If you could totally re-invent WWE... [Archive]

Grablot

03-23-2011, 03:23 PM

Keep the two rosters.

Raw becomes just what the name says RAW. A hardcore, after 9pm, reckless cable show full of blood and violence and adult storylines. This show/brand would be oriented towards violent and would have more storylines that deal with sex and violence and some sick characters for heels. Tougher "faces"...just an all out adult brand. It would be rated for an adult audience. The Divas on RAW would be eye candy only.

Smackdown becomes a completely athletic centered show with wrestling as the #1 issue. There would be no hardcore wrestlers on the brand and faces and heels will be more traditional good and bad guys rather than Raw where everyone is shades of gray and realistic, Smackdown will be the show for the athletes. Here the Divas would wrestle. There will be no cursing or brutal violence on Smackdown.

I would keep cross over from the shows at an absolute minimum like when the split first started. But, lets say a feud gets hot on Smackdown. The two guys hate each other so much that they wanna face each other in a last man match. Well for that they can jump to RAW for a night or two and fight in brutal matches. Same thing with Raw wrestlers who wanna settle things "by the rules". It would be the best of both worlds imo. Raw for those who like hardcore adult violent wrestling and WWF like storylines and Smackdown for those who like PG era storylines and technical wrestling focus.

Also since the rosters would be so seperate it would be amazing when one guy meets a guy from another brand especially a big star. Also I would leave the same amount of wrestlers on the roster.

St. Jimmy

03-23-2011, 04:07 PM

End the Brand Division. Done.

NormanSmiley

03-23-2011, 04:09 PM

Trying to be as objective as I could from a business and fan standpoint:

recombine the rosters: without a unified/undisputed champion it makes everything seem like a joke. would emphasize chasing the title.

having a GM works, a heel gm works better. having a voicebox gm is stupid

cut the divas, this doesnt appeal to mass audiences with 90% of piss breaks happen duringtheir matches the writing is on the bathroom wall

lastly reinvent the manager and the stable. gives guys who have physical skill and need microphone work time to lose the green and come into their own.

03-23-2011, 04:13 PM

You make that sound simple Jimmy.

Tell us your superstar hierarchy. Who is now the "established Main Event"? What do you do with the guys that are bumped down to upper midcard? What do you do with the upper midcard guys that have been displaced by the "Main Even Dropouts"? Are you cutting the roster down? Forcing early reirement? Or expecting the older guys to drop down below the "Main Events"? How do you use the 4 hours of TV that you have?

Tell me. TELL ME DAMMIT!!

St. Jimmy

03-23-2011, 04:15 PM

go back to 1999-2001, that's pretty much the plan XL.

dhellova guy

03-23-2011, 04:18 PM

Keep the brand division.

Get rid of the draft. Keep people on the same show for a while, let storylines develop more. Make it seem like 2 different companies, so that when we do PPV's like Bragging Rights, it would seem like it actually mattered. When someone needs a fresh start, have them either "traded" to the other show or sign as a "free agent" whos contract had expired.

Put the tag titles on Smackdown and push tag teams. Unify the IC and US titles and put that belt on Raw, push singles matches. Have the two world champs meet, once a year, at bragging rights.

Gertner

03-23-2011, 04:19 PM

03-23-2011, 04:27 PM

What I mean is, you have "Main Eventers" on Raw and SmackDown currently "seperate". So in theory you have twice as many "Main Eventers" than you need.

Actually, come to think of it, now is probably the best time to combine the rosters

There's no Batista, Jericho, HBK etc that you need to consider for ME roles. Taker, HHH, Edge and Mysterio are all said to be winding down. Big Show/Kane can be cycled into and out of the ME scene but don't have to have cemented roles.

Post-Mania Main Event Scene

Alberto Del Rio
The Miz
John Cena
Randy Orton
HHH (if he sticks around)
Taker (if he sticks around)
CM Punk

My point is, if you trash the brand split I imagine you'd have storylines running from Raw to SmackDown back to Raw, etc. Like they did 1999 - 2002. That doesn't leave you with enough TV time to allocate to a roster of 40+ (or whatever the roster is currently).

You can't just say "end the roster split" as this sweeping, "fix all problems" statement.

St. Jimmy

03-23-2011, 04:31 PM

any instance of the WHC should be the IC belt.

Eklipse

03-23-2011, 04:37 PM

I'd get rid of the current WWE championship and replace it with the championship belt from the Attitude era. It's actually my favorite championship.

As far as roster cuts go, I'd have to cut the following:
R-Truth
Primo Colon
Khali
Chavo Guerrero
Goldust
Hornswoggle
JTG

I'd bring back the lightheavyweight championship and have a tournament ending with the final two in a ladder match for the title.

No more gimmick ppv's. No guest hosts, and no mystery GM.

Oh, and there would be blood.

Gertner

03-23-2011, 04:42 PM

Cutting Primo would end the greatest tag team today DZP. Therefore, Primo stays.

03-23-2011, 04:43 PM

any instance of the WHC should be the IC belt.
Ah. So you're not re-inventing it from what it is today. You're saying NEVER do the split in the first place?

Londoner

03-23-2011, 04:54 PM

I'd combine the rosters. Create some stables to make things more interesting. Have the Corre turn face(actually, not sure if they're entirely heel or face atm? haven't been watching them much) and feud with 'the new nexus', just makes sense to do that for a start.

Both shows would be a mix of the current/attitude era style,leaning more towards attitude rather than PG.

Cena would lose some key matches.(:eek: now that's completely reinventing wwe!)

Would definately have an undisputed champion, change the WWE title back to how it was/should be. Del Rio would be the champ.

I like the GM manager idea so would keep that, erm, not sure what else just now. I'll try n think later. Oh and i agree about bringing back the Light Heavyweight title.

