Wanted: WWE Viewers, Will Pay Top Dollar
I’d like to take this opportunity to school some newer wrestling fans on some of the sport’s insider terms:
Babyface: A good guy.
Heel: A bad guy.
Major announcement: A major letdown.
It’s become as old as time, yet we somehow keep falling for it. Some sort of wrestling authority figure promises an announcement at a pay per view, at the end of a show, or on a web site that will rock the world, and inevitably it is a colossal disappointment. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me a thousand times… please cut it out.
I fell for it hook, line and sinker last night when I anxiously waited until the end of Raw for Mr. McMahon’s latest earth shattering announcement that promised to change the face of wrestling, forever, ever, ever. What was it? A dopey million dollar giveaway.
Not only do I doubt that this latest stunt will help Raw’s sagging ratings, I truly believe it has the potential to hurt them. The last thing WWE wants to appear is desperate, and nothing says “We’re drowning here” like a prize giveaway.
I remember going to house shows during WWE’s slow business period in the early-to-mid 1990s and rather pathetically hoping that I would win the nightly “JVC Kaboom Box” giveaway. With the shows being so poorly attended, I figured my odds weren’t too bad. Even sadder than that was the original concept of the old “In Your House” giveaway, in which WWE literally gave away a house to a PPV buyer.
Then came the boon period, and WWE didn’t need to beg anybody to watch their television shows or come to their events. On the contrary, they were forced to turn away business. The key to the company’s success at the time wasn’t a prize giveaway, but rather putting forth a product that seemed cutting edge, hip and fresh (I mean that in the shiny, new vegetable sense).
They did so with new stars like Steve Austin and the Rock, and concepts like D-Generation X and the entire “Attitude Movement.” It’s been a long time since anything in WWE felt fresh. WWE was on the cusp of such a breakthrough early this year with its push of Jeff Hardy – himself, a 13-year WWE veteran – but then pulled back, perhaps justifiably so.
Going into Judgment Day, I mentioned here in this blog that it was the fourth time the Undertaker faced Edge in six pay per views, and the fifth time Triple H faced Randy Orton in nine pay per views. Now this Sunday, we are going to see those matches yet again. On top of that, we’re getting the same Last Man Standing stipulation between Orton and Triple H that we got at No Mercy seven months ago.
What’s more, I don’t see much of a light at the end of the tunnel. Even the most likely candidates to be elevated into a main event spot – guys like William Regal and Mr. Kennedy – don’t seem like the kind of personalities who can lead to any sort of turnaround in business. Jeff Hardy still has the potential to be something special, but I wouldn’t blame WWE for being gun-shy about putting too much faith in him.
And so with one of WWE’s biggest pay per views of the year – SummerSlam – less than three months away, my bet is that we’ll get a pair of main events that will include the following people: Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Edge and Batista.
The truth is, that’s a pretty damn good main event roster, capable of consistently delivering 4-star matches every time. But so much of the wrestling business is about the hype, and it’s hard to get excited about almost any combination of those seven.
But that takes us to McMahon’s other announcement, which received much less fanfare, but has the potential for a much bigger impact. Some major moves in the WWE draft lottery could go a long way in freshening up the cards by offering some new top matches. That said, I don’t have much confidence in WWE shaking things up too much other than moving around the Umaga, C.M. Punk, and MVP types.
But this much I can pretty much guarantee to every person reading this blog: You will not be winning a million dollars from Vince McMahon. More than that, I can’t believe anybody who’s not watching Raw now will start watching it because they think it will make them independently wealthy.
It's pretty ironic that the Million Dollar Man returned to Raw on the night that WWE tried to buy off viewers.
(Photo credit: WWE.com)


Comments (27)
I couldn't agree more. As talented as Edge and 'Taker are, I am tired of seeing the two of them go at it. The Raw title scene has involved the same 3 people for over a year now. Maybe moving Rey Mysterio to Raw could shake things up. Then move Umaga to SD and he can be the new monster heel for the 'Taker to face (I an a huge Umaga mark and would love to see him have a World Title run)
Because of Jeff Hardy's personal demons I think Matt should get his push. I think Matt is the more talented of the two. I love Kr. Kennedy but would rather see him involved with Jericho over the IC belt.
