Still Think It's A Good Idea?
On Raw last night, and at a press conference this afternoon, we got some more details of Vince McMahon's much-ballyhooed $1 million giveaway. And, despite the hopes from some WWE loyalists that there would be a lot more to it than originally appeared, there really isn't. This is not an angle designed to get over an up and coming wrestler, nor evolve into a hot storyline - It is, quite simply, a sweepstakes.
I understand the argument that the giveaway should not be judged solely on its own entertainment value, but rather as a tool to draw in new viewers and win them over with a quality wrestling product. But since when do wrestling promoters turn around business during a slow period by buying off fans?
WCW Nitro became the number one show on television not buy giving away a million bucks, but by reinventing Monday night wrestling through marquee match-ups and big ideas like the nWo and cruiserweight wrestling, and hot new stars, like Goldberg.
WWE had its hottest business period ever not by giving fans a secret code on a web site each week, but through fresh new acts like Steve Austin and the Rock, and by redefining the product during the "Attitude" era.
Historically, it's been new faces and innovative concepts that have sparked boon periods and made wrestling must-see viewing. While I agree that WWE, for the most part, provides a consistently adequate product, it's hardly groundbreaking these days. It's almost laughable that McMahon would seem baffled as to why viewers are leaving at the very same time that he just headlined four straight pay per views with Triple H vs. Randy Orton and Edge vs. The Undertaker - not to mention that two of those four men have been featured in the main event picture for at least a decade.
To be honest, there was something rather sad and pathetic about McMahon going out on the stage last night and essentially admitting that he would pay people out of his own pocket to watch Raw. Whatever happened to the guy who revolutionized the wrestling world in the mid-80s and again in the mid 90s? That McMahon wouldn't have won fans over with a box of cash. He would have won them over by pushing the next big star or by completely overhauling his operation.
What's more, it simply won't work. WWE actually has put on some fantastic shows, compelling angles, historic matches, and created megastars over the last several years without seeing the ratings budge. So, while I could see a very short term bump, I can't imagine that a desperate prize giveaway is going to be the panacea WWE has been hoping for.
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Comments (21)
...Soooo what's the answer? What's the magic forumla that everyone seems to go on about but Vince is apparently an idiot for not running with it?
There is no clearly defined answer. There is no 'era' that's just waiting to be exploited. He has created new stars and continued to put on a highly rated product over the last few years, even though we haven't been in a boom period. What's more, with the rise of the internet, and the sheer amount of entertainment on offer these days, we might never see those ridiculously high numbers ever again, it's a different environment these days.
Vince could tommorow decide to do away with HHH, and have Kennedy, MVP, Punk, Matt, Jeff, Burchill, Kofi, Shelton etc be the focal point of his shows. They could be the champions, and the challengers, and the current main eventers. What about when they didn't take off and create the boom? You've then rushed decent potential, and all because people are 'bored' with what they see, despite the fact that every 'era' has seen guys used for a long time, and new guys coming up.
Considering there is no real 'era' that's just staring Vince in the face, what can he do? Great minds for the business, like Eric Bischoff, have said that there's not much that hasn't already been tried. All this is, is a publicity stunt. He's freely admitting that. He wants people to return, and is using a publicity stunt to generate interest. I don't see anyone labelling Richard Branson as desperate when his next crazy stunt gets the Virgin name out there, and rightly so. It's a totally viable business tactic.
I'm not sure this and this alone will be the mechanism that keeps the fans back on the product anyway. It would be stupid to assume so, and I'm sure the companies' higher ups also know that. This will be the stunt to keep them there, and THEN maybe some large storylines will start that will hopefully generate interest. If no-one is around to know that the large storylines are happening though, then it's going to take longer (say...83 weeks) before people are noticing that your product is superior and start to come back. This way, they generate a buzz, and it will be the job of the higher ups to keep the new fans.
Once again, people don't look at the bigger picture. They'll immediately dismiss it, without considering any possible future connotations. In terms of gaining publicity to generate interest and possibly prepare for some larger storylines (that will be the real selling point in keeping the viewers) this scheme looks pretty good. People have to watch for a code, and it also takes advantage of the popularity of the internet, and indeed WWE.com.
