WWE's original plan had Bryan still brainwashed by Bray Wyatt at this point.
ReplyDeleteRaw has is down a million viewers since the Batista return episode. The crowd "(live & at home) is rejecting everything.
I don't understand why it's so hard to just give Bryan the belt and see what happens. Bryan as the underdog champion vs. heel monster Batista is so easy! And it's right there!
Indeed though they were really just following in step with how most crowds treated them. But after going through my WCW librabry recording to DVD (which thanks to the WWE Network I wasted lots in Bill Me Later auction wins) they are fun just because they are different. Different look, different announcers, different wrestlers, nostalgia. Even the awful shows of which there were many are fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteAnd if he beats Batista, they make a deal with the devil and negotiate with Heyman for BROCK's services.
ReplyDeleteYup. And Bryan beats the via wrestling and intelligence like Bret used to do or with a lucky shot like Shawn used to do with his super kick.
ReplyDeleteWell if they don't want it anymore why not go do something else?
ReplyDeleteThey've tried to their hand at several ventures before. It never works out.
ReplyDeleteNot quite on topic, but Bryan busting out a superkick in the match with Orton was pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI did get the feeling watch Raw that Daniel Bryan's win was a way to shut the fans up, and Orton will be keeping the belt until WrestleMania.
ReplyDeleteHey, if they want to have 70,000 people shit all over the main event of WrestleMania XXX like it's Brock/Goldberg, it'll make for fascinating television.
Not to get to far into fantasy booking but the ultimate MONEY scenario is that the authority boots out Orton and makes a devil with the devil to bring in Brock as their corporate champ. Bryan somehow gets a title shot and it's Bryan vs Brock with the authority for the title. Would be the ULTIMATE underdog match an would hit 4.5 stars
ReplyDeleteShawn also won a *lot* with intelligence and/or perseverance… including that time he suckered Batista with a fake knee injury.
ReplyDeleteHard to go wrong with the Sting/Vader formula there.
ReplyDeleteBatista/Bryan would be decent, I imagine Bryan could carry him to *** or so. Lesnar/Bryan has the potential to be fucking spectacular though.
You're right. I guess I was referring to younger Shawn.
ReplyDeleteA petition eh, this should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the only time in history you will ever see Johnny Ace lead Undertaker through a match.
ReplyDeleteIt would be such money. Just play up Brock being an unbeatable monster with the authority having his back as you position Bryan as the underdog. Have Bryan tap out Brock as you count all the money you just made. Wrestling booking 101 but it'd be fantastic. The match also as you mentioned could be specta5
ReplyDeleteThe funniest part was before The Freebirds came out when Gary started the intro by announcing "and their opponents" and the crowd popped before The Freebirds' music even started playing, that's fucking harsh.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why we didn't get there... OH RIGHT BATISTA.
ReplyDeleteInternet petitions never fucking work.
ReplyDeleteCC is a great show!
ReplyDeleteSHIT! That explains why my "AJ Lee must blow Parallax" has not yet produced results!
ReplyDeleteBryan/Brock is definitely the ultimate money match...I suggested Bryan/Batista because I believe Batista HAS to main event WrestleMania, per the contract he signed.
ReplyDeleteIf they just promised it to him (and not in writing), then do Bryan/Brock.
Either way underdog Bryan vs. heel monster = $$$$$
So of course, he'll job to Triple H.
A motivated Batista (like 2007, when he was angry about going on early with Taker) could hit **** easy with Bryan.
ReplyDeleteBryan/Lesnar would be so awesome that we'd have increase the star system to ******
I may be projecting my hatred for a work drama I'm currently enduring in my comment.
ReplyDeleteNEVER. FUCKING. WORK.
"A WhiteHouse.gov petition to get President Obama to intervene in putting Daniel Bryan in the main event of Wrestlemania was taken down after nearing 100,000 signatures."
ReplyDeleteLOL. Wow. Just...I can't even grasp the stupidity of this.
LOL, are you a software developer? They love their internet petitions.
ReplyDeleteDid they do a macho man day petition or some shit awhile ago?
ReplyDeleteDude, I've defended the Batista return since 1 day and am a fan overall but within 3 weeks if his return I'm already annoyed with him and his role. Thanks wwe
ReplyDeleteThe McMahon's ARE a corporate entity now. That's the fucking problem.
ReplyDeletePeople have used that for much, much dumber petitions. If you want to do something as a fan to get the WWE's attention, I can think of worse ways. Obviously they know that the White House isn't going to change a wrestling show's main event.
ReplyDelete"Well if they don't want it anymore why not go do something else?"