Lastly but not leastly is CM Punk. I hope to god he doesn't waste the MIB on an ECW shot. Perhaps he could win the Raw title and then bring in John Morrison to feud with. Morrison could point out his win-loss record to Punk and uses that as fodder to get a title shot. this cenario is great because it completly re-shuffels the Raw main event and we get to see more Morrison-Punk, two of the best workers WWE has right now. Also if the Tag Titles (Raw brand specifialy) could be defend a little more frequently.
Wait I don't have a chance to win a million dollars? Next thing you will tell me is that wrestling is fixed. I agree with you that even the idea of a draft has lost its flair. I mean we will not see HBK and HHH to Smackdown or Undertaker to Raw. We will just get a few mid carders (Charlie Haas,Bob Holly,Umaga,Elijah Burke), some divas (Ashley,Victoria) and maybe one or two semi main event guys (MVP, Jericho) move. WWE is really losing my interest and I have been a fan since 1988. I went through the crap that was 1993-1996 and I enjoyed 1997-2002. But more and more since 2003 the product has gotten worse and worse. Every time I think it cant get more lame or boring it does. Whats even crazier is that they have a ton of talent in Finlay,Shelton Benjamin,Elijah Burke,CM Punk,Carlito,Paul London,Brian Kendrick etc. that are just being misused or not used in a way that connects with the fans. The only positive out of this is that hopefully TNA can continue to creep up the ratings while WWE creeps down. This will hopefully light a fire under Vinny Mac's ass. Also save the millions and hire some better writers!
I too can understand why they might be slow to rebuild Jeff Hardy, but if I'm not mistaken they put the belt on Orton after HE served a 60 days sentence as well no?
I agree they need something fresh, even if its a one-off type thing to just give something different to watch for a week. I think this might be, in part, the ECW move to Raw tapings, but I'd like to see more.
Here's a couple of ideas: Open up the IC belt to all brands, allow it to switch around...they need to do something with it. Jericho doesn't even defend it at this point- it's just a vanity piece.
How about unify the tag belts. Since there's no real tag division anymore, it is ridiculous to have two sets of champions. So, I suggest a huge week long cross branded (or several weeks even) Tag-Team unification tournament. Put everyone in it, even singles guys- make some of the pairings retro (bring back DX versus Rated RKO, MVP & Hardy, Brothers of Destruction), but also throw is some odd pairings that you've never seen (I'd love to see CM Punk tag with Jeff Hardy, and Umaga tag with Hornswaggle, hell I think even giving a Diva tag-team a shot against the right opponents could be booked interestingly).
I think people would tune in just to see what sort of strange pairing might be next and it might even allow the fans (and Creative) to find some interesting dynamics that otherwise they wouldn't have. In fact it would be a better way to use the million dollar scenario...have the winning team 'win' $1 million. That would create some fun interplay among teams that lose: hey Funaki you just lost JBL a chance at another million...better run and hide.
I don't know, but its got to be better than some of the dreck of late.
My two favorite parts of Raw were Ted DiBiase's debut and Paul Burchill's attack of Kennedy. Both were well done, but more importantly, both are something different.
Don't there have to be seperate brands for a draft to make sense? Disregarding the SmackDown/ECW talent sharing nonsense (which at some point magically evolved into ECW guys appearing on RAW as well), there's a ton of bleed between the two rosters. While the rules of the brand extension have never been handled exceptionaly well, at one point there was enough separation of the two to make it semi-believable and entertaining (the Smackdown! vs. Raw Survivor Series in 2005 being the peak). Recently guys just have swapped rosters and show up on other shows randomly with no explanation or repercussion. Draft? Giant "who cares."
I agree with Kerry. Either have brand separation or don't. Of course, WWE can always install a strong General Manager for Raw before the draft (Bischoff? Shane?) and start enforcing the rules again, although I'm not holding my breath.
The key to Vince's announcement is when he said "this is not a hoax". Whenever Vinnie Mac says that, it's just time to turn off the tv.
It will probably be a million spread over a few weeks, not a million each week or even all at once. As it has been said here before there is no real brand separation now. Things could be fresh tho with ted jr. coming in. I say give Randy Orton his own stable of next gen heels. Carlito, Cody Rhodes, DH Smith, Ted jr. ect. or maybe a new "Nation" with Shelton, MVP, Burke, Henry, Big Daddy V. Maybe let Londrick be as exciting as they were on Smackdown. Yes Matt IS a better worker and Does need the push Jeff had, Jeff is just so sloppy to me, some would say reckless I say careless. Give the IC title to some one would rep it like Mr. Perfect or Honkeytonk man. making it truly ! step below the WWE World Championship, The IC champ should always be the #1 contender to the WWE title. I could go on and on, but i 'll stop. Push Shelton!!!!! and Go TNA.
I don't really see the problem with how they use the brand extention. Having guys swap over doesn't actually harm anything whatsoever, all it does is fill out a particular show that may be short on talent. If Punk has gone to Raw one week, it doesn't mean he does every week. He is still predominently an SD/ECW guy.
As for the million dollar giveaway, I think people need to give this a chance. I highly doubt it will be a segment each week where Vince hands over money. It has to be used in some way to get some wrestler, or wrestlers over. They can go absolutely anywhere with this, but because it's cool on the internet to do so, people don't take a step back and go straight into 'bash WWE' mode.
The draft will be good. If Batista comes to Raw, it will be big. He will feud with people he will never have had the chance to before, week by week. People could say he already is with HBK, but they aren't having week by week confrontations, and Jericho was added to keep it going. Relaxed rules regarding the split is fine, if it beefs out a particularly weak roster one night, and what's wrong with that?
Yeah Batista can feud with people he never has before like HHH, JBL, Randy Orton, Umanga.(oh wait he's already fueded with them all) Yeah WWE can use the give away to get some wrestler over just like they did with the Vince's son angle!!! I don't know about most people but I've been watching wrestling for over 20 years. I too use to be a mark for WWE(F) I use to think Vince was a creative wiz. And as for the Draft just reunite the brands already the separation has worked for the last 4 or so years. Most of the time the shows both have face champs or heel champs at the same time.
How about Batista feuding with Cena? It doesn't have to be Batista moving anyway, it could be anyone. Point is, the split is still a split. Edge is still mostly on Smackdown, involved in a main Smackdown story, even if he appears on Raw sometimes. Same with anyone else. If the split was ended guys like MVP, Punk etc, some of them would get lost in the shuffle. There'd be about 10 main eventers, ten upper mid carders, no there would be no room for anyone.
I think it's pretty obvious that the Vince's son angle wasn't always intending to be Hornswoggle, but they did what they had to do.
I also don't think it's a coincidence that Vince mentions a million dollar giveaway on the same time the DiBiases show up, especially since there was a segment last week that had Vince say 'if we take my money...' before it went to some other segment. I wouldn't be surprised if this was used to boost Ted Jr pretty quickly. It could be anything though, but people jump on it ASAP, because of course, that's what's cool to do.
"but people jump on it ASAP, because of course, that's what's cool to do."
People are not trashing WWE because it is "cool". Anyone who has replied here or reads the net for wrestling is obviously more than just a casual fan. I think wwe sucks right now because they do not realize that they need to elevate younger and fresher talent. CM Punk is like a new version of Rob Van Dam. While the crowd goes nuts for him, he either jobs or is put into lame story lines and never really gets into the main event status. Now while Punk is still new (only 2 years with the company), he has been book atrociously time and time again.
I am not saying CM Punk is the answer to wwe's problems, but he is at least a new face that gets a pretty good fan reaction. Push the guy already, why are you burying him in ECW with matches against the likes of Chavo and Knox. Put him on Raw with the IC Title or put him on Smackdown with the US Title or at least put him somewhere on the show that matters. Do you think he will win the 5 way match Sunday? Maybe he will squeak out a win, but odds are that Big Show will crush the 4 other men and face Kane, because BIG MEN SELL PPVS! Look down the wwe roster and its the same 5 faces on top since 2002-03. Why isn't Matt Hardy battling Edge for the World Title? He gets one of the biggest pops every night. Why is MVP jobbing to Batista on Smackdown (for the 2nd or 3rd time in a matter of weeks).
The draft will not shock anyone...it will be the same guys staying on their brands (HHH,HBK,Cena=Raw and Taker Smackdown). Like an earlier post stated, wow if Batista goes to Raw, he will feud with...Orton? zzzzz....HHH? been done before...JBL? see Orton...Umaga? yawn.
