Pro Wrestling Fans: How would you improve WWE and/or TNA?

[FilipJPhry]

I was just watching a Machinima video from this guy about him growing up with watching pro wrestling. Then the nostalgia kicked in. My favorite memories included rivalries between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, the spectacular Cruiserweight division, the very entertaining Hardcore championship, the bizarre sketches between matches, when the tag-team division actually mattered, when the mid-card matches were fun to watch, and the rosters were full of young up-comers along with legendary vets and then-current main-eventers whose personalities didn't seem like cookie-cutter stereotypes.

Spoiler: My favorite wrestlers ever, and why

Steve Austin. The best part about him was that he never wanted to act the face(good-guy role). He chugged beer on-screen, stuck middle fingers, beat up whoever looked at him funny, and he was very entertaining on the mic. I guess that's the reason the crowd loved him. His rivalry with The Rock is the greatest rivalry in the Attitude Era. Every time they met, shit was about to change in the WWF.

Kurt Angle. At first, he was this "American Hero" who acted like a cookie-cutter face type. No one liked this, and he decided to play off it. This lead him to become this arrogant prick who loved talking about his accomplishments in the Olympics. After this change, he became the "Wrestling Machine" we all knew and loved. He was the type of heel(bad guy role) who can beat any guy on the roster without resorting to cheating. He did cheat sometimes, but it was to keep up his reputation as a heel. His rivalries with Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit and The Undertaker were legendary. The best thing about Angle was that he put out spectacular performances in the ring. Every match he was involved in kept your eyes on the screen.
Kurt, please come back to the WWE. Just one year. Hell, it doesn't have to be a year. Maybe an appearance at a PPV. I want closure.

Steve Blackman. This guy isn't that well-known, but in my opinion, the greatest Hardcore champion in wrestling history. And the fact that he had to defend that title 24/7, lead to very entertaining bouts outside the ring. Yes, I know he really didn't defend it 24/7, but I ignore that because I liked that illusion. His martial-arts style of wrestling mixed with weapons such as Kendo sticks, trash cans, barbed wire and other silly weapons were what made the Hardcore division so great.

The Undertaker. The legend who has undergone so many changes throughout his career in pro wrestling, you have to like him. The Hell in a Cell matches, the rivalries with Kurt Angle, Kane, Shawn Micheals, and Brock Lesnar, his biker/Big Evil persona change, and his Streak at Wrestlemania with 19-0 were what made him so great.

Chris Benoit. Yes, I know what he did was horrifying, but I don't look him as that. I remember him as the Rabid Wolverine. The Canadian Kurt Angle.

Man, that took a while to type. With that out of the way, I'd like to talk about now.

Spoiler: Fanboy rant

WWE is in total crap-mode, turning into a PG oriented kids show starring John Cena(Thank you, Janet Jackson). What happened to the Cruiserweight division? The mid-card matches are a total bore now, the personalities have no personalities. They are just a filler for the main eventers who are even still boring to watch, with CM Punk being the exception. I could watch that guy talk on the mic for an entire show. TNA resorting to wrestlers who refuse to retire even though they should've hung up their tights five or eight years ago. Watching TNA wrestlers talk about said-vets for ten minutes before a match is unbearable. It's like watching the Brett Favre [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_Favre] debacle times ten. The heels in TNA are clones of suit-wearing douches with hookers who claim to live "the high life".

Anyways, while I was typing this post, I decided I'm done with professional wrestling. I will read Wrestling Wrap-up [http://tv.ign.com/articles/121/1210952p1.html] to see what goes on in the wrestling universe. The upcoming match between The Rock and John Cena at Wrestlemania might make me interested in WWE again, but very unlikely.

As I'm about to conclude this post, I ask you, the reader: How would you make pro wrestling fun to watch again? Would you boost young stars like Kofi Kingston, Drew MacIntyre, Cody Rhodes, or some other under-appreciated youngster in the WWE? Would you fire each and every wrestler who is over 50 years old in TNA? Resurrect the Hardcore and Cruiserweight divisions? Post your opinions, and thank you for reading.

 

[Rooster893]

I would like to see John Cena LOSE some damn matches. Or have him not have the WWE title every other PPV.

I'd like to see WWE drop the PG rating. I know it won't happen, but at least it would mean getting some entertaining story lines.

