Is this finally it for this era of WWE?

[Frank Drebin]

Now, I'm not talking about the company going under or some goofy shit. I'm wondering if they have finally gotten everything they can out of the "past" superstars and have hit the wall where they realize no one is coming to save them and they don't have anyone to hold the torch.

For years the IWC has complained that its always Cena or Orton with no one else being built up to be a #1 guy for the long haul. I tend to agree with this and I think it showed as every WM season, they have to rely on part time guys who are best remembered for the runs of yesteryear like 'Taker, HHH (as a wrestler), Rock, Sting, Batista and Lesnar. It seems like this candle might be burning out (who's left to come out of retirement and be a top level talent for WM?) which has resulted in this forced push of Reigns.

What do you think? Is this WM going to be a painful "rebuilding" bridge we have to cross in between eras or am I imagining all this?

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[Mr. Nerfect]

I can see Stone Cold Steve Austin coming out of retirement for a huge match at WrestleMania 32 next year.

[Frank Drebin]

Who's he fighting? CM Punk?

[Damian Rey]

Triple H.....

[Damian Rey]

And the Rock.

[Ruien]

They still can tap into the Kurt Angle well.

[Rammsteinmad]

I've been saying for a few years now that WWE really need to focus on new, younger guys, and not keep relying on Triple H, Undertaker, Lesnar, Rock etc.

Great for special occasions now and then, but bringing them all in for Wrestlemania every year really takes a lot of the mainstream spotlight off of the younger guys. Then immediately following Wrestlemania all the part-timers leave and ratings go down again because nobody gives a fuck about Dolph Ziggler coz nobody knows who Dolph Ziggler is.

*Nobody = non-WWE fans

WWE has enough talent on their roster to put on the best show every night if they wanted to. There's gonna be a time when Triple H, Undertaker, Lesnar etc are old and done for good, and then WWE will have nobody to turn to because at that point guys like Ziggler, Ambrose, Bryan etc won't be "big" names.

[Rammsteinmad]

I got excited when Triple H and Undertaker had that "End of an Era" match, coz I genuinely thought that this was it, they were gonna finally let the "oldies" and Attitude Era regulars bow out and really start to focus on the next generation.

[Outsider]

I can't help but think with the talent they have in NXT and some stars starting to break through the main roster already (Rollins, Ambrose, Wyatt) that a new era is likely to be beginning.

They have some real talent in Florida at the moment, should they start to shuffle out a few less interesting mid-carders to make room for these guys, and let some of the old guard drop down the roster a bit (Kane and Big Show particuarly) and use Cena to put some of the newer guys over (ala Jericho) then actually that era could begin properly.

.....however I'm aware that the likelyhood is instead more Cena and Orton matches and crap gimmicks followed by TNA for most of those in NXT.

[The Condor]

The only people who are geeked for NXT guys are the, maybe, 45,000 people who watch and care about NXT. the WWE is a business, and focusing on wrestling prospects is akin to baseball teams banking on the potential of prospects who, more often than not, fall on their faces and contribute nothing but minor league success. The last few Manias have done great business with this current model, and they have enough young guys to take the torch in the coming years.

Believe it or not, Sheamus, Barrett, Ziggler, Cody, Ambrose, Reigns, Rollins, Bryan, Cesaro, Rusev, Sandow, Harper, Ryback, and Ryder can't all be main event level guys at the same time. The mid card needs to be filled and they will receive less time and exposure there, and the talent in NXT, like it or not, is more likely to follow the path of Bo Dallas than Daniel Bryan. The model works and, of course, the coming years will feature Cena, Orton, Big Show and Jericho as the part time guys. I don't see anything changing but names and the amount of IWC ire.

[Rammsteinmad]

The issue isn't so much Wrestlemania doing business, it's the Raws, Smackdowns and PPV's all year round after. The product sucks, ratings are consistently low, and outside of guys like Cena and Orton, barely anyone on the roster these days has major mainstream appeal.

[Frank Drebin]

Rammsteinmad understands what I'm getting at here. It's all nice and good that someone draws eyeballs on a temporary basis for WM, but what about everything else? Not to mention the well is almost dry when it comes to who you call on from the past to work WM. Then who draws eyeballs on WM? BTW, Cena and Orton are not WM draws. Not anymore at least.