What exactly are the problems? As far as I can tell, people are quick to write it off without actually offering reasons as to why it's apparently no good. It looks desperate? Newsflash, every single thing any television show does on screen will be an attempt to get ratings. Some may be more outlandishly over the top than others, but so what? How it 'looks' means nothing. The 'look' that this kind of scheme does have, is that it creates buzz, so it's working. Is it because it isn't the industry changing new era that's being ushered in that will generate the new boom? Well boo hoo, nothing else anybody is suggesting is either, because nobody knows. Having Vince blow up was an attempt to generate buzz. Having a dual simulcast with Nitro in 2001 was an attempt to create buzz. Bringing in Mike Tyson and Floyd Maywhether are both attempts to create buzz. Offering a million dollars is an attempt to create buzz. And it has, that fact is undeniable.
We have new faces now, just like we had new faces in other booms. The same wrestling booking concepts are still being used, just like they always will be. HHH/Rock went from Mania, through Backlash, Judgement Day, and KOTR in some form in 2000. HHH isn't as good a face as Rock was, and Orton isn't as big a heel as HHH was. That's not Vince's fault though. He has the structure in place to create stars in this business, but not everyone also has mainstream appeal. Megastars don't grow on trees.
Once again, people aren't seeing this for what it is, and are dismissing it for not being something it never claimed to be anyway. It's a publicity stunt, and it's worked so far. I don't think anyone seriously expects people to still watch after this giveaway stops unless they do something else to keep the people while they are here, so I stand by my belief that dismissing this out of hand is pretty riduclous. This is only phase one.
wweisright, don't you have a blog you can present your long counterpoints on? Good Lord that was almost as long as Fonz's post. Comments are supposed to be short, observe.
I'm fine with "million dollar mania" because I view it as a storyline. Vinnie Mac's playing a heel character that only cares about his million dollar giveaway. That would explain the rambling speech he made and the reasoning behind casting the draft announcement aside to concentrate on his "real" announcement. McMahon's Million Dollar Mania is the new heel on Raw.
I do not mind the million dollar giveaway because it gives WWE something to do for the next few weeks to lead into SummerSlam. This is usually a downtime for WWE coming off Mania and no big show until mid August. But I do not see it bringing in new viewers or bringing back old viewers.
I did enjoy Raw last night, while I do not like when someone gets injured, it is nice to see a fresh main event with John Cena and HHH at Night of Champions. I also liked the emphasis on titles again (Jericho's interview about defending the title more etc). I just hope it isn't for the next few weeks because of the ppv being only title matches. One simple thing they can do to make the shows mean something is to put emphasis on champions all the time, including the tag team champions.
I don't get why you watch it if it annoys you so much.
I don't get why you watch it if it annoys you so much.
They've done this before. Giving away a house, or even the Million Dollar Game (or whatever amount it was) during the summer of 1997. Summerslam "Hart & Soul".
So at least it's not totally unusual.
And I didn't win then either...
Am I the only one that sees this as a lead-in to Ted Dibiase and nothing else?
Let's see.. DiBiase debuts on RAW the same night as Vince's announcement. C'mon guys.. wake up.
McMahon: "Tonight on RAW, I will announce the winner of the Million Dollar Give-a-way!"
...later that night...
McMahon: "The winner, of the Million Dollar Give-a-way.. is EVERYONE! That's right! Ladies and Gentlemen,.. in his RAW DEBUT.. the Million Dollar Man... Ted DiBiase."
It's genius. While you're all here whining and complaining.. Vince indeed is giving us a fresh face with a gimmick we all loved (or loved to hate).
Heck, bring back the Million Dollar Belt! Now THAT would be epic!
Am I the only one that sees this as a lead-in to Ted Dibiase and nothing else?
Let's see.. DiBiase debuts on RAW the same night as Vince's announcement. C'mon guys.. wake up.
McMahon: "Tonight on RAW, I will announce the winner of the Million Dollar Give-a-way!"
...later that night...
McMahon: "The winner, of the Million Dollar Give-a-way.. is EVERYONE! That's right! Ladies and Gentlemen,.. in his RAW DEBUT.. the Million Dollar Man... Ted DiBiase."
It's genius. While you're all here whining and complaining.. Vince indeed is giving us a fresh face with a gimmick we all loved (or loved to hate).
Heck, bring back the Million Dollar Belt! Now THAT would be epic!
I think its all due to lack of competition...
vince grew too big and strong, and he is not challenged to get anything new. I guess if you want to watch wrestling you have to watch his show.
TNA has miles before it gets any where next to what WWE can offer. Heck, if vince feels its a threat he will just buy it!
wweisright, don't you have a blog you can present your long counterpoints on?
If he did, would you click through to it?
I like the debates in the comments sections here - they're infinitely better than on most wrestling columns I read. I also like that Alfonso picks up on the points that are made, sometimes, in subsequent columns. It's a good package, miles ahead of most wrestling columns.
As to the sweepstakes...meh. I don't care, personally - I live outside the US, so it's basically irrelevant to me.
Back at Survivor Series 1997 they did a sweepstakes where you could have a superstar of your choice over for dinner. I remember whoever won chose Steve Austin. I would have chosen Vince and told him every crappy storyline idea i had until he threw down his fork in disgust and declared his obligation over.
THIS RIGHT HERE IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTERNET (S)MARKS AND THE AVERAGE, CASUAL WWE FAN!!!!!
TO A CASUAL PERSON, IT'S A WAY TO WIN MONEY WHILE WATCHING A PRODUCT THEY HOPEFULLY ENJOY. SHOOT, THEY MIGHT EVEN CALL UP SOMEONE WHO USED TO WATCH WRESTLING! AND THAT PERSON MIGHT WATCH IT TOO OR JUST LAUGH AND TALK ABOUT HOW IT ISN'T FRESH LIKE IT USED TO BE.
TO AN INTERNET (S)MARK, IT'S A FAILED PROMOTION FROM THE START! NO WAIT, IT CAN BE SUCCESSFUL, IF THEY DO THIS ANGLE AND GET THIS PERSON INTO THAT STORYLINE. I READ ON A WEBSITE THAT RUMORS WERE THIS PERSON IS COMING WHICH WOULD ALLOW THIS STABLE TO BE BUILT. NAW, THE BACKSTAGE POLITICS PROBABLY WON'T ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN....
I LIKE HOW ON THE INTERNET PEOPLE TREAT WWE & CO LIKE A FANTASY SPORT. TRYING TO GET AS MUCH INSIDE INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE. READING THE DIRT SHEETS RELIGIOUSLY. SPEAKING AS IF YOU YOURSELF WERE ACTUALLY APART OF THE COMPANY.
IN FACT, HERE'S A REALITY - I CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU TO STEP AWAY FROM THE DAMN INTERNET SITES LIKE PWI OR LOP OR WHATEVER FOR A MONTH AND JUST ENJOY THE PRODUCT. IT'LL BE HARD FOR MOST OF YOU, BECAUSE YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BEHIND THE CURTAINS. YOU PEOPLE KNOW TOO MUCH FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. IT'S PITIFUL THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CAN'T EVEN LET A SWEEPSTAKE BE A SWEEPSTAKE IN PEACE....
Sorry for the double post.
Sad and pathetic is the impression that I got too. It was cringe-inducing when he had to ASK the audience to cheer or boo.
If it actually were leading up to an angle, a new character, ANYTHING, it wouldn't be so bad. But I get the sinking feeling this is not leading anywhere, it's just a misguided stunt to try and get ratings. I doubt it will work.
And yes, people have a right to criticize. When a show you enjoy does something you don't like, you complain, right Sopranos fans? But apparently when you complain about wrestling in the same way, you are a (S)MARK, who thinks they are APART OF THE COMPANY.
