Wrestling needs to learn to build suspense again...

[Xero]

Thinking about this "big TNA surprise" and the NXT Invasion on RAW, I got to thinking about how everything is now spur of the moment.

Don't get me wrong, like most, I felt the NXT angle was the best thing they'd done in YEARS. But it was so awesome and out of left field that they put a HUGE weight on themselves when it comes to the high expectations coming out of that angle. It's going to be hard to follow up.

WWE and TNA need to start building feuds and angles. I get that they always book for the short term, and that does work, but it hurts them in the long run. It seems that feuds, on the most part, don't last for more than a month or two. And even then, when they go relatively long, they wind up dropping parts of the angle or completely changing things for no reason (kind of like the Samoa Joe kidnapping thing).

Look at the Taz vs Sabu feud. They didn't touch for a year. I'm not saying you need that long to build something, but for God's sake, they tend to go RIGHT INTO matches now and blow potential money matches on TV or without a proper build. There are some that are done well, like the Miz/Jericho tag saga, but then there are others that are thrown out on free TV way too soon, like Orton vs Legacy. And even more where they completely lose momentum they had going for wrestlers, like Kofi's push.

My point is that they needs to realize that if they book longer, thought out feuds and stay away from hotshotting or single "OMFG LOOK AT THIS" angles that things would be better off for all involved.

But don't think I'm against huge angles like the NXT angle, they're needed, but they can't happen a lot, and they MUST have a solid plan to follow it up, otherwise it's all for naught.

[VSG]

I do believe the NXT angle will culminate at Survivor Series/end miserably which means a good chance of a long feud between Barrett and Cena.

[Jeritron]

I too love the slow build. The McMahon-Austin fued, which is probably my favorite storyline and fued ever, started out with a few mixed words and eventually a stunner.
For months before, and even after that they didn't even really go at it. They just couldnt' stand eachother.
Then Stone Cold ruined the Mike Tyson thing for Vince, and Vince started to get more and more disgusted with him, and then he won the title and refused to work within the system.
Then Vince slowly started to get hands on in actually giving him a hard time on the product.
Flash forward a year later, and there are massive plots going on with the Ministry, Stone Cold is taking the position of CEO, Vince's family is all involved and all kinds of crazy stuff.
It was brilliant how far it came, but seemed to do so naturally and gradually.

There needs to be more writing like that.

[Jeritron]

I do believe the NXT angle will culminate at Survivor Series/end miserably which means a good chance of a long feud between Barrett and Cena.

Sounds like The Invasion.

It's a tall order, but I would love if the NXT storyline had enough momentum to carry through into the new year.
If they go to war with Cena and the WWE, it can last for a while.
If they decide to go the route where they attacked Undertaker, they could then move onto a fued with him when he returns. Possibly the fall?
I think it would be great if Taker returned for his revenge, and got a little, but instead of him squashing them all, they actually took him out again.
In his absence, maybe Barret could get on the map as champion and a legit main eventer around Survivor Series, with Undertaker returning again just in time to cost him the title at the Rumble and start a blood fued going into Wrestlemania.

[tjmidnight420]

I agree, Xero, but I think that instead of building all these short feuds or only booking long term they need to find a combination of both to make it work right. Shorter feuds are good for guys with nothing going on, and the lower card guys that nobody cares about. The E&C thing needs to be long term though, as an example. Have them get into altercations every so often when they're in the same place but mostly keep them apart. Build Christian up to the proper level to feud with Edge, then don't put them in a program. Eventually have one of them cost the other a title or big match, but don't put them in a program. This is how dream matches should be made into dream matches in the first place.

[Xero]

Oh no I agree that there needs to be shorter programs but there has to be at least one or two going on every show, and they should be logically booked, not everywhere on the map just for the sake of "unpredictability".

Some storylines are like a Benoit/Malenko classic, while others are more like an 8-man X Division cage match that ends in a DQ. Still others are like a Clox match.

