The things I liked the most didn't use wrestling as a focal point

[Loose Cannon]

to a degree..

Let me explain.

True wrestling and wrestling feuds to me involve a good guy and bad guy. They talk bad about each other, get into fights and have a match. Pretty simple booking for wrestling. And you see a lot of this right now. It's all very bland and not much behind storylines.

When I've enjoyed watching wrestling the most to where I couldn't stop talking about it and couldn't wait for next weeks show right afyer Raw ended was times like

The Canada/USA war
Higher Power
nWo
DX takeover of WCW
Kane/Taker in the beginning
Bret/Owen
Jake/Macho
Dusty/Horsemen.
Austin/Pillman
Sting/Flair (early 90's)
Austin/Corporation (Rock, Vince)


These storylines weren't just about a guy winning a match and then getting a Title shot. They weren't just about a guy hating another guy just because they are sceduled to have a match. They weren't about said wrestler attacking the champ from behind one night and now there's a feud. There was more behind them. A lot more. Wrestling wasn't the focal point. Titles weren't the focal point. The wrestlers were fighting for a lot more then just to win a match or a title.

I'm just not seeing these kinds of stories anymore. And that's why I don't enjoy it as much. The whole Jericho comeback got me thinking about this. Sure, he'll come in and get a nice pop, he'll challenge somebody and soon get a Title shot. ok..and? I've seen that a thousand times before.

I need more then just guys fighting for respect, fighting to get revenge (to an extent) or fighting to see who's the better man. I'll watch UFC for that. Batista and Taker are about to have thier 80th match. What the hell is behind thier feud? Orton and HBK are about to have a match. why should I care. Oh, Orton put HBK on the shelf and HBK wants revenge. I haven't seen that storyline before.

What I'm getting at is they could do so much more, but they don't. They keep it simple and bland. Probably the last decent storylines they did was Batista/HHH, Jericho/Christian/Trish, Matt/Edge. But even these are not that memorable.


There's my ramble for the quarter

[Kane Knight]

I agree.

[Skull316]

One thing I've noticed that seems missing from storylines these days, are meaningful backstage segments. In WWE now, almost every backstage segment is either a locker room discussion, or an interview with Todd Grisham or Maria. Remember when backstage segments actually furthered storylines? Some of the most memorable times for me were Austin filling McMahon's car with cement and also when he dropped Triple H's car off the lift. People actually brawling backstage and having fights that carried elsewhere besides the ring, always helped. Not to mention, the 24/7 ruling on the Hardcore Title at the time. Seems to me like meaningful backstage segments are gone for the most part. The only ones that come remotely close in recent memory was McMahon's limo blowing up (and what a disaster that angle turned out to be), Cena/Edge (title in the river, followed by Edge being thrown in the river), and hmm that's about all I can think of off the top of my head.

While I may be forgetting a thing or two, I think these were a crucial part of storylines that not nearly enough time and thought is invested into anymore.

[Kane Knight]

The variety helped.

It really did. Right now, it's like "Generic promo" or "Generic backstage interview." The other options weren't completely unique either, but with more options, it mixed things up. Was it a big part? I don't think I'd go so far as to say that, but it's certainly symptomatic, at least.

[Jeritron]

I agree

[Loose Cannon]

yea, random backstage segments were great. like I loved when they would cut to the back WHILE a match was going on and there would be a brawl or whatever.

They even repeat thier own backstage stuff now. How many times do we need to see males running into the female lockeroom and having them scream?

[BigDaddyCool]

Part of the problem on Raw is that Cena was pushed as superman. Which destoried all the heels crediblity. But now he is injured and they had to put the belt on someone, which happens to be Randy Orton, a man who Cena already destroied time and time again. So Cena is on the shelf and they to strip him of the title and it just so happens Orton is there to get the title. Since Orton never beat Cena, he is seen as a fill in or a lesser champion.

Enter Shawn Micheals. Micheals is fueding with a weak champion in Orton. Now while Micheals has been superkicking Orton at every turn, it doesn't really matter as Orton is a weak champion and not much is expected of him. Not to mention, now Orton is afraid of the superkick and has stripped that from Micheals so even if Orton beats Micheals in their match, he won't have beaten Micheals at his best. And if Micheals beats Orton, then it will just reaffirm that Orton was/is a weak champion.

Also, all of those other story lines you named were so much more than 2 guys fighting to see who is best. The nWo was basically 2 guys that put the world on notice and scared the shit out of all the faces. Austin v Corporation was more than Austin wanting to be champion. He was the champion of working man and he was doing what ever blue collar worker wanted to do.

It all has to do with the characters right now are decent enough to watch, but none of them are telling the story of the audience. Undertaker is cool, but no one in the crowd can really connect with him as one on in the crowd is a zombie working for the Texas Rangers. Batista (for whatever reason) is cool, he looks cool, has a ton of muscles and tattooes, but the audience is just slightly disappointed when he loses and slightly happier when he wins because he doesn't represent them.

Same thing goes for Orton and Shawn. Shawn is an incredible wrestler, best ever to lace up boots. But no one in the audience really a born-again-christian with a bone to pick with a man half their age. And reversely no one really hates Orton with a passion because Orton is a boring faggot. Now, if Orton knew how to let everyone know he has gotten to where he is because of his family, personal favors, and hasn't earned shit, people would really start hating him because most of us know what it is like to work with someone like that.

[thedamndest]

They need credible stables. They had something going in Rated RKO, except for the fact that the opposing stable was DX, but for real, new stable.

[Jeritron]

Whats ridiculous is that Orton destroyed all his competition cleanly and viciously right up until he won the belt. Now he needs to cheat and get help. I suppose thats one way to approach being a heel though. What he needs to do is perhaps cheat to win, but still rule stronylg and it'd help if he had Vince in his corner to get him over as a despised heel.

Edge is the only credible heel in the WWE

[Kane Knight]

Edge is the only credible heel in the WWE:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: