What makes a good show opener?

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Snowman1

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This week on Raw I noticed just how important an opener was, especially after discussing it for a little while with Crayo in a message I forgot to reply to (sorry bby), but he really liked Raw in large part because of Daniel Bryan opening, although the segment wasn't good, while I missed that segment and saw a tag match that reminded me of everything I don't like about Raw and it put me in a really pessimistic mood for the rest of the show.

He didn't like the opener, but he got to go ":yay: Bryan" to open the show and remained optimistic throughout. Meanwhile on Smackdown and Impact, you can always expect a generic opening promo segment to set up the main event, and a lot of times they're skippable. So, I'll ask you this:

-How should show openers help your opinions on the show?
-Who should be in them?
-How much should they be varied?

Idk but it's something to talk about
 

Danielson

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I like it when the opening segment is a match.

I don't care who, and it would help me realize i'm watching a wrestling program and not a soap opera.
 

Dolph'sZiggler

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I prefer a segment to a match. Give me the guys from the main feud, and have it set up something later in the show. If it is entertaining and productive in the sense that it sets up a match later in the night, it's done its job. Opening matches can be OK, but they usually feel out of place.
 

Lockard 23

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Whether it be a match or a segment, one of the most important things of the night should go on first because that's the hook to get people to keep watching. The opening should really set the tone for the rest of the show to be a must-see, exciting show that's worth viewing for the full three hours.

If the main event of the night is a wrestling match, then the opening segment should almost always be a segment setting up the main event, or if the match has already been announced, then the opening segment should be something that further promotes the main event. For example, a match announced for Raw tomorrow night is CM Punk and Curtis Axel versus The Prime Time Players. While this might not be the closing match of the show, it's on all the commercials I'm seeing on USA Network for Raw, so let's assume it will be. They could do maybe a segment setting the angle up that'll be centered in this, which is Punk getting along with Heyman's non-Lesnar client, Curtis Axel (which itself is part of the larger angle in all of this, which is the tension brewing between Heyman and Punk.) Heyman comes to the ring with Axel and then calls Punk to the ring just to show everyone that despite what happened last week (Punk refusing to shake Axel's hand), they can co-exist with each other if need be and you could maybe even do a PTP interruption. It reminds people of what match they should really be looking forward to later in the night.
 

Lackin

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a good show opener is when one of the Mcmahons fire somebody