This guy has a pretty unique analysis of the TNA show. He was a long-time TV exec, so he looks at the ratings to analyse the show, and the conclusions he comes to seem pretty spot-on. Lots of numbers early on, but it gets better. Check it out.
Inside the Behrens Bubble
- Clown
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Tell me why I don't like Mondays...
Raw wasn't great this week but there was a couple of impressive debut matches from some of the 'rookies', especially Brian Danielson. He was never going to win, but looked good none the less.
Then there's Sheamus, the angry Irishman. He ticks a few of the stereotypical boxes such as calling people 'Fella', Christian imagery on his outfit, pasty complexion and ginger hair - I guess he has much to be angry about, all things considered. Watching him run in on a weekly basis, kick someone in the head, look smug and then exit again is just getting a little tedious.
I watched Raw this week in the company of Mr Socko of Mr Socko's Pro Wrestling Review fame and we both came to the conclusion that Smackdown is turning into a bit of a dumping ground for shite stars (Jack Swagger, Undertaker, Kane, Big Show etc.) and that WWE in general is just getting somewhat... tame.
Onwards and upwards then, TNA impact on the same day. TNA has been on the up again for a while now so surely nothing could stop this train from coming off the track, could it? The show for me started with great work from Jay Lethal and the very convincing Ric Flair impersonation he did (obviously only if you keep your eyes closed) who has started to make a bit of a name for himself lately, but when he had flair where he should have been the typically boring free for all started which was a good moment for Hogan to come in and steal the spotlight as usual. One of the biggest surprises for me regarding flair this week is the fact that he didn't bleed at all; has he finally bled himself dry?
Knockouts - Fast forward time. However, at the end of this match, Tara (or is it Tera?) pretty much announced that she's off, so that's a bonus.
Mr. Anderson was pretty amusing as always, Jeff Hardy looked bloated, drugs taking their toll perchance.
The band... Embarrassing as always and now they have a new member to change their incontinence pants and wipe the dribble from their mouths, Eric Young. If you include Sean Waltman, they have a combined age of 170 - scrape that barrel baby.
Orlando Jordan and the O-Zone - hmm, don't ask.
Desmond Wolfe challenging RVD was simply disappointing, it could have been a classic if Hulk didn't need to steal the spotlight one more time with Sting.
I'd give it maybe 5/10, but I'm feeling generous - I agree with Clown - good in the middle, but shite elsewhere.
Then there's Sheamus, the angry Irishman. He ticks a few of the stereotypical boxes such as calling people 'Fella', Christian imagery on his outfit, pasty complexion and ginger hair - I guess he has much to be angry about, all things considered. Watching him run in on a weekly basis, kick someone in the head, look smug and then exit again is just getting a little tedious.
I watched Raw this week in the company of Mr Socko of Mr Socko's Pro Wrestling Review fame and we both came to the conclusion that Smackdown is turning into a bit of a dumping ground for shite stars (Jack Swagger, Undertaker, Kane, Big Show etc.) and that WWE in general is just getting somewhat... tame.
Onwards and upwards then, TNA impact on the same day. TNA has been on the up again for a while now so surely nothing could stop this train from coming off the track, could it? The show for me started with great work from Jay Lethal and the very convincing Ric Flair impersonation he did (obviously only if you keep your eyes closed) who has started to make a bit of a name for himself lately, but when he had flair where he should have been the typically boring free for all started which was a good moment for Hogan to come in and steal the spotlight as usual. One of the biggest surprises for me regarding flair this week is the fact that he didn't bleed at all; has he finally bled himself dry?
Knockouts - Fast forward time. However, at the end of this match, Tara (or is it Tera?) pretty much announced that she's off, so that's a bonus.
Mr. Anderson was pretty amusing as always, Jeff Hardy looked bloated, drugs taking their toll perchance.
The band... Embarrassing as always and now they have a new member to change their incontinence pants and wipe the dribble from their mouths, Eric Young. If you include Sean Waltman, they have a combined age of 170 - scrape that barrel baby.
Orlando Jordan and the O-Zone - hmm, don't ask.
Desmond Wolfe challenging RVD was simply disappointing, it could have been a classic if Hulk didn't need to steal the spotlight one more time with Sting.
