Just a couple of thoughts from fresh eyes

[Gman003]

Yeah I will add to all this. I watched wrestlemania 17 (most of it) last night and the huuuuge difference between then and now....it was constant action inside and outside of the ring. As soon as buddy would get dropped he was picked back up and slammed again. Stuff like that. NOW, all they do is slam them. Then wait 2 minutes while they just standthere doing a gesture to the crowd or wwhatever.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Yeah I will add to all this. I watched wrestlemania 17 (most of it) last night and the huuuuge difference between then and now....it was constant action inside and outside of the ring. As soon as buddy would get dropped he was picked back up and slammed again. Stuff like that. NOW, all they do is slam them. Then wait 2 minutes while they just standthere doing a gesture to the crowd or wwhatever.

lol, one thing going for WWE now is more guys have higher workrates. You've got this one all twisted

 

[Gman003]

Also, I know that I have mentioned it a couple of times, but their roster was huge! They had enough to have separate rosters for raw and smackdown for the most part. What happened along the line? It seems like there is hardly anyone compared to then

 

[Gman003]

lol, one thing going for WWE now is more guys have higher workrates. You've got this one all twisted

I mean Inside the ring and outside (As in fighting in the crowd)

 

[The GOAT]

Having a once off where some dude has an incredibly dangerous spot isn't going to change the course of WWE for the better, but it could definitely change it for the worst if the guy gets hurt and investors start saying "hey why the fuck did you do that?" and selling stock.

It'd be pretty dull if they never did anything that they didn't absolutely have to do. There's already that x factor in wrestling anyway, so the only way for you to be 100% safe from injury for sure is to just not get involved in the business at all.

If guys having their careers shortened or ended because of performing a dangerous spot was a concern to investors and shareholders, then they wouldn't do a lot of the shit that they do already in any of the various hardcore/gimmick matches that still happen regularly.

 

[Jacob Fox]

I just wanted to comment on the whole PG thing.

I think one of the biggest points is that the Attitude Era was done out of necessity and quite a bit of desperation. WWF was getting completely annihilated, it was losing money and everything it was doing to combat WCW was failing miserably. And yes, I know I am not telling anyone anything that they already didn't know.

What I will say, though, is despite naming his yacht Sexy Bitch, despite doing the kiss my ass club or anything else Vince has done, Vince McMahon would not have considered the edgier content if he didn't absolutely have to. He has always had this bizarre cartoonish outlook on pro wrestling. If WCW never put up the challenge, it would have remained PG the entire time because that's what Vince likes.

I won't say that the PG thing is permanent. McMahon won't be running the show forever. Triple H has demonstrated time and again he has absolutely no issue with edgier content... but he's also not the majority shareholder and who knows how all of that will play out. But one thing is for certain, it will be a LONG time, if ever, that WWE is threatened by a company to the point where they'll have to do something they really don't want to do. Even with their ratings downs, they still are monumentally bigger than any other game out there. But that doesn't mean the product will always be bad. I personally thought Wrestlemania 31 was one of the best Wrestlemanias ever, and it didn't have to get all "Attitude Era" Like to be good.

I don't think I really made any point in this sloppy post. I'd just not post it if it hadn't taken me ten minutes to write.

On an amusing note, I'll never forget when Eric Bischoff was working for TNA and Vince criticized the "Attitude Era" approach Biscoff was trying to bring to the table by calling it "tawdry" and "blood soaked" and saying fans were not interested in that sort of thing (http://www.pwpix.net/pwpixnews/headlines/271553250.php). Eric Bischoff called Vince a hypocrite, but this ultimately had no effect because McMahon knows better than anyone the revolving door that is the pro wrestling fanbase.

 

[Gman003]

Yeah I agree wrestle mania 31 was great! For the first taste of wwe in 10 years, I gotta say, it exceeded my expectations for the most part.

And I didn't mean they have to re do the attitude era to make it even better. I just mean beef up the story line and add to the roster a bit.
Overall I am pleased with the product. More than I ever expected, to be honest.
One thing I have been having trouble understanding is why they forged raw and smackdown together? I used to be more of a smackdown fan as a kid, now it doesn't matter they're the same show. Seems like a waste to me, but I guess it still doubles the profits as opposed to only one show.
Anyways glad I found somewhere to discuss this stuff with mature people.

 

[Jacob Fox]

Yeah I agree wrestle mania 31 was great! For the first taste of wwe in 10 years, I gotta say, it exceeded my expectations for the most part.

And I didn't mean they have to re do the attitude era to make it even better. I just mean beef up the story line and add to the roster a bit.
Overall I am pleased with the product. More than I ever expected, to be honest.
One thing I have been having trouble understanding is why they forged raw and smackdown together? I used to be more of a smackdown fan as a kid, now it doesn't matter they're the same show. Seems like a waste to me, but I guess it still doubles the profits as opposed to only one show.
Anyways glad I found somewhere to discuss this stuff with mature people.

Oh sorry, I didn't mean to imply you wanted a redo of the Attitude Era. I tend to sometimes really stray from the point I begin writing about.

In regards to the shows not being separate, that was a gradual thing. They began melding together and eventually became one "brand" with double championships.

Interestingly enough, I used to want an end to the brand extension. I sort of wish it was back though.

 

[The GOAT]

Between the guys already still there from the past 10-12 years (Cena, Orton, Lesnar, Miz, Sheamus, Barrett, etc.) and the people that are currently being designated as the future (Ambrose, Reigns, Rollins, Owens, Wyatt, the influx of other folks coming in from NXT, etc.) along with whatever other talent they manage to recruit from TNA and other promotions, I don't think it's completely implausible that we could be looking at a new brand extension sometime within the next two or three years. I mean, it's likely we won't ever see something like it ever again in WWE, but never say never in wrestling.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

WWE has been cherry picking the best indie talent for 5+ years now, the roster is loaded with guys ready to make an impact... the roster is the last thing that could be labeled as a problem. Everything else is the issue, starting with going public and having to answer to stock holders.

 

[Gman003]

Thanks for the replies.
And I that's what I meant by a new era. The guys as the future have that rough edge, which if utilized, could be a more mild attitudestyle era.
Anyways yeah I'm wwatchingweek after week. But these ppv every oother weekend Is over saturation.