I'm not a wrestling genius, I'm not the most creative mind in the world, far from it, but I think I know what works in pro wrestling, and what doesn't. It's funny to me that it seems that most of the guys booking pro wrestling shows these days...don't.
So this is a shout-out to those guys. Take your college degrees, your wrestling background, etc, and forget about it. It's not working. Wrestling ratings are dooowwwnnnnn all across the board, and it all falls squarely on the bookers and writers. The wrestlers themselves are arguably more talented than they were at any other time in pro wrestling's history.
Lesson One: Push the right guys.
Let's look at the main event scene in the WWE, shall we? We have Jericho, Edge, Cena, Orton, Sheamus, Mysterio, Kane Undertaker, and Swagger.
For the most part, that list is good. However, I personally wouldn't put guys like Cena and Kane at the top, they obviously work up there, and even though Swagger and Sheamus are green, and lack the overness to be called true stars in this business, they're being pushed like they are.
But, with two sets of rosters, you no doubt need more guys than that at the top. On Smackdown there are plenty of guys who could fill in the main event, such as CM Punk, who would have been included in the former list a year ago, but hasn't really been in a main event position in some time. There's also guys like John Morrison, R Truth, Kofi Kingston, etc, who could be main eventers in some cases, but are usually regulated to mid-cards.
So who do you push? Who's the next main eventer? I have some names that I think are not only talented enough, but could be more talented than some of the current top guys: The Miz, Wade Barrett, Christian, and Evan Bourne. In the Miz's case, he's already well on his way to becoming a huge star in the WWE, and will no doubt be on that list a few months from now. As far as Barrett goes, he's also getting a huge push right now, and looks to be on the track to stardom himself. In Christian's case, he's main evented already for TNA, and had one of the more enjoyable title runs of that time there. The fact that he hasn't been pushed at all in the WWE is a disappointment to me. And Bourne? He looked primed to jump into position to be a main eventer, but WWE completely dropped the ball on him, and he's back to be a jobber on Raw.
So now, you've got your main event scene all fleshed out, who's THE GUY? We all know that THE GUY is the Hogan/Austin type character who can lead the WWE on his back in terms of popularity and crossover appeal. Now, you may say "Wait, John Cena already IS the Guy!" Yeah, well, he's failed as The Guy. He carried the company on his back, and that lead to the greatest fan backlash ever directed to a main-event face, plus the lowest ratings in over a decade. Now, it's not all his fault, but he's not bringing in any new fans, either.
Who's the guy? Randy Orton is The Guy.
Orton right now may be the best all-around performer in the biz. He has it all, he looks like a star, he plays his role to a tee, he's very solid in the ring, he's solid on the mic. If he could improve his mic skills a bit (he's getting better) he could easily rake in a ton of cash for VKM and company.
How about TNA? At the top, they have RVD, AJ Styles, Abyss, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Sting, and Mr. Anderson.
Who should they add to that list? I would add Samoa Joe, Desmond Wolfe, The Pope, and Jay Lethal. It's obvious that I have a (non-homo) thing for Samoa Joe. The guy's plain out awesome, so there's no need to explain his inclusion. He's been to the top of TNA before, but Hogan and Bischoff have ruined that. Desmond Wolfe is also plain awesome. His in-ring ability is unmatched in TNA save guys like Angle and Styles, plus he's above average on the stick, and he's got a very good gimmick to work with. The Pope was on the cusp of the main event when he was injured, and he was performing very well in that role, however, it looks as though Hogan and Bischoff don't see him as a top star, because he has been de-pushed ever since he returned. The opposite can be said about Jay Lethal, who has been pushed to the moon the past few months, and has performed pretty well for himself against Flair and Styles.
So now you have your Main eventers, TNA, who's THE GUY? Just like the WWE, you need a poster boy to represent TNA, to take it to new heights.
AJ Styles. Need I say more?
He's been THE GUY in TNA before. Prior to Angle coming to Orlando, a guy named Styles was the top star in TNA, much to Jeff Jarrett's chagrin. Now that Angle is in the twilight of his career, AJ should be that guy once again. He has everything you could ask for in a top guy, the look, the mic skills, the in-ring talent, he just needs to be booked as a top guy. Maybe take Ric Flair away from him and let him lead Fortune by himself. He deserves the ball and the chance to run with it.
