Pro Wrestling Blog: Can WrestleMania Be Bigger Than the Super Bowl?

Vince McMahon likened WrestleMania to the Super Bowl and a few personalities from The LAW (Live Audio Wrestling) radio show smirked at this notion, as I'm sure would be the initial reaction by many upon hearing this kind of comparison. Well it may come as a surprise to you reading this article that I do not smirk at this notion, and take McMahon very seriously.

First, let me start by asking WWE fans to come out of the darkness and stop being ashamed of being a fan. The general public does not understand WWE because of its pro wrestling's historical, con man associated beginnings, and this is what leaders in the industry like McMahon have to do a better job in countering. The value of WWE is the same as any Broadway or Hollywood production: presentations of the human condition that we all relate to, for better or worse.

100 million viewers tuned into the Super Bowl this year. Why?

The movie Avatar grossed over a billion dollars, more than the gross domestic product of some countries. Again, why?

All throughout the history of humanity, competition and storytelling have been at the core of the human experience. All you have to do is read a history book to see my point on this. WWE is unique in that it combines both of these concepts which I feel have not yet fully revealed the true reach of the WWE concept, and this is why I take McMahon's statement very seriously.

I have no doubt that with the right mixture of characters, story lines, marketing, and presentation, a Super Bowl television-like presentation of WrestleMania would give it the same type numbers the Super Bowl did this year.

I have been critical of WWE because it has deserved criticism, but my criticism is good spirited. McMahon listens to the fans, for he would not have gotten as far as he has if he did not do so. Therefore, it is our responsibility to cry fouls when he and the company are not executing the "A" game we all know they have. McMahon will make mistakes, he is human and suppose to, but the only way WrestleMania will reach Super Bowl status is if fans truly began to understand the WWE concept of entertainment and throw red flags when the company strays from it.

Pro Wrestling Blog: Why Get Excited For WWE WrestleMania 27?

I am attending WreslteMania 27 this year in Atlanta and should be excited about it right? Well unfortunately, I am not.

Don't get me wrong, there is a certain excitement by default that comes from participating in an event with a history such as WrestleMania. The week long activities and my dad attending with me are also part of this excitement by default concept.

Once the bell rings and the action starts is what I'm talking about though. I know that I will not see anything much different from what I see on WWE television every week, which is the reason I can't get excited. Ok, so the matches are longer. To that I say big deal because all it means is that we will get longer versions of the same non psychology having, non storytelling matches seen every week.

The fundamental problem is that we see so much of the same stars each and every week on WWE television that it leaves no room to get excited. We will see John Cena beat the Miz in a match in which both guys will use the same sequence of moves seen a million times already!

In fact, Miz will only win if McMahon the need to swerve us fans. As far as using psychology and in ring, physical storytelling to create legit speculation as to who will actually win, forget about it.

The same will be for all the other matches too. Each wrestler will do their same sequence of moves, there will be some close falls, and then the match will be over. Same old stuff.

Last but not least, the booking for the Cena vs. Miz match has been unsuccessful and I am just not interested in seeing these guys fight. Rock's involvement in the feud and Cena's weak, comedic promos regarding the actual match itself have collectively branded the Miz as an inconsequential, not to be taken seriously champion, and as a result I will not be taking this match seriously.

In closing I just want to ask why get excited for WrestleMania 27? Except for the Lawler vs. Cole match, none of the matches have any kind of real heat. In fact, I can count on both hands the number of WrestleMania main event matches in the last 15 years that have had real