Pretty much what you stated in your last paragraph. I'd like to give Evan Bourne, Drew McIntyre, and Wade Barrett pushes, since they seem to have a lot of talent. Not Ezekiel Jackson or Jinder Mahal. I don't like to see talentless bodybuilders win Intercontinental championships when they only know 3 moves.

I'd like to see WWE bring back the cruiserweight division back. They've got guys for that, like Evan Bourne, Rey Mysterio, both Sin Caras, Zack Ryder, and Cody Rhodes, just to name a few.

 

[Rathcoole]

F*ck John Cena.

That is about all I have to say. He wins all the damn time. He is in the main event nearly every ppv. Yet he can not wrestle for crap. There are much better wresters getting screwed over just so WWE can keep this overrated hack in the limelight. Why? Because for some reason kid's love him and keep buying crap with his face on it. Nowaday's WWE is a kiddies show. I remember growing up during the attitude era when WWE was fun and mature (about as mature as wresting get's anyway, could not think of a better word) Now it is just pathatic. I have seen cartoon's more mature than the sh*t WWE pump's out these day's. It just pisses me off.


P.S. Cena can not rap for sh*t

 

[Aris Khandr]

First, cut back on the PPVs. Ideally, down to four or six per year. Make the shows matter more. Build up the matches that fans want to see, and they'll pay to see them.

Stop hotshotting the belt around. It doesn't help anyone. Plan out reigns, and make them matter, especially with the top belts. The crowning of a new World Champion should be memorable.

Planning. Book for the future. I can't count the number of times that both companies have started a story, and just dropped it. Sometimes, yeah, things don't work out. But both companies are giving a distinct impression that they're not thinking past the next show.

Oh? And TNA?

Spoiler

 

[SadakoMoose]

Cut back on PPV's
Emphasize youth talent and social media.
Get rid of Drew (He looks silly, and I don't know one person that takes him seriously)
No entrance music during Run-Ins
Long term feuds. (We have 4 hours of TV a week, we need to make use of it)
No more "What Camera?" style backstage segments. If we need to show a wrestler backstage, then we need to justify the presence of a camera.
Fire Kevin Dunn, he does nothing.
Fire Steve Keirn, he's anti Semitic and messed up FCW.
Stop hiring new writers with no experience in wrestling.
Bring Jim Cornette on to manage FCW, alongside JR.
Stop hiring rookies with less than 5 years experience, unless vouched for.
No more celebrity guests spots.
Consider putting Paul Orndorf or Les Thatcher in charge of some parts of developmental, since Paul was one of the few good parts of the WCW power plant and Les knows what he's talking about.

My picks for talent acquisitions: Colt Cabana (you can't not love this guy), Bobby Fish (good offensive moveset), Sabian (the WWE needs more Color), Aeroform of EVOLVE Pro (great new tag team). Also, consider partnering with Chikara and maybe showcasing their wrestlers on a RAW or two, like they did with ECW in 1997. Quacky is probably more agreeable than Heyman.

 

[Shockolate]

WWE: Learn to use your fucking Mid-carders. The US and Intercontinental Championsships are pretty much worthless.

John Morrison, get rid of Melina for fucks sake. There's a reason you've become a shitty jobber. There's a TV Trope called the Poisonous Friend. It's her.

Also, Dolph Ziggler is amazing.

TNA: You turned Beer Money against eachother. I hate you forever.

 

[Aris Khandr]

Get rid of Drew (He looks silly, and I don't know one person that takes him seriously)

McIntyre? Why would you want to get rid of him?

 

[damselgaming]

I have a Wrestlemania party every year, usually read wrestling news websites to keep up to date.

TNA totally needs to have longer, more thought out storylines but at the same time less chat. It's all about the chat in TNA. I saw a live event last January and when the guys wrestle, it's entertaining. The just need to shut up every so often.

WWE is aimed at a 'not me' demographic at the moment. And if it's working for them then that's OK. I'm sure they know what they need to do to get the older viewers back on board but until they have to change I assume they won't.

Get rid of the Diva's though for goodness sake! Also the 'Knockouts' are on the downhill. One day when I am a famous women wrestler we will have good exciting matches. With no girl screams. Or hair pulling.

 

[blaqknoise]

Don't make the Muppets part of Raw...

 

[Raika]

The biggest recommendation I can make is that WWE needs to handle their midcard properly, and while I'm discussing their midcard, I have a proposal that I hope the bookers read. It goes thus:

*ahem*

Intercontinental Champion Beth Phoenix.

Make. It. Happen.