JimmyMess

03-23-2011, 04:59 PM

*Undisputed Championship returns (eventually just call it the WWE Title again)
*Build up the US/IC division as really the "next guys" (make their matches matter, hype videos, etc. the second last to go on the ppv)
-- to that as well, have at least one instance in the near future that sees the IC Champion challenge the WWE Champion.
*Revamp the tag division.

- It seems the only way to do this is to get a main event guy in each of these divisions just to get them off the ground.

I'm spit-balling btw

Ermaximus

03-23-2011, 05:08 PM

Firstly, I'd keep the brand split, but I'd balance the rosters.

I'd unify the titles and have 1 champ for both shows thus culminating in the champ having 2 storyline fueds going at once. In fact, I'd have every title match be in a triple threat at each PPV between the champion and the #1 contender from each show.

Main event scene would be as follows:

Raw
C.M. Punk
Daniel Bryan
Dolph Ziggler
John Cena
John Morrison
Randy Orton
Sheamus

SmackDown!
Alberto Del Rio
Christian
Cody Rhodes
Edge
Jack Swagger
Rey Mysterio
Wade Barrett

HHH, Undertaker, Big Show, and Kane could be inserted as needed to freshen things up a bit, or if a slew of injuries were to happen.

Scrap the tag titles all together since the tag division clearly means nothing anymore.

Retire the diva's title and then dump the following divas all together: Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Eve, Kaitlyn, Kelly Kelly, Melina, Nikki Bella, and Tamina. I'd keep LayCool, Beth Phoenix, Maryse, Gail Kim, Natalya, Rosa Mendes, and Vickie, but only as valets/managers.

Raw would get a heel GM as a mainstay. Cole works perfectly for this. SD can keep a face GM so Teddy Long stays too.

Bring back the Cruiserweight title to SD and make the division as follows.

Cruiserweight Division
Chavo
Curt Hawkins
Evan Bourne
Heath Slater
JTG
Justin Gabriel
Kofi Kingston
Trent Baretta
Tyson Kidd
Yoshi Tatsu
Zack Ryder

The U.S. Title and IC title could be unified and the IC title could be the mainstay title for Raw and that division could look like this.

IC Division
Chris Masters
Drew McIntyre
Ezekial Jackson
Mark Henry
Mason Ryan
Michael Tarver
R-Truth
Santino
Skip Sheffield
Ted Dibiase
William Regal

The following would all be future endeavored:
Alicia Fox
Brie Bella
David Otunga
Eve
Hornswoggle
Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Kaitlyn
Kelly Kelly
Melina
Nikki Bella
Tamina
The Great Khali
Tyler Reks
Vladimir Kozlov

St. Jimmy

03-23-2011, 05:11 PM

Ah. So you're not re-inventing it from what it is today. You're saying NEVER do the split in the first place?

Yep.

Rammsteinmad

03-23-2011, 05:36 PM

I'm waiting for Naitch to post his ideas. :p

Xero

03-23-2011, 06:00 PM

Get rid of dead weight like Khali and Kozlov.

Keep the weekly programming to two shows per week, two hours each. You do not want over saturation, but at the same time you want enough time to develop storylines.

Gimmick matches are used sparingly, and for the most part aren't tied to a PPV.

Keep the brand split. I like the idea of the brand split because, in theory, it keeps the main event from dominating the television.

Have one RAW GM, a SmackDown! GM, and bring back the board of directors, but give them a face. The board of directors will be used in cross-brand issues and can over-ride any GM decision. They are essentially in Vince McMahon's position (on-screen). However, they would be used VERY sparingly (maximum three times a year), and never appear live, only in pre-tapes and interviews "from Titan Tower".

Keep the brands separated until January 1st. At this point, RAW and SmackDown! officially become one roster until WrestleMania. This allows cross-exposure between the two shows while keeping the brands separated for the rest of the year (barring the brand wars, as seen below).

The week after WrestleMania (the second RAW), the rosters are resplit and the draft is held. It would be done via picks by the GMs.

June is "Brand Wars" month. There will be a large cross-brand King of the Ring, with the semi finals and finals at the PPV. The first round is RAW vs. SmackDown! talents. The winner gets a title shot for the title of his choosing at SummerSlam. This essentially turns King of the Ring into SummerSlam's Royal Rumble.

PPVs/specials are as followed. I've cut down the PPVs to 7, and in off months included television specials that serve the same purpose.. I'm just using random names, I'd rather have all new properties outside of the established big 5. Most, if not all shows (outside of the big five) would have sub-titles, similar to In Your House.

Also, the cross-brand specials would NOT take the place of a RAW or SD. They would be aired on Sunday night in the normal PPV slot on USA.

January - Royal Rumble (PPV)
Feb/March - No Way Out
March/April - WrestleMania (PPV)
March/April - The Draft (3 hour cross-brand special)
May - 3 hour cross-brand special
June - King of the Ring (PPV)
July - Fully Loaded
August - SummerSlam
September - 3 hour cross-brand special
October - 3 hour cross-brand special
November - Survivor Series
December - 3 hour cross-brand special

The titles are as followed:

WWE Championship - Cross-Brand
Diva's Championship - Cross-Brand
Tag Team - Cross-Brand
IC Championship - RAW
US Championship - SD

The IC and US would be bumped up in prestige, and the scene would be a mix of main eventers and up-and-comers. The titles would be important enough that main eventers would WANT them, but the division wouldn't be completely dominated by main eventers.

The tag divison would have a resurgence. It would be to the point that the tag team championship would be important enough that it would be the main event of at least one PPV every year.

There is a catch for the tag division, though. You must be within an active tag team for a minimum of three months, and have at least 6 matches together to challenege for the tag team championship. This is to keep the division as a relatively separate entity. Also, career tag teams would come back.

