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I am one of the people on the fence as to whether I was going to renew the WWE Network when my commitment expires next month. The reason for that is the company going back to John Cena on top and depushing guys I like in Cesaro, Bray Wyatt. Etc. I was going to decide after SummerSlam and then WWE had Triple H do the promo about him and his friend Mark, obviously mocking paying customers like me. Why would they do that? Don't they realize it's like throwing gas on a fire?
I was really surprised that they did it as well. From their point of view, they feel people are being childish and not letting storylines develop. They feel people should give the company time to tell their stories. I think that the point Vince McMahon is missing is that people have had five months of the Network now to see what it's all about and after the last few PPVs people have been complaining about the direction. It's not just John Cena on top but as you mentioned it's the lack of elevation of guys like Wyatt and Cesaro as well. The fans I have heard from that are not happy largely just want to see something different. Whatever the case, I think WWE made a mistake by mocking fans that were unsure as whether they would renew. I understand that there is frustration when people don't appreciate your product, as I have dealt with it myself, but to me it just doesn't make sense to insult potential paying customers. Mentioning "Mark" was something that I think shouldn't have been done. I don't ever understand thumbing your nose up at potential customers. You don't have to agree with them, but don't mock them either.
Every wrestling website worth reading is bursting at the seams with ideas for WWE to improve the Network and draw in more subscribers. PWInsider.com's own Mike Johnson himself has provided about 10. The majority of the ideas are so straightforward, obvious and inexpensive - so why isn't WWE doing any of them?
At the end of the day, WWE has spent a lot of money on marketing, research and development. They are going with what they have learned from that. They don't feel the need to listen to others. I have my ideas too as to what they should do but at the end of the day, if WWE doesn't want to hear them they will not. The one thing I think they have to do is limit the IPs that can access one account at any given time. If someone can share their account with 10 friends, it is costing WWE money.
What do you make of the sets for, RAW, Smackdown and more importantly the PPVs? In my opinion, they're all very bland, boring and very similar, and to me, sets are an important element of giving a nice overall presentation of a show. Right now, the only difference between the sets for different shows, is the color for the LED lights. Do you think WWE needs to change the/bring back a previous set, and do you see them doing it?
I am guy that really doesn't care that much about sets. To me, the ring is what matters.
What's the progress on the proposed Chris Benoit biopic? I always imagined it'd be damn near impossible to portray people in his life without using nothing but composite characters, seeing as how there's no way in hell the filmmakers would be allowed to depict WWE and its talent in any way, all things considered.
I have no idea and I don't care to be honest. That is a film that just shouldn't be made. I don't care to hear his story. I know how it ends and contrary to what some say, it wasn't like he was a great guy earlier in his life either. To his friends, maybe. To others, not so much.
About the now-notorious Lana promo: who gets the blame for the fallout? Lana, or the writers/producers? I can recall quite a few controversial angles where the wrestler/onscreen talent was punished via burial or being taken off television because the gimmick struck a nerve, i.e. Muhammad Hassan, even though they were obviously following marching orders from above.
The creative team sent her out there with the words to say. They are at fault. Now, she could get hosed by association if they choose to back off of the character, but that wouldn't be because of anything she did. I think she is talented enough that they will realize they can just alter what they have her say and she will keep getting heat.
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