humor = ratings

**KillerWolf** · 05-02-2005, 02:19 AM

everyone misses the glory days (from about 1997-2000), when wrestling was at it's peak of popularity. the ratings were high, and EVERYBODY was watching. lets face it, back then wrestling was trendy. there was a huge casual fan base. people who never watched wrestling were getting hooked. now, most of those casual fans are gone, yet Vince McMahon, for the most part, is still trying to cater to that fan base.

now, i still watch it. but it's not fun anymore. i still watch it, just like a lot of people, just hoping that it will get better. so , where did the ratings go? what made wrestling so much more fun to watch 7 years ago? what made it so appealing to so many people? it sure as hell wasn't lingere pillow fights. were the matches really better then? we still have 'classic' matches today. and i dont think that it was the much better storylines that got millions of people hooked. what made me, and every casual fan i knew keep tuning in to wrestling was the humor.

i remember my wife and i would sit through a whole 3 hours of NITRO laughing or smiling. and once that got stale, we would watch 2 hours of RAW laughing or smiling. we would get more chuckles from watching wrestling than from watching stand up comedy on Comedy Central. now, most people would rather watch some female jewish comedian ramble about her over-bearing mother.

wrestling just isnt funny anymore. other than the 5 minutes of Christian you get on RAW, how often does watching wrestling make you laugh? Eddie used to make us laugh, but now he's bogged down in a tag team with Misterio. Anyway, those two make me feel excluded because its always about la familia y la raza. no soy Mexicano, so i guess i dont count. Kurt Angle is getting heat from commiting dastardly deeds these days, not so much antagonizing the fans. then: we had Hollywood Hogan delivering pure gold on the mic. now: we have 30 minutes of HHH saying "i am the gaaaammmah!" then: we had DX dressed up as and doing their impressions of the members of the Nation of Domination. now: we have three 'divas' come to the ring and say "who wants to see us take our clothes off?!"

i say what made wrestling cool was the humor. you can say i'm wrong. you can say the way to get everyone back on board is to put the Heavyweight Title on the Hurricane. i'm just stating the opinion of myself, and everyone that i know personally.

**Xerzes** · 05-02-2005, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shock&awe

i say what made wrestling cool was the humor. you can say i'm wrong. you can say the way to get everyone back on board is to put the Heavyweight Title on the Hurricane. i'm just stating the opinion of myself, and everyone that i know personally.

If you're saying the Heavyweight Title on Hurricane wouldn't be comedy gold, I say you're some kind of crazy man.

**PullMyFinger** · 05-02-2005, 03:12 AM

That's why Christian is so over though...because he's a funny heel.

**Corndad** · 05-02-2005, 03:36 AM

I couldnt agree more. You have to have humor. I think thats part of the whole nostalgia thing, you think of all the old gimmicks and just laugh, even Hogan ya gotta get a little chuckle out of. The humors been really missing since the Rock hasnt been full-time. If they let Angle do his goofy face character, he was funny, but with the serious heel thing hes got now, really cant be that humorous.

**Mr. Nerfect** · 05-02-2005, 04:02 AM

I sort of agree to a certain level. There can still be intensity, but I think they need to allow the fans a chance to really smile at what's going on.

Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit was a really good feud in 2000, and although I didn't watch then, I can just watch the flashbacks on my Royal Rumble 2001 DVD to tell how intense it was. But then there were those moments where Jericho would come out and recite a poem about Chris Benoit.

No doubt the matches and the feuds need to be intense, but what really grabs the fans is the fact that they can get excited about what they're seeing.

I think Backlash was actually a step in the right direction. The Heart Throbs really make me laugh, and they could very well make some fans if they let them do their thing.

But there are still product problems. In 2000, the WWE Championship matches were really entertaining, and had some good sories to them. You'd have build-up to a feud, and then blow it off at a PPV. The Rock vs. Chris Benoit is a good example of this. Benoit wasn't a main eventer at this time from memory, yet he got his chance to shine and the fans bought it.

Now you get Triple H vs. Batista at three pay-per-views in a row. If the WWE really want to do some good, have Batista vs. Christian, Batista vs. Jericho and Batista vs. Edge at PPVs. I've just booked up until Summerslam. That doesn't mean Batista and Triple H need to stop feuding. Just break it up a bit with a few doses of other opponents in there.

I'd much rather see Booker T come over to RAW from SD! one week after defeating Kurt Angle at Judgment Day and start a feud with Batista heading into Vengeance, than Triple H vs. Batista III. Just have William Regal continue his feud from last year with Triple H to keep him occupied.