In reality, some people are just well-informed viewers with a deeply vested interest in the product. Is that so bad? And shouldn't WWE take advantage of that, rather than dismissing it?
Thing is, people think they are well informed when really they are not. Just because you know the basic concepts of wrestling, it doesn't mean you know how they have to do things.
So, let me ask you this, wweisright...
If this is all a cheap ploy for free pub, and a desperate attempt to win fans back.
What happens in the future?
The reason people are tuning out is because they are fed up with what they are seeing of the current WWE product.
The idea of winning a sweepstakes isn't going to change the product quality on TV. They tune in for a couple weeks, see the hype, then watch the same boring, repetative stuff they were sick of in the first place, and the ratings and viewership go back down.
So what is this sweepstakes doing in the long run? Nothing.
So, let me ask you this, wweisright...
If this is all a cheap ploy for free pub, and a desperate attempt to win fans back.
What happens in the future?
The reason people are tuning out is because they are fed up with what they are seeing of the current WWE product.
The idea of winning a sweepstakes isn't going to change the product quality on TV. They tune in for a couple weeks, see the hype, then watch the same boring, repetative stuff they were sick of in the first place, and the ratings and viewership go back down.
So what is this sweepstakes doing in the long run? Nothing.
Not the point. People don't really know what goes into making tv shows, yet their opinions are still considered valid, especially by the people who produce the shows. They are, after all, the audience.
Ironically this has actually been a pretty good year in terms of the quality of the product. I'd say this is probably the best year since 2002. If people are tired of this year then they are tired of wrestling. This sport is, and always will be, good vs evil. It will always follow the same basic booking concepts. The face will always get beat down for most of the match and make a comeback to pop the crowd. In terms of this year, there's been plenty of stuff that hasn't been boring and unpredictable in the slightest. You are always going to get the matches where you know who wins though, because the reason they are paired together is because one person is being used to lose. If you know he is below the other guy, he will likely lose, unless they are attempting a push. That's just the nature of wrestling, and in that sense it will always be predictable for the most part.
The idea with this stunt will be to get new fans in a mini boom. It will then be the companies' job to keep them. If they decide to freshen it up, or start another big storyline, I'd guess it will be pretty soon, because there's a reason they are pulling this stunt now, and not 2 months earlier, or 2 months down the line, but now.
As for audiences knowing what they like, to an extent they do. However just because someone may want Paul London as the IC champ, it's the process of getting him there that the company knows. If enough people want Batista to be champion, it's the process of moving him up the card that the company knows that fans don't. And there's a whole structure that has to be adhered to when doing it. You can't have someone losing too much or winning too much than they are supposed to relative to their spot. There's also many other things that have to be considered that fans simply just don't know. So while they may know they want a big angle akin to a new stable running riot (or whatever), the process of implementing it won't be what they know, but the company does. There's so many considerations that fans don't consider. Some people may like something they try, but 80% of the audience could hate it. They have to produce a product that as many people as possible will enjoy, and people don't appreciate how difficult that is.
See it's all subjective. Yet and still WWE tries to tell us what we like, much like a Father knows best deal. How do they know fans will not accept Val Venus in a feud for the WWE title if it's never tried for example? Believe it or not for some strange reason I and my friends do go through different senarios of what would work or would not, almost like a fantasy league. Fans are not like they used to be it has changed, fans have changed. If you've been a fan or more than 10 or 15 years you'd know how much has changed. I don't think somehow Vince knows. The process of pushing a fresh wrestler has always been touch and go, but they've done it before better than they do now, without writers
No Angelo Mantzios, the way I see it all leads to Ted DiBiase!
When I first heard Million Dollar Give-Away it really leads up to Million Dollar Man. . . TED DIBIASE! and the week before that Ted came to Raw and then his son comes to debut. Well, the million dollar give-away still doesnt make sense to me, but id Ted Dibiase returns on Raw and hopefully be a GM then he gets the million dollars and rule raw! Now that would be siccckkk! money, money, money!
Bring back Ted DiBiase! Him as a heel GM would really be interesting!