I'd give it maybe 5/10, but I'm feeling generous - I agree with Clown - good in the middle, but shite elsewhere.
Review: TNA Impact! 3rd May
I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet because the clown from outta town, if that is his real name, summed the show up pretty perfect.
Some points:
1) Desmond Wolfe versus RVD was a big anti-climax. It seems that the number one contender poll is just a vote as to who will be RVD's next jobber.
2) Joe was awesome, why the hell isn't he being pushed?
3) Orlando Jordan is apparently being sued by Goldust for plagiarism.
4) Who's that old guy who came in who looks like Kevin Nash?
5) Who's that old guy who came in who looks like Razor Ramone?
6) TNA listens to its fans, which is why they are going back to Thursdays.
7) With Tara's contract up, I wonder if she'll win her career match?
8) Lacey von Eric might be a post-op transexual.
9) With EY joining the Band and Nash holding the feast or fire case, the Band are more likely to get a push as tag title holders than get booted of the air.
10) Jay Lethal makes a good Nature Boy.
Listen to this fan. No one cares about WCW. No one cares about feuds from 15 years ago. Raw and TNA are both turning into 'wrestling lite'.
Some points:
1) Desmond Wolfe versus RVD was a big anti-climax. It seems that the number one contender poll is just a vote as to who will be RVD's next jobber.
2) Joe was awesome, why the hell isn't he being pushed?
3) Orlando Jordan is apparently being sued by Goldust for plagiarism.
4) Who's that old guy who came in who looks like Kevin Nash?
5) Who's that old guy who came in who looks like Razor Ramone?
6) TNA listens to its fans, which is why they are going back to Thursdays.
7) With Tara's contract up, I wonder if she'll win her career match?
8) Lacey von Eric might be a post-op transexual.
9) With EY joining the Band and Nash holding the feast or fire case, the Band are more likely to get a push as tag title holders than get booted of the air.
10) Jay Lethal makes a good Nature Boy.
Listen to this fan. No one cares about WCW. No one cares about feuds from 15 years ago. Raw and TNA are both turning into 'wrestling lite'.
The Clown from Outta Town - May 3rd iMPACT
Apparently, I'm 'Gonzo', whatever that means. Anyway, here's iMPACT:
1:36 - First thing you see is two old men talking in a car. FFS. I tuned into wrestling, not Grumpy Old Men. Start with a bang for once. Start with Joe vs Red. Start with Pope vs Wolfe. Start with Jesse Neal + Shannon Moore vs 3D. Anything but blah blah blah old men who don't wrestle.
2:20 - I can't stand the new theme tune. It's a tune WWE would have for their D show.
3:24 - The Summit between Hogan & Sting. No way will Jarrett intervene. That's inconceivable.
3:55 - Hahaha, they're running from Mondays with their tails between their legs.
4:12 - TNA Reaction? Hopefully it'll be just the X-Division + tag teams...
5:29 - New Jay Lethal gimmick :D Hopefully this is the start of the push he deserves.
8:40 - I'm in stitches. Here comes the real Flair...this is either going to get better or much, much worse.
10:44 - Ugh, soap opera drama.
13:29 - And a pointless beatdown. Sigh.
13:55 - And here comes the monster :D
14:11 - Well, that didn't last long...
14:20 - And here's the artillery :D
15:02 - Wait, what? The Monster Abyss - no fear. Team 3D - no fear. RVD (the smallest guy there) - run like frightened bunnies? WTF??
15:24 - So, awesome promo, ruined by an old ex-wrestler talking, followed by disproportionately putting a new, big-name signing over when it would have been better to have established stars do it? Christ, that's a microcosm of the entire fucking company.
15:30 - FUCK OFF I DON'T CARE ABOUT OLD MEN IN CARS
18:45 - Oh god, more brawling. Here's an idea - why not schedule a wrestling match for your wrestling show?
19:24 - So let me get this straight - Hogan was driving AWAY from the iMPACT Zone for 15 minutes, then turned the car around and made it back to the arena in 4 minutes?? What the fuck is this shit?