[drave]

The issue isn't so much Wrestlemania doing business, it's the Raws, Smackdowns and PPV's all year round after. The product sucks, ratings are consistently low, and outside of guys like Cena and Orton, barely anyone on the roster these days has major mainstream appeal.

It is also this that has caused me to lose weekly interest in the product.

[The Condor]

I get all that.

But wrestling fans, especially the smart set, are a self important group who inflate their impact and worth to the company. Small enclaves of smart sites and forums like this are an echo chamber for such groups of fans, and they all end up thinking that what they have to say and their opinions really matter because like minds agree.

NXT will not change the WWE.
Part-timers will continue to have a larger impact for marquee events than full-time workers.
TV ratings are fine when one considers wrestling's place in mainstream culture, thus there will be no revolutionary or epochal shift in the product.
Wrestling fans, especially the smart set, are not as plentiful as they think they are.

[Frank Drebin]

Thats it though....the smarks will watch whomever they think has a good "workrate" We would all love a WM card that had Cesaro, Bryan, Ziggler, Zayn, Nevil, etc at the top. Its about finding who else has mainstream appeal to keep the average fan spending dollaz on the product.

Think about Boxing. Ask the average sports fan to name 5 current fighters. Is wrestling at that tipping point?

[The Condor]

Think about Boxing. Ask the average sports fan to name 5 current fighters. Is wrestling at that tipping point?

No offense, Drebs, but that is a bogus point. Boxing was a huge sport enjoyed by all and a top 3 American sport until around 1980. Professional wrestling is a niche entertainment option that has never drawn close to the interest that boxing did at its height, and it never will. Individuals matter in wrestling, but not a fraction of what individuals mean to boxing. There will be no tipping point. I mean, name a top wrestler from the 70 ' s with "mass appeal" not named Graham, Morales, Snuka, Sammartino or Backlund. They did their time and faded into obscurity, just as many of today's guys will.

[Emperor Smeat]

Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer had the same feelings last week about Cena likely being the last big mega star because of how bad the WWE has been for years with booking and long term planning. He believed the WWE's push to make it all about the brand and not about the stars is going to hurt the next era(s).

Outside of the Cena-Bray match, WM 30 was the perfect opportunity to start a new era. All the big wins were either young guys or potential new stars while most of the old guard lost. Instead the WWE managed to find a way as usual to screw that up.

[drave]

Also feel like the "next/new generation" aren't roided up giants like Ryback. Almost a type of paradigm shift, if you will, when thinking of the next gen of stars (based on current "stuff) like Rollins, D. Bryan, Ziggler, Cesaro, etc.

Probably another big hurdle for a lot of people to "get over".

[Ruien]

Ryback is the future damnit.

[Jazzy Foot]

Also feel like the "next/new generation" aren't roided up giants like Ryback. Almost a type of paradigm shift, if you will, when thinking of the next gen of stars (based on current "stuff) like Rollins, D. Bryan, Ziggler, Cesaro, etc.

Probably another big hurdle for a lot of people to "get over".

I honestly thought given the run he had before injury and then his role at Survivor Series, that both Bryan and Ziggler were going to be pushed (back) into the WWE title picture and if truth be told, the IC title match and associated storyline seems to be the most interesting/exciting going into WM.

Triple H v Sting has lost its hype if it ever had one. Given Sting is only signed to what 5 appearances (?) it's not exactly being hyped. Triple H coming to the ring and rambling on about WCW this and WCW that doesn't stir the imagination. The Sting of old was renowned for playing tricks and mind games with opponents not just sit at home eating pork rinds.

Bray Wyatt is doing well to sell his match but we all want to see Taker walk out and answer the challenge.

Heyman is awesome on the mic but I think the reason many aren't excited by this is because:

1) Bryan was the fans' choice and were led to believe this was going to be the case with the Fast Lane match. Now that it hasn't happened, they've lost interest.

2) Like WM 20, it seems Lesnar is set to depart after Mania and hence more than likely meaning Reigns will be walking out of Mania the champion. Why bother getting excited.

3) Sting v Triple H; Predictable result; Sting isn't going to lose his first and possibly only match at WM. Only thing that can save this is a stipulation.

