Un-named Successful booker speaks out about various shit

[IANdrewDiceClay]

A former "successful booker" (the Observers words) sent this into there website and asked for it to be posted. But the name wasn't given. Here:

just skimmed newsletter as it arrived and a couple thoughts to share with you.... 1 - I feel vindicated about the Punk angle in that my mind is still good for what works and what doesn't. He was not over as a star to the general audience and going inside is a turn-off to the big audience. I like him, he talks good, nice part of a package, but I do not see a superstar there. Plus, if they had any momentum with their base, they blew it even in the 2nd week of the angle. Now it's just a muddle which clearly is leading to Vince back on top...god, Vince and Stephanie and HHH fighting. Ole Paul better be careful about life imitating art (is this art?). Mostly, though, to me, this feels like all the mid level, prelim guys getting angles waiting for the real stars to come back. Part of problem is there are no stars to come back. Part of it is caused by everyone knows Cena-Rock is the goal so they're tuning out everything else especially since the talent is so....flat. I half am willing to bet... Rock and Cena will do well, but in the end disappoint because too far out on announcement, too much attention over so long will end up boring a segment of the big audience. And I wonder if, in the long run, that Rock isn't part of the regular package will become a drawback = not an easy to sell to care about who wins. He ain't staying anyway! Have to see on that one. Just points to consider. 2 - Overall, I agreed with you on ROH first tv. Yeah, I thought the show looked - murky. From a production standpoint. Appreciated what they tried to do and now it takes patience and a realistic goal (which you covered well). Oh, one other point that caught my eye. Core audience is male, 18 to 30 or whatever. That's fine. But it needs to expand - right? I didn't see one crowd shot with a female you could see. I don't mean models but just normal looking ladies. They need to get 20-30% female eventually. Don't any of their fans have dates??? I'd make an effort if I were them to sprinkle in some older faces and especially some female faces (not strippers, not models) just for the generic look as part of a long term effort. Even a few 11, 12 year olds. But nobody asked me. LOL Which is fine. Name withheld

It must be one of the ones which panders to the internet, because I doubt the likes of Dutch Mantel or Bill Watts would give a fuck if anyone cared if people thought his opinion was that CM Punk wasnt a star of that ROH was murky as fuck. Some good points made. Shame he didnt have it in him to reveal his info. Who could it be? The words "successful" is subjective of course. Knowing Meltzer its probably some bloke who used to film Roller Derby.Also, do you agree? Thought it would be worth discussing.EDIT: Also, no successful booker from back in the day would say "LOL".

[ClassicsGuy]

It's not Sapolsky or Heyman (both big fans of Punk) and it's not Cornette either, due to the ROH comments.Betting money would be on Jerry Jarrett, who Dave interviewed on his show this past midweek, specifically talking about booking issues.

[gmoney]

I really can't see Jerry Jarrett typing LOL. I reckon it's that fat bloke from Beyond The Mat.

[ClassicsGuy]

I really can't see Jerry Jarrett typing LOL. I reckon it's that fat bloke from Beyond The Mat.

Roland Alexander? Nah, can't see it.You'd be surprised about LOLs, I've seen plenty of older people using that lately.Jarrett makes the most sense, given the way he dismisses Punk and refers to HHH as 'Paul', as well as talking about getting the female proportion of the ROH crowds up. Only an old-school booker like Jarrett would think of stuff like that.

[JNLister]

Given the call for 11 and 12 year old girls, I'd assume Lawler

[garynysmon]

Mostly, though, to me, this feels like all the mid level, prelim guys getting angles waiting for the real stars to come back. Part of problem is there are no stars to come back. Part of it is caused by everyone knows Cena-Rock is the goal so they're tuning out everything else especially since the talent is so....flat.

So true. Has the death of the territories now meant there are no real stars to come through? If you think about it, the last generation's megastars all came through the territorial system in some way, even the Rock started out in Memphis.

[Duke]

Kevin Nash?

[LaGoosh]

I don't agree with it. While they obviously are counting big on The Rock's return I think the whole "conspiracy" angle is quite inspired and they are actually trying some new stuff and big angles. They aren't just waiting around doing nothing.Basically, who gives a fuck what a former booker who doesn't even have the guts to identify himself and stand by his own opinion thinks?