21:31 - FUCK YEAH DESMOND WOLFE GETS A MATCH! Please be Joe please be Joe please be Joe
21:42 - Oh no, he's just going to be putting RVD over. FFS. At least it's a title shot I guess.
22:03 - Monster's Ball on iMPACT? Nice :)
22:36 - 3 way tag match...also nice :)
23:00 - Ok, they're putting together a decent show - but why the hell did they waste 20+ mins on drama when they could have gone right into it?
24:04 - Did Velvet get new implants? Tits seem bigger than usual.
24:44 - Yay, Douggie :)
26:07 - Yay, Jesse :)
26:33 - Countdown to Morgan commencing...
27:51 - Whoomp there it is
27:56 - HOLY SHIT FLYING FOOTSTOMP he looked like he actually stomped his head
30:21 - Was that Jesse's first pin? Awww, they grow up so fast :3
30:56 - JOE JOE JOE JOE
31:39 - FUCK YEAH MUSCLE BUSTER
32:07 - He's got the mic! TELL 'EM, JOE
32:17 - Best promo ever :D FUCK YEAH JOE
38:00 - As bored as I am of Mr Anderson...the choirboy outfit is hilarious.
46:05 - Oh wow, comedy pants. What an amazing gimmick. Anderson is truly awesome.
46:49 - Knockouts - fast forwarding.
53:15 - Awesomeness incoming.
57:52 - Sigh. Hall & Nash. Good match ruined by old men who haven't been relevant in years. Again.
58:51 - Woo, Eric Young in The Band! Finally, they have someone worth mentioning. I hope he's the leader.
60:11 - The O Zone. I'll check it out this week, but I have a sneaky suspicion this is the future star of fast forwarding.
63:48 - Oh, hopefully it's a one-off.
65:15 - Monsters Ball :D
65:42 - I keep hearing AJ's music and being like - Yay, AJ :D Then I remember the stupid highlights, the ridiculous earrings, and the fact that Flair is never far behind, and I'm like - Oh. Yeah. :(
71:14 - AJ wins fair and square :)
71:58 - Desmond v RVD. Lets go Desmond *clap clap clap clap*
72:39 - I like RVD, but it's starting to annoy me how much TNA *want* me to like him.
76:00 - Disappointing match. Dissapointingly short too.
77:45 - Tenay just hit the nail on the head. WCW was over a decade ago. Which is EXACTLY FUCKING WHY they shouldn't be shortening a potentially amazing match to see two old men talk to each other about something nobody gives a fuck about any more.
79:19 - Everyone's been anticipating this for months? Are you fucking mad? NOBODY CARES, WE WANT WRESTLING
83:39 - DO IT STING
84:12 - This iMPACT was like a bacon, turkey, stuffing and mayonaise sandwich, made with the cheapest brown bread available. The middle was fucking awesome, but the stuff either side of it was substandard. Fire Russo. Fire Bishoff.
1:36 - First thing you see is two old men talking in a car. FFS. I tuned into wrestling, not Grumpy Old Men. Start with a bang for once. Start with Joe vs Red. Start with Pope vs Wolfe. Start with Jesse Neal + Shannon Moore vs 3D. Anything but blah blah blah old men who don't wrestle.
2:20 - I can't stand the new theme tune. It's a tune WWE would have for their D show.
3:24 - The Summit between Hogan & Sting. No way will Jarrett intervene. That's inconceivable.
3:55 - Hahaha, they're running from Mondays with their tails between their legs.
4:12 - TNA Reaction? Hopefully it'll be just the X-Division + tag teams...
5:29 - New Jay Lethal gimmick :D Hopefully this is the start of the push he deserves.
8:40 - I'm in stitches. Here comes the real Flair...this is either going to get better or much, much worse.
10:44 - Ugh, soap opera drama.
13:29 - And a pointless beatdown. Sigh.
13:55 - And here comes the monster :D
14:11 - Well, that didn't last long...
14:20 - And here's the artillery :D
15:02 - Wait, what? The Monster Abyss - no fear. Team 3D - no fear. RVD (the smallest guy there) - run like frightened bunnies? WTF??
15:24 - So, awesome promo, ruined by an old ex-wrestler talking, followed by disproportionately putting a new, big-name signing over when it would have been better to have established stars do it? Christ, that's a microcosm of the entire fucking company.
15:30 - FUCK OFF I DON'T CARE ABOUT OLD MEN IN CARS
18:45 - Oh god, more brawling. Here's an idea - why not schedule a wrestling match for your wrestling show?
19:24 - So let me get this straight - Hogan was driving AWAY from the iMPACT Zone for 15 minutes, then turned the car around and made it back to the arena in 4 minutes?? What the fuck is this shit?
21:31 - FUCK YEAH DESMOND WOLFE GETS A MATCH! Please be Joe please be Joe please be Joe
21:42 - Oh no, he's just going to be putting RVD over. FFS. At least it's a title shot I guess.
22:03 - Monster's Ball on iMPACT? Nice :)
22:36 - 3 way tag match...also nice :)
23:00 - Ok, they're putting together a decent show - but why the hell did they waste 20+ mins on drama when they could have gone right into it?
24:04 - Did Velvet get new implants? Tits seem bigger than usual.
24:44 - Yay, Douggie :)
26:07 - Yay, Jesse :)
26:33 - Countdown to Morgan commencing...
27:51 - Whoomp there it is
27:56 - HOLY SHIT FLYING FOOTSTOMP he looked like he actually stomped his head
30:21 - Was that Jesse's first pin? Awww, they grow up so fast :3
30:56 - JOE JOE JOE JOE
31:39 - FUCK YEAH MUSCLE BUSTER
32:07 - He's got the mic! TELL 'EM, JOE
32:17 - Best promo ever :D FUCK YEAH JOE
38:00 - As bored as I am of Mr Anderson...the choirboy outfit is hilarious.
46:05 - Oh wow, comedy pants. What an amazing gimmick. Anderson is truly awesome.
46:49 - Knockouts - fast forwarding.
53:15 - Awesomeness incoming.
57:52 - Sigh. Hall & Nash. Good match ruined by old men who haven't been relevant in years. Again.
58:51 - Woo, Eric Young in The Band! Finally, they have someone worth mentioning. I hope he's the leader.
60:11 - The O Zone. I'll check it out this week, but I have a sneaky suspicion this is the future star of fast forwarding.
63:48 - Oh, hopefully it's a one-off.
65:15 - Monsters Ball :D
65:42 - I keep hearing AJ's music and being like - Yay, AJ :D Then I remember the stupid highlights, the ridiculous earrings, and the fact that Flair is never far behind, and I'm like - Oh. Yeah. :(
71:14 - AJ wins fair and square :)
71:58 - Desmond v RVD. Lets go Desmond *clap clap clap clap*
72:39 - I like RVD, but it's starting to annoy me how much TNA *want* me to like him.
76:00 - Disappointing match. Dissapointingly short too.
77:45 - Tenay just hit the nail on the head. WCW was over a decade ago. Which is EXACTLY FUCKING WHY they shouldn't be shortening a potentially amazing match to see two old men talk to each other about something nobody gives a fuck about any more.
79:19 - Everyone's been anticipating this for months? Are you fucking mad? NOBODY CARES, WE WANT WRESTLING
83:39 - DO IT STING
84:12 - This iMPACT was like a bacon, turkey, stuffing and mayonaise sandwich, made with the cheapest brown bread available. The middle was fucking awesome, but the stuff either side of it was substandard. Fire Russo. Fire Bishoff.
Review: WWE Raw, 3rd May
I'll admit it, I'm niave. I thought for some strange reason that the draft would shake up Raw and make into a great product. Instead, it was predictable and boring.
The night opened with number one contender Batista coming out to talk to the crowd about being number one contender (again), he talked some more, and some more. Sheamus came out and they talked... and talked some more.
It was announced that Batista would fight the Miz and Cena would fight Jericho in a time limit match. The one who pinned their opponent in the fastest time got to pick the stipulation of the championship match at the next PPV.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Miz came out to have his match with Batista, but instead of the Miz he decided to put in "rookie" Brian Danielson. Then Batista talked about more. Batista's boring enough as it is, without having to put up with 15 minutes of him talking shit (no kidding, and this is without adverts). I think Danielson is a great wrestler and although he jobbed for Batista he put on a decent match which was ruined to some extent by bad announcing, talking about him as he'd only been wrestling a few months. Batista then did a whole bunch of Batista Bombs on Danielson for some reason. 25 minutes in, 5 minutes of match time.
