Did Vince "cool off" wrestling on purpose?

**Ol Dirty Dastard** · 07-08-2020, 11:41 AM

Since the beginning of the Invasion back in '01, wrestling has been on a steady decline in popularity.

You could argue the moment Steve Austin shook Vince's hand at mania, there was no coming back. There was a specific type of integrity about that character that audiences gravitated towards. It was as though they betrayed all the work done to establish one of the most iconic performers in history. It also didn't help that nobody was around to replace that happy, warm, vicarious feeling that Stone Cold gave audiences.

From the stories that I've heard - in fairness - this wasn't a McMahon call. It was all Steve. Though, the boss does have to put the stamp of approval on everything.

Since then, it's all been pretty bad. Even when it was a bit better, it was still on the verge of being pretty paltry. The magic was gone.

I'm not telling you anything you don't know.

However, at some point, did Vince realize this was to his benefit?

Yes, the WWE is to wrestling as Kleenex is to tissue paper (or as "The Dastardly One" is to handsomeness). It has that brand power....but it isn't all that popular. The vast majority of people roll their eyes and see the whole deal as tremendously stupid and trashy.

Of course, wrestling at its most popular (at least in the Northeast) was all about the pageantry and camp. There was always that "silly" element. But there was a certain beauty to it where you could turn your brain off and enjoy it.

That's not really the case anymore. That kitschy element is all but gone--and now it's just crappy, awkward television that makes everyone cringe.

My argument here is that this works to the benefit of Vince--to the point where I'd say it was all by design. Maybe not initially, but I think there was an "ah-ha" moment.

If wrestling was HOT like it was between 1997-2000, there's a further chance for the AEWs of the world to gain traction. We could sit here all day and talk about how shit Noid thinks Orange Cassidy is, but WCW in the early 90s was god awful and eventually found its stride.

And it was through the strength of the WWF that WCW was able to pose that threat. Without that iconic Hulkamania run in the 1980s, nobody really would have cared.

This is already well past TL;DR, but we all talk about how Vince doesn't want stars to be bigger than the brand. But does it go beyond that? Does he want the reach of wrestling to remain insular, so that the WWE remains the only viable brand in North America? Also, there's the fact that ratings don't matter as much as they once did. WWE's business model isn't so much about the product being on fire as it is about various revenue streams making up the difference.

It would add up because whenever the product seems to be heating up, it seems efforts are made to cool it off ASAP.

Anyways, would love to hear your thoughts mofuckaz.

View Poll Results: Does Vince want his own product to be mediocre at best?
Yes	2	20.00%
No	8	80.00%
Voters: 10. You must log in or register to vote on this poll.

07-08-2020, 11:41 AM	#1
Ol Dirty Dastard boop/bop/beep Posts: 38,430	Did Vince "cool off" wrestling on purpose? Since the beginning of the Invasion back in '01, wrestling has been on a steady decline in popularity. You could argue the moment Steve Austin shook Vince's hand at mania, there was no coming back. There was a specific type of integrity about that character that audiences gravitated towards. It was as though they betrayed all the work done to establish one of the most iconic performers in history. It also didn't help that nobody was around to replace that happy, warm, vicarious feeling that Stone Cold gave audiences. From the stories that I've heard - in fairness - this wasn't a McMahon call. It was all Steve. Though, the boss does have to put the stamp of approval on everything. Since then, it's all been pretty bad. Even when it was a bit better, it was still on the verge of being pretty paltry. The magic was gone. I'm not telling you anything you don't know. However, at some point, did Vince realize this was to his benefit? Yes, the WWE is to wrestling as Kleenex is to tissue paper (or as "The Dastardly One" is to handsomeness). It has that brand power....but it isn't all that popular. The vast majority of people roll their eyes and see the whole deal as tremendously stupid and trashy. Of course, wrestling at its most popular (at least in the Northeast) was all about the pageantry and camp. There was always that "silly" element. But there was a certain beauty to it where you could turn your brain off and enjoy it. That's not really the case anymore. That kitschy element is all but gone--and now it's just crappy, awkward television that makes everyone cringe. My argument here is that this works to the benefit of Vince--to the point where I'd say it was all by design. Maybe not initially, but I think there was an "ah-ha" moment. If wrestling was HOT like it was between 1997-2000, there's a further chance for the AEWs of the world to gain traction. We could sit here all day and talk about how shit Noid thinks Orange Cassidy is, but WCW in the early 90s was god awful and eventually found its stride. And it was through the strength of the WWF that WCW was able to pose that threat. Without that iconic Hulkamania run in the 1980s, nobody really would have cared. This is already well past TL;DR, but we all talk about how Vince doesn't want stars to be bigger than the brand. But does it go beyond that? Does he want the reach of wrestling to remain insular, so that the WWE remains the only viable brand in North America? Also, there's the fact that ratings don't matter as much as they once did. WWE's business model isn't so much about the product being on fire as it is about various revenue streams making up the difference. It would add up because whenever the product seems to be heating up, it seems efforts are made to cool it off ASAP. Anyways, would love to hear your thoughts mofuckaz.