World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is the top wrestling promotion in the world. It is a multi-million pound company but since 2008 the product has changed whether it changed for the better or worse I will leave down to the reader. June 22nd 2008 to be exact, the date that the WWE went PG. The idea behind it getting children to tune in whilst their young and they would stay with the company throughout their teens and into adulthood. But, has the change from an edgier product to a child-based program lost the WWE more fans than they have gained?
Lets go back to the Attitude Era when Austin 3:16 first emerged and things were just heating up with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the nWo and DX factions were created. It was a fantastic time, wrestling was 'cool' again and it had moved away from the misconceptions that many people held. At the height of the Attitude Era ratings were up at 6 and 7 for shows. Fans were able to relate to gimmicks such as Steve Austin's. There was excellent character and storyline building, matches, promos and backstage segments were more edgier, wrestlers bladed, more risks were taken and controversial storylines were created. All of this captivated the audience in the arena as well as the millions of people watching around the world. WWE was producing less shows but with better content. It is interesting to note that WWE appeared to become complacent for the forthcoming years with no real competition the product remained steady and ratings further decreased however, they still had most of their top wrestlers and there was a feeling that 'nothing was off limits' during WWE programming - there was still that surprise factor.
Fast forward to June 22nd 2008 when the company went PG. A lot of people did not realise it because the feud between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho was nearing its end and we had seen plenty of non-PG acts during their feud. However, as the months went on and we were faced with more John Cena it became clear that the WWE had decided to go in a new direction. Now it's fair to say that for those fans who had recently taken up wrestling the change in programming and the dampening down of feuds didn't make much of a difference to them but to the older fans who had first started watching many moons ago it had a huge impact. Some fans switched off, some even write letters in to the WWE and a quick Google search with the relevant wording shows how many people took to social networking sites and forums to explain their frustration.
Over the past 4 years there has been some great matches. However there are many things which appear to have been left behind and forgotten by the WWE. There appears to be no enthusiasm in the programming, nothing is shocking anymore, no more limos being blown up and no more daredevil antics. Storylines have been affected, feuds have had disappointing endings and gimmick matches simply have no meaning at all. With the company being PG what exactly is the point of having matches such as Hell in a Cell, Extreme Rules, Falls Count Anywhere and No Disqualification? They simply are not the same anymore. Before 2008 we had hardcore wrestling, blood was the norm and there was that big match feel with a number of feuds. We have seen company employees who are use to working behind desks being used as on screen talents (granted they were former wrestlers). We have also seen WWE trying to build off its past regularly trying to get former wrestlers to return for one off appearances - The Rock being a perfect example. Point being there have been no real characters built and there isn't enough within the company today. WWE had a massive selection to choose from between 1998 - 2004 whether they were a face or a heel they were good enough to lead the company. Another issue is the matches and booking which has become predictable. With all of these issues fans have become annoyed, many are not watching anymore and have chosen other alternatives such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Up until recently it looked like the PG rating was going to stay for a while. However, over the past few weeks WWE's flagship show has suffered its worst ratings in 15 years. It has taken the CEO Vince McMahon to breath life into the company. His appearance on RAW last Monday brung the crowd to their feet. Even the arena was shaking. It was clear that McMahon had decided to change the direction of the company and perhaps bring back some of the elements which made the Attitude Era so successful. So, who knows we may see a return to a more edgier product sooner than we expected.
The question is when?
Lets go back to the Attitude Era when Austin 3:16 first emerged and things were just heating up with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the nWo and DX factions were created. It was a fantastic time, wrestling was 'cool' again and it had moved away from the misconceptions that many people held. At the height of the Attitude Era ratings were up at 6 and 7 for shows. Fans were able to relate to gimmicks such as Steve Austin's. There was excellent character and storyline building, matches, promos and backstage segments were more edgier, wrestlers bladed, more risks were taken and controversial storylines were created. All of this captivated the audience in the arena as well as the millions of people watching around the world. WWE was producing less shows but with better content. It is interesting to note that WWE appeared to become complacent for the forthcoming years with no real competition the product remained steady and ratings further decreased however, they still had most of their top wrestlers and there was a feeling that 'nothing was off limits' during WWE programming - there was still that surprise factor.
Fast forward to June 22nd 2008 when the company went PG. A lot of people did not realise it because the feud between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho was nearing its end and we had seen plenty of non-PG acts during their feud. However, as the months went on and we were faced with more John Cena it became clear that the WWE had decided to go in a new direction. Now it's fair to say that for those fans who had recently taken up wrestling the change in programming and the dampening down of feuds didn't make much of a difference to them but to the older fans who had first started watching many moons ago it had a huge impact. Some fans switched off, some even write letters in to the WWE and a quick Google search with the relevant wording shows how many people took to social networking sites and forums to explain their frustration.
Over the past 4 years there has been some great matches. However there are many things which appear to have been left behind and forgotten by the WWE. There appears to be no enthusiasm in the programming, nothing is shocking anymore, no more limos being blown up and no more daredevil antics. Storylines have been affected, feuds have had disappointing endings and gimmick matches simply have no meaning at all. With the company being PG what exactly is the point of having matches such as Hell in a Cell, Extreme Rules, Falls Count Anywhere and No Disqualification? They simply are not the same anymore. Before 2008 we had hardcore wrestling, blood was the norm and there was that big match feel with a number of feuds. We have seen company employees who are use to working behind desks being used as on screen talents (granted they were former wrestlers). We have also seen WWE trying to build off its past regularly trying to get former wrestlers to return for one off appearances - The Rock being a perfect example. Point being there have been no real characters built and there isn't enough within the company today. WWE had a massive selection to choose from between 1998 - 2004 whether they were a face or a heel they were good enough to lead the company. Another issue is the matches and booking which has become predictable. With all of these issues fans have become annoyed, many are not watching anymore and have chosen other alternatives such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Up until recently it looked like the PG rating was going to stay for a while. However, over the past few weeks WWE's flagship show has suffered its worst ratings in 15 years. It has taken the CEO Vince McMahon to breath life into the company. His appearance on RAW last Monday brung the crowd to their feet. Even the arena was shaking. It was clear that McMahon had decided to change the direction of the company and perhaps bring back some of the elements which made the Attitude Era so successful. So, who knows we may see a return to a more edgier product sooner than we expected.
The question is when?
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