How to get more "attitude" into WWE?

[Linus]

 

As for the rest of it, a quick watch of the Jerry Springer show on the Network will quickly remind you how bad the Attitude Era often was.

Good job nobody has come remotely close to suggesting they go back to those days then, eh?

 

Yeah, nobody even mentioned "more Attitude"...

 

But ignore that. I want blood.

[Dirty Eddie]

Some of my best remembered stuff from that era (both WWF and WCW) is all the great stuff that was filmed either on location or outside the arenas. Jericho wandering around Washington trying to find legal loopholes to get his belt back, Austin lobbing belts off of bridges into the river, the nWo backstage mass-attack of the WCW roster, etc... There should be way more stuff like that, and it's easier than ever if they wanted to do it. Every member of their roster has a camera in their pocket these days and both the talent and the crew are on the road all the time. They should be filming skits everywhere they go. Even if it's just little backstage altercations and pull-aparts after house-show matches, or little interviews after a loss on the road. It doesn't have to be mad stuff all the time, but just give a greater sense of who these people are and what they actually get up to week to week.

 

As has already been said - the backstage stuff is so samey it takes the piss at the moment. Where are the modern equivalents of the APA Office, Commissioner Foley's make-shift office, Edge & Christian's Home-Movie Theatre, with lay-z boys and kazoos at the ready? Instead we get three blokes awkwardly standing in a corridor with a weird green light off to one side, or people just hanging about in the production area, waiting to be approached or attacked. It's lazy and more importantly really boring, time after time after time.

 

I've been saying it for years, but if they want amusing, likable characters and they insist on writing lines for everyone, they need to hire some genuinely funny people. Ideally people who have encountered real, living people before and therefore know how humans speak to each other. Outside of a small handful of quality individuals (Cena, Ambrose, Rollins, Heyman, etc...) a lot of what we hear each week is Sunset Beach level, bland as shit dialogue that makes everyone come off as either smug or an idiot.

 

I want "away from the arena" skits like footage of The Vaudevillians at the County Fair, winning all the archery and strongman contests, only for Enzo and Cass to turn up and humiliate them, or New Day going around college campuses trying to get people to join in with their chant (the proper way). Have Ambrose update us with video diaries of his actual stalking of Rollins, driving Seth crazy with paranoia. Whatever really! Just something different that isn't another fucking 20 minute Sheamus match or Kane Ken talking in slow-motion on the stage.

[The Crystal Maze]

It's too polished. Kevin Dunn has seen too that. They need to mix it up a bit.

 

Like others have said, nothing is a shock on RAW, as its quite predictable.

 

Even the music is dull. Sometimes its like watching the same thing over and over.

 

I do think there should be more out of arena skits and stories. The characters are not able to shine at the moment.

 

I long for stuff like the dungeon of doom, it may have been hokey but it was fun!

[Linus]

I'd love more hokey stuff. It really works on Lucha Underground and wrestling is supposed to be escapism, so I don't see why they can't throw the odd bit of fantasy in there.

[LaGoosh]

Yeah the lack of on location stuff is embarassing these days considering how cheap an HD camera is. I'd love for more hokey stuff. Dean Ambrose visiting Bray Wyatt at his swamp base, Barrett going on a Royal tour of the US, Bo Dallas visiting old peoples homes...shit like that.

[King Pitcos]

Loads of people have hit the nail on the head. We need less drawn-out matches and more character development. The ways people got over in the attitude era were either having a memorable entrance (be it the music, poses, catchphrases etc), having a stand-out gimmick, or doing interesting stuff in skits. Very seldom did anyone get over because of what they did in a wrestling match, and the ones who did it was because they had a stupid move that made people laugh. Most of the roster outside the main event never got more than two or three minutes of TV time an episode.

 

And yet now, loads of fuckers get ten or fifteen minutes and do nothing with it because they just wrestle. The title of that video sums it up, wrestling isn't wrestling. Yet these days, a lot of the time wrestling is just wrestling. And like Supremo said in another great post the other day, that was what wrestling fans moaned for for years, only to find it was total shit when it happened. Luke Harper is the best example of how wrestling goes wrong now. Massive scary-looking hillbilly weirdo should be a goldmine for great angles, yet he does nothing but lose overlong matches and isn't over in the slightest.

 

WWE do still bring that sense of unpredictability and fun now and again. That month where Kofi Kingston was interesting was perfect. How many times we've seen angry main event heels attack lowercard faces with no retribution sought, and so Kofi actually standing up for himself was brilliant.

 

Do we know the reason that WWE doesn't already do more backstage skits and character development? It can't just be laziness and lack of creativity, can it? There must be some method to the boredom, be it an easier foreign-language sell or budgetary restraints or something.

[LaGoosh]

Angles and skits really are the best way to get someone over too. Everybody remembers a good angle. A good match is forgotten a day later. It should be "oh my god did you see Reigns spear Kane through that wall!" not "reigns is wrestling kane again" for a poor example.