Managers would be used for guys who aren't great on the mic but are still of use. Some will manage one person, while others would manage large stables, ala the Heenan Family.

Finally, and most importantly, Sports Entertainment must take the front seat. That isn't to say that wrestling isn't important, but we have to be realistic and realize that if you're not sports entertainment, you're going to fail. There has to be balance, with sports entertainment outweighing the wrestling.

Xero

03-23-2011, 06:01 PM

Fucking Noid post there.

Londoner

03-23-2011, 06:02 PM

I like your tag team idea, xero, although 3 months is probably a bit too long, 2 would be enough.

Damian Rey

03-23-2011, 06:38 PM

I'd keep the brand split, but would actually stick to keeping wrestlers on the exclusive brand, except maybe for Mania and Bragging Rights.

The shows would be structured to showcase under and mid card talent, while building hype for the main event match for the upcoming ppv. I remember watching a Legends of Wrestling roundtable discussion, and JR quipped that WWE gives far too many PPV matchups away for free. And he makes a point. If we can see Orton and Cena live on television for the standard cable bill, why pump out $50 to $60 to see at a PPV?

Main event programs would go on last on the tv shows, with main eventers facing upper mid card guys who are on the brink, or members of a stable the main eventer happens to be feuding with. At no point would I give away a match feautring the two PPV headline guys in the same match for free. Outside of muggings, run ins, and cheap shots, they'd stay away from each other until the PPV.

Mid card titles like the IC and US belts would be feautred and defended more often on television, and made to seem important. The belt should be used as both a step towards main eventing for the younger guys, and a place of semi permanent status for guys who aren't quite main event material, but can still contribute and help put guys over and make them look good. PPV card wise, the titles would be defended at the end of the 2nd hour of the show, as it would lead into the main event programs for the third hour.

Tag teams would be reestablished, and take up the undercard on one of the two shows, but not both. Having something that's exclusive to each brand would be refreshing, and give it an identity outside of "flagship" and "B show". The show with tag teams woud have a mix of young up and comers who need exposure and are exciting to watch (London/Kendrick), veterans who have been around and are still useful (Regal/whoever), and young guys who need a vet to help them develop and guide them (like Niedhart did with Bret), with of course the young guy having a bright future. Tag teams would not be made only to break up. In some cases, like the young green rookie teaming with the savvy veteran, the idea would of course be to eventually push the kid into mid card singles competition, but it wouldn't be rushed. Another exception would be if one or both members of a team are doing so well with connecting with the crowd individually that a singles mid card run is looking to be the next step, start a slow build of tension towards breaking up, spanning over months, maybe a year, rather than a few weeks (see Hart Dynasty). Tag teams would also be real teams, pairing guys with similar in ring styles (see London/Kendrick, Jannety/Michaels and WGTT), rather than just throwing two guys together for the hell of it (see Regal/Tajiri).

The show that feautures tag teams exclusively would feature Divas as well, but in Valet roles only. The opposing show would then exclusively feature competent, competitive Diva wrestling on the undercard to open shows and lead to the mid card. The Divas title would this show's version of the tag titles. I;d also reestablish managers, using guys who are good on the mic, and could help elevate talent (JBL, Cole).

Feuds should be build around ending at one of the "Big 4"; Royal Rumble, Mania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series. The four biggest shows of the year should symbolize the end of one story and the beginning of another. Gimmick PPVs like Elimination Chamber, Extreme Rules and MITB would be welcome. Bragging Rights is fine as is, as is Night of Champions. Other gimmick PPVs, though, need to be phased out.

Big time matches like Hell in the Cell should be saved for a big time show. No need to whore it out on an entire PPV, thus exploiting it and taking away from what it stands for.

Lastly, I'd go back to having exclusive voices for the broadcast team. I loved when the match calling would switch between Jr/King and Cole/Taz depending on what show was being represented. They need to go back to that to give the brand more identity, and save the three man booth for Bragging Rights and the Rumble.

NormanSmiley

03-23-2011, 06:57 PM

Gratzi for the positive Gertner. appreciated

I feel whether you are a wrestling purist or love the soap opera appeal that doing away with the brand split and decreasing the amount of PPVs like some have suggested will force better writing for storylines/character development and more big time feel matches. that way both groups of fans would be more satisfied.

seapig4

03-23-2011, 07:01 PM

I'd go back in time and not fuck up the wcw invasion angle.

Londoner

03-23-2011, 07:05 PM

I'd go back in time and not fuck up the wcw invasion angle.

and that would be possible....how exactly? got a time machine i take it?

seapig4

03-23-2011, 07:29 PM

Yeah, I'm gonna go back and kill baby Hitler then rape Vince till he decides not to hot shot the biggest angle in wrestling

DLVH84

03-23-2011, 07:29 PM

Here's how I would set it up...

Big Events
January - Royal Rumble
February - Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC
late-March or early-April - WrestleMania
May - Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC
June - King Of The Ring
July - Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC
August - SummerSlam
late-September or early-October - Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC
November - Survivor Series
December - Tribute To The Troops

Championships (ALL CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE CROSS-BRANDED)
World Heavyweight (both unified)
World Cruiserweight
World Tag Team
World Women's (get rid of the Divas title and reinstate this title)

MoFo

03-23-2011, 08:14 PM

need "In Your House" PPV's back.

Xero

03-23-2011, 08:30 PM

need "In Your House" PPV's back.

This would be an alternative to the off months being TV specials. Not necessarily with the In Your House name, but put on two or three hour PPVs at a discounted price. Like $20 for the non-big events. Then you can definitely get away with charging a premium for the bigger events.

