WWE asking fans why they don't WWE programming anymore

[Euanconway]

Taken from ewrestlingnews.com

 

A research group is holding invited focus groups in New York City asking men and women from 18-54 who are WWE fans or former WWE fans to talk about the WWE product including what they like and why they've stopped watching if they are lapsed fans.

 

The groups are an attempt by the company to figure out ways to bring fans back and identify problems in the way the current product is promoted and marketed.

 

 

 

Personlly one of the reasons why I dont watch as much anymore is due to the same recycled stale and dull fueds over and over again and PPVs having very little build up to keep me interested.

 

Anyone care to share their thoughts

[Vito]

Perhaps it's because the product is boring and predictable and they have a proven track record of ruining "can't fail" opportunities. Aside from the CM Punk storyline the company has nothing exciting or interesting going on.

[Seratonin]

Scripted promos, almost every wrestler is trained to think a certain way and behave a certain way and there is very limited scope to do anything new or stand out from the crowd. The great thing before 2004 is a LOT of wrestlers had plenty of experience for years before coming to the WWE. Now you don't get that so much. Like Jericho said in one of the PS interviews, it may be that a match which got a 3 star rating in 1999 is now a 5 star match today in that company.

[sgmilne]

While I do watch it still, my issues with the product are...

 

1) The Roster has been the same (especially at the top end) for years. It's incredibly stale.

2) Certain wrestlers have needed to turn heel in order to remain fresh, yet they never do (Cena would be an amazing heel, I'm sure).

3) Because most of the wrestlers wrestle the same, there's very little excitement in watching the actual matches.

4) And you get the feeling that the matches themselves are almost deliberately bad. I don't believe that the Undertaker is only capable of working excellent matches once a year, and I really don't think he's that much better than other wrestlers. You get the feeling that some of the better lower card wrestlers are not allowed to prosper because it would make the main eventers look bad. For example, the six man tag match on Superstars the other week was sensational. Why is that sort of match not on PPV? Or Raw?

5) Wrestlers should be allowed to sink or swim on their own oratory skills. Having people write stuff for everyone breeds similarity and always means certain wrestlers never get a chance to get over.

6) We don't need to see Evan Bourne vs Jack Swagger every week.

7) Female wrestlers need to be able to wrestle. It's fairly evident that Kelly Kelly can't, and yet she's the champion. Yet when given the time, some of the divas are able to put together good matches.

8) There aren't enough 'characters' anymore. On a show like Royal Rumble 92, or even during the Attitude Era, you knew and the crowd knew who every wrestler was. They all had their own character and gimmick. Now, it's hard to tell the difference.

9) Shit and insulting booking, like the end of Cena vs Miz at Extreme Rules, or whatever one it was.

10) And this is the crucial one...

 

WWE just doesn't seem to be in touch with what the fans want. I think that they are beginning to understand that, by having this focus group and with the way the CM Punk storyline is going down. But in the past few years where there have been 12-14 PPVs a years, I've come away from at least 75% of them thinking "That was so stupid". That's not the reaction they should want me to have.

[nicholasjackson]

i cant get into the new product, last proper ppview i fully watched was mania 21 and that was cause they invested 6months in the batista turn and made me give a shit despite him being shit for 3 previous years, and hbk angle part 1, ive not fell out of love with wrestling because i still catch the odd impact but i cant watch a recent ppview, not everyones cup of tea but last week mrs went out so i pulled out sseries 90 and watched that, good old school wrestling featuring harts,rockers,dibiase, taker debut and crowd seem to give a fuck about every wrestler even boris zhukov and the warlord

[Shovanist Pig]

Too many bright colours and fucking lights.

 

Tone it down Vince you fruit.

[Slapnut]

Too many bright colours and fucking lights.

 

Tone it down Vince you fruit.

 

The stupid red lights on the audience is the worst.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Not enough of this man. If you want viewers, get Big Tone to hype up hour number two, complete with pyro.

[Michael_3165]

A few things from my perspective, some mentioned some not...

 

1. Repetitiveness - once you have seen the same main event scene for 5 years it becomes problematic

2. Cookie cutter - so many people working in similar ways, look at WCW Cruiserweight division for what they could add to their shows

3. Child orientated - goofy, "poo poo" jokes aren't funny. Nothing appeals to me because I can't buy into Cena and his child friendly antics. Give me shock, give me edgey and ill more likely tune in

4. Too polished - bright sparkling lights, perfect pyro and sound, lit crowds, bright colours... This isn't the raw, edget "anything can happen" tv that made me love wrestling (I started in 1997) it is a TV production and that's not what wrestling show be. Wrestling should be presented as a sport show with entertainment (like it used to be) not a polished tv set with cameras and flashing lights.

[Tommy Atkins]

It's the same guys over and over again. Cena has been on top now for longer than Hogan's first world title reign, and Hogan wasn't on TV every week like Cena is. HHH has been a main eventer for 14 years, a ridiculous amount of time. They need to promote new stars to the top of the card and keep them there come hell or high water.

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

It's the same guys over and over again. Cena has been on top now for longer than Hogan's first world title reign, and Hogan wasn't on TV every week like Cena is. HHH has been a main eventer for 14 years, a ridiculous amount of time. They need to promote new stars to the top of the card and keep them there come hell or high water.

