wrestling_god
01-15-2004, 06:59 PM
posted on prowrestlingscoops.com
we reported leading up to and covered afterward, there was a huge meeting held at RAW last Monday before the show began. The meeting, which featured the entire wrestling roster and staff, usually spells for bad news for most in attendance, as meetings of this hyped importance usually happen once or twice in the span of an entire year. This meeting wasn't much different.
Basically, there were two big points. One, which we've covered pretty thoroughly, was the in-ring style of working. Vince McMahon wants the match pace slowed down in WWE. He wants less use of high spots so that the emphasis on those that actually are used are that much more meaningful. Pretty easy to say, not even hard to do, but hard to get the crowds to accept due to the fact that they built an entire "generation" around that style of working - one which was among their most successful. Either way, sitting everyone down and explaining what they hope to accomplish is the first step in making changes.
One thing that struck most at the meeting the wrong way was the continuous comparison to the Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H match on RAW two weeks ago. Vince and company continued to refer to that match as an example of how things need to be done in the ring. How things need to be slowed down and built up. Many considered that a hypocritical statement seeing as how they were given over a weeks build-up, tons of television time to push the match the night of the show, and then thirty minutes to perform when time came.
The other point that was stressed to no end, was another good one, but hard to accomplish. The other point was something they've actually somewhat brought up on television, which is treatment of the referees. Vince wants more obedience given to referees during matches. He wants it established that the referee is the law of the ring, and wants that suddenness of a disqualification back. He wants wrestlers to release holds before they are given their mandatory five-count by the referee. This adds to the excitement and surprise of a match. If a DQ can come from out of nowhere again, it makes the match that much more unpredictable, which is a good thing.
Much like the other point attempting to be made, this is something that is going to have to really be worked at. Patience will be an important virtue here because at first, a lot of the DQs will not be received well by the fans. It seems hard to picture fans taking a referee's authority seriously due to past occurances - referres going on strike, demanding respect, and so on, and never receiving so much as a fraction of it. However, another strong attempt is being made. There is already some confusion on this subject, as Booker T vs. Kane on RAW was stopped prematurely, due to usage of the steel steps on the outside. The referee called for the DQ, even though that wasn't the written finish for the match. It was a case of the referee taking the meeting to heart, and forgetting it wasn't the time to call for the bell, but doing so anyways to follow the new guidelines set by management at the meeting. Later on, in the main-event, a very similar situation happened, with no DQ being called. This already shows that the rule will only apply when WWE wants it to, which means it will probably never catch on with the fans.
The mindset behind these hopeful changes by McMahon and management are in the right direction, but it takes careful execution and as mentioned before, a lot of patience. We'll see on the next few TV's how dedicated McMahon is to getting the aforementioned points over.
we reported leading up to and covered afterward, there was a huge meeting held at RAW last Monday before the show began. The meeting, which featured the entire wrestling roster and staff, usually spells for bad news for most in attendance, as meetings of this hyped importance usually happen once or twice in the span of an entire year. This meeting wasn't much different.
Basically, there were two big points. One, which we've covered pretty thoroughly, was the in-ring style of working. Vince McMahon wants the match pace slowed down in WWE. He wants less use of high spots so that the emphasis on those that actually are used are that much more meaningful. Pretty easy to say, not even hard to do, but hard to get the crowds to accept due to the fact that they built an entire "generation" around that style of working - one which was among their most successful. Either way, sitting everyone down and explaining what they hope to accomplish is the first step in making changes.
One thing that struck most at the meeting the wrong way was the continuous comparison to the Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H match on RAW two weeks ago. Vince and company continued to refer to that match as an example of how things need to be done in the ring. How things need to be slowed down and built up. Many considered that a hypocritical statement seeing as how they were given over a weeks build-up, tons of television time to push the match the night of the show, and then thirty minutes to perform when time came.
The other point that was stressed to no end, was another good one, but hard to accomplish. The other point was something they've actually somewhat brought up on television, which is treatment of the referees. Vince wants more obedience given to referees during matches. He wants it established that the referee is the law of the ring, and wants that suddenness of a disqualification back. He wants wrestlers to release holds before they are given their mandatory five-count by the referee. This adds to the excitement and surprise of a match. If a DQ can come from out of nowhere again, it makes the match that much more unpredictable, which is a good thing.
Much like the other point attempting to be made, this is something that is going to have to really be worked at. Patience will be an important virtue here because at first, a lot of the DQs will not be received well by the fans. It seems hard to picture fans taking a referee's authority seriously due to past occurances - referres going on strike, demanding respect, and so on, and never receiving so much as a fraction of it. However, another strong attempt is being made. There is already some confusion on this subject, as Booker T vs. Kane on RAW was stopped prematurely, due to usage of the steel steps on the outside. The referee called for the DQ, even though that wasn't the written finish for the match. It was a case of the referee taking the meeting to heart, and forgetting it wasn't the time to call for the bell, but doing so anyways to follow the new guidelines set by management at the meeting. Later on, in the main-event, a very similar situation happened, with no DQ being called. This already shows that the rule will only apply when WWE wants it to, which means it will probably never catch on with the fans.
The mindset behind these hopeful changes by McMahon and management are in the right direction, but it takes careful execution and as mentioned before, a lot of patience. We'll see on the next few TV's how dedicated McMahon is to getting the aforementioned points over.