There is a reason the ratings have dropped to all time lows not seen since the late 90s. They are presenting a stale show with the same format week after week. As a wwe nut though I watch it every Monday (DVR it and zip through it from 11pm-11:15pm), Tuesday (DVR it and really zip through it from 11-11:05pm) and Friday (DVR it and mostly never watch it because WWE.com puts a video recap of the show online Saturdays)
I miss when wwe got me excited for Monday nights...now its the same crap recycled differently every week. I do hope wwe does shock us with a major switch in 4 weeks. But like many many times before...I'm not expecting it.
p.s.---Ted Dibiase Jr and his father would make a great storyline with that Million Dollar giveaway if they did the old bring the fan into the ring routine and humiliate them ala his father in the 80s.
Alfonso the Blogger here. I wanted to echo a sentiment made by Andy. I think it's such a cop out for fans to dismiss anyone critical of WWE as just bitching because "it's cool to do." I criticize something when it deserves criticism. And - while it's true that in the long term there may be a decent pay off to the million-dollar giveway - what we got on Monday sucked, and WWE should be called out on it. Movie critics didn't universally pan "Gigli" because it was the hip thing to do. They panned it because it was a lousy movie.
Look around this blog and you'll see I'm not shy about praising WWE, or any wrestling company, when they put forth a good effort. Even if the million dollar storyline turns out to be a good one, we can only judge Monday's angle on its own merits. And WWE does not always deserve the benefit of the doubt as far as the direction of their storylines.
It's hilarious that the guy defending almost everything WWE does is the guy with the name "wweisright." No one who says anything negative about WWE is using an independent brain, according to him/her, they're all just midless sheep doing it because it's the cool thing to do. What a load of crap.
But Alfonso, you say it 'sucked' as it is is the 100% cold hard truth, and if anyone else said anything different, they would be a liar. I said it was the cool thing to do because it is such the IWC mentaility. On any of the forums, you'd have say 5% max of people who would get called 'anti smarks', but the rest rag on the product constantly, and only look at the negatives of anything that's presented to them. Just looking at this and saying it sucks, without stepping back and even thinking about where this could go is pretty poor.
It only sucked because it didn't make you go 'WOW, OMFG!!!' and because you let your own imagination run wild, which is fair enough. They didn't lie though, it was something unprecendented, and it is something big. Here we have a rich owner of a company and a major figure on a live television show telling us he is going to show appreciation to the fans by giving away 1 million dollars. That's huge. It could also go anywhere. I could say that the Kennedy/Burchil storyline sucks, because even if it turns out to be good, I'm only judging it by it's own merits. Wouldn't be right though, because I haven't even given it a chance. It could go absolutely anywhere.
As for people moaning that Punk and MVP aren't main eventing yet - get over it. Wrestling has always been like this and will be forever, you'll have the up and comers that show potential, but it doesn't me they have to be at the top right away. I love Kennedy, but I can see why he is in the spot he is in. You have to give main eventers like Batista, Cena and Orton their chance in the main event, and to have them established. They've got years left yet. They need to be established because if they aren't, they don't have the pull to make the new stars. They were the young up and commers once, so to say that the WWE don't want to make new stars is just plain wrong. From 98-2002 it was the core of HHH, Austin, Rock etc just like today Cena, Batista and Orton form the core. In the future it could easily be Kennedy, Punk and MVP. Guys like HBK and Undertaker are still vital to the process though, one because people still go nuts for them, two because they are massive talents, and three because they carry the estbalished credibility that gives the new guys the rub when they beat them.
''It's hilarious that the guy defending almost everything WWE does is the guy with the name "wweisright." No one who says anything negative about WWE is using an independent brain, according to him/her, they're all just midless sheep doing it because it's the cool thing to do. What a load of crap.''
It can't be denied that the IWC is hilariously negative. They act like if something doesn't appeal to them, or isn't what they would have done, then it immediately sucks, and that's it. Wrestling will never please everyone, it doesn't even attempt to. It attemps to please the people where the most money is, and that's what they will always do.