[Frank Drebin]

No offense, Drebs, but that is a bogus point. Boxing was a huge sport enjoyed by all and a top 3 American sport until around 1980. Professional wrestling is a niche entertainment option that has never drawn close to the interest that boxing did at its height, and it never will. Individuals matter in wrestling, but not a fraction of what individuals mean to boxing. There will be no tipping point. I mean, name a top wrestler from the 70 ' s with "mass appeal" not named Graham, Morales, Snuka, Sammartino or Backlund. They did their time and faded into obscurity, just as many of today's guys will.

Point well taken about apex of popularity with each, but both needed to capture the average fan to be successful. You just named 5 wrestlers with mass appeal from the 70's, but can you name 5 from the last 10 years who have the same "mass appeal"? If WWE could get someone with that type of level talent every couple of years they would be rolling in it, but they haven't.

It feels like they're an NFL team that has blown their draft for a few seasons now and have to cobble the roster together with free agent vets who don't have much time left because they don't have any young, exciting players ready to step into the lineup. At some point, the only thing left to do is rebuild....

[drave]

Ryback is the future damnit.

Of? And what is so great about him? I don't buy into him more than another big dude that does stuff in a ring sometimes..... so far.

[Simple Fan]

Yea I don't see anything in Ryback, feed me less.

[Jazzy Foot]

we need titties!

[NormanSmiley]

I think it is the end in a way askew different from what you guys are hitting on. I am going in a different direction personally. Been a lifelong fan, and my interest sits almost at zero. and its not the current guys but the current product.


WWE has fucked themselves because of the Monday night wars they have to have every match be star vs star. no more jobbers or squash matches. it was fine when there was hot competition, but what they have now is you can't build one star without burying another. if you want to get bo dallas over you have to have him beat guys that are over, so you elevate one and knock the others down a peg. when it doesn't work you have fucked over multiple guys for no payoff.




now you are left with no possible matchups that haven't been done to death. on the "news" page it shows the a and b plans tour wise after mania, every match on there has been done 100 times over on raw in the last couple years. who gives a fuck about seeing reigns v big show AGAIN, or Bryan v. Wyatt AGAIN, there is nothing fresh




so for me, I am welcoming of anyone coming back to break the staleness. raw is absolute garbage and I find myself zoning out , or putting on NXT because I can buy into the stories there, or putting on old prime times

[Mr. Nerfect]

Who's he fighting? CM Punk?

Brock Lesnar.

[Fignuts]

Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer had the same feelings last week about Cena likely being the last big mega star because of how bad the WWE has been for years with booking and long term planning. He believed the WWE's push to make it all about the brand and not about the stars is going to hurt the next era(s).


Ugh

This is exactly the problem. And it will always be this way as long as WWE is a publicly traded company. Every decision that is made, is about pleasing their investors, and marketing their brand the way they want to market it. And all of it is "in the moment", and none of it is based on what would be good from a wrestling standpoint, let alone on a long term scale.

Everything wrong with WWE right now embodies everything I hate about modern society. All about being as fake and plastic as possible, just to get a few extra hits on twitter and get your stock up .00000002%. They've gone from the greatest wrestling promotion of all time, to just another phony, vapid, emotionless corporation in a sea of phony, vapid, emotionless corporations.

[poopfromweiner dude]

boo corporations

[Fignuts]

Don't even hate corporations. Would be a huge hypocrite if I did, considering all the shit I own.

Just hate the culture around corporations, and the fact that it's worked it's way into almost every facet of everyday life and no one seems to care.

[Fignuts]

Also, fuck off ferret.

[Frank Drebin]

Going off what fignuts said, I think one of the problems they have is trying to appeal to every demographic. What is odd is that while doing that, they rely on characters from the past, which focused on specific demographics, to drum up buys for WM.

[Fignuts]

Also, trying to deny that they are a wrestling promotion when they are clearly a wrestling promotion.

[Frank Drebin]

It's clunky when they try other things. The same tactics that work in wrestling don't work in other areas. Pushing the crowd to one side of the stadium for the XFL games to make it look more packed, giving large earnings forecasts (the build of a storyline) to investors and not delivering (the story not paying off and hoping everyone forgets)....yeah....bad.