There was a backstage slot with Edge talking about how the WWE won't show any of his old promos or matches because he's Rated R and Raw is rated PG. He returned later in the night with the Cutting Edge which he promised would be controversial and rated R... it was neither.
Next we had a match between John Morrison and Ted Diabose coming in off the back of Diabose offering R Truth a job as the new Virgil. The match was a predictable set-up for Morrison as a face. The match ended within about a minute with Dibiose being counted out. Morrison took the mic and invited Dibiose back to the ring explaining that he didn't want his Raw debut to end like that and said that if he lost he would be the new Virgil. I think Dibiase should have walked back to the locker room at this point, making Morrison look like a prick. But as Morrison is blatently being pushed as the next Shawn Michaels, Dibiase gets back in the ring. The match was fantastic, easily on the level of a Kurt Angle main event; a match full of drama with both athletes pushing their bodies to the limit. The match ended with Morrison tapping out to a Million Dollar Dream and Morrison conceded defeat and agreed to become the new Virgil... oh wait, that didn't happen. Morrison predictably won in a mediocre 4 minute match. 40 minutes in, total 10 minutes of match time.
Next up we have Cena versus Jericho. Jericho wouldn't do the same thing as the Miz and bring his rookie Wade Bennett out for the match instead would he? Oh, he would... for fuck's sake. Again, after some dull mic work, Wade jobs for Cena with a tap-out in 4 minutes. 50 minutes in, total 14 minutes of match time. The Sheamus comes in a hits Cena; God this guys really starting to piss me off fella.
Then there was a match between Jack Rider and Mark Henry, does anyone really care about this one. Bad match with two awful wrestlers. 3 minutes wasted. 1 hours 3 minutes in, 17 minutes of match time.
Cut to a promo with the Miz and Jericho becoming a tag team and sitting on a tag match between the Hart Dynasty and that Russian jobber and William Regal. In an upset... there was no upset, Hart Dynasty won in under 4 minutes. With the Miz and Jericho on the announce table for the this, I was suprised at the end of the match when they confirmed their intention to form a tag team, and the beat on the Hart Dynasty. 1 hour 13 minutes in, 21 minutes of match time.
I figured that with the Miz and Jericho teaming up they should pick a name which is a combination of both of their names. I think Jiz is the only name that works.
So the finale of the night, the rated R, controversial talk show with Edge. It was a tame cheap pop mic spot with the guest host (can't remember his name, don't care) and then a bit with Randy Orton. Edge suggested reforming Rated RKO. Orton just stood there. Edge started calling Orton naughty names (but not that naughty). Orton just stood there, Edge went for a spear and Orton did an RKO. Randy Orton? Randy Boreton, more like. This was another dull 15 minute segment which didn't really go anywhere.
WWE Raw: 21 minutes of match time. This is wrestling?
The night opened with number one contender Batista coming out to talk to the crowd about being number one contender (again), he talked some more, and some more. Sheamus came out and they talked... and talked some more.
It was announced that Batista would fight the Miz and Cena would fight Jericho in a time limit match. The one who pinned their opponent in the fastest time got to pick the stipulation of the championship match at the next PPV.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Miz came out to have his match with Batista, but instead of the Miz he decided to put in "rookie" Brian Danielson. Then Batista talked about more. Batista's boring enough as it is, without having to put up with 15 minutes of him talking shit (no kidding, and this is without adverts). I think Danielson is a great wrestler and although he jobbed for Batista he put on a decent match which was ruined to some extent by bad announcing, talking about him as he'd only been wrestling a few months. Batista then did a whole bunch of Batista Bombs on Danielson for some reason. 25 minutes in, 5 minutes of match time.
There was a backstage slot with Edge talking about how the WWE won't show any of his old promos or matches because he's Rated R and Raw is rated PG. He returned later in the night with the Cutting Edge which he promised would be controversial and rated R... it was neither.