ReplyDeleteBecause there's always money in the banana stand.
Whoever told you that they don't want it anymore was lying to you.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand where the "If they don't want it anymore" comes in. Whoever said the McMahon family is no longer interested in running the WWE?
ReplyDeleteI guess I just don't agree that the hijacking of the show proves they aren't listening to the fans. First of all, Scott, as you have correctly noted: Punk quit! They had him slotted in one of the top matches, and he didn't want to do it. His call.
ReplyDeleteSecond, as I've written a few times, this kind of outright meta trolling of us is a borderline stroke of genius as long as they can pay it off. (And we know they can, as witnessed by the build to Summerslam.) No story-telling device they could use builds that kind of heat.
If they don't do anything with it? Then I'll eat my words, though this isn't a prediction of what they will or won't do. But creating a situation where the fans "hijack the show," in and of itself, is only a bad spot to be in if you don't know what to do with it.
Dude, something just hit me. On Raw Monday, Batista was all, "I ain't got no problem with you del Rio?" But two weeks ago, didn't he come out and powerbomb Del Rio after his match? That seems like a guy with a problem to me.
ReplyDeleteAlso they just need to make Batista heel.
No, teacher.
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with any creative shortcomings.
ReplyDeleteSo you're saying that we should let it play out?
ReplyDelete*Wink*
ReplyDeleteI'm conflicted on the show hijacking thing but you lay out some great points. My counter: with it being essentially written into Batistas contract he gets a WM title match, do you really see them changing course? It would be advantageous for them to do so but I don't think it's happening.
ReplyDeleteSo what is Brock doing now? He declared himself number one contender before the Rumble and he's not getting a title match at the Elimination Chamber? Yeah, this makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteThey really need to stop writing that stuff into contracts. Very WCW of them.
ReplyDeleteIs the contract thing confirmed?
ReplyDeleteThat's true, but they're a good indicator as to where a certain portion of the audience stands.
ReplyDeleteSuch horrible continuity. He says he wants a shot, says he'll take a match with Batista instead. Is told no, beats up the Rhodes boys and leaves again for weeks? Very silly.
ReplyDeleteThey should put the belt on him. Why should the champ be working a full schedule?
Exactly. Someone made a good point of saying they won't turn him until he gets all the movie promotion stuff out of his system, but a corporate heel Batista would be infinitely better then what we have now.
ReplyDeleteJust bc it hasn't been said in awhile: Cena vs Taker or GTFO
We'll see where it goes.
ReplyDeleteNote to WWE.com — your 'epic main event' ceases to be epic when we've seen it for three straight months, on top of the previous ten years of confrontations.
ReplyDeleteThey haven't done anything with it for six months, and the original plan was never to do anything with it. That's pretty far from genius.
ReplyDeleteThey got a fucking death star petition on Obama's desk
ReplyDeleteThat stupid one that got bodychecking banned in kids hockey did
ReplyDeleteSummerslam, which Bryan headlined, was less than six months ago and Bryan was in the main event for several months after that, so you might want to check that math.
ReplyDeleteAnd you have no idea what their plans were. Neither do I. Neither does Scott. Neither does Dave Metzler.
Considering we're on the build to Wrestlemania, yes, you should.
ReplyDeleteI know that's become the cute, snarky little quip, but it's not a bad idea sometimes.
I got the feeling that they're continuing to job out the champion because they have no need to keep him strong, because he won't be the champion at Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteWhy does it follow that just because he asked for a title shot, he gets one?
ReplyDeleteHe asked for the match with Orton or Batista, didn't get it, so he wreaked havoc.
If the goal is to get to a Brock/Taker match as rumored, having Brock continue to demand things and destroy whoever he wants when he doesn't get it, only to have Taker return to stand up to him, isn't a bad way to go.
Theoretically, everyone should be gunning for the title, but not everyone can have it of course. So having an unhinged beast destroy everything in sight when he doesn't get his way sounds like a pretty good way to incorporate Taker into the WM fold.
Maybe Vince is losing his memory.
ReplyDeleteAnother satisfied customer.
ReplyDeleteThe angle, which stated after mitb has been going on for six months but thanks for checking my math incorrectly. Count with me if your too slow to get there in your head. August, September, October, November, December, January.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, those ppvs he main evented are what people are talking about when they say the wwe hasn't done shit with the program. The Orton screw jobs lead to the wyatt thing which led to the fan revolt at the rumble. No one wanted to see Orton get the title through nefarious means, with hhh verbally burying Daniel Bryan never be paid off. We sat through a raw where nearly living former champion had to get in the ring while hhh was declared the greatest champ ever. That was never paid off. We had to sit through a contract signing where hhh buried Daniel Bryan, randy Orton and the entire roster. That was never paid off. Nothing has paid off.