I've read that it was terrible booking that Batista didn't run in at Judgement Day. I've read that Cena and Batista clearly can't wrestle, I've read so much crap from people who actually act like they have a clue what booking entails, as if they have done it before, or if they have worked a match before in their lives. Yes everyone is entitled to an opinion, but when that opinion grows into thinking it is the absolute correct one, while ragging on the people that are at the very top of their industry for a reason - because they actually know a bit about the business - then it just gets a bit silly.
There's a reason that the WWE does everything they do. The people that immediately jump on the negative bandwagon though don't really know what the considerations are that the company has to make though, they don't watch it with an open mind, they watch thinking 'Well that was stupid, I wouldn't have done that' but it's pretty much guarenteed that a lot of the possible ideas that have been suggested were already considered, and not selected because it didn't suffiiciently lay the foundations for where they want to go.
Vince etc will make mistakes, but if he does they will be nixed pretty quickly - e.g. necrophillia. The consistent selection of main eventers means that they are doing their jobs, and they are making the money required and expected of them. The decision to go with a million dollar giveaway and not something else will have been taken after careful consideration, not something that just gets thrown out there without any thought like most people assume.
"As for people moaning that Punk and MVP aren't main eventing yet - get over it."
Why get over it? So in other words WWE should ignore the fans? I thought WWE and Vince McMahon were all about listening to their fans? Guess not.
"Wrestling has always been like this and will be forever, you'll have the up and comers that show potential, but it doesn't me they have to be at the top right away."
Right away? Matt Hardy is long overdue to be in the main event slot. While Punk is new, he has a strong fan base and whats wrong with giving him a top spot? He can talk on the mic and is good in the ring. Also with the steroid scandal still fresh, it wouldn't hurt pushing someone with his values.
"You have to give main eventers like Batista, Cena and Orton their chance in the main event, and to have them established. They've got years left yet. They need to be established because if they aren't, they don't have the pull to make the new stars."
First, who said push out Cena,Batista,JBL,HHH,HBK etc? People on here said they want fresh storylines and new main event talent. We want MVP,Punk,M Hardy,Kennedy,Umaga etc on the same level as a Taker,Edge,HHH etc. No one said replace the current main eventers with new ones. Secondly, all of the current main event talent have been in the top spots for many years now, so they have had their chance and its time for new guys to mix in with them. CM Punk wins MITB and has been jobbing to Palumbo,Knox and Chavo ever since WrestleMania??? He is not a threat to HHH's title, Taker or Edge's title or even Kane's title. Punk is a perfect example of someone misused because people backstage have the power to keep their spots like HHH,HBK,Big Show,Taker, Edge.
Why isn't WWE pushing Shelton Benjamin? That ECW feud with Kofi isnt a push, its going backwards, the guy was an IC Champ and beat HHH on Raw 3 occasions. Again I am not sayinh that Shelton or Punk are the answer to WWE's ratings problems, but you never know what you have until you give it some air time. WWF took a chance on Austin when he said let me do the StoneCold character instead of the Ringmaster. When Foley loosened up the Mankind character to become more fan friendly it created a future hall of famer. WWE has gone stale since the purchase of WCW and its because they have no one to compete with. When they were kicking WCW's ass in the 90s it was the same thing. Lame storylines, lamer character development and equally lame ratings. ECW came along woke some people up from their wrestling comas and then WCW went to Monday and lit a fire under Vince's ass. I do not watch TNA (because there storylines are like WWE writers on acid), but I do hope that they can get better in the ratings department because a move to Mondays would indeed wake up the McMahons. But I await "wweisright" to tell me "Iamwrong"
"Vince etc will make mistakes, but if he does they will be nixed pretty quickly - e.g. necrophillia."
Of course they will make mistakes. No one is perfect and you have to throw shit on the wall to see what sticks and what falls to the floor. But time and time again WWE promises to shake the world of sports entertainment and then they come out with a horrible conclusion. Lets hope this million dollar giveaway turns out to be a great storyline. I want WWE to be good again and I would love for a fresh storyline. There is only so much Orton HHH one can take.
"The consistent selection of main eventers means that they are doing their jobs, and they are making the money required and expected of them."