[Jeritron]

There needs to be more storylines that flow naturally into other storylines. Too often a title fued or storyline will end, and the wrestlers invovled will come out the next night like it never happened and something new will come up.
It's basically like "what's next for me" night after a blow-off PPV.

[BigCrippyZ]

I also think that building these long term feuds/storylines, it helps characters to develop, grow and evolve over time, which in turn makes them more interesting. Even the McMahon-Helmsley storyline went on for 6+ months in some form.

So did the Test/Stephanie wedding went on for a while, Stephanie went from being involved with the Ministry/Corp. feud, to dating Test, to Test vs Shane, to HHH ruining the wedding, to HHH feuding with the McMahon family, to Steph turning on Vince, etc.

Think about how many characters were involved, developed and benefited, even temporarily from these storylines.

[Xero]

That's another thing I was going to make a thread on but didn't. The fact that there seems to be a lack of character development. For the most part, feuds have become like a sitcom. Crazy shit happens but after everything is settled they're right back to where they started. Case in point: Kofi Kingston.

He was over before the Orton angle, but during it he was literally at the threshold of lower main event status, and they let all the heat from it waste away and he's back to being an over midcard face.

[BigCrippyZ]

Who was booking/writing things from 98-2001? They did a helluva job IMO. Everything seemed so natural, never felt scripted and the feud payoffs were great.

[Londoner]

It's basically like "what's next for me" night after a blow-off PPV.

That's exactly the problem for me.

[The Pope]

Fueds are too short these days. Sometimes it's like wtf, we know the main event on raw is a tag match with a run-in to fuck up a build up.

[Theo Dious]

I'll show you suspense.
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http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg81/darthteedious/horseanus.jpg

[Favre4Ever]

the guest host thing has a lot to do with this I think.

[Kane Knight]

Fueds are too short these days. Sometimes it's like wtf, we know the main event on raw is a tag match with a run-in to fuck up a build up.

To be fair, with 25 PPVs a year, it's hard to keep momentum. Not impossible, mind. They could book long term, with payoffs occurring every month and builds that go on for months, but it's easier to hit the reset button every PPV or two. Plus, injuries have snafu'd even short term booking, so it's not entirely hard to see why they'd want to keep the short term payoffs.

[Savio]

Its because the wwe is written by people who write TV shows. so they will write on a monthly basis.

Think of Orton vs Cena. They should have feud for a year without really touching each other. What does WWE do? just book them in a match at an up coming pay-per-view with no background.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm liking Kurt Angle's rise to the top in TNA. That's a storyline that will take some time, and is just so simple. Angle wants to be TNA World Heavyweight Champion again, and prove he is "The Greatest Wrestler in the World." So he's got a hit list of the top talent in TNA to beat. So simple.

It hasn't really gone on too long yet, but I'm also liking Christian's feud with Dolph Ziggler, Chavo & Vickie Guerrero. I love the way it has slipped Hornswoggle, Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer in there. The connections aren't hammered into your brain every week, but they are there. I LOVED Vickie Guerrero talking to Curt backstage last week, because it played off their history together, as well as preluded to what The Gatecrashers would do to Christian the following week.

If the WWE plays their cards right, not only could Christian really get over as a massive face with this storyline, but the heels involved could look great by always getting the advantage over Christian with the numbers.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The Kane/Taker's assailants angle could have a well-built pay-off, too.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Because accidents happen.
Because accidents happen.
Because accidents happen.

[The Pope]

why is there three of the same post?
why is there three of the same post?
why is there three of the same post?

[BigCrippyZ]

To be fair, with 25 PPVs a year, it's hard to keep momentum.

Agreed. To be honest this was what I saw happening as a result of the brand split and the purchase of WCW/ECW. I didn't have a problem with them purchasing the rights to all of the WCW/ECW footage and intellectual property and picking up a few of the better workers. As soon as the brand split started though and they started doing "show specific" PPV's (although they don't really anymore even though they still have just as many or more PPVs), I knew that the great slow built feuds and character development would disappear, and thus it has.