[DJ Kris]

I don't really agree with him on the first point. I think the Punk angle has been really good, THAT is what brought me back to WWE TV on a weekly basis and the fall out from it is what has kept me watching. The guy is well off the mark there for me. RE: The Rock/Cena, I expect that to be a big audience participation match and given that I loved the build up to The Rock's appearence at WrestleMania I can't see me having an issue with the build up to the match. I haven't so far anyway.

[PunkStep]

I think the Punk angle has been really good, THAT is what brought me back to WWE TV on a weekly basis and the fall out from it is what has kept me watching. The guy is well off the mark there for me.

I disagree. I think the Punk angle WAS good, and I genuinly believed Punk would be a next global star overnight, but they really did blow it. They brought him back a bit too early, not in the right circumstance, they pulled the trigger on the HHH match, Nash keep appearing and vanishing, and the 'WWE Universe' really don't know how to react to this tweener Punk anymore. Plus I think Punk is struggling with how to put himself across in interviews, segments and promos.

[Cobra1000]

I was really frustrated by the Punk thing. I loved it, loved it up until the night he came back on Raw. Everything after that has been a convoluted mess with John Laurinitus, Nash, HHH etc. Also i really not enjoying Punk anymore, his character seems like a smarmy whiney cunt, who just says smarky things and complains and it doesn't connect with the audience really. I disagree with him, there is definately a Superstar there, and a wwe one. They just don't really know what to do with him anymore.

[King Pitcos]

I think the Punk angle WAS good, and I genuinly believed Punk would be a next global star overnight, but they really did blow it. They brought him back a bit too early

If he was going to become a global star overnight, Money in the Bank would've had a better buyrate.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Exactly. What Pitcos said is the key to the reason why they lost interest in Punk. They couldn't have given CM Punk more than what they gave him leading into Money in the Bank. Nobody gets that amount of freedom and that amount of time to get their shit in like he did on superstars as big as Cena and McMahon. The reason why he's now a jobber to the stars and an after thought is because they feel burned by the little reward from such investment.For me, he's never going to be a megastar ever. Bret and Shawn weren't megastars. They were big stars and everyone knew them, but they weren't in the Stone Cold bracket, like everyone was predicting for Punk. And Bret and Shawn are worlds apart from CM Punk both in terms of name value and ability. He doesn't look or talk like the type of star the fans have been used to. Fans want someone like Batista, Hogan, Cena, Rock, Austin, Triple H who can walk into a building and everyone's head turns or they want a good looking nice boy with funny hair like Jeff Hardy or a superhero like Rey Mysterio. CM Punk is vomit inducing when he goes on his little 30-year-old-teenager rants.

[PepperPlunge]

I don't think Punk will ever be up there with Austin. I think the stars had a more universal appeal whereas Punk is clearly alienating a lot of fans. I find it a little hard to articulate but everyone understood Austin's promos and on top of that, he looked like a tough bastard. He looked like someone that people would want to be for a day. He was like a perverse role model. Punk doesn't have that for me. WWE aren't going to afford him another chance anyway.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I don't think Punk will ever be up there with Austin. I think the stars had a more universal appeal whereas Punk is clearly alienating a lot of fans. I find it a little hard to articulate but everyone understood Austin's promos and on top of that, he looked like a tough bastard. He looked like someone that people would want to be for a day. He was like a perverse role model. Punk doesn't have that for me. WWE aren't going to afford him another chance anyway.

I get what you mean. When Austin passed out to Bret's sharpshooter the fans realised he wasn't a cold blooded, violent yob, like he was before. When he turned babyface, we found out he was a proud man who wouldn't quit no matter how much pain he was in because it was against what he believes he should be. When he won the title in 1998, by then there was so much character development we knew he was a working class beer drinker, who overcome firings from rival promotions and a broken neck in the ring and also we found out that the owner (Vince) hates him, but he still fought all that to get to the WWF belt. Even with The Rock we knew who his Mam and Dad were. We knew everything Mankind or Mick Foley, from his childhood coming off roofs to how he lost his ear. You need to believe in these people before you invest money into them. For me, Punk doesn't have that magnetism that draws people in. He alienates his peers and the supporters with his look and interview style. He's a very acquired taste. Austin never had that. Austin was the man as soon as we heard him speak.