VSG

03-23-2011, 08:43 PM

Too many Noid Posts in here :n: :mad: :foc: http://www.tpww.net/forums/image.php?u=231&dateline=1187163830

Xero

03-23-2011, 08:44 PM

Also, I would actually make house shows worth going to again. That's something that WWE just ignores for the most part. They draw okay houses, but nobody NEEDS to go to a house show because nothing of note ever happens at them and there is never any storyline progression.

I'd set it up so there are some mid-card feuds that have the blow-off matches at house shows. Hype up the matches good. Maybe they've been feuding for a few months on TV and they're coming to the face's home town for a house show. Hype the shit out of it, and make people NEED to be there. Then you show match highlights on the next RAW.

I'd do the same with storyline progression. Just do a segment recapping that, say, Randy Orton was beat down on a house show by Nexus, and have him come out to sell the injuries and talk about the attack on the show.

You don't lose anything with this concept, and in fact it should draw more to the houses, because they'd know something could happen. I'd make it to point for at least 50% of house shows having something referenced on television. You could even do local commercials in the area, or run promos from wrestlers on the show's web page, kind of like the old WWF Events Center. Or just run a weekly Events Center on the website running down the live events that week, sprinkled with promos.

I'd even make it a point to record 100% of house shows with at least a hard camera, preferably also with one camera man at ringside. It wouldn't be 100% up to par to TV, but it would expand the tape library quite a bit, and allow for use on either 24/7 (or the WWE Network, if it happens) and on DVD compilations. Hell, even do a special taping once every two months that's released exclusively either on DVD or iTunes, kind of like the old Coliseum Video releases.

MoFo

03-23-2011, 09:05 PM

I did like it when titles changed hands on house shows ie Edge winning the IC belt from Jarrett the day before Fully Loaded & Londrick beating Cade & Murdoch for teh tag titles.

Majunior

03-23-2011, 09:53 PM

Xero, brilliant ideas.

I do like house shows... I always found them far more entertaining from a wrestling standpoint. Longer matches, better performances, more in-ring psychology and storytelling. I enjoy the hell out of that. Now, if only they mattered again...

Simmo Fortyone

03-23-2011, 10:45 PM

Keep the brand split. I don't need John Cena dominating two shows.

The two shows need their own identity in order to expand their target markets a bit. So here's my very rough thought of what each show should be aiming for.

RAW
They should go for an MMA feel. Have guys competing under their "real" names and not using a gimmick. Guys like Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett. Keep the bouts to one-on-ones and have three titles - WHC, IC and Womens. Have women who can actually wrestle, and give them feuds that don't revolve around silly shit. Each week, have two feature matches at the top of each hour that are hyped the week before. The rest of the show contains your booked-on-the-fly matches plus promos and interviews. Also, bring back jobbers! Use them to build up the contenders to each title. Have a large-ish roster so you're not seeing the same guys every week. Build towards your title fights at PPVs. Blood and over-the-top violence ain't necessary, but this show is for your older audience, so colour up the language a bit. Don't use gimmick matches other than stipulations such as submissions only, 2-out-of-3 falls, no holds barred, etc. Have steel cage matches for big feud blow-offs.

Smackdown
This show would have an old-school, 80s, rock-n-roll wrestling feel to it - for the younger audiences and is gimmick/character heavy. Guys such as The Miz, Khali, Undertaker, Goldust and whoever else I can't think of - invent some gimmicks! How the WWE doesn't have a Twilight-ish vampire yet baffles me. And bring back Paul Birchill in his pirate gimmick! Storylines are the big focus here - vignettes and skits to enhance matches. I still think a cartoony Hurricane versus supervillian Stevie Richards feud back in 2002/2003 could have been one of the best feuds ever. The titles here are the WWE, Tag and Cruiserweight. Create tag teams with similar looks and movesets, not just Wrestler X and Wrestler Y who will split and feud in six months. Use managers/valets! Gimmick matches at PPVs are money here - ladder, falls count anywhere, etc.

Keep both NXT and Tough Enough. TE is for RAW, folks training for their shot at the big time. NXT is for new gimmicks to win a spot on Smackdown. Dudes who don't make it on Smackdown can be repackaged and tried again. Have your 12 PPVs - 4 for RAW, 4 for Smackdown and your big 4 (Rumble, WM, Summerslam, Survivor Series).

The key to making this work would be no crossover between shows. Don't have brand v brand matches (no Bragging Rights, boo bloody hoo), and having a RAW guy on SD would make between little and no sense so don't bother.

This could use more coherency but yeah, that's what I would do.

dingdongyo

03-23-2011, 10:48 PM

i'm kind of a stat nerd, so i would try to make some half-assed point system that nobody cared about.

Fox

03-23-2011, 11:12 PM

1) One WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Bring it together by culminating a 2-month long tournament at WrestleMania, where the winner of the tournament faces the winner from that year's Royal Rumble. The champion would work both shows and have multiple feuds going on that would sometimes cross-shows (i.e. WWE World Champion John Cena feuds with Orton on RAW And feuds with Alberto on Smackdown. Del Rio shows up on RAW to cost Cena a match and beat him down, etc).

2) Stop trying to distance the company from the word "wrestling." It's what the company IS. This would be done by recognizing certain superstars such as Daniel Bryan and CM Punk as excellent "wrestlers."

3) Bring back the Cruiserweight Championship and create a respectable new division with 10-15 excellent cruiserweight style wrestlers. Treat it the way it was treated in WCW during the late 90's. Give the CW Title matches plenty of air-time (10-15 minute matches) that would absolutely tear down the house. Make it one of the most respected championships in the company due to what these smaller guys can do inside of the ring, and NEVER disrespect the belt by putting it on people like Hornswoggle.

