Have Gimmick Matches Become Too Gimmicked?

[redoneja]

Watching a stream of Hell in a Cell last night got me thinking about the Cell itself. For some reason, I don't think it looks as "foreboding" as it used too. I just think it looks way too overproduced and looks like something you'd see in a movie instead of pro wrestling. Back when it was first introduced, I think it looked really badass. Somebody in another thread posted about how the new Cell has lost its 'claustrophobic' feel. I completely agree.

And then that got me thinking about other gimmick matches. And that got me wondering if alot of them have become too gimmicked.

Now, I divide gimmick matches into two categories: 1) Those that serve as a means to get the story/program/feud over (cage matches, ladder matches, street fights, I Quit matches) and those that are the focus of a particular match (TLC, Elimination Chamber, King of the Mountain, Steel Asylum, Money in the Bank).

But lately I've started to think that gimmick matches are really kinda losing the old school kind of purpose they used to serve. Now it seems almost all gimmick matches are starting to become more like those in category 2. That is, the specific gimmick no longer serves a purpose to get a feud over, it's just a gimmick that is used to cover for weakly built programs.

Thoughts?

[Xero]

They're overdoing everything. Ladder and TLC now have all those fucking ladders all over the place. It's ridiculous.

Also, it goes back to my love of the grittiness of the Attitude Era. The original cell LOOKED brutal because it looks like it's shit you'd find at Home Depot. Now it looks like a professionally made piece of crap.

[redoneja]

They're overdoing everything. Ladder and TLC now have all those fucking ladders all over the place. It's ridiculous.


Yea, I don't like how there are about 37 ladders in the arena now whenever there's a ladder, TLC, or Money in the Bank.

And I think WWE is also overdoing gimmick matches in the sense that there are way too many and they happen alot. It was a cool concept when you'd have a cage match every now and then or a Cell match once every year or 18 months. Now I just feel desensitized to most of them.

Also, I feel like there is an urge to make each match memorable for one crazy spot, often times at the expense of a well worked match (last night's matches didn't do this but they weren't well worked either). That's fine for Money in the Bank but I don't think it should have a place in cage matches, HiaC, etc.

[Emperor Smeat]

Yea, I don't like how there are about 37 ladders in the arena now whenever there's a ladder, TLC, or Money in the Bank.

And I think WWE is also overdoing gimmick matches in the sense that there are way too many and they happen alot. It was a cool concept when you'd have a cage match every now and then or a Cell match once every year or 18 months. Now I just feel desensitized to most of them.

Also, I feel like there is an urge to make each match memorable for one crazy spot, often times at the expense of a well worked match (last night's matches didn't do this but they weren't well worked either). That's fine for Money in the Bank but I don't think it should have a place in cage matches, HiaC, etc.

Undertaker vs Mankind basically ensured in WWE that for a future cage/cell match to be memorable, it needs an insane or one of those spots that would be talked about weeks to months after it occurred. Problem is now its gotten too ridiculous that most gimmick matches last few years are set up just for that 1-2 mega spots and becomes somewhat predictable.

[XL]

The issue comes in the fact that WWE are pushing the gimmicks over the fueds.

Nowadays we have PPVs based around gimmick matches, they do not let fueds come to the gimmick match naturally. For example, the Armaggedon 2000 6 Man HiaC came about cos there were 5 "legitimate" claims to a title shot, same with the Elimination Chamber. Now we now that the EC will take place at No Way Out and we see "qualifiers". For me that takes a lot of shine from the gimmick matches.

Plus, there are far too many of them!

[CWK]

In response to the title of this thread:

Yes.

[Rammsteinmad]

Somebody in another thread posted about how the new Cell has lost its 'claustrophobic' feel. I completely agree.


:wave:

People don't agree with me often enough.