Thats not necessarily true. HHH is in his spot because he is a part of the family. Whether he was drawing 1,000 or 100,000 fans doesnt matter in his case. He does not need the WWE Title right now. Ratings will not go up because he is the champion. If anything the ratings continue to go down as he holds the gold. HBK has a spot on Raw because he is a seasoned veteran who always brings his "A" game. Again though he does not need the WWE Title to make loves him more or less. Shawn Michaels doesn't equal ratings either, when he was WWE Champ, Raw's ratings were in the toilet. I understand that one person shouldn't bear all the responsibility of ratings because it takes an entire cast of characters to put on a show, but when you are champ, thats some of the criticism you must take. Undertaker draws money and again should not be in a World Title feud. He should be elevating new talent at this point in his career.
The decision to go with a million dollar giveaway and not something else will have been taken after careful consideration, not something that just gets thrown out there without any thought like most people assume." John Cena draws money and is hated mostly by men ages 18-45. But he does draw and is important to WWE's future. But ratings=money and the ratings are getting lower and lower each month. Which means less money for the company. So try and convince me that Randy Orton being a consistent main eventer means he is making WWE money.
(Sorry for the double post, read this one)
"Vince etc will make mistakes, but if he does they will be nixed pretty quickly - e.g. necrophillia."
Of course they will make mistakes. No one is perfect and you have to throw shit on the wall to see what sticks and what falls to the floor. But time and time again WWE promises to shake the world of sports entertainment and then they come out with a horrible conclusion. Lets hope this million dollar giveaway turns out to be a great storyline. I want WWE to be good again and I would love for a fresh storyline. There is only so much Orton HHH one can take.
"The consistent selection of main eventers means that they are doing their jobs, and they are making the money required and expected of them."
Thats not necessarily true.
*HHH is in his spot because he is a part of the family. Whether he was drawing 1,000 or 100,000 fans doesnt matter in his case. He does not need the WWE Title right now. Ratings will not go up because he is the champion. If anything the ratings continue to go down as he holds the gold.
*JBL is in his spot because he is very friendly with the McMahon family. JBL is not drawing fans and has done nothing interesting since he returned. His ego is bigger than his man boobs and he has done nothing to elevate new talent. Instead he just rambles on and bores fans on a weekly basis.
*HBK has a spot on Raw because he is a seasoned veteran who always brings his "A" game. Again though he does not need the WWE Title to make loves him more or less. Shawn Michaels doesn't equal ratings either, when he was WWE Champ, Raw's ratings were in the toilet. I understand that one person shouldn't bear all the responsibility of ratings because it takes an entire cast of characters to put on a show, but when you are champ, thats some of the criticism you must take.
*Undertaker draws money and again should not be in a World Title feud. He should be elevating new talent at this point in his career.
*John Cena draws money and is hated mostly by men ages 18-45. But he does draw and is important to WWE's future. But ratings=money and the ratings are getting lower and lower each month. Which means less money for the company. So try and convince me that Randy Orton being a consistent main eventer means he is making WWE money.
WWE do listen to their fans. If they took it right to the literal meaning though then the heels would never win any matches ever. You have to be careful with these stars. MVP's been in the company not even 2 years, Punk a bit more, Kennedy only 3, etc etc. How long had HHH had before he won his first world title? Austin? Rock? Not everyone gets to the top quickly. Fans always moan about the upper mid carders not getting their shot, and it always has been like that. If they are deemed good enough, they will get there. If they will make Vince money, they will get there at the appropriate time. There's not a big conspiracy to keep guys like MVP and Kennedy down. (don't pull out the 'HHH buries people!' rubbish, please)
By saying you want to create new main eventers does mean that they will have to replace the current ones. There's a reason the main eventers win their matches. If they were losing, but the up and comers were winning, then they would be the main eventers. They will have replaced them, and taken their spot. You'd have the former main eventers beating the mid-carders, but losing to the former upper mid carders, and you can't have them all winning, because there isn' room. There needs to be jobbers that job to the mid carders, mid carders job to the upper mid carders, and upper mid carders that job to the main eventers. That's how it works. You can't have everyone in the main event, because that would mean putting main eventers against the mid carders/jobbers constantly, because you need to protect the main eventers. So if you have new main eventers, it means the former ones won't be.
If HHH wasn't making money, he wouldn't be in his spot. He would be a road agent, office worker, or lower down the card. Do you hear the crowd when his music starts? And again when he walks onto the stage? They go nuts. He is doing his job. He's one of the best wrestlers of his generation.
Orton's a new guy. By all accounts people within the company were very happy with his title reign. If he was doing poorly, they would change it. The only thing important to them is making money. There is no conspiracy to make Orton look great, just because they feel like it. He's there for a reason. He must have been doing his job. Thing is, he was an upper mid carder once, who people wanted to see in the main event. He's there now, and people are bored, and want the next new guy. If the WWE continued like this there wouldn't be any truly big stars, because no-one would estbalish themselves. I love Kennedy, but what if the company put him as the champion right now, and ratings didn't increase? Let's say they put MVP in his spot, and it doesn't work either. Let's say they put Punk in his spot, and ratings are still largely the same, or they've gone down. So now you've hot shotted three guys to the title and none of them have worked, you've killed their momentum because you've done it too soon, and the fans didn't even have a chance to get into what they were being offered, and the wrestler himself didn't get a chance to establish himself. There are reasons why everyone is on the spot they are in, just like there are reasons for everything else.
Quote: "You have to be careful with these stars. MVP's been in the company not even 2 years, Punk a bit more, Kennedy only 3, etc etc. How long had HHH had before he won his first world title? Austin? Rock? Not everyone gets to the top quickly."
Austin 2 years, Rocky 2 years, Triple H ca. 3 1/2 Years...;-D
WWE needs to push Kennedy and MVP as soon as possible and to put HHH and/or HBK to Smackdown and Batista and/or Edge to RAW - or to end this f'n brand extension, because it has only negative effects. Less new real stars, less talents, a bad Tag Team division, a very thin mid and undercard, the push of Khali or Henry or JBL into the main event scene where they never belong in the first place and too many similar titles.
Everything that sucked in the WWE during the last 6 years is a result of the rostersplit.
Let's not forget -- Kurt Angle IC, Euro, King of the Ring and World champ in ONE year.
If they gave away lots of Kaboom Boxes I'd probably be more interested. Mine got stolen last year and they're pretty cool.
pushing JEFF hardy is STUPID. wwe already pushes enough shitty guys who cant wrestle to main event positions...the last thing the fans need is JEFF hardy to be there as well. if anyone deserves a push it MATT hardy.
actually pushing JERICHO to the top makes ALOT of sense for many reasons. he is likely the best on the mic and one the wwes most consistent in ring preformers...he can work as a great face or heel and knows how to work a crowd.
in short...pushing jeff hardy = stupid
pushing chris jericho = smart
They should just do the same thing, which they've done in 2000/2001 when they mixed up the ME Situation and instead of HHH vs Rock and Taker vs Austin, they made new feuds like Angle vs Taker, Jericho vs HHH, Rock vs Benoit or later Angle vs Austin, Benoit vs HHH, Jericho vs The Rock.
Today we get 3-4 PPVs in a row the same Matches. HHH vs Orton, JBL vs Cena, Taker vs Edge. Why not mix it up and show: HHH vs Mr Kennedy, Undertaker vs Matt Hardy, Shawn Michaels vs MVP or Edge vs CM Punk or Jericho vs Kofi Kinston...
I have an idea for vince...
He should re-launch WCW since he owns it, and make it compete with WWE.
Lets just say that the company that wins gets a bonus to every employee, while the other get no bonuses. This shall make people work hard....In the end it will all end up in the same pocket, and we all know competition makes more people watch and brings new stuff (like the nWo!!)...
he can bring eric bischoff back to wcw too...
as for ECW, i think he should let ECW whatever it is supposed to be. Bring paul hayman back, and beat the crap out of every other underdog federation out there...this time with WWE backing them up, they wont go bank rupt....
There simply too many wrestlers for 1 company, they are not using them well. I also think that more people exist with different taste that to have to stick with WWE. TNA is not cut for it, TNA seems more of a business trying to convince people to watch them because they are better, than delivering wrestling material.
At least, He can make smackdown and RAW different , each independent and have it against each other. Like WWF vs WCW, but in show form, not company form. He can give paul haymen smackdown, and erich bischoff raw....since they hate each other I guess this will be one damn fun thing to watcH!!
helloe ratings...!
vince should get rid of rated r superstar wanna be wrestler bring back undertaker mr dead man than you very much . so please contact us at 1 403 984-4457 from calgary alberta.