PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

PWINSIDER Q & A: DX AT NITRO, RATINGS, TURNING GUYS, COPYING OLD ANGLES AND MORE

When DX invaded WCW Nitro at the Norfolk Scope I remembered that they tried to get into the building but they couldn't.  What would have happened if they did?

Given it was on national television, if they got in I don't think a melee would have broken out.  I think that DX would have cut a good promo as WCW security took them out of the building.  And, I think the WWF would have looked even cooler than they did had it happened.

It seems that whenever you post the ratings for the WWE shows the first hour numbers are usually smaller than the second hour. Shouldn't this tip off Vince and his staff that maybe people skip the first hour because it usually useless talking and tune in for the later action. I know this is rhetorical because Vince and co don't really care about logic and reality based things but I just found it interesting.

I think that is one reason people don't tune in right away.  Another is that some people only care about the top guys and seeing them wrestle, not talk, so they tune in to see the preparation for the main event.  WWE has made it easy for people to skip the first hour of Raw because anything of note that happens from 9 to 10 p.m. is repeated ad nauseum throughout the night.  Fans know that they can miss things and catch up quickly later.  Until the promo segments get back to "must see" status, people will know that they can skip them without repercussions.

I just read that WWE decided to rename their "Unforgiven" PPV to "Breaking Point". Couldn't they be opening themselves up to a potential lawsuit from the UFC, who already had a PPV named Breaking Point (UFC 81 Breaking Point was the PPV event where Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar first originally fought) in use already? I know UFC doesn't make a habit of recycling old PPV names, but one would think they likely own the copyright for the name already when used as a PPV title or the selling of the event on DVD.

I would think WWE has checked that out before they made the change.  It's also possible that since WWE is Sports Entertainment while UFC is Real Sport, there is not trademark issue.

I try to watch TNA every week. I really enjoy that they have capitalized on WWE's utter disrespect of tag team wrestling and showcase that aspect on their show. However, I find that their so called "Innovative" storylines are actually repeats of storylines done in the NWA, WCW, and ECW back in the day. Case in point, this past Sunday they had their "Ultimate Sacrifice" match at the Sacrifice PPV. And I thought it was a cool aspect to have everyone in the match "Sacrifice" something to spice up the traditional fatal four-way match. However, while watching a classic ECW show on WWE ON DEMAND, I saw a very similar match called "Ultimate Jeopardy" in which Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards, Sandman, and "Prime-Time" Brian Lee all risked losing something if they were pinned in the match. My question is simple. Will there ever be any original "Creative" storylines in wrestling ever again?? We all know that TNA is not the only company that does this as WWE recycles storylines every other week. Part of wrestling's "Boom" over the past 15 years has been its ability to create storylines that people haven't seen before. We're not getting that right now. I know you guys on the site have been big proponents of the "Off-Season" approach to give not only the talent time to recharge but also the creative team. Thoughts????

There's an old saying in the wrestling business that there are no new ideas.  While that isn't entirely true, a lot of great angles get recycled.  I don't have any problem with it, provided that they are updated, changed a little bit and aren't copying something recent.  Like in your case, you liked the angle on TNA and didn't know about the ECW angle, so what's the harm for newer viewers?  It's something that they haven't seen before.  What I hate is when a company copies itself from a week ago, especially when what they copy isn't even good.  That is a bigger problem to me.  If you are going to mimic, copy something good.

I wonder, what's your take on turning wrestlers? When MVP had his losing streak, people made fun of him then it kinda got sad to the point people started cheering for him which made his turn to face look seamless. But when someone like John Morrison, who I believe could be the next HBK, turns on a switch, it makes the turn seem less permanent a move. I mean, even Great Khali's turn was better handled.

I think WWE often drops the ball with turning people.  In the old days, they did a much better job than they do now.  Today, we get Santino coming out and suddenly, he's a face with no rhyme or reason for the change.  They made MVP a face and he's suddenly coddling the fans and going to the prom, which goes totally against what got his character over to begin with.  My take is to turn guys properly, with reasoning involved.  I also think it's smart to let the fans decide who they want to cheer for and boo and if they are cheering a heel and you decide to turn him, let him continue to do his character in the way that got people cheering for him to begin with.  I think it's just common sense.

You can send us questions for the PWInsider.com Q&A by clicking here.

 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet