Thoughts on Cyber Sunday and WWE's Boring Product
Sorry I haven’t been around for a few days, but I hope to get back on track this week with some stuff, including, hopefully, an interview with a current WWE main eventer.
There’s a lot of ground I wanted to cover from an eventful few days for WWE:
. I was as uninterested in Cyber Sunday as I have been for any WWE pay per view in recent memory. It would be easy to blame my disinterest on the fact that this was the second WWE PPV in the same month, but, honestly, that wasn’t a factor. WWE is just total dullsville to me these days. And after being a hardcore fan for most of my life, it’s a bit of a scary prospect. I can’t tell you when the last time was that I watched a Raw or Smackdown from beginning to end. What’s more, I don’t get the impression I’m missing much. WWE is just in a rut, and the ratings reflect that. I’m not sure what the answer is, short of just blowing everything up and coming forward with a complete outside-of-the-box concept for the product. Raw in particular is absolutely paint-by-numbers these days.
. I’ll tell you what the answer is not: Banning the use of the term “wrestlers” and replacing it with “entertainers,” as has been reported on sites including ProWrestling.Net and PWTorch.com. I’ll never get Vince McMahon’s shame in being what he is – a wrestling promoter. I’ve never had a big problem with the term “superstar,” but “entertainer” is ridiculous, especially in the course of calling a match. It breaks all sense of disbelief and would be tantamount to the cast of The Office referring to each other as “actors” during the show. More than just stupid, it shows the complete obliviousness of WWE decision-makers. Rome is burning, and they’re worried about Triple H being called a wrestler. Yeah, that’ll fix the ratings.
. I’ve got mixed feelings on the Cyber Sunday concept. I actually used to enjoy going on WWE.com and placing my votes, and then watching the show with other people who did the same and seeing who among us got our picks. But since they replaced the free online voting with phone texting, I – and imagine a majority of past voters – were left out in the cold. Without a horse in the race, the pay per view wasn’t nearly as fun to watch. That said, I don’t really blame WWE for trying to create a new revenue stream. If some fans are willing to plunk down 99 cents per vote, more power to WWE for taking their money.
. I’m also on the fence about the whole “choose the opponent” stip. Inevitably, it means weeks of television build up for a particular option will be rendered completely moot. For example, fans had a possible Triple H-Kozlov match-up shoved down their throats for weeks, only for it to culminate Sunday with a shrug of the shoulders from Kozlov when he didn’t get many votes. The same goes for Finlay and Mark Henry, who got a lot of TV time in recent weeks as possible challengers to the ECW title. This really isn’t so much a complaint as it is an observation. When I used to vote [for free] for Cyber Sunday, I enjoyed having a say in the night’s line up.
. Batista has become the king of the completely forgettable world title victories. Not since he beat Triple H at WrestleMania 21 to begin his first reign have any of his world title wins felt significant. That was again the case at Cyber Sunday, where I felt his “feud” with Chris Jericho was not at all built up well, and was something of an after thought to the bigger question of who would referee the match. I don’t think WWE is doing any favors by continuing to give Batista the world title in less-than-historic circumstances. It likely means we won’t be seeing Batista win the big one at WrestleMania, which always gives a world title reign an extra bit of momentum.
. What’s more, Batista is just not the answer. He’s got a lot going for him, and should definitely remain in the main event mix, but seeing him with the world title is just too familiar. It’s the proverbial re-arranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic.
. I’ve got a big problem with a C.M. Punk match being one of three options for fans to choose from at Cyber Sunday. Not surprisingly, fans went with a match featuring the hot Cryme Tyme act instead, meaning that Punk – who just a few weeks ago was the company’s world heavyweight champion – would be left out of competing on his third consecutive WWE pay per view. He hasn’t wrestled a match on a PPV since August. That’s nothing short of disgraceful, especially in a company that could desperately, desperately use some young, new main event stars. Even more absurdly, Punk was featured on the promotional poster and commercials for the event.
. I’d love for the rumors to be true about Steve Austin returning for a one-night-only match at WrestleMania. The seeds have been planted for a few possible match ups for Stone Cold, including JBL and Chris Jericho. That said, Austin is also not the answer to WWE’s woes. In fact, I think, for too long, WWE has not handled the presentation of Austin well. He becomes more of a parody of himself every time he appears – doing little more than spitting out his tired catch phrases, doling out Stunners, and drinking beer. WWE, and Austin himself, have lost site of the many nuances that made Austin such a blast to watch once upon a time. For “Stone Cold” at his best, pick up the 1997 WWE Home Video release, “’Cuz Stone Cold Said So.”