[air_raid]

And like Supremo said in another great post the other day, that was what wrestling fans moaned for for years, only to find it was total shit when it happened.

 

 

Back in the day, your 20 minute matches happened on PPV. People like to say that everyone has wrestled everyone and that's the problem, but the truth is during the Attitude Era a lot of the most anticipated matches on PPV had also already taken place a fair few times on TV, but you looked forward to those first PPV matches because meeting on PPV meant so much more and you knew you were going to get a completely different match to the 5 minute version you saw on TV that either had no finish at all or loads of interference. It's not true any more. Your PPV matches aren't less special necessarily because the match has already happened on TV, but because they've had as long/good a "proper match" on TV already, as opposed to those short, unsatisfying TV matches we used to complain about.

[King Pitcos]

Yeah, that's the key thing. The match isn't two minutes before smoke and mirrors and interference cuts it off. They actually have the TV match be the same length as the PPV match and throw more high spots into it than the first thirteen or so WrestleMania main events had combined. Instead of keeping the TV shows moving along at a solid pace and building the PPV, they just have the PPV every week on TV, which kills interest in both. By granting the "less skits and promos, more workrate, let them wrestle" wish, they've fucked both Raw and the pay shows.

[LaGoosh]

Definitely. And I've always found the "endless rematches" argument about todays product a bit false. How many times did Rock and Triple H wrestle each other over the period of 1998-2000? Without checking I can think of at least 7 pay-per-view singles matches alone. And there were definitely four ways, six mans etc. on PPV too. Add Raw/SD matches you're probably talking roughly 40-50 matches where they faced off in various ways over a three year period. But I don't remember at the time thinking "oh fucking hell another Rock/Triple H match". Because they gave you reason to care about every single one of them. Same with Undertaker vs Austin, Undertaker vs Kane and Rock vs Mankind. All done over and over but everyone loved it. Each time the story and stakes were different. Great long term and detailed booking can overcome anything.

[air_raid]

How many times did Rock and Triple H wrestle each other over the period of 1998-2000? Without checking I can think of at least 7 pay-per-view singles matches alone. And there were definitely four ways, six mans etc. on PPV too. Add Raw/SD matches you're probably talking roughly 40-50 matches where they faced off in various ways over a three year period.

 

Wellll, the ones I remember off the top of my head....

 

* King of the Ring quarter final on Raw

* Fully Loaded, 2/3 falls (PPV)

* Rock vs HHH vs X-Pac triple threat where Rock gets counted out on Raw

* SummerSlam 98, ladder match (PPV)

* WWF title, I Quit match on Raw after the 99 Rumble

* Over The Edge 99 (PPV)

* Cage match they had on Raw

* Strap match on Fully Loaded (PPV)

* WWF title match where Shawn is the ref, and turns, on the first SmackDown

* Six-Pack Challenge at Unforgiven (PPV)

* Cage match, WWF title at Rebellion (PPV)

* At least one, I think 2 Rock & babyfaces vs DX eliminators on TV

* Rock vs HHH vs Big Show at Survivors 99 (PPV)

* Rock, Cactus, Rikishi & Too Cool vs DX & The Radicals on Raw

* HHH vs Rock vs Big Show on Raw going into Mania

* HHH vs Rock vs Big Show vs Cactus at Mania (PPV)

* Backlash WWF title switch (PPV)

* Judgment Day Iron Man match (PPV)

* Six man tag at King of the Ring with title on the line (PPV)

* Rock vs HHH vs Kurt Angle at SummerSlam (PPV)

* Armageddon 6 way Cell match (PPV)

 

I mean, that's off the top of my head. So I've missed loads, sure, but I can recall several times they fought on free TV as well as the PPV meetings because they still stand out in my mind because something interesting or unique happened to continue a storyline or build towards the next PPV and they weren't just matches for the sake of matches.

[C-Rock]

For me the issue with Raw at the moment is the majority of the roster wrestle the same matches and have the same WWE style. Every match seems to follow the same routine and it's all very fast paced there seems to be less and less psychology these days and very little in the way of star quality. With they exception of Cena, WWE is a wash with young indie guys tarted up and made to look like stars. Back in the Attitude days you had SUPERstars who were allowed creative freedom some what with less boundaries and a balls to the walls attitude. Everybody on the roster had meaning, background and a story, everybody was unique, there was a mix of ages and sizes, big, small, old, young. Every match offered something different.

 

I remember on Raw when there was ladder matches and hell in a cell matches and that star power was at its peak Austin, Rock, Michaels, Undertaker, Foley etc those guys didn't have to go through a Perfomance Centre, those were veterans who found their own style and brought to the table along with everyone else something different and unique. Storylines were intense and pushed boundaries and it was essential viewing with cliff-hanger endings.

