Thread: WrestleMania 34 - OFFICIAL hype and discussion thread
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Old 04-09-2018, 07:47 PM   #1866
Mr. Nerfect
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dastardly Dale Newstead View Post
the nicholas thing makes a mockery of the belts. As a wrestling fan it's fucking disappointing and kind of boring and stupid.

BUT, unlike the David Arquette thing, it's not some c-minus celebrity like Arquette getting treated like an A-lister and being given the belt because he's from the outside world.

Instead, its a child pulled from the crowd. The visual of Braun with a tiny little 12 year old is great. It's a photo op... I understand. At the end of the day it's a calculated risk. The biggest show of the year, you have a spectacle of this loveable monster teaming with a 6th grader. Vince obviously doesn't care if the tag belts mean shit... it's more important for him to grab potential headlines of "Child wins WWE tag belt" because honestly... that's way more interesting than David Arquette winning it. And making it even more intriguing is that it's the child of a long time employee.

Again, my wrestling brain fucking hates it. But my marketing brain understands and respects it.
You're not making wrong points, but I don't think it's as good for PR as you are thinking. I seriously doubt this makes anyone watch. If it does, I will gladly admit I was wrong, but I think it is:

* Transparent
* Pandering
* Technically endorses child abuse -- the WWE is scripted violence and you've put a kid in that situation, technically harmless or not

If I were writing an article on it, without even having a wrestling brain, I'd still tear this the fuck apart as another misguided attempt by a fickle company to try and suck the ass of idiot consumers by selling a product that doesn't make sense and no one wants to buy.

My wrestling brain hates it, and my common sense everyday life brain thinks it is fucking annoying bullshit. Even to the point "I know the kid is not going to actually wrestle anybody or get hurt," to that extent I think it is fucking dumb bullshit. If the kid isn't going to actually win then what is the point?

It's not going to sink business because nothing matters enough, and it caught up the morons at WrestleMania at the time. But it's really fucking dumb. I agree with you on the photo op and it probably made that kid's day. Invite him backstage or have him accompany Braun.

It's hollow and there is no real end-game. I'm sure Braun will go around defending with kids in each town and will smile and go and visit sick ones at hospital. But it's the cartoony, cutesy stuff that keeps real people from watching. Jerry from the pub isn't going to suddenly think wrestling is cool because a kid is the champion. Kids at school aren't going to think it's cool they're recognized at such a lame event doing such a lame thing.

I understand the stupid bullshit pandering to a limited audience. I just think it's a big miscalculation and it's not going to kill wrestling, but it's a symptom of wrestling being dead.
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