Lesson Two: Set yourself apart
In every "boom period" in pro wrestling, there was soemthing that set it apart. In the 80s it was cartoonish hero vs. villians, and in the 90s it was edge, and the anti-hero. What would the 2010 boom period be known for? Both companies have to figure that out themselves. Maybe the WWE should go in a more athletic direction, since Vince seems to want acceptance from the general public. Squeeky-clean storylines and better quality acrobatic wrestling might be their ticket.
And TNA? Do the exact opposite. If I saw the WWE going in a more family friendly direction, I would play to the fans who want more of an edgy show. The teenagers, the young males who dominated the fanbase in the late 90s. Fire a guy like Russo, who isn't edgy (or good) anymore, and give the reigns to Paul Heyman, and tell him to unleash the most edgy programming he can think of. Don't be vulgar, but put some sex, blood and violence out there. Those things are the very backbone of American entertainment.
Lesson Three: NO LETDOWNS
Example: IT's early 2010. Legacy, featuring Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase are starting to crack. Orton and DiBiase are both scheduled to compete in the Elimination Chamber match a month before Wrestlemania. During the match, Orton and DiBiase work together, decimating the whole field together, until Cody Rhodes slides a lead pipe in to DiBiase. Cena has Orton on his shoulders at this point, and DiBiase nails both Orton, and Cena with the pipe. After a great spot where The Fortunate Son mulls over who he will pin, he decides to eliminate his mentor, Orton. As the announce team calls, it was a huge crossroads in DiBiase's career, and the crowd was very into him and his story in this match. He could be made a superstar on this night, he could make a name for himself right there, and yet, he is promptly eliminated10 seconds later by Kofi Kingston.
That's just bad booking. Don't do that. Don't create golden opportunities for guys and then promptly shit all over them. It's not good. Same goes for Evan Bourne's treatment, and Daniel Bryan, and The Pope in TNA, and AJ styles in TNA. Don't build guys up, and then throw them right back down. It disappoints the fanbase, and wastes time. If you're going to push someone, do it. If you're not, don't. Shit like that ruins guys' careers. Ask Marty Janetty.
Lesson Four: Make your titles mean something.
No, TNA. Just....no. Don't change the name of one of your titles every two weeks. Don't have SIX championships and a roster of 40 people. Don't have titles change hands via "LOCK BOKS SHOWDOWNAHHH." Just get rid of the Knockouts Tag Titles (I'm still iffy on the TV title, but I would keep it.), protect your titles better, and never, never, nevernevernever NEVERNEVERNEVERNEVER do a "lockbox" match again. Fuck.
As for the WWE, just make your secondary titles a bigger deal. The IC and US titles are hardly, if ever defended on PPV, and they never have feuds devoted to them. Also, the tag titles are about as coveted as a cheese sandwich around there, and there's no need to have two Diva belts when there's not two divas in the entire company who deserve them.
But the WWE's biggest problem is the prestige of their World belts. The Two world titles change hands just about every few months apiece, and are frequently used as a way to get new guys over, instead of a way to showcase the top guy and create feuds for him. Stop doing that. I like Sheamus, I like Swagger, but neither of those guys were over enough to be the champ. I can understand Sheamus' reign, as it created a new star when they were in desperate need of one, and showcased some well-needed unpredictability, but you had six months to get Swagger over, and you pulled the trigger a week into his MITB reign.
Titles should mean more that what they do in wrestling as a whole. They should be the centerpiece of feuds, and they should go to the elite in each divisions. I like title changes as much as the next guy, but too many defeats the purpose.
And our final lesson for today's class,
Lesson Five: Keep it Simple, Stupid.
This one is mainly for TNA. Calm down a little bit. Stop trying to confuse the fans, and inject a little sense into what you're doing. No more reverse battle royals, or revolving door contenders, or confusing wrestler dynamics or whacky finishes. Just stick to what you do best, wrestling. Stop trying to fit four hours into a 2 hour show every week, and narrow your focus to one big storyline at a time, not 50 smaller ones. The fans don't know what to care about, so they choose to care about nothing.
Not good.
.....
So, in conclusion, just tighten it all up, pick a guy to ride into the future, and keep it simple. Protect your titles, be different, and don't let down your fans.
Should make for better wrestling all over.
So this was Class One in Booking 101. I hope you were taking notes, Vince.
(lol which vince am i talking about)
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