 

But weirdly enough you've contradicted yourself. You say that guys like cena are stale, yet then go on to say they need to get young guys up there (like they did with cena) and keep the, up there. Personally over the years I feel that wwe have done a very respectable job of featuring and taking chances on Younger talent. Ziggler, sheamus, Barrett, punk, mix, Morrison etc have all had decent shots at fame.

 

I find it I treating, as wwe has this reported philosophy to only hire guys who are 30 years old or younger (unless established). Business wise it makes sense. If you push and promote a young guy like cent and then successfully get him over, you've got a money making cash cow for many many more years. Sadly the downside is that we have guys who are on top for what seems like a unnaturally long time And the same feuds will inevitably happen between said main eventers.

 

Personally one way around this is to actually have wrestlers dip in and out for months at a time. I.e. By regularly changing the roster for sustained stretches of time, you can rejuvenate characters and keep new faces coming in. Admittedly it's a bit cold hearted, but it's a idea.

 

Edit: I apologise for any odd typos... I'm on my iPad and the auto correct is a bitch.

[NEWM]

WWE is fucking class. Look at how it makes plenty of cash, is the proven market leader and only game in town, sells out a 70,000 seater stadium every year for its big show, and they still want to find out how to bring the moaning cunt audience back on board.

 

Fuck them, that's how. Every post in here, particularly the nostalgic ones, is offering the same old so-called constructive criticism, which when broken right down, is basically "do the wrestling show I liked when I was younger, mixed with a bit of what I like now". So basically, cater to the whims of millions of individual fans all over the world? Nah fuck that. To us lot, wrestling's like tabs. You're addicted, and if you honestly weren't, you probably woulndn't be in this thread or this arm of the forum.

 

You might not love the show like you used to any more, but every now and then the company throws a bone out like the CM Punk angle, The Rock returning, Bret Hart, Nexus or whatever, just enjoy that and stop waiting for some daft boom period to come around again.

 

Dillkid's mentioned on here before how much he adores 2002 and 03, which was because he was nipper. I love 1990-1996 WWF probably more than any period in the company ever, because I was young and involved in that way you only are when you're young and it's special. I've always enjoyed it, but post 2001, my interests peak and dip like everybody elses.

 

WWE is nailing it now, because in Cena, they have what Hogan was in the 80s. Back then, I'd say it was a vocal minority of Observer readers that picked holes in his silly promos and three moves. These days, it's a vocal and visible majority going for the top guy instead. What it does do is create an enormous generation of young fans that will either stick around like we did, or force Vince's hand to cater for them when they become teenagers just like what happened the last time.

 

So yeah, in conclusion, I'd say keep doing what you're doing. It's not 1995 with the water coolers being taken out to save money is it? Chill out and never stray away from completely ignoring us miserable bastards on the internet. We don't get it and we never fucking will.

 

And bring back Diesel.

[Doog]

WWE is fucking class. Look at how it makes plenty of cash, is the proven market leader and only game in town, sells out a 70,000 seater stadium every year for its big show, and they still want to find out how to bring the moaning cunt audience back on board.

 

Fuck them, that's how. Every post in here, particularly the nostalgic ones, is offering the same old so-called constructive criticism, which when broken right down, is basically "do the wrestling show I liked when I was younger, mixed with a bit of what I like now". So basically, cater to the whims of millions of individual fans all over the world? Nah fuck that. To us lot, wrestling's like tabs. You're addicted, and if you honestly weren't, you probably woulndn't be in this thread or this arm of the forum.

 

You might not love the show like you used to any more, but every now and then the company throws a bone out like the CM Punk angle, The Rock returning, Bret Hart, Nexus or whatever, just enjoy that and stop waiting for some daft boom period to come around again.

 

Dillkid's mentioned on here before how much he adores 2002 and 03, which was because he was nipper. I love 1990-1996 WWF probably more than any period in the company ever, because I was young and involved in that way you only are when you're young and it's special. I've always enjoyed it, but post 2001, my interests peak and dip like everybody elses.

 

WWE is nailing it now, because in Cena, they have what Hogan was in the 80s. Back then, I'd say it was a vocal minority of Observer readers that picked holes in his silly promos and three moves. These days, it's a vocal and visible majority going for the top guy instead. What it does do is create an enormous generation of young fans that will either stick around like we did, or force Vince's hand to cater for them when they become teenagers just like what happened the last time.

 

So yeah, in conclusion, I'd say keep doing what you're doing. It's not 1995 with the water coolers being taken out to save money is it? Chill out and never stray away from completely ignoring us miserable bastards on the internet. We don't get it and we never fucking will.

 

And bring back Diesel.

 

Fantastic post. Fully agree on every point. I love the attitude era as much as the next guy, but like you say, I was a kid back then, it was incredible.

 

Yet every week now there I am, watching RAW, watching SD! watching all the PPV's. I love it. It's an addiction indeed, but its one I never ever want to give up. WWE is apart of most people on heres lives, and for everyone one of us that 'gives up on it' they'll be 100's of kids just getting into it loving it as much as we did back then, its evolution baby! It's the natural cycle.

 

Oh hang on, you support Sunderland...what a shit post, you're completely wrong, complete joke

[Smeg_&_The_Heads]

I agree in 10 years time you will have ppl in their late teens to early 20's posting how the current era was the best ever when you had Cena-Orton ect and how the storylines of that time were fantastic and WWE should go back to that.

[Vamp]

Tone down with the adult shit. Wrestling back in my day was for children and was far more entertaining then all these risky angles...