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Comments (29)
Don't feel bad -- I have been a die-hard WWF/WWE fan since 1988, and I live in Phoenix, AZ, but I had such little interest in this pay-per-view that I did not even drive 10 miles to the arena for it.
I want WWE to return to 12 pay-per-view events a year (they're down to 14 now). They also should consider alternating between World title matches and WWE Title matches at these events. Having both titles on the line at secondary pay-per-views lessens the significance of both titles being on the line at WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
The problem with the WWE is they're booking at way too high a speed. Punk should have been chasing Jericho for at least 2 months and we should just barely be starting Batista's title chase. Instead they bury Punk almost immediatly when he and Jericho probably could have done decent business just feuding over who the real honest champion was. Plus the matches would have been actually entertaining as opposed to pretty much any match Batista's in. Sorry, I just really hate Batista. Something about having to cheat on his wife because she had cancer or something.
I think the story about banning "superstars" in favor of "entertainers" is made up or at least exaggerated.
All of last week's TV shows, Cyber Sunday, and last night's Raw had the announcers using "superstars" like always. Not just once or twice, either, but for the entireity of the shows. WWE.com also still uses "superstars" instead of "entertainers".
I think the most funny thing of Cyber Sunday was the 5% for Kozlov, because, it showes how stupid the bookers really are. Who even cares about Kozlov? NOBODY!
And Austin instead of HBK shows how much the fans cared about the current and past stories - not really.
What is in general lacking is a straight and clear concept. Just to shove all young newcomers in title positions and to remove them in 2-3 month only to replace them with the old established guys like Batista is just a shame for the new blood and the buildup of them.
I mean, why put the Titles on ALL of the newcomers? Why not give the IC Title to CM Punk, let the World Title at a veteran and let's run with it?
It's like WCW in 2000. Just stupid booking 5 minutes before the show without a little long term thinking.
I don't think Kozlov's 5% share shows people don't care about him. The vote was clearly a popularity contest and heels like Kozlov tend to not be very popular with the fans stupid enough to plunk down a dollar a vote.
Plus, Kozlov got votes for the triple threat match. So, it's not like Jeff Hardy got 95% of the votes all to himself.
Personally, the triple threat match would have been better from a storyline standpoint. It would have served as a smooth transition from Hardy/HHH to Kozlov/HHH.
Kozlov could have knocked Jeff out, allowing HHH to pin him. That way, Hardy has been pinned and knocked out of title contention for a month or two, allowing Kozlov a chance. Also, there's a potential feud between Kozlov and Hardy waiting as a result.
"I’ll tell you what the answer is not: Banning the use of the term “wrestlers” and replacing it with “entertainers,” as has been reported on sites including ProWrestling.Net and PWTorch.com. I’ll never get Vince McMahon’s shame in being what he is – a wrestling promoter. I’ve never had a big problem with the term “superstar,” but “entertainer” is ridiculous, especially in the course of calling a match. It breaks all sense of disbelief and would be tantamount to the cast of The Office referring to each other as “actors” during the show. More than just stupid, it shows the complete obliviousness of WWE decision-makers. Rome is burning, and they’re worried about Triple H being called a wrestler. Yeah, that’ll fix the ratings."
It has nothing to do with creative reasons or anything like that. It's so he can say his product isn't wrestling and he won't have to pay fees, taxes, etc. in certain states.
First, I'm not entirely against the Cyber Sunday format. If the fans want New and Fresh and CM punk is the embodiment of new and fresh, he would have been voted in. The fact that he wasn't just shows that he doesn't have enough 'it' for the fans. Kuddos to the WWE for not trying to shove him down our throats. He's got above average looks, above averge working ability, and below to average mic skills. He just doesn't do it for me and he never did as the champ.
Second, in terms of "choosing the wrestler", what's the harm if several weeks of storyline are moot IF the audience gets to see who they want to see? The point of all the build up is sort of like campaigning; the audience gets to see who's up for the vote in the best possible. In my opinion, Mark Henry and Finlay were displayed appropiately, but the audience spoke when Evan Bourne was chosen. Rather than complain about the outcome that never was, enjoy the outcome that YOU voted for. If the audience is invested enough in a storyline, they will choose it
First, I'm not entirely against the Cyber Sunday format. If the fans want New and Fresh and CM punk is the embodiment of new and fresh, he would have been voted in. The fact that he wasn't just shows that he doesn't have enough 'it' for the fans. Kuddos to the WWE for not trying to shove him down our throats. He's got above average looks, above averge working ability, and below to average mic skills. He just doesn't do it for me and he never did as the champ.
Second, in terms of "choosing the wrestler", what's the harm if several weeks of storyline are moot IF the audience gets to see who they want to see? The point of all the build up is sort of like campaigning; the audience gets to see who's up for the vote in the best possible. In my opinion, Mark Henry and Finlay were displayed appropiately, but the audience spoke when Evan Bourne was chosen. Rather than complain about the outcome that never was, enjoy the outcome that YOU voted for. If the audience is invested enough in a storyline, they will choose it.
Lastly, the whole calling wrestlers "entertainers" is a legal issue to my understanding.
Yemi, I agree with your assessment on CM Punk. I think he has a vocal minority of support, but that does not make him right for the position he was given.
Truthfully I thought CM Punk's match was a lock since I consider his fanbase to be very devoted - a lot like the Hardys' fans, so if they did not generate the highest percentage of votes, then the silent majority is probably the way to go.
However, the problem with the more generalized conclusion of your second point is when the minority stops investing in the storylines, then the remaining "majority" will get smaller & smaller, and that leaves less for WWE.
Alfonso's complaint was that he was not invested enough in the event to make it fun to watch, and I agree with that assessment.
Rather than complain about the outcome that never was, enjoy the outcome that YOU voted for.
Ummm, I'm not retarded enough to pay a dollar for a single vote on a match stipulation. Saying those were the matches WWE Fans voted for is generalizing the voting fanbase. I would venture a guess that less then 10% of the WWE's fanbase actually voted on those match stipulations.
A majority of the fans probably wanted to see CM Punk, they just weren't stupid enough to give Vince a dollar for the possibility.
El Duke, as a competent businessman, why would Vince ever think of giving you CM Punk if you aren't interested enough to pay for it? The main point of WWE business is to promote those wrestlers who draw money. Why should he care about you if you aren't going to pay? Good thing you aren't running WWE or it would have gone bankrupt long ago. Seems like you've got just as much business acumen as Paul Heyman
Hey, I would pay that dollar if what I got in return was more than just the hope that I might get to see CM Punk wrestle. Especially when the voting is of questionable veracity. I'm all for spending money on wrestlers I enjoy watching, but I usually like to get something back for it besides a possibility. Notice how I called the people who actually voted via text retarded, and not the person who came up with/benefits from the idea. I'm all for taking money out of the hands of rubes. But I'm no rube, Vince isn't getting my money until he starts booking with something resembling structure and common sense.
I think Cyber Sunday would be better served if they didn't use curent feuds at all. They could help further them, but not finish them.
For example, instead of having Triple HH against either Hardy or Kozlov, maybe people can vote to have him face off against Benjamin, Kendrick or MVP, to help get someone else over in the ring (especially with lots of near falls).
Or maybe even use it for more cross-promotional matches. Undertaker against either CM Punk, Shawn Michaels or JBL.
Or, have Jericho against Batista, but with a partner. Fans can vote for each partner for each wrestler. Maybe Jericho's options are Mark Henry, Funaki and Santino, while Batista's would be Val Venis, Finlay or Super Crazy. Would fans vote for the best wrestler to team with Batista, and then screw Jericho by giving him someone like Funaki?
There's a lot of fun they can have with this sort of idea, but they don't take advantage of it.
The "product" that the WWE has been putting out for a long time has been stale. There hasn't been any investment into the younger generation of superstars and no I don't mean Code Rhodes or "Million Dollar Jr." Those yahoos couldn't wrestle...I mean um "entertain" the crowds like the former Rhodes and Million Dollar man. CM Punk was given the biggest prize only by "cashing" in the other non-sanctioned "belt" aka money in the bank brief case. Then soda Punk lost his belt and jobbed to the midcard. It is a true shame that Decon Batista has been given the top prize again. I mean the only thing worse than that is having HeMan, Triple H given the top prize...oh wait, He has been given the second or first top prize in the business. My point is this unify the titles again and get rid of the Heat championship, I mean the ECW silver "belt." Vince, it is time to change things up before the WWE loses more ground to dare I say the New WCW I mean TNA...Okay I wouldn't go that far.