Next we had a match between John Morrison and Ted Diabose coming in off the back of Diabose offering R Truth a job as the new Virgil. The match was a predictable set-up for Morrison as a face. The match ended within about a minute with Dibiose being counted out. Morrison took the mic and invited Dibiose back to the ring explaining that he didn't want his Raw debut to end like that and said that if he lost he would be the new Virgil. I think Dibiase should have walked back to the locker room at this point, making Morrison look like a prick. But as Morrison is blatently being pushed as the next Shawn Michaels, Dibiase gets back in the ring. The match was fantastic, easily on the level of a Kurt Angle main event; a match full of drama with both athletes pushing their bodies to the limit. The match ended with Morrison tapping out to a Million Dollar Dream and Morrison conceded defeat and agreed to become the new Virgil... oh wait, that didn't happen. Morrison predictably won in a mediocre 4 minute match. 40 minutes in, total 10 minutes of match time.
Next up we have Cena versus Jericho. Jericho wouldn't do the same thing as the Miz and bring his rookie Wade Bennett out for the match instead would he? Oh, he would... for fuck's sake. Again, after some dull mic work, Wade jobs for Cena with a tap-out in 4 minutes. 50 minutes in, total 14 minutes of match time. The Sheamus comes in a hits Cena; God this guys really starting to piss me off fella.
Then there was a match between Jack Rider and Mark Henry, does anyone really care about this one. Bad match with two awful wrestlers. 3 minutes wasted. 1 hours 3 minutes in, 17 minutes of match time.
Cut to a promo with the Miz and Jericho becoming a tag team and sitting on a tag match between the Hart Dynasty and that Russian jobber and William Regal. In an upset... there was no upset, Hart Dynasty won in under 4 minutes. With the Miz and Jericho on the announce table for the this, I was suprised at the end of the match when they confirmed their intention to form a tag team, and the beat on the Hart Dynasty. 1 hour 13 minutes in, 21 minutes of match time.
I figured that with the Miz and Jericho teaming up they should pick a name which is a combination of both of their names. I think Jiz is the only name that works.
So the finale of the night, the rated R, controversial talk show with Edge. It was a tame cheap pop mic spot with the guest host (can't remember his name, don't care) and then a bit with Randy Orton. Edge suggested reforming Rated RKO. Orton just stood there. Edge started calling Orton naughty names (but not that naughty). Orton just stood there, Edge went for a spear and Orton did an RKO. Randy Orton? Randy Boreton, more like. This was another dull 15 minute segment which didn't really go anywhere.
WWE Raw: 21 minutes of match time. This is wrestling?
Monday night wars, revisited.
In the mid-90s, WCW Nitro went head to head with Raw to creative one of the electrifying eras in mainstream wrestling history. With Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan coming to TNA, they thought that the business hadn't changed, they thought that they could take a large indy wrestling company and go head to head with Raw. On March 8th, TNA moved to Mondays. With poor ratings and the roster shuffling more than a terrorist in an airport, the revised Monday night wars went down with WWE barely breaking a sweat. It was like a well-liked kid in school, being told by some popular ex-students (who no one really gives a shit about anymore) that he could be the most popular. Instead of letting people warm to him slowly, he goes up to the most popular kid in school and taps him on the shoulder. The popular kid ignores him. The kid starts shouting and ranting at the most popular kid. The people who like him are confused, and people who didn't know him didn't get what people saw in him in the first place and everyone starts to ignore him.
I've said it before that TNA should think about making TNA a great company and strive to be the best it can as a unique product and not to try and compete with a rival when a lot of fans enjoy both products. By putting TNA on Mondays, Hogan et al shot themselves in the foot and have now got to run back to Thursdays with their tails between their legs. The fact is that America is obsessed with ratings, and it these ratings which directly affect advertising revenues and the willingness of a network to show them. So Raw is on the same time as TNA, fans will just download it, probably from a torrent site and not have to watch any adverts.
Anyway, announced on TNAwrestling.com is the news that on May 13th, TNA will be moving back to Thursday night. A decision which was made by Spike and is purely about ratings and revenue. Here's how it was spun on the site:
“Our fans made it clear that they preferred the Thursday night time period. By moving to Thursdays,” this is a win/win opportunity for both TNA and the fans. We are looking forward to delivering what the fans are asking for!" - Hmmm, I suppose it's not a good move for a company to admit that they did something stupid.