 

[garjian]

...ummm...

although ive never watched a wrestling event in my life... im still a big fan of wrestling itself. Wrestling events have never appealed to me because they just seem like children's reality TV shows, and bad ones at that. I would appreciate it if the sport was treated just so. No silly fake drama, no silly fake fighting would be a start tbh.

I want to see actual wrestling skills... not posing for 15 minutes while the opponent pretends to be "groggy" (whatever that means) then apparently knocking them out with a solitary pathetic elbow drop.
When i watch Tribe, or Last Man Standing... documentaries and the like that feature tribes that wrestle for sport... its great to see them actually fight each other properly, trying to safely approach, eventually locking together and trying to take the opponents legs out but they accidentally go too far and land first and lose... that type of stuff.

I dont care for characters, and i dont care for petty rivalry. I just want to see people wrestle freely and to the best of their ability. Thats what i particularly like about wrestling as a whole... there arent many rules that govern the actual fighting itself. certain areas are off limits, but beyond that youre allowed to hit and grab your opponent in any way you like.

 

[Layzor]

I'd buy up some indie tag team and cruiserweight talent and make a match of each division a staple at every ppv like it used to be.

Drop the pg rating and bring back the hardcore title and make make ladder/table matches more often.

Get some heels that actually appear threatening rather than just cheap, i.e. capable of beating Cena/Orton in a fair fight without any bullshit.

Fire Mark Henry, Khali and anyone else that is just huge and not a wrestler.

Fire most of the Divas and replace them with women that can actually wrestle.

Push Ziggler, he sells like a champ.

Sort the midcard out by making the intercontinental and U.S. titles worth something by making it look like people actually want it.

Remove the Hell in a Cell ppv.

Throw the title on Punk for a good while.

Maybe give Cena a decent heel turn, similar to Stone Cold's big one.

Erase Kane taking his mask off from history.

 

[x-machina]

Nowaday's WWE is a kiddies show. I remember growing up...WWE was fun and mature

It's always been a kid's show mate.

 

[Dragoon]

I agree that the US Champ and Int Cont belts seem worthless right now they really need somemore excitement. Cena needs to stop winning for awhile, CM Punk needs to be WWE Champ for a good stretch of time and Diva matches need to be longer and not all end after 5 mins with a roll up.

 

[Sassafrass]

Not much to say about WWE as I can;t watch it on Freeview TV but I will say this about TNA.

Please, for the love of God, make your matches less obvious to predict. Every RVD match I've seen goes thusly. RVD gets beaten for a bit, he does a couple of kicks, knocks guy down, Rolling Thunder to guy, missed Frog-Splash, hit Frog-Splash, win, yay. Change the formula up a bit, make things interesting. And make more story-lines like the AJ Styles and Daniels one, that's pretty good.

AND MORE JEFF HARDY AND INSANE STING PLEASE.

 

[Rawne1980]

I kind of went off WWE some years ago and started watching things like Ring of Honor.

I since moved on to TNA and there I stayed.

TNA has some amazing talent but truly awful writing (that angle with Winter and Angelina is just .. wrong .. on so many levels).

They had Bobby Roode up on a high and could have made his career shine at BFG but for some reason went against that and then turned him heel.

Because what the TNA tag division needed was one of it's best teams splitting up considering the abundance of tag teams it has (sarcasm folks, sarcasm). So that left us with Ink Ink, Mexican America and British Invasion .... that is all for the tag division.

I applaud your writers TNA.

AJ Styles has gone from decent matches to relive a feud with Chris Daniels that happens every single time Daniels makes a return (seriously, this is the 3rd time at least Daniels has wrestled Styles and then turned heel afterwards).

Yet Amazing Red, quite possibly one of the best in the X Division, struggles to get a match...

Guys like Matt Morgan, Abyss, Samoa Joe hell even Kazarian should be getting decent matches but keep getting put back while Flair is getting air time, how the hell is Flair still going.

I get it, him and Hogan were/are legends (depending who you ask depends on how relevant) but it's time to call it quits guys. They had Hogan v's Sting at BFG. Sting I can see, he may not be a spring chicken but he can still wrestle decently but Hogan can barely bloody walk.

But i'll keep watching. The writing may not be up to much but some of the wrestling is still good to watch.

I did try watching WWE not so long ago but don't recognise any of them anymore. Didn't really care who was winning or losing so gave up again.