I agree you have no idea what their plans are. I have some idea because I read WON. Meltzer has a much better idea because he talks to people in the company every day. If you want to sit around and act like the wwe purposely ruined the royal rumble to push an angle they didn't want to do in the first place go for it. Don't let me stop you. I live on planet earth though so I can't think like that.
Nice atmosphere but not a great show and awful announcing.
ReplyDeleteThe new look blog look is pretty awful
ReplyDeleteHeatwave 98 is damn good stuff
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteSupposedly they even did it for Jericho when he came back in 2007.
ReplyDeleteUsually the champion jobs out and wins at the PPV.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they're changing course from Batista. I think they're changing course from Orton.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Batista was an example of them not listening to the fans or trolling us. I think it was a miscalculation.
The angle started after mitb, but yeah you're wrong either way. Thanks for playing the contrarian. I just wish you were good at though. It would have made this thread more interesting.
ReplyDeleteWow brilliant point. It is okay for six months of TV to suck if one show is good!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on that.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as someone makes that point, I'll let you know.
Oh hush. it's not Snarky, it's Blog of Doom-y.
ReplyDeleteMy question too. We keep talking about it, but I think we all just assumed that and there's no actual evidence.
ReplyDeleteOK, it started after MITB. So it's barely more than six months, and he was still in the main event through November.
ReplyDeleteAgain: I wasn't making a judgment on specific events, but rather on the general idea of trolling the fans being effective heeldom. (And it is; their mistake has been in abandoning it at times.)
But if they were to have planned on Bryan in the WM main event, getting him away from the title picture in the off months would be the smart thing. It's not that different than what they did with Austin in 1998: he dropped the title in September, was alternately occupied with Taker/Kane and McMahon while playing a secondary role at best in the title picture while Rock and Mankind feuded over it, was preoccupied with Paul Wight when he debuted, not solidifying his WM main event spot until January.
Again: I'm not saying now, nor was I ever saying, that this was always their plan. I have no idea what their plan is, and whatever rumors you've read are just that: rumors. I'm glad you enjoy WON, but that's not exactly legitimate journalism. If someone told you it was, they lied to you.
Batista's not that hard to carry when he's in shape, seeing as he's actually a good worker. I don't know if he's ever sniffed *****, but he's hung around ****+ loads of times.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of that going around.
ReplyDeleteI've been at happy hour long enough to not really interpret this statement, but your posts are articulate and pretty well though out. I'll agree
ReplyDeleteI knew that was one of the good ones, couldn't remember if it was 98 or 99 though. So there's that, Barely Legal, and... I got nothing else here, IIRC all the rest were a dumpster fire.
ReplyDeleteEven Ray Charles could see once they started with Orton as Champion that Bryan wasn't going to get the belt until he was in a match where he couldn't be screwed -- Hell in the Cell -- which helps explain why there was no interest in Night of Champions or Battleground. They might as well have kept Bryan out of the title picture; have Orton defend in those ppvs against the likes of the Big Show or Dolph Ziggler while Bryan earned the right to get in the ring with Orton at Hell in the Cell.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, putting Bryan in situations just to screw him isn't really doing much with him.
...only a bad spot to be in if you don't know what to do with
ReplyDeleteit.
So it's a "bad spot" then is what you're saying?
It's too bright.
ReplyDeleteIt's what's best for business.
ReplyDeleteWas there ever a time in your life where you thought, "John Cena v. Randy Orton. I've GOT to see THAT!"
ReplyDeleteCause the answer for me is, "No, never."
Word from last Monday's show was they rewrote the show and put Daniel Bryan in the opening segment -- then guaranteed him in the final segment -- to keep the fans from hijacking the show like they did at the Rumble. So it doesn't sound to me like they're purposefully creating a situation they have a handle on.
ReplyDeleteWhich show was good again?
ReplyDeleteI think the best we can hope for is a Bryan/Batista/Orton three way. Or the Batista/Orton match and a Bryan/HHH match.
ReplyDeleteThe Cena v. Taker dream is dead. And that makes me sad.
ReplyDeleteWasn't me.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is why they treat us like children. The government and WWE.