4) Get rid of the following PPV's: TLC, Hell in the Cell, Fatal 4-Way and Bragging Rights. Bring back the King of the Ring and make it a PPV before Summerslam, where the winner gets a shot at the WWE World Title at Summerslam. Replace the other PPV's with some of the old PPV names like Fully Loaded, Judgment Day, etc.

5) Hire AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Austin Aries, Masato Tanaka and Jay Lethal and push the hell out of them.

6) Re-hire Kurt Angle if he's available and Jeff Hardy once (IF) he's cleaned himself up.

Rock Bottom

03-23-2011, 11:15 PM

Too lazy to post in any sort of depth but I think they have way too many PPVs and that's why everything gets rushed and slapped together.

But it'd be less money if they cut them, so you'd have to fire a bunch of talent/employees or cut elsewhere to make up for it. I'd be in favor of brand unification as well because it'd give them more times to work on the feuds / wrestlers that can actually mean shit, if you were going to keep so many PPVs. This would be as opposed to seeing a bunch of random matches between Shaemus and Daniel Bryan. Who gives a fuck which one of them has the title now at 'Mania, it's already changed hands. They've also already beaten each other. Ohhh, wrestlemania tiebreaker for the 'what' belt.

Revive the tag team division as well as gimmick tag teams. If they had more teams like the Uso's and Hart Dynasty (moreso the Uso's, I loved these dudes) a tag team division could actually be viable. Quit pairing up singles guys. Takes the importance out of it. Cena and Miz could have gone somewhere if this angle weren't so abused or watered down. Think Rock and Sock. Was seriously huge.

Wrestle a little more. Matches lasting a bit longer could go a long way in making you give a shit what actually happens in the middle of the card.

Stop giving the WWE/Heavyweight belt to random dudes. Maybe not everyone will agree, but I think MITB is stupid. That's what the Rumble is for.

Directionless babbling is all you'll get from me here. McMahon obviously knows what he's doing. I'm not sure what decisions are made financially against the quality of the show. Maybe 90% of wrestling fans like what's going on. Dunno.

Xero

03-23-2011, 11:20 PM

6) Re-hire Kurt Angle if he's available and Jeff Hardy once (IF) he's cleaned himself up.

How Jeff Hardy could be in ANYONE'S plans after the monstrosity that was Victory Road is beyond me.

I mean, seriously. It's bad business. I don't care what anyone says about Hardy being a draw. After what he did at Victory Road, he should be blacklisted from working in any major promotion at a drawing level. He's just not dependable.

So either you hire him and put him on the undercard where he doesn't matter, or you put him in your main events and risk losing that match a minute before it's to go on. Both are not worth the trouble in hiring him.

There's no "if" about it. He could always relapse, and you don't want him relapsing on a big show, or dying after a relapse and an OD.

theregulator

03-23-2011, 11:34 PM

id have this guy do run ins every show

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-ziIJU-a8fw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

just to annoy people.

Gertner

03-24-2011, 09:17 AM

Cruiserweights don't draw. Never have. Never will.

Innovator

03-24-2011, 09:42 AM

-6 month turn freeze. No face or heel turns.

-Turn the NXT timeslot into a recap/NFL Live type show where storylines can get pushed, characters developed, etc.

-Countdown shows, UFC_style.

-Unify IC/US titles, guy can go between shows.

-Make some real tag teams. Get Beer Money.

-Managers. Hire Jim Mitchell.

-Fire everyone who can't take a bump over the top rope. Kozlov I'm looking at you.

-Don't bring someone up unless you have a clear character and direction for them.

-Condense the writing team. After listening to Lagana's podcast, it seems that there are too many cooks in the kitchen.

------------------------------

Wishful thinking...

-Hire Jim Cornette, and more importantly, Paul Heyman. Throw them into a room with Michael Hayes and Vince. If anyone comes out alive, whatever show they come up with will be great.

Gertner

03-24-2011, 10:01 AM

Jim Cornette in developmental: yes

Jim Cornette anywhere near the actual WWE: no

Cornette is a constant failure.

Innovator

03-24-2011, 10:51 AM

Why do you think there are other checks and balances in place?

Gertner

03-24-2011, 10:59 AM

Do you think Heyman and Cornette could work together? Cornette has pretty much burned every bridge he's had.

Innovator

03-24-2011, 12:14 PM

I think they could. But blood might be spilled.

Gertner

03-24-2011, 12:16 PM

lol I'd book that match.

Innovator

03-24-2011, 12:17 PM

I'd watch it as long as it wasn't a tuxedo match.

Gertner

03-24-2011, 12:18 PM

Bill Alfonso vs Beulah style

Innovator

03-24-2011, 12:24 PM

With Michael Cole as the guest referee.

Gertner

03-24-2011, 12:26 PM

lol Vince Russo as guest ref

NormanSmiley

03-24-2011, 02:18 PM

I dont care for the whole WWE/IC/US champ can go between shows idea. what sense does it make? the champ has won his belt and staked his claim, guys should be chasing him for the gold on the show he is on. he shouldn't be switching shows to start a fued with some ham n egger

Mr. C

04-14-2011, 03:30 PM

I’ll give you the summary of my schemes.

Scheme #1 - RAW & SmackDown
- Big 4 Pay-Per-Views are cross promotional. Otherwise, 4 for each show.
- RAW gets the TV14 rating, but doesn’t go back to blood.
- SmackDown focuses on characters and gimmicks and remains PG. Much like the 80s.
- Very limited crossover. Let each show develop their own demographic/market.

Scheme #2 - Cruiserweight Division
- The champion could defend the title on SmackDown and Superstars.
- They have a lot of guys for it right now: Chavo Guerrero, Daniel Bryan, Evan Bourne, Justin Gabriel, Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara.

NoRoolz

04-14-2011, 03:50 PM

A lot of people have made the points I'd make.

