Why hasn't the corporation storyline been a success?

[Snowman1]

One other talking point: Are the days of "heel heavy, long-term booking" over? It's hurt the ratings here (even though they are better than last years') and really hurt TNA.

After that rant earlier, gonna be positive for a moment.

-The Big Show angle, while hard to watch at time, is surprisingly effective. Those heels feel like assholes and it'll be really cool to see Big Show lose his shit. Assuming that's the pay-off, they have gold here. I beg you not to turn him heel, but also beg you to please spend less time on this.
-The Rhodes Family angle is great TV
-Great main events every week
-Shield have a purpose again and are really fun to watch
-As someone who's begged this company so much to push new talent they're doing that
-Second mention of "pushing new talent" for the left-for-dead Uso's
-Third mention for finding a guy who'll be the next top star in Daniel Bryan

It's an easy angle to complain about, not the best angle to watch, but dammit there's some good stuff here.

 

[Action Jackson]

<3 thank you

You're welcome. Someone has to stand up against the complete fucktards of the world.

It'll be you and me Jack, you and me.

 

[Wacokid27]

Here's the issue:

1) Monday Night Football: Due to MNF (as has been mentioned in posts before mine), ratings always suffer at this time of year. It's not something to worry about; it's just the way it goes. American WWE fans tend to also love NFL and NASCAR. If somebody started airing NASCAR on Monday nights from February to August, you might as well fold the company, because WWE would never do great ratings.
2) In the past, WWE has done storylines to draw casuals in, but they have generally been failures. Yes, that includes storylines that included The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The casuals are not interested in WWE at this time of year because Monday night is for football (see #1 above).
3) Rather than trying to bring in the casuals (who aren't going to watch anyway), this part of the storyline (wrestling in armories, the real life of pro wrestlers, Orton going back to his earlier heel character) is what we tend to call "inside baseball". It's not something that a casual fan would really care about, but something that is a nod to those who actually pay attention to the backgrounds of the wrestlers, read internet message boards and dirtsheets, etc. These storylines (from Daniel Bryan chasing the WWE Championship to the long-running feud between the Rhodes and the McMahons to Punk and his history with Paul Heyman) are all built to be marketed to the hardcore fan.
4) We have conditioned ourselves to worry about what the casuals would worry about as a survival mechanism, since we've been force-fed the idea that, without casuals, the company would fail. Therefore, we view so much through the scope of what the casuals want that we have a hard time understanding that the current storylines aren't for the casuals; they're for us.
5) The lack of concern for casuals lasts from SummerSlam to Survivor Series. For those hardcore fans who can't enjoy the product anymore if the casuals wouldn't enjoy it, rest assured that such tales will return next month. For those of us who have not blinded ourselves, we will continue to enjoy the story that's being told, Big Show and all (and after Battleground, the whole Big Show involvement thing might be coming to a head).

wk

 

[Crayo]

I enjoy it, but there are a few flaws.

1) Big Show is the center of it. Bad move.
2) No other stories now. It's this story with a bunch of filler, which makes us think this story isn't as good as it actually is.
3) Same old thing now.

 

[Snowman1]

Here's the issue:

4) We have conditioned ourselves to worry about what the casuals would worry about as a survival mechanism, since we've been force-fed the idea that, without casuals, the company would fail. Therefore, we view so much through the scope of what the casuals want that we have a hard time understanding that the current storylines aren't for the casuals; they're for us.

Then aren't all the worked-shoots in wrestling nowadays pretty counter-productive? Both companies' main angles are supposed to be please the IWC, but we aren't taking to them as we should any more as you say.

 

[Jeremy]

4 words. Too much Big Show.

 

[Wacokid27]

Then aren't all the worked-shoots in wrestling nowadays pretty counter-productive? Both companies' main angles are supposed to be please the IWC, but we aren't taking to them as we should any more as you say.

Yes and no.

From the standpoint that we now believe we should only like what the casuals like, they are counter-productive. But the IWC suffers from a tremendous case of multiple personality disorder. We like to sit around and bitch when things won't draw in the casuals, but we also like to bitch about the things the casuals like. So, they're not counter-productive, in that these are storylines that the casuals wouldn't really be as interested in, but that hardcore wrestling fans should eat up with a spoon because they're right in our wheelhouse.

Trust me. As confusing as this all is to us, it's equally confusing to WWE, TNA, ROH, etc., etc., etc.

wk