ReplyDeleteLook at how we're discussing a MAIN EVENT of Wrestlemania. What the fuck are they thinking when their proposed World Title match has to be discussed in terms of how best to hide it to avoid mass audience revolt? There's not listening to the fans and then there's THIS. It makes no fucking sense! Orton's heat has died due to The Authority angle and the fans are already shitting on Batista to the point he has to cut in-commercial promos praising the home-towns sports teams. How can they possibly think a Batista/Orton match is the way to go at 'Mania at this point?
ReplyDeleteIt is literally the Skinner quote: "No Seymour, it's the children who are wrong." Except instead of a comedically naive school principal, it's people who run a multi-million dollar business. I just don't get it.
The guy who loses at the PPV usually gets the upper hand in some way going in, but the WWE champion outright jobbing cleanly in a singles match? That doesn't really happen much, no.
ReplyDeleteI stopped reading after I saw that. I have no words.
ReplyDelete8 to 10 years ago it was a dream match.
ReplyDeleteToday, it's a bathroom break.
I still have to assume there will be SOME type of editing on the Owen show. Not sure what, but I just feel like there has to be something.
ReplyDeleteThe same day Caliber came back. Coincidence?
ReplyDeleteI'm starting a petition to have Tarkin main event WrestleMania.
ReplyDelete"Job? In our moment of triumph?"
Speaking of storytelling, I'm using '90s-era WWF matches as my background noise at work, and it's interesting to hear how they milked 1-2-3 Kid's win over Razor Ramon on RAW for months to create multiple storylines and make Kid a star ... as compared to, say, Kofi Kingston's win over Orton on RAW a few weeks ago that is already almost forgotten in WWE lore and has done nothing for Kofi's character/push.
ReplyDeleteEven today, 20 years after the match, you put "123 Kid" into Bing/Google and "Razor Ramon" pops up in the suggestions. Not so much for Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton.
Fuck WM 12, 15, 27, 28, and 29 too.
ReplyDelete(Author of the HBR piece linked above) Well...I don't quite think it was a love letter to WWE's actual storytelling but rather the potential a company like WWE has IN their storytelling. The thing about WWE is that...unlike any other type of entertainment show...the plot is still being written while fans are reacting in real time. So it's TBD whether there's a payoff to all of this or not. After all, that's why fans are protesting...After many months of it seeming clear that the "The Authority is trying to keep Daniel Bryan from the title" storyline is actually a little too close to mirroring "in real life," his fans have gotten especially restless. Even if WWE's original plans were to keep Bryan away from the title after his many months of chasing, that doesn't mean fan reaction might not sway them...So there seems to me to be a window of opportunity here before the WWE Network launch and the impending Wrestlemania in which WWE could capitalize on the fan passion and the outrage to do something with it. (Perhaps not on the Punk side of the equation, depending on the whole story there, but particularly on the Bryan side.)
ReplyDeleteAs for me, if the Batista contract thing is true and Punk isn't coming back anytime soon...seems one creative decision way out would be to have Bryan defy the odds and win Elimination Chamber despite "Authority" shenanigans...then turn Batista heel with The Authority getting behind him, trying to make sure Bryan walks out of Wrestlemania without the belt. Meanwhile, Orton--livid at having "Authority" attention shifted to Batista and being outted--could be slotted into the HHH match at WM. Seems that a.) Batista's much better at playing heel and was actually quite liked by a good portion of the fan base as a heel at the point he left and b.) they could then make "Batista got a guarantee to come back in at the top, which was a conspiracy between he and The Authority from the beginning" a part of the story, and even some of the very real sentiment that WWE is giving part-timers like Batista the chance to waltz back in and trample over the top of guys who have been there for a long time.
Hmmm, as I've heard, they want away from "wrestling" to "entertainment", which is very strange considering the WWE is a wrestling league in the first place...
ReplyDeleteOr the other PPV where she intentionally flashed a nipple during the bikini contest with Sable. Also Armageddon 99 where Kat flashed her tits after the match. Wonder if they'll remove that?
ReplyDeleteYou forget WM9!
ReplyDeleteaccording to Jim Ross: "It's an old school philosophy. The champion losing non title bouts gives the impression that the title holder is vulnerable and ripe for the pickings."
ReplyDeletebtw: the same happens if you enter "wwf barry horowitz".
ReplyDeleteYes I think the main problem is, that their "real" backstage politics are better than their "in ring" stories and with Bryan screwed all the time, they actually buiilding the expectations of the fans that in the end, he will win the big one at Wrestlemania. Like they did with Austin in 99 leading to him beating The Rock (and remember, Austin also didn't won the Rumble 99). But compared to back then, we can't be sure about it today, because it could be actually real that they really don't want Bryan to be the face of the company at all.
ReplyDelete