Why doesn't WWE just run with real life angles?

[The One]

I mean, Hardy/Edge was so massive that Edge still is enjoying being one of the top players in the business directly because of how real life effected his heel heat. Why not run with stuff like this more often. Someone just suggested that Triple H come back as a sledgehammer wielding bad ass who talks about how he's banging the boss' daughter and he can do whatever he wants. That would be a kind of new and refreshing reprise of the McMahon/Helmsley Era. If someone gets injured, just go ahead and say they're injured. You can run a ton of those real dangers of wrestling ads or whatever. I mean I'm not suggesting they turn the entire show into a worked shoot, but sometimes the real life people do a better job of being interesting characters than the characters themselves.

[M-A-G]

Because they'd be making the same mistake that Vince Russo did when he assumed that every fan knew every single backstage story and why it happened, the same kind of assumptions that led to angles that didn't draw for sh*t. Yes, you and I may know about some things but not everyone. There has never been a time when stuff like this has been guaranteed money in the bank.

[The One]

I'm saying, make some of those things public knowledge. Hunter is married and fucking Steph. Injures do happen. Just be out an open with some of the key players real lives and let those develop into angles.

[Kane Knight]

Because they'd be making the same mistake that Vince Russo did when he assumed that every fan knew every single backstage story and why it happened, the same kind of assumptions that led to angles that didn't draw for sh*t. Yes, you and I may know about some things but not everyone. There has never been a time when stuff like this has been guaranteed money in the bank.

Well, except things like Matt Hardy/Edge were well known. Triple H also seems to be something you don't need to be a smark to get.

There's a difference between booking to nuances and booking something that everyone really already knows.

Wouldn't happen, though.

[KingofOldSchool]

See if the writers were smart enough, they could do where it can appeal to the marks "in the know" and still appeal to the marks who believe everything is unscripted.

It would be cool if one Raw, HHH and Steph come out hand and hand saying that they are tired of hiding their love from all of the fans out there. They can be honest about getting married a few years ago and having a kid last year.

And then Chris Jericho makes his return and runs them down for sabotaging his title run in 2001.

*wakes up*

[The One]

See if the writers were smart enough, they could do where it can appeal to the marks "in the know" and still appeal to the marks who believe everything is unscripted.

It would be cool if one Raw, HHH and Steph come out hand and hand saying that they are tired of hiding their love from all of the fans out there. They can be honest about getting married a few years ago and having a kid last year.

And then Chris Jericho makes his return and runs them down for sabotaging his title run in 2001.

*wakes up*

Mind if I borrow your dream when you're done with it? :y:

[Rammsteinmad]

Well Triple H and Shawn Michaels did give those hints to Hunter banging Steph in some DX promos last year. Not much... but still...

Actually come to think of it, they were really funny... I will now order the DX DVD.

[Rammsteinmad]

still appeal to the marks who believe everything is unscripted.

Unfortunately that species became extinct many years ago.

[The One]

They could have had RVD run with getting busted with pot. I mean it would have been interesting if WWE just can out with it when it happened and said they didn't want a Champion who dishonored the company with the belt and the "bored" or whatever elected to strip him and suspend him. He comes back with a strong character development and can go either the direction of "Fuck you, it's my personal life" and be a tweener (heel to most, face to stoners) or someone who's very remorseful and wants to earn his spot back and says he's going to let his matches speak for who he really is...someone devoted to this sport.

I mean, it's not hard to write real life into interesting angles that would make sense even by the most casual mark.

[KingofOldSchool]

Unfortunately that species became extinct many years ago.

You don't go to many live events do you?

[Rammsteinmad]

Hold on... you're telling me there are people who believe it's still unscripted?!

[KingofOldSchool]

Yes, kids and the backwater hicks with no computer access.

[Mr. Nerfect]

They could have had RVD run with getting busted with pot. I mean it would have been interesting if WWE just can out with it when it happened and said they didn't want a Champion who dishonored the company with the belt and the "bored" or whatever elected to strip him and suspend him. He comes back with a strong character development and can go either the direction of "Fuck you, it's my personal life" and be a tweener (heel to most, face to stoners) or someone who's very remorseful and wants to earn his spot back and says he's going to let his matches speak for who he really is...someone devoted to this sport.

I mean, it's not hard to write real life into interesting angles that would make sense even by the most casual mark.

That would have been an awesome angle to run with. RVD being stripped of the WWE Championship would have been sweet, and maybe have Heyman hold off on stripping RVD of the ECW World Title (Heyman actually turned heel when he screwed RVD out of the belt, didn't he?) and have pressure from management on him to disown RVD as ECW's Champion, as he is a bad face for the company. It would have been a nice way to signify that this is a new ECW, and not the same one that could get away with anything.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Because they'd be making the same mistake that Vince Russo did when he assumed that every fan knew every single backstage story and why it happened, the same kind of assumptions that led to angles that didn't draw for sh*t. Yes, you and I may know about some things but not everyone. There has never been a time when stuff like this has been guaranteed money in the bank.

Well, not exactly. If they didn't explain anything, used insider terms and completely sacrificed the kayfabe side of things, maybe; but I think what we're talking about are kayfabe-esque storylines adapted from real life.

For example, Johnny Nitro could be pissed off that Joey Mercury was released just as he was about to get a WWE Tag Team Title shot. This could lead to Nitro trying out a whole batch of partners, or him trying to negotiate a singles title shot to compensate for getting the shaft.

Carlito has the whole humbling thing going on, because he was outspoken when left of the WrestleMania card. They have kind of turned that into a storyline, but they haven't really played up that Carlito is angry at the WWE for not giving him opportunities.

The WWE is missing out on something great if they don't stick Randy Orton and Carlito together as kind of a heel unit. Orton has the dickhead, does whatever he likes thing going on, and Carlito has the reputation for being kind of undedicated. As a pair of kids who don't play by the company's rules, they could be the foundation for a damn-good heel stable.

They can even go small with the ideas, and have Paul London disqualified for attempting high-flying maneuvers, playing up the ban the WWE has put on the flashier moves that Vermaat used to pretend never existed. But I'm getting into the layers of WWE programming, rather than just the style.

I'd love to see the WWE go more "real" with its storylines, and personally, after hearing about the lame injury angle they played with HBK at Judgment Day, I think it is the best way to go.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I dunno, it's a pretty dirty business. If they focused on real life things, I could see couple bad things happening.

One, the company would look pretty terrible in the public eye for some of their treatment of people. Two, real life beef between wrestlers could get kinda messy if they're constantly being reminded of it every week and even having matches with a guy they can't stand. It'd probably be harder to stay professional in an environment like that.

Some 'real' things could definitely be parlayed into gret angles (i.e. Edge/Hardy...great idea, poorly executed), but I would probably try to avoid it as much as possible.

[Theo Dious]

Yes, kids and the backwater hicks with no computer access.

I laugh at your arrogant presumption that backwater hicks are less intelligent than anyone else just because they cannot access the internet. Internet=intelligence? Please.

[Slow]

Backing up KingofOldSchool here, On Smackdown when Edge came out, a lot of people were chanting for the Undertaker. Unless they were really optimistic, i'd guess that not many of them knew about his injury

[Kane Knight]

I didn't bother to watcth that Smackdown, but the one afterwards had a HUUUUUGE dubbed response for Edge.

If you take Smackdown responses as real, Bob Holly's almost as big as the Deadman.

That aside, it's the fucking UNDERTAKER.

[KingofOldSchool]

I laugh at your arrogant presumption that backwater hicks are less intelligent than anyone else just because they cannot access the internet. Internet=intelligence? Please.

Where did I say that backwater hicks were less intelligent because they can't access the internet?

[Theo Dious]

Where did I say that backwater hicks were less intelligent because they can't access the internet?

What else are we to assume from your statement that backwater hicks would think that wrestling is real because they don't have the internet? Or the logical equation between backwater hicks and children?

[NeanderCarl]

I'm saying, make some of those things public knowledge. Hunter is married and fucking Steph. Injures do happen. Just be out an open with some of the key players real lives and let those develop into angles.

It's the age old problem in the business of saying "everything else you've seen tonight was real, but this is REALLY real"... it will defeat the point, because cynics will just say it's a work anyway (which means it will only draw as much as it did it it WAS a work) and the marks will think everything is real anyway, therefore this would have no more significance to them than anything else on the show.

[NeanderCarl]

Plus, the number of "smart" fans in the audience is probably a lot lower than we sometimes give credit to, and WWE probably underestimates even that figure.

[NeanderCarl]

As Vince Russo proved, "winks" and "nods" don't draw a dime.

[XL]

What else are we to assume from your statement that backwater hicks would think that wrestling is real because they don't have the internet? Or the logical equation between backwater hicks and children?
I think the point is more that without internet access many of us would be "marks" as far as we would have very little knowledge of what went on backstage.

It's not necessarily that Internet = Intelligence, or even that Hicks are stupid (but they are, right?) just that without the net most of us would have no clue what goes on backstage.

Although there is a difference between knowing it's fake/scripted and knowing all the backstage stuff, I guess.