If you let other guys get the mic, lighten up on te repeats, and give every guy a chance, I think the WWE can really start to do some good. The ratings really peaked after WrestleMania, maybe because they saw something different with Cena and Batista on top, but if the WWE keeps repeating their main events over and over again, those fans may not stick around.

**Corkscrewed** · 05-02-2005, 05:09 AM

I just think the humor was a lot stronger and provided a good balance to the action. It kept people entertained and gave them breaks to laugh.

On the other hand, all humor all the time would be equally stale sooner or later, especially when they resort to necrophelia jokes.

**KillerWolf** · 05-02-2005, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corkscrewed

I just think the humor was a lot stronger and provided a good balance to the action. It kept people entertained and gave them breaks to laugh.

On the other hand, all humor all the time would be equally stale sooner or later, especially when they resort to necrophelia jokes.

**Just John** · 05-02-2005, 11:23 AM

We have Snitsky

"It wasn't my fault!"

Damn gotta stop saying that.

**olympic hitman** · 05-02-2005, 04:50 PM

Humor has been a big part of pro wrestling ever since McMahon deemed it "sports entertainment". I used to love watching Nitro and seeing segments with Norman Smiley. He was about the funniest guy on the show. I remember one segment on Nitro where Norman Smiley wandered into Jerry Flynn's "block" and proceeded to get his ass kicked screaming the whole time,

I've always liked Kurt Angle for that reason. Him telling the British hometown guy to "piss off" last week on Smackdown was classic Angle-type of comedy. His segments with Austin during the Alliance angle where also some of his best segments.

Christian is probably the best currently. It's just a travesty that he's not a champion by now

**PullMyFinger** · 05-02-2005, 05:28 PM

Hahahaha, speaking of Smiley...when he was the hardcore champ, he was great! Hahaha he used to wear all that gear, and he'd come out talking about how hardcore he was. "I'm so hardcore, that I drank milk...which was 3 days expired!"

**olympic hitman** · 05-02-2005, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Hahahaha, speaking of Smiley...when he was the hardcore champ, he was great! Hahaha he used to wear all that gear, and he'd come out talking about how hardcore he was. "I'm so hardcore, that I drank milk...which was 3 days expired!"

Yes, just one of the many Smiley moments in WCW that were comedic.

I remember the match Smiley had with a fat woman named Rhonda[can't remember her last name, though they said it on-air]. That chick kicked his ass and the only reason Smiley won was because he used a fire extinguisher and fell on top of her[accidently after tripping]. "Screamin'" Norman Smiley earned his nickname during that match,

05-02-2005, 08:15 PM

Who is Smiley?

**thecc** · 05-02-2005, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiguelBahena

Who is Smiley?

05-02-2005, 02:19 AM	#1
KillerWolf \m/(-.-)\m/ Posts: 1,456	humor = ratings everyone misses the glory days (from about 1997-2000), when wrestling was at it's peak of popularity. the ratings were high, and EVERYBODY was watching. lets face it, back then wrestling was trendy. there was a huge casual fan base. people who never watched wrestling were getting hooked. now, most of those casual fans are gone, yet Vince McMahon, for the most part, is still trying to cater to that fan base. now, i still watch it. but it's not fun anymore. i still watch it, just like a lot of people, just hoping that it will get better. so , where did the ratings go? what made wrestling so much more fun to watch 7 years ago? what made it so appealing to so many people? it sure as hell wasn't lingere pillow fights. were the matches really better then? we still have 'classic' matches today. and i dont think that it was the much better storylines that got millions of people hooked. what made me, and every casual fan i knew keep tuning in to wrestling was the humor. i remember my wife and i would sit through a whole 3 hours of NITRO laughing or smiling. and once that got stale, we would watch 2 hours of RAW laughing or smiling. we would get more chuckles from watching wrestling than from watching stand up comedy on Comedy Central. now, most people would rather watch some female jewish comedian ramble about her over-bearing mother. wrestling just isnt funny anymore. other than the 5 minutes of Christian you get on RAW, how often does watching wrestling make you laugh? Eddie used to make us laugh, but now he's bogged down in a tag team with Misterio. Anyway, those two make me feel excluded because its always about la familia y la raza. no soy Mexicano, so i guess i dont count. Kurt Angle is getting heat from commiting dastardly deeds these days, not so much antagonizing the fans. then: we had Hollywood Hogan delivering pure gold on the mic. now: we have 30 minutes of HHH saying "i am the gaaaammmah!" then: we had DX dressed up as and doing their impressions of the members of the Nation of Domination. now: we have three 'divas' come to the ring and say "who wants to see us take our clothes off?!" i say what made wrestling cool was the humor. you can say i'm wrong. you can say the way to get everyone back on board is to put the Heavyweight Title on the Hurricane. i'm just stating the opinion of myself, and everyone that i know personally.

