Could it work?

[straight_edge76]

With MMA's ever growing popularity among what used to be the pro wrestling audience (teenagers/young adults) do you think that adding in MMA style elements to professional wrestling (knockout, referee stoppage etc.) would work in helping the audience grow?

Professional wrestling isn't looked at as a sport anymore, no far from it. And that may be a reason it's looked down upon these days. But I think that adding MMA style of finishes could add to the realism factor that it's been lacking for most of the last decade. Which would only help the buisness.

What do you guys think? Is it a good idea? Bad idea? Discuss.

 

[imported_Adam]

Honestly, I think WWE should have an annual "Brawl for All" type thing, where a certain amount of competitors in WWE can legitimately shoot-fight and win however they want, no strings attached, no holds barred, legitimate best fighter wins. I don't think matches being decided by refs or stopped by refs would be enjoyable to most wrestling fans though.

 

[FabulousRougeauBrother]

I think it's been leading that way for years. Sure there are little things like "tapping out" instead of verbally submitting got popular last year, but the big thing I've noticed in that trying to make it more "sport like" is having the majority of the wrestlers have a first and last name. It's very rare to see anybody now on the WWE roster who goes by something that doesn't sound it would be a standard given name and surname.

Sure there are a few exceptions that have been around awhile like The Undertaker, HHH, MVP, Big Show, etc., but the overwhelming majority of wrestlers and new wrestlers are given a first and last name to wrestle with.

Meh, this post doesn't really relate to the topic much at all, but I haven't posted in awhile.

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

Eh, so many people are blind to how similar UFC is to WWE. Dana White is a Vince McMahon study, he's only doing it with someone else's money.

 

[pumpt73]

There's already elements there and most fans are oblivious to it. Undertaker has brought in the Gogoplata and the gloves. I've seen several guys wearing the gloves. Also you have Kurt Angle who's well respected for his amateur wrestling background, who does train MMA, though does not fight. It's been there in the past as well with Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn. In Japan, you have Pancrase.

I don't think the WWE's core audience would get it. By that I mean WWE is aimed at kids. And it has been since the 80's marketing boom. I had just about every WWF LJN figure ever made plus the ring and cage. Granted that "Attitude Era" was racier than what is was prior to and to what it is today, but you still had marketing to children.

Pro wrestling as a whole would probably like it. You have a promotion like Ring of Honor that is shown every Monday night on HDNet that shows just as much MMA as Spike does, just not specific to the UFC. Perhaps I could go so far to say HDNet probably shows more.

So do I think it would work in WWE??? Probably not. The brand is already making money and will always make money. Little Johnny and Little Suzy just go ask mommy and daddy or gramma and grampa to buy them their favorite superstar stuff and they're happy. They don't know the concept of the moveset, character development, etc. I still watch WWE and Im 32. Im not the target audience. I watch because I've always watched this since I was 6.

Could it work in pro wrestling as a whole??? I think so. Japan already has had crossover stars like Kazushi Sakuraba and Josh Barnett and in the US, we've already had crossover stars like Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, Bobby Lashley, and of course Brock Lesnar. MMA is the sport of wrestling, while pro wrestling is the entertainment of MMA.

 

[THE Brian Kendrick's Biceps]

It won't happen. At least not in the mainstream American wrestling. WWE being geared more to a younger audience and lacking things like blood means I can't see them ever having consistent ref stoppage type finishes. That only happened to Matt Hardy, and that's because it was amusing. TNA, meanwhile, dabbled in it briefly I believe by bringing in the Kurt Angle-lite (his name escapes me at this point in time), and they booked it shittily like just about everything else they do, so I can't see them trying that again. Then again, with the way they fuck up stables you'd think they'd have stopped trying to make them too by this point, but apparently not. Now we've got more than ever.

Honestly, I think WWE should have an annual "Brawl for All" type thing, where a certain amount of competitors in WWE can legitimately shoot-fight and win however they want, no strings attached, no holds barred, legitimate best fighter wins. I don't think matches being decided by refs or stopped by refs would be enjoyable to most wrestling fans though.

That happened in the past and it sucked, although Bart Gunn getting knocked out is hilarious. What are you meant to tell the audience anyway? "Guys, this is actual real fighting, that's why the main eventers aren't winning. But hey, they're still the fake wrestling champions, so it's cool."

 

[pumpt73]

It's had it's moments in Wrestling. WWF was the first of course with Shamrock and Severn. WCW did Tank Abbott. And at the time Goldberg came out, the 4oz. gloves he was wearing, were already mandated by the very few State Athletic Commissions that santioned NHB/MMA at the time.

Now, I did like what TNA did with Kurt and Samoa Joe in the cage. Kurt came out in fight shorts, bare foot, etc. and they really had a good match on a slight MMA type platform. You had an hexagonal ring with a cage on it.

The thing is, like I state in my first post, MMA is what pro wrestling is without the glitz. It's the 2 men enter, 1 man leaves type thing. Pro Wrestling, covers the entertainment side. The storylines, the corners getting involved. MMA fans don't mind a little pre-fight hype, but they surely do not like WWE type antics in the sport. If you go back and look at the first few fights with Brock, the fans weren't liking it. Though Dana White did exactly what ANY wrestling promoter would do, get him in action as fast as possible with all the booing. When Brock went through his battle with diverticulitis, he came back a fighter. He doesn't act WWE at all anymore. Very humble in winning against Carwin, and even more humble in defeate against Velasquez. If you look, you have a little wrestling storyline type plot playing out right now with GSP and Koscheck. The fans vehimintly hate Koscheck. I love the guy and hope he wins.

I think it could work, but again, I don't think it would happen in major promotions. It would have to be a thing like ROH has with the "Code of Honor" type of deal, which of course has gotten down to just shaking hands and leaving the ref alone. If you want to see a pro wrestling promotion with MMA type action, watch as much Pancrase as you can.

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

Pumpt, my man, you forgot probably the most successful MMA to wrestler cross over star, ever...BOBBBBB SSAPPPPPPP! This guy was huge bank in Japan, not to mention he had like the greatest ring entrance in the history of ever.

 

[Axis]

Honestly, I think WWE should have an annual "Brawl for All" type thing, where a certain amount of competitors in WWE can legitimately shoot-fight and win however they want, no strings attached, no holds barred, legitimate best fighter wins. I don't think matches being decided by refs or stopped by refs would be enjoyable to most wrestling fans though.

WORST IDEA EVER.

How do you bill that?

"Come watch fights THAT aren't scripted!"

That just advertises the fact that wrestling matches are scripted, and completely takes away form it. Nobody liked Brawl For All the first time around. Nothing's going to change that. WWE should not try to be UFC. UFC is UFC, and has a complete hold on that market. WWE will never beat UFC in that market, they have to find their own market (which they've done with a younger audience), and exploit it with a unique product.

 

[Pavitar]

It could work, but it would be a gamble since they might upset some fans that want the MMA product to stay away from pro wrestling.

 

[Airfixx]

It could work

How?

 

[McFly...]

Yes, we should admit defeat in that people like MMA more than pro wrestling and we should try to rip them off with their finishes to matches at this time and point in wrestling. People already know that it's fake, why bother.

 

[Airfixx]

^^^What? That was as clear as mud.... lol

 

[McFly...]

Im saying that if you are losing your audience that you once had to MMA, you are doing something wrong. Adopting something like finishes from MMA only sees this as "we are not better than you so we will take some of your finishes to matches and put them in our matches". That would make me want to watch MMA even more. If I wanted to see MMA stuff guess what I would watch MMA. Everybody knows wrestling is fake so you think you are going to gain back popularity by taking something we see in MMA already? Please.