- Socko
I've said it before that TNA should think about making TNA a great company and strive to be the best it can as a unique product and not to try and compete with a rival when a lot of fans enjoy both products. By putting TNA on Mondays, Hogan et al shot themselves in the foot and have now got to run back to Thursdays with their tails between their legs. The fact is that America is obsessed with ratings, and it these ratings which directly affect advertising revenues and the willingness of a network to show them. So Raw is on the same time as TNA, fans will just download it, probably from a torrent site and not have to watch any adverts.
Anyway, announced on TNAwrestling.com is the news that on May 13th, TNA will be moving back to Thursday night. A decision which was made by Spike and is purely about ratings and revenue. Here's how it was spun on the site:
“Our fans made it clear that they preferred the Thursday night time period. By moving to Thursdays,” this is a win/win opportunity for both TNA and the fans. We are looking forward to delivering what the fans are asking for!" - Hmmm, I suppose it's not a good move for a company to admit that they did something stupid.
- Socko
Clown Says: The Vertigo of Wrestling
The WWE has lost it's appeal to me. It hasn't been interesting for a while, but now it's at the point where I can't even sit through an entire PPV. I stopped watching Wrestlemania three times to go on Youtube because the show was so dull, and I gave up on Extreme Rules altogether.
Many fans seem to agree. Lots of people complain about the 'PG Era', and want the 'Attitude Era' to return. That's not going to happen. The WWE is no longer owned outright by Vince McMahon, it is a publicly traded company. They have to do what the shareholders tell them to, by law. If the shareholders want a nice, family oriented show that they can talk about at their society dinners, then that's what the WWE has to make.
However, I've been thinking over the last couple of days that the WWE has the potential to make the best wrestling product in the world.
There is a market for a more adult-oriented wrestling show. This is a fact. There is a profit to be made in marketing a wrestling product at adults. So how can WWE, whose stockholders want a family oriented show, have a better chance than anyone else of making an adult-oriented show?
Consider Vertigo. DC Comics are a family comics company. They print titles like Batman, and Superman. Comics that parents buy for their kids because they bought the exact same comics when they were a kid. Many of those people would be horrified if DC started printing extreme graphic violence, swearing and blasphemy in their comics. They would either switch to one of DC's competitors, or stop reading comics all together. However, there is a large market for such comics, one that DC wanted to exploit. So what did they do?
They set up Vertigo. Vertigo is a comics company for adult and mature readers. That way, when little Timmy and his dad go to the comic store to buy this month's Superman comic, he doesn't see Preacher on the shelf next to it with a big old DC logo on the front cover (yes, it's been long out of print, but you get my point). In fact, Timmy may have never heard of Vertigo. If he has, he may not know it has anything to do with DC. Similarly, the kind of parents that would boycott a company like Vertigo may not know they have anything to do with DC. However, a large number of mature comic fans get the kind of stories they want - of course, all Vertigo fans know that it's a DC venture.
WWE could do the same thing with ECW. Picture this, one week Vince comes out to ECW and says that sadly, ECW isn't as profitable as they'd like and they're shutting it down. A few weeks later, ECW appears on the television schedules. It's in a different, much later, time slot. No mention of it is made on WWE shows or any of their website. Intrigued, you tune in. The first thing you see is Shane McMachon (or whoever) in the middle of the ring, with a microphone. He goes on to explain that the WWE is a family company, and their product has to be sanitized to be friendly to that audience. However, they know that the old fans don't want the same thing as the new fans. The old fans don't care about Divas, and soap opera, and pyros. The old fans, the real fans, just want to see great wrestling. That's what ECW is for. Even though the WWE will not officially acknowledge the fact on their programs, they want to give something back to the people who have carried them through thick and thin, and because of that a new era of ECW is born.