The problem with Cyber Sunday was the matchups/stips and results were completely predictable. You knew that Bourne would be the fans choice to face Hardy and that Hardy would retain. Ditto Jeff Hardy and HHH. (and by the way another clean loss for Hardy...wow creative is just finished with Jeff, it cannot be more clear)
"Hey, I would pay that dollar if what I got in return was more than just the hope that I might get to see CM Punk wrestle. Especially when the voting is of questionable veracity."
It would be illegal for WWE to not do a legit vote since people had to spend money to text their choices.
And of course Vince would never do something illegal. Not Vinnie Mac.
"And of course Vince would never do something illegal. Not Vinnie Mac."
Yes, that's right. He would open himself up to potential fraud lawsuits just to get Vladimir Kozlov into a match.
do they rename this pay per view now that they've taken the 'cyber' piece of it out by changing to text votes? for the extra $$ they got through some people actually agreeing to pay a buck to vote, how many dollars did they lose from those who may have otherwise ordered the ppv if they could vote online for free?
To Shaun's point, I think Cyber Sunday has run its course. WWE is between a rock and a hard place because open voting enables people to vote for the worst stipulations without any commitment to ordering the show, but charging for voting leaves the majority uninvested. Plus, the selection of choices leaves a lot to be desired.
But WWE knows they will have 3-hour broadcasts throughout the year, so they should just turn one into Cyber Monday and let people vote for those stipulations Tom suggested, where nothing is at stake in the storylines. The potential for fun still exists, but the novelty has worn away, so nowadays, Cyber Sunday is kinda like the WWF Hardcore title of pay-per-view events.
I don't get the people who are saying that WWE's product is stale of late... I really don't. Raw's had a great last few weeks, with at least one match of can't-miss caliber and no bad matches I can recall. This week's Mysterio/Bourne match was excellent, for example. Booking's not been amazing, but has been adequate. And the young guys are getting pushes... or are Cryme Time, Morrison, Punk, and Kingston not young enough for you guys?
Not to mention Orton. Yeah, he's been around a while, but he started REALLY young and has a LOT of time left in the business.
Don't get me wrong I am part of the "WWE universe," which I think is genius since it encompasses everyone's little world...and in my world Raw needs to put on more than "one match of can't- miss caliber." It should be like days of old when the whole card from start to finish was can't miss. I guess with no viable competition WWE bookers can aford to be just "adequate." I would think that they would want to be extraordinary but then again what do I know? As for those mentioned with "pushes" Cryme Time...you have a point now there since "Cryme Time" has provided some good wholesome television for the whold family and no I am not being a jerk or am I? Morrison really needs to drop the Miz and pick up a suitable tag partner. Soda Punk has been jobbed to the mid card, I think I said that already. Kingston is really on tract to be teamed up with a jobber and given the tag team championship. Oh, wait that already happened. Okay now I am being a jerk. So in my world...what I didn't mention Orton...you mean the "Legend Killer?" He hasn't been the same since his days fueding with the Undertaker. Maybe he can be given a cast where he could wear on his arm for months on end...wait that gimmick has already been done with daddy Orton, but with the WWE who knows. I mean if Piper could break a coconut over Superfly's head...twice who knows what else can be repeated. Maybe they can have Stunning Steve Austin come out and say a few words then give someone a stunner and drink beer. Man it's been a long time since he's done that...I mean it's only EVERYTIME he comes back for a special "guest appearance." And if ratings should somehow fall below 2.1 the WWE should consider bringing in the orange goblin, Hulk Hogan and he can job out a current superstar like the heart break old man. Or better yet bring back DX...wait that is already planned. What are they like 50? That is a classic line.
Wow, hating on WWE much? sounds like your a little bitter or something, i mean yea this isnt no attitude era but to bitch so much about cyber sunday, real bs column
Wow, hating on WWE much? sounds like your a little bitter or something, i mean yea this isnt no attitude era but to bitch so much about cyber sunday, real bs column
Wow, hating on WWE much? sounds like your a little bitter or something, i mean yea this isnt no attitude era but to bitch so much about cyber sunday, real bs column
Wow, hating on WWE much? sounds like your a little bitter or something, i mean yea this isnt no attitude era but to bitch so much about cyber sunday, real bs column
Wow, hating on WWE much? sounds like your a little bitter or something, i mean yea this isnt no attitude era but to bitch so much about cyber sunday, real bs column
Wow, hating on WWE much? sounds like your a little bitter or something, i mean yea this isnt no attitude era but to bitch so much about cyber sunday, real bs column