Can't seem to find the cheers for that John Cena fella. Seems like he wants to be fun on the old mic but no-one comes close to the days of Rock, Jericho or Austin ... although hardly anyone beats what Piper was like when he got a promo.

 

[Jumpingbean3]

Advice for WWE

1. Accept the fact that HHH is delusional if he thinks the industry doesn't need to evolve.

2. Let guys like Cena and Daniel Bryan actually showcase what they are capable of. Cena has some good moves and Bryan has an awesome repetoire that the WWE barely lets us see. If you actually showed us what guys like Cena can do, more people might accept them.

3. Don't be afraid to take risks. It took the mainstream audience (not counting those in the know) a little time to accept and embrace CM Punk as a main-eventer but once they did it paid off and Punk drew a ton of money through merchandise sales. I understand that, as a company, you have to think about you're bottomline but you can't play it safe forever. Sometimes a big gamble can yield a big payoff and get people interested again. Remember Punk's infamous shoot? That was a big risk and it drove the wrestling world crazy and got people outside of wrestling talking about it again.

4. Stop naming Pay Per Views after match types. First of all you could end up writing yourselves into a corner by having to think of a storyline reason to have these matches. On top of that these names leave little room for surprise.

Past names may have hinted at an overhanging theme but still leave some room for speculation like No Way Out ("Oh yeah there's no way this wrestler can cheat his way out now! What kind of match will they have to ensure that") or Backlash ("This guys totally gonna get revenge for what happened at Wrestlemania! Now how will they do that"). Now compare that to their current names, Elimination Chamber and Extreme Rules ("Duh! I wonder what kinda of matches we'll see here.").

On top of that the old names were cooler and had a buit of an onimous overtone. Names like Judgement Day have been replaced by no-imagination names like Hell in a Cell.

5. Show that you can commit. If you say John Cena is going to be at the show in a Nexus shirt then put him in a Nexus shirt. Don't just give him an armband and make him wear the shirt on the last day before he gets kicked out and while I'm on the Cena, Nexus storyline, when you have Cena get kayfabe fired actually have him disappear. Instead he showed up every week of his "firing" and was rehired within a month.

6. Putting your entire roster under does no good for anyone. For those who don't know, a current storyline featured one episode of RAW ending with the overwhelming majority of wrestlers (Good guys and bad guys alike) voting no confidence on HHH (the CEO at the time) and walking out on him. I think Mues of Raw Reactions summed this up best:

"The WWE goes as far as too keep from saying the word "wrestling" when they really should be more careful about promising entertainment. Say what you will about the Slammys but at least kids find humour in it No is entertained by complete silence for 5 straight minutes while they boo all of their favourite stars!"

The following week the people who had walked out on HHH stayed outside the arena in non-violent protest and HHH and the remaining stars came out to insult those who had walked out and HHH made the following comment: "all of you guys out there can kiss me where my cheeks meet! I don't care if I have to wrestle a broomstick! Hell I've wrestled a lot of you guys, a broomstick will give me a better match!". This not only put the roster under but made the good guy look like a complete arsehole.

Incidentally I was on RAW Live Chat on WWE.com that night and most of the people there were calling the protesters weak and traitors and saying that they should all be fired. At therisk of sounding arrogant, I doubt I have to explain why this does no good for anyone.

7. Either have guest hosts who were in the business or cknow and care about it. Guests like the Osbournes and those 2 Nascar guys (I don't remember their names nor do I want to.)

8. If you have celebrity guest hosts who play fictional characters like the A Team cast or Macgruber please don't have them in character, it ruins the illusion. I'll let the Muppets slide because they were at least fun. Speaking of the Halloween episode...

9. Have the male Superstars wear outfits at Halloween. Not just the Divas. Seeing the Bellas as the Marios brought a slither of entertainment to a pretty rubbish match.

10. While I'm talking about the divas, never put the title on Kelly Kelly again. I hope Kharmas kid is born soon. Kharma vs Beth would be a great fued and the Divas division desperately needs her.

11. Write a story involving the horrific death of Hornswoggle. He's annoyng, he's useless, he buries talent, he put the final nail in the Cruiserweight Title's coffin and he instantly makes any match worse.

12. Turning Cena heel won't necessarily lose merch sales (just look at Hulk Hogan). You can still make money even if you have to create a line of anti-Cena merchandise.

I have some advice for TNA and some advice that applies to both companies as well as some for the WWE that I've forgotten but this post is long enough so I'll post them later.