I'd also re-instate the Hardcore Title, and for periods at a time have it as 24/7 rule. Maybe like once a year for a few months. Reason for that is that I feel the divide between upper card wrestlers and lower card wrestlers is bigger than ever, and fans just don't care for the Primo's etc. Let them have some fun, give lower-card matches more prestige and being 'hardcore' will always appeal to the fans. Backstage title changes, possibilities are endless, Santino can be heavily involved. Hardcore title matches make good PPV openers too.

DLVH84

04-15-2011, 09:51 PM

1 word...balance!!!

Xero

04-15-2011, 09:59 PM

More even distribution of NJPW talent to homegrown talent?

parkmania

04-15-2011, 11:16 PM

Hire some big name retired wrestlers to the writing staff. These guys know what types of storylines have gone over well.

Notice I said RETIRED.

Gertner

04-15-2011, 11:55 PM

Hire some big name retired wrestlers to the writing staff. These guys know what types of storylines have gone over well.

Notice I said RETIRED.

Ole Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Kevin Sullivan, Terry Taylor would all beg to differ.

Raven Reaper

04-16-2011, 12:00 AM

Cut the stupid divas belt and bring back women's champ belt..

2. Hiring women who're not fucking barbie dolls and can wrestle for shit..

3. Giving women their own tag belts.

4. Having female wrestlers engage in the same way as the men: Money in the Bank, Ladder, tables chairs, steel cages, No holds barred, etc. and make them bleed minus the PG SHIT RATINGS...

Gertner

04-16-2011, 12:08 AM

How about just get rid of women's wrestling because nobody cares.

NormanSmiley

04-16-2011, 01:49 AM

Ole Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Kevin Sullivan, Terry Taylor would all beg to differ.

How about just get rid of women's wrestling because nobody cares.

i think norman smiley is starting to have a little man crush on gertner...or i just really think he knows what the fuck he is talking about!!

The Naitch

04-16-2011, 02:17 AM

I'm waiting for Naitch to post his ideas. :p

RAW would be Attitude-esque in nature. More promos and shorter matches. Triple H could be the GM.

Smackdown would be "the PG show" and would focus mainly on wrestling. Stephanie could be the GM.

So when one wrestler moves from one show to the other, it will feel like big news and he will be in a totally new environment.

One Undisputed Champion for the whole company, just like in 2002. So let's say if the Undisputed Champ is currently tied up with a feud on Smackdown, the IC Title (on RAW) would be the main focus of RAW. If the Undisputed Champion is tied up on RAW, the US Title would be the focus on Smackdown.

Basically each brand would feels distinct from the other. The sets would be much different than eachother. Too bad we missed the boat in 2001. After Survivor Series 2001, would've been the perfect time to make both brands distinct from one another. I still remember that Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell match with the WCW logo. For some reason I'm thinking of this...

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QyC74s5oTD8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I would've liked to see them actually try to re-invent the WCW brand back then, but they didn't even bother to try.

Fewer PPVs, so that each PPV will have significance again.

Kill off the Michael Cole character.

I'll think of some more later

:p

Mjdiesel

04-16-2011, 02:20 AM

How would you do it? Who would you push? What belts would you create/eliminate?

How would you differentiate RAW and Smackdown? Would you even go as far as to rename the brands? Would RAW be more like Attitude Era while Smackdown would be more like the 80's with cartoony characters and PG friendly?

Rename the PPV's?

Would you unify the rosters and go back to the days pre-roster split? One Undisputed Champion? Would you make some serious future endeavours to trim the fat?

Would you get rid of the General Manager concept altogether?

I'll post my ideas later

More like the fucking Lunatic.

04-16-2011, 04:21 AM

I like the ideas about brand definition that are being touted about.

One idea I had would be to try and appeal to all corners of the wrestling fanbase.

Raw - Would be your "PG", entertainment-based, storyline/promo driven show. It would feature guys like Cena, Miz, Orton, Taker.

SmackDown - Would be your "sport" show where we see actual wrestling (and call it that too). There would still be storylines and promos but the inring action would be top of the agenda. It would feature guys like Christian, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho. Even have a Women's Division featuring women that can wrestle such as Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Kong.

"ECW" - I'd have gone with this name if it had stuck around as a brand but call it whatever you like. This is your "adult" orientated, hardcore, Attitude-style programme. Here you could cut loose with Hardcore Matches and angles involving sex and violence. Not sure who I would put over here cos WWE have moved so far away from that style. Use the Diva skanks here for eye candy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The way people tell it wrestling moves in cycles, they get their fanbase in and then the product matures as they grow up. Then, once those fans become adults and move away they aim the product at kids again. Rinse and repeat.

I never really bought this as fact. What about all the kids in the interim? Are you telling me that as a business model WWE choose to ignore the new young kids in favour of the ones they already have captivated? That doesn't even make sense.

This 3 brand setup should work as it attracts kids for Raw, teenagers for "ECW" and wrestling fans for SmackDown. Basically you get your first taste as a kid watching Raw, then you grow up and you either become more sophisticated in your tastes and watch SmackDown or you watch "ECW" for the blood and women. That way WWE retains its audience AND appeals to everyone.

whiteyford

04-16-2011, 04:32 AM

Id steal XLs 3rd brand idea, but rather than having it as a distinct 3rd WWE brand id keep it as loosely linked to Raw/Smackdown as i could so it could be the adult orientated show without offending the sponsors. Just bring in the 'ECW' talent for the Rumble, survivor series and Bragging Rights maybe a championship match at 'Mania, but play it off as a seperate company and do an Invasion type PPV once a year.

04-16-2011, 04:48 AM

That's exactly what I would have done too.