The new ECW puts on superb extreme wrestling matches. There's blood, there's swearing, weapons are used freely. Every match is no-DQ. The fans want to see weapons being used, and the new ECW isn't going to patronise them with the usual 'Oh look the ref's distracted! And oh, look, he's got a chair!'. They book great technical wrestlers, great high flyers, they bring in guys from Japan and Mexico but don't book them as 'sneaky salt-thrower' or 'petty criminal' but instead simply as great wrestlers. Everything that WWE is doing, ECW does the exact opposite. Instead of putting on shows in front of huge arenas, they put on shows in tiny arenas like the old ECW Arena, the Hammerstein Ballroom, etc.
Since only people who are really into wrestling would know that there's a connection, the shareholders wouldn't have to worry about being embarrassed by the content of the show. The adult fans get what they want. And best of all, there would be great wrestling on TV again. They wouldn't even have to use the ECW brand, they could create an all-new show for this purpose.
This is never going to happen. But the opportunity is there.
- Clown
Many fans seem to agree. Lots of people complain about the 'PG Era', and want the 'Attitude Era' to return. That's not going to happen. The WWE is no longer owned outright by Vince McMahon, it is a publicly traded company. They have to do what the shareholders tell them to, by law. If the shareholders want a nice, family oriented show that they can talk about at their society dinners, then that's what the WWE has to make.
However, I've been thinking over the last couple of days that the WWE has the potential to make the best wrestling product in the world.
There is a market for a more adult-oriented wrestling show. This is a fact. There is a profit to be made in marketing a wrestling product at adults. So how can WWE, whose stockholders want a family oriented show, have a better chance than anyone else of making an adult-oriented show?
Consider Vertigo. DC Comics are a family comics company. They print titles like Batman, and Superman. Comics that parents buy for their kids because they bought the exact same comics when they were a kid. Many of those people would be horrified if DC started printing extreme graphic violence, swearing and blasphemy in their comics. They would either switch to one of DC's competitors, or stop reading comics all together. However, there is a large market for such comics, one that DC wanted to exploit. So what did they do?
They set up Vertigo. Vertigo is a comics company for adult and mature readers. That way, when little Timmy and his dad go to the comic store to buy this month's Superman comic, he doesn't see Preacher on the shelf next to it with a big old DC logo on the front cover (yes, it's been long out of print, but you get my point). In fact, Timmy may have never heard of Vertigo. If he has, he may not know it has anything to do with DC. Similarly, the kind of parents that would boycott a company like Vertigo may not know they have anything to do with DC. However, a large number of mature comic fans get the kind of stories they want - of course, all Vertigo fans know that it's a DC venture.
WWE could do the same thing with ECW. Picture this, one week Vince comes out to ECW and says that sadly, ECW isn't as profitable as they'd like and they're shutting it down. A few weeks later, ECW appears on the television schedules. It's in a different, much later, time slot. No mention of it is made on WWE shows or any of their website. Intrigued, you tune in. The first thing you see is Shane McMachon (or whoever) in the middle of the ring, with a microphone. He goes on to explain that the WWE is a family company, and their product has to be sanitized to be friendly to that audience. However, they know that the old fans don't want the same thing as the new fans. The old fans don't care about Divas, and soap opera, and pyros. The old fans, the real fans, just want to see great wrestling. That's what ECW is for. Even though the WWE will not officially acknowledge the fact on their programs, they want to give something back to the people who have carried them through thick and thin, and because of that a new era of ECW is born.
The new ECW puts on superb extreme wrestling matches. There's blood, there's swearing, weapons are used freely. Every match is no-DQ. The fans want to see weapons being used, and the new ECW isn't going to patronise them with the usual 'Oh look the ref's distracted! And oh, look, he's got a chair!'. They book great technical wrestlers, great high flyers, they bring in guys from Japan and Mexico but don't book them as 'sneaky salt-thrower' or 'petty criminal' but instead simply as great wrestlers. Everything that WWE is doing, ECW does the exact opposite. Instead of putting on shows in front of huge arenas, they put on shows in tiny arenas like the old ECW Arena, the Hammerstein Ballroom, etc.
Since only people who are really into wrestling would know that there's a connection, the shareholders wouldn't have to worry about being embarrassed by the content of the show. The adult fans get what they want. And best of all, there would be great wrestling on TV again. They wouldn't even have to use the ECW brand, they could create an all-new show for this purpose.
This is never going to happen. But the opportunity is there.
- Clown
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