05-02-2005, 03:12 AM	#3
PullMyFinger Posts: 3,319	That's why Christian is so over though...because he's a funny heel.

05-02-2005, 03:36 AM	#4
Corndad #YesMovement Posts: 11,640	I couldnt agree more. You have to have humor. I think thats part of the whole nostalgia thing, you think of all the old gimmicks and just laugh, even Hogan ya gotta get a little chuckle out of. The humors been really missing since the Rock hasnt been full-time. If they let Angle do his goofy face character, he was funny, but with the serious heel thing hes got now, really cant be that humorous.

05-02-2005, 04:02 AM	#5
Mr. Nerfect Posts: 61,634	I sort of agree to a certain level. There can still be intensity, but I think they need to allow the fans a chance to really smile at what's going on. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit was a really good feud in 2000, and although I didn't watch then, I can just watch the flashbacks on my Royal Rumble 2001 DVD to tell how intense it was. But then there were those moments where Jericho would come out and recite a poem about Chris Benoit. No doubt the matches and the feuds need to be intense, but what really grabs the fans is the fact that they can get excited about what they're seeing. I think Backlash was actually a step in the right direction. The Heart Throbs really make me laugh, and they could very well make some fans if they let them do their thing. But there are still product problems. In 2000, the WWE Championship matches were really entertaining, and had some good sories to them. You'd have build-up to a feud, and then blow it off at a PPV. The Rock vs. Chris Benoit is a good example of this. Benoit wasn't a main eventer at this time from memory, yet he got his chance to shine and the fans bought it. Now you get Triple H vs. Batista at three pay-per-views in a row. If the WWE really want to do some good, have Batista vs. Christian, Batista vs. Jericho and Batista vs. Edge at PPVs. I've just booked up until Summerslam. That doesn't mean Batista and Triple H need to stop feuding. Just break it up a bit with a few doses of other opponents in there. I'd much rather see Booker T come over to RAW from SD! one week after defeating Kurt Angle at Judgment Day and start a feud with Batista heading into Vengeance, than Triple H vs. Batista III. Just have William Regal continue his feud from last year with Triple H to keep him occupied. If you let other guys get the mic, lighten up on te repeats, and give every guy a chance, I think the WWE can really start to do some good. The ratings really peaked after WrestleMania, maybe because they saw something different with Cena and Batista on top, but if the WWE keeps repeating their main events over and over again, those fans may not stick around.

05-02-2005, 05:09 AM	#6
Corkscrewed Posts: 18,357	I just think the humor was a lot stronger and provided a good balance to the action. It kept people entertained and gave them breaks to laugh. On the other hand, all humor all the time would be equally stale sooner or later, especially when they resort to necrophelia jokes.

05-02-2005, 11:23 AM	#8
Just John Kiss the blade Posts: 8,284	We have Snitsky "It wasn't my fault!" Damn gotta stop saying that.

05-02-2005, 04:50 PM	#9
olympic hitman It's ALL True.... Posts: 136	Humor has been a big part of pro wrestling ever since McMahon deemed it "sports entertainment". I used to love watching Nitro and seeing segments with Norman Smiley. He was about the funniest guy on the show. I remember one segment on Nitro where Norman Smiley wandered into Jerry Flynn's "block" and proceeded to get his ass kicked screaming the whole time, I've always liked Kurt Angle for that reason. Him telling the British hometown guy to "piss off" last week on Smackdown was classic Angle-type of comedy. His segments with Austin during the Alliance angle where also some of his best segments. Christian is probably the best currently. It's just a travesty that he's not a champion by now

05-02-2005, 05:28 PM	#10
PullMyFinger Posts: 3,319	Hahahaha, speaking of Smiley...when he was the hardcore champ, he was great! Hahaha he used to wear all that gear, and he'd come out talking about how hardcore he was. "I'm so hardcore, that I drank milk...which was 3 days expired!"

05-02-2005, 08:15 PM	#12
M. Banana Guest Posts: n/a	Who is Smiley?