I thought about the sponsers and how an adult show would reflect on the other parts of WWE (I'm sure some would accuse WWE of "grooming" kids) and I figured they could try to keep the 3 brands entirely seperate, perhaps even without the WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, WWE HardcoreBloodbathTitfest names. Drop the WWE from them altogether.

But that would be a bad idea from a brand awareness standpoint.

I dunno. I'm not a business person. But I did think about the rammifications of having a third, adult themed brand...and then neglected to say anything about it.

whiteyford

04-16-2011, 05:02 AM

I think there would still be a way to draw awareness to it, even if its just the initial launch angle or NWO style vignettes throughout the other shows or PPVs. Id keep it as detached as possible though, just so they could make a big deal with the Invasion PPV idea or even do a road to Wrestlemania type deal but from the KOTR to Survivor series with the blowoff in December, it seems to be mostly interbrand PPVs then anyways.

04-16-2011, 05:15 AM

I like the idea of interbrand stuff to be honest as each brand would or should have it's own niche audience and garner a "hardcore" fanbase.

"The Kids" watching Raw against "The Real Wrestling Fans" aligned with SmackDown against "The Hardcore Tards" watching "ECW".

04-16-2011, 05:17 AM

<IFRAME title="YouTube video player" height=390 src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QyC74s5oTD8" frameBorder=0 width=480 allowfullscreen></IFRAME>

I would've liked to see them actually try to re-invent the WCW brand back then, but they didn't even bother to try.
I believe they wanted to but they couldn't get any TV time for a WCW show. The idea of "giving" WCW one of the 2 WWE slots went out of the window following the match you posted.

Shisen Kopf

04-16-2011, 08:37 AM

I would bring in King Slender to feud with Kin Corn Karn

The Naitch

04-16-2011, 01:21 PM

I like XL's 3 brand idea, "rinse and repeat". I always thought of it like that, XL just summed it up perfectly. GOOD POST ON THAT, XL, good post on that

The Naitch

04-16-2011, 01:23 PM

Shisen wants to bring an all-white and an all-negro brand distinction to the WWE. The 3rd brand will belong to the spics. First time ever to be done in WWE history, folks

The Naitch

04-16-2011, 01:25 PM

-Countdown shows, UFC_style.

.

as long as it doesn't look so blantantly obvious that WWE is copying the UFC_style. I don't think it really matters that much though :-\ But then again, WWE Tough Enough came before The Ultimate Fighter.

DLVH84

04-16-2011, 04:35 PM

Gertner

04-16-2011, 04:44 PM

FFS women's wrestling doesn't draw!

whiteyford

04-16-2011, 04:49 PM

FFS women's wrestling doesn't draw!

The knockout division was the highest drawing part of Impact for a while, not sure how much of an argument that is though.

dingdongyo

04-16-2011, 04:57 PM

I would bring in King Slender to feud with Kin Corn Karn

fighter hayabusa can draw better than kin corn karn.

Shisen Kopf

04-16-2011, 06:03 PM

Shisen wants to bring an all-white and an all-negro brand distinction to the WWE. The 3rd brand will belong to the spics. First time ever to be done in WWE history, folks

That is a good idea but where would the chinks are forehead dot Indians go?

Raven Reaper

04-16-2011, 11:18 PM

I definitely agree with you on that notion, Raven.

Almost forgot to add that women's matches should last longer than the stupid 3-2 mins squash quickie shits despite you made a good developmental feud with either of them on each brand.

I mean c'mon, Mickie and Madison Rayne in a TNA lockdown cage match plus Mickie's hair is on the line for that shit?!? Now that's how I would re-invent WWE.

CSL

04-16-2011, 11:22 PM

True, fuck Cena, Miz, Orton and co. Mickie James should be main-eventing WrestleMania. In fact, if her TNA contract comes up in the next 12 months, maybe Vince could break the bank to get her back and put her in with Rock and Cena at Mania next year. Hogan/Andre will have jack shit on MickieMania.

Gertner

04-17-2011, 01:55 AM

The knockout division was the highest drawing part of Impact for a while, not sure how much of an argument that is though.

Lol look what it was going up against.

Gertner

04-17-2011, 01:57 AM

Almost forgot to add that women's matches should last longer than the stupid 3-2 mins squash quickie shits despite you made a good developmental feud with either of them on each brand.

I mean c'mon, Mickie and Madison Rayne in a TNA lockdown cage match plus Mickie's hair is on the line for that shit?!? Now that's how I would re-invent WWE.

It's working so well for TNA :roll:

Raven Reaper

04-17-2011, 04:04 AM

Which is exactly why I'm more of a TNA fan than a WWEr these days. With Edge gone, WWE as a whole is already a grave digger and it's even bigger than TNA's ruined episodes.

Hulk-a-Bo

04-18-2011, 03:09 PM

- end the brand split, I've been against it since day one

- one champion

- encourage wrestlers to improvise in the ring and on mike, stop writing everything word for word because it sounds just like that.......like it has been written beforehand. Look at the 90s promos with Rock, Austion, and Foley compared to most guys' promos today and tell me you can't tell the difference.

- Don't be afraid to be fun and unpredictable like back in the day when WWF was throwing anything against the wall to see if it would stick because WCW was crushing them because that method led to some great moments.

- Finally, Vince should take the cash out of his grand canyon deep pockets and buy back the name WWF.

The Naitch

04-18-2011, 04:16 PM

- encourage wrestlers to improvise in the ring and on mike, stop writing everything word for word because it sounds just like that.......like it has been written beforehand. Look at the 90s promos with Rock, Austion, and Foley compared to most guys' promos today and tell me you can't tell the difference.

This is huge. Good mention.