[Clerk]

1 word to describe Rusev. Boring Boring Borinq

[The Rogerer]

3) Sting v Triple H; Predictable result; Sting isn't going to lose his first and possibly only match at WM. Only thing that can save this is a stipulation.If Triple H loses, his career is over!!!

[Jazzy Foot]

If Triple H loses, his career is over!!!

Or the Authority comes to an end? If that's the case shouldn't they be hyping it now?

[The Rogerer]

It was a reference to that ludicrous stipulation that killed all interest in the HHH vs Lesnar match.

I think this match is dead in the water. Nobody watches TNA so gets nostalgic for Sting. I do watch TNA and, boy, I couldn't care less.

[Jazzy Foot]

It was a reference to that ludicrous stipulation that killed all interest in the HHH vs Lesnar match.

I think this match is dead in the water. Nobody watches TNA so gets nostalgic for Sting. I do watch TNA and, boy, I couldn't care less.

Let's be honest with this and other storylines etc. who exactly are WWE competing with and who are they going to lose viewers to?

Had this been 14/15 years ago just before or after WCW had gone under this would have been shit hot.

People know who Sting is and appreciate his age plays a factor now but the fact he is making few appearances in the "build-up" to this match has meant it hasn't attracted the hype it would otherwise have had.

I think of the storylines of the old Sting in WCW against the NWO, the mindgames etc. They tried to recapture that woefully when the fake sting tried to ambush Triple H but it felt so lame.

And this is yet to be Sting v The Authority. It's Sting v Triple H with Triple H ranting about WCW which is getting tedious now. We know he was big in WCW and we know they're gone now etc, stuck record syndrome.



Also the truth is this isn't the match the fans wanted. They wanted to see Sting take on Undertaker in his first WWE match and that might have happened if the streak were still alive and had WWE known then Sting was going to commit to them, they may well have preserved the streak for another year. It just seems lame now.


Reigns v Lesnar has "boring" written all over it.

[XL]

Is there a chance they sew the seeds for Taker vs. Sting at Mania 32?

[James Steele]

I've enjoyed WWE and am excited for WM31. Is it the best it's ever been? No, but it's enjoyable and only paying $9.99 as opposed to $59.99 for PPVs makes me less volatile about them. The only thing I can't stand in WWE currently is the Roman Reigns push. I am emotionally invested in Daniel Bryan more than I have been in a character/superstar in my entire time of being a fan which is since 2nd grade.

[Frank Drebin]

Is there a chance they sew the seeds for Taker vs. Sting at Mania 32?



makes me wonder if the reason for it being Sting/HHH this year is either this (save a dream match for next year) or they don't think these two could have an acceptable match.

[Emperor Smeat]

I'd assume they were planning on Taker missing out this year considering the health issues after the Brock match and the past few years of him needing the whole time off to just rest and recover.

Came very close to missing out the year against Punk and this year the WWE didn't want to risk anything till Mania itself.

[Jazzy Foot]

I'd assume they were planning on Taker missing out this year considering the health issues after the Brock match and the past few years of him needing the whole time off to just rest and recover.

Came very close to missing out the year against Punk and this year the WWE didn't want to risk anything till Mania itself.

Still reeling from the shock of the streak ending.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I'm still reeling because I was watching it on the Network and there was a lag and the end got spoiled because of the thread.

[Jazzy Foot]

I'm still reeling because I was watching it on the Network and there was a lag and the end got spoiled because of the thread.

Eh?

I just think in the end had WWE known then Sting was going to sign they'd have deferred ending the streak as the hype to a Sting v Undertaker match and having Sting end the streak would have been immense.

WM 31 is shaping up to be really dire.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Looked at the thread for the post and it was

The streak is over!

http://tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=126351&highlight=April+6%2C+2014&page=19

[Jazzy Foot]

Looked at the thread for the post and it was



http://tpwwforums.com/showthread.php?t=126351&highlight=April+6%2C+2014&page=19

Oh right.

Either way it was a bad move. Done and dusted now but I just don't view Undertaker in the same way any more. Also can't understand how and why he would go after Bray Wyatt without even addressing the fact he lost to Brock Lesnar. Heck they haven't even come face to face since Mania.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I ran out of rep to give for the night for WrestleMania like 10 minutes into the show. Just gave some more for ones i forgot to give out.