 

The WWE Performance Centre is churning out generic Create-A-Superstar wrestlers who can flip-flop and fly and do 650s but have no depth or meaning and are 2 a dozen. Once you have seen one 650 off the top rope it gets a bit stale. It doesn't matter how many flips Adrian Neville can do he's just hasn't got that 'it factor' and it can't be taught that's the problem.

 

Contraversy creates cash, weird and wacky characters like Mankind and 90s Goldust are unique and interesting and that's what's missing in WWE. WWE is tied down by boundaries they can't cross because of various reasons and can't afford to be controversial and different. It's to family friendly and mainstream these days as well. A bit of blood adds drama and realism so more blood would be good as well.

 

The Attitude days were a unique time in wrestling and could never and will never be repeated simply because WWE doesn't have the talent/star power, the freedom to allow it to happen, writing/creative talent or the balls. Also the attitude era stemmed from an urgent need of change because WCW was destroying them and WWE took a gamble on a new direction and it spawned the attitude era, a gamble that paid of royally and gave wrestling fans the best period in wrestling ever. WWE is complacent these days and in their eyes not in need of a change of direction. WWE doesn't have its back against the wall and unless a miracle over in TNA happens and they become a serious threat to WWE thus forcing a re-think and a change of direction we are going to have to live with the WWE we have now. When WWE had its back against the wall because of WCW it was forced to come out fighting with all it had and luckly they had the talent and star power in order to carry out a successful change in direction.

 

Basically WWE needs contraversy....it creates cash just ask Eric Bischoff.

[HeavyT]

Im a casual watcher of wrestling so it's been interesting to hear what you guys say. It does indeed seem to be a lot more about the wrestling which isn't as memorable, which is funny because I know loads of people complained there wasn't enough westling on TV back in the day.

[Really Big Shoe]

With a table full of Hollywood writers, you would think they would take the best elements of what makes highly popular episodic shows (Breaking Bad/Game of Thrones etc.) so compelling and find a way to incorporate those into the pro-wrestling framework. WWE does need greater character development, although some of the Attitude Era was wacky I think each Wrestler/Diva had a role and a place on the show. You had greater emphasis on storytelling and whilst some was even kinda crappy (the Mizark & Mae stuff for example) you had stuff which did work a great deal like Austin vs McMahon. The whole vs Authority thing will always work if they do it right and they find the right Anti-hero. I'd look no further than Dean Ambrose as the new Austin or Loose Cannon Brian Pillman and have him interrupt the whole flow of the show, turn up in wacky vehicles, get arrested, do the whole thing where he tries to get at Seth but they have the J&J Security, Kane et al around him and basically try a new Austin/McMahon type anchor for the show and build the other angles around that. I think they should do the whole Lana turns on Rusev thing with her siding with John Cena, drop the faux Russian accent and become the All-American girl and in turn the top female 'face in WWE & maybe 'manage' John Cena. She could get some mainstream pub too like what Ronda does with the UFC. Most of the midcarders are lost in the shuffle & inter changeable so give each a definable role and if someone does break out from the pack & the fans get behind them (ala Zack Ryder/Fandango etc.) take the ball & run with it and don't drop the ball in the way of making the fanbase have to be into them. IIRC when the Fandango stuff got over huge they did the whole sing-a-long thing on the screen and tried to make a big deal of it.

 

When they should have like it build organically. At one time Ryder was almost in the top echelon of babyfaces but because he got himself over they have put him under a titanium steel ceiling with no real chance of breaking through again. It's not really rocket science and they are doing things right (in NXT which really is the new ECW instead of the WWE-lite version which started up again after one of the One Night Stand PPVs) and what made WWE have the huge boom period again was that they were heavily borrowing from ECW, Jerry Springer etc. for the new direction of their product. I wouldn't elevate too much NXT talent yet but Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn et al maybe not 100% ready yet but recently the best stuff on Raw has been involving them. So WWE isn't really doing much wrong, it's just that their main 'brand' is stuck in a rut and desperately needs a fresh lick of paint to make it fresh and the whole 'Raw' thing should be that it's unpredictable and I think they used to have 'anything can happen in the WWF' right now it's so cookie cutter it's predictable, so they have to mix everything up, have greater character development and also stories which make sense and are all inter-linked and have logical conclusions instead of now when you have angles & pushes stop midway through & also slow down the progression of the show, make everything matter and also make the PPV's huge deals when anything can happen. 

[King Pitcos]

You had greater emphasis on storytelling and whilst some was even kinda crappy (the Mizark & Mae stuff for example)

 

The thing with that is how much time it took on a show. It was usually over and done with pretty quick. I'd rather have five two-minute segments of Fandango messing around at Adam Rose's party during the course of a Raw than one Ziggler vs Sheamus match that goes on for ten minutes. Or at least a combination of the two.

 

This week's Raw had a good storyline that tied the show together well, and I don't think it had been done before. A simple but quite genius twist on a popular wrestling concept, the contract signing. If they could come up with something good like that every few weeks, Raw would be loads better.