The Naitch

04-18-2011, 04:18 PM

also bring back the red, white, and blue ropes

Hulk-a-Bo

04-19-2011, 03:01 AM

YES! The red, white, and blue ropes is a must. I would also like to see the return of All-American Wrestling now that was classic!

The Naitch

04-19-2011, 06:29 PM

red white and blue ropes for all the big 5 PPV's :y:

The Naitch

04-19-2011, 06:29 PM

and RAW and SD need totally different sets

DLVH84

04-20-2011, 08:11 PM

and RAW and SD need totally different sets

That's a definite change I agree with, Naitch.

The Naitch

04-20-2011, 08:43 PM

That's a definite change I agree with, Naitch.

It's like World Wrestling Entertainment got lazy when they decided to use the HD set for both shows. All they gotta do is change the graphics. Lazyness

WWE did well with the brand distinction in 2003. In 2003, RAW started to have that Nitro feel. I don't know if they did that on purpose? The announce table was up the ramp, the majority of the big names were formerly iconic WCW stars (Goldberg, Scott Steiner, Ric Flair, Jericho, Nash, Booker T, Dustin Rhodes, Hurricane, X-Pac, Stacey Keibler). They could've done something there

SD! was pure fire, like a new generation or future of wrestling was on this show.

That was probably the last time I could recall they did a good job at making both brands unique from eachother. If they could only replicate that today.

Also, surprised nobody mentioned this yet: Get rid of the RAW Nickleback theme.

DLVH84

04-20-2011, 09:39 PM

It's like World Wrestling Entertainment got lazy when they decided to use the HD set for both shows. All they gotta do is change the graphics. Lazyness

WWE did well with the brand distinction in 2003. In 2003, RAW started to have that Nitro feel. I don't know if they did that on purpose? The announce table was up the ramp, the majority of the big names were formerly iconic WCW stars (Goldberg, Scott Steiner, Ric Flair, Jericho, Nash, Booker T, Dustin Rhodes, Hurricane, X-Pac, Stacey Keibler). They could've done something there

SD! was pure fire, like a new generation or future of wrestling was on this show.

That was probably the last time I could recall they did a good job at making both brands unique from eachother. If they could only replicate that today.

Also, surprised nobody mentioned this yet: Get rid of the RAW Nickleback theme.

Thank God I'm not the only one thinking of that. I preferred RAW Themes from 1993 to 2006.

Shisen Kopf

04-20-2011, 09:44 PM

Bring back hla

The Naitch

04-20-2011, 09:47 PM

Well its midnight, damn right
We’re wound up too tight
I gotta fist full of whiskey, the bottle just bit me
Ooooo
That shit makes me bat shit crazy
We got not fear no doubt all in balls out

Were going out tonight (hey)
To kick out every light (hey)
Take anything we want (hey)
Take everything in sight (hey)
Were goin’ til the world stops turning
While we burn it to the ground at night

Were screamin’ like demons
Swingin’ from the ceiling
I gotta fistful of fifties
Tequila just hit me
Ooooo
We got no class, no taste
No shirt and shitfaced
We got them lined up
Shot down firing back straight Crown

Were going out tonight (hey)
To kick out every light (hey)
Take anything we want (hey)
Take everything in sight (hey)
Were goin til the world stops turning
While we burn it to the ground at night

Tickin’ like a time bomb
Drinkin’ til the nights gone
Get your hands off of this glass
Last call my ass
No chain no lock and this train won’t stop
We got no fear no doubt all in balls out

Were going out tonight (hey)
To kick out every light (hey)
Take anything we want (hey)
Take everything in sight (hey)
We're goin' til the world stops turning
While we burn it to the ground at night

Were going out tonight (hey)
To kick out every light (hey)
Take anything we want (hey)
Take everything in sight (hey)
We're goin' til the world stops turning
While we burn it to the ground at night

The Naitch

04-20-2011, 09:50 PM

I think of Calgary Alberta everytime I hear that song

Mr. C

04-20-2011, 11:00 PM

It's like World Wrestling Entertainment got lazy when they decided to use the HD set for both shows. All they gotta do is change the graphics. Lazyness

WWE did well with the brand distinction in 2003. In 2003, RAW started to have that Nitro feel. I don't know if they did that on purpose? The announce table was up the ramp, the majority of the big names were formerly iconic WCW stars (Goldberg, Scott Steiner, Ric Flair, Jericho, Nash, Booker T, Dustin Rhodes, Hurricane, X-Pac, Stacey Keibler). They could've done something there

SD! was pure fire, like a new generation or future of wrestling was on this show.

That was probably the last time I could recall they did a good job at making both brands unique from eachother. If they could only replicate that today.

They need to show uniqueness between the brands. Having exclusive Pay-Per-Views for each brand was a good idea. It meant that Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series were more special since it was the only time both brands participated simultaneously at a show. Plus, when a brand had 8 weeks to build up a PPV, it could create good feuds. I could go on and on.

The Naitch

04-20-2011, 11:45 PM

I thought there was too many PPVs. The smaller PPVs didn't mean much anymore. I wouldn't order them that's for sure.

Also, I would make sure bigger developments would happen on free TV. Like before WrestleMania 15, I remember The Rock won the WWF Championship from Mankind in a Ladder Match. Now it's so predictable, like when the guy who gets the upper hand/last laugh on the show before the PPV, will always be the one to lose at the PPV.

I'd make sure that you could expect anything to happen on free TV that you would make sure to never miss a RAW or SD! in fear of missing out on something huge. The last time I remember they did a huge title change was when Jack Swagger won the WHC on SD!. I was surprised to see the Smackdown Spoilers for that was like 10 pages long or something.

DLVH84

04-21-2011, 11:30 AM

04-21-2011, 12:04 PM

And lose a fuckton of revenue in the process.

We've done this one. A hundred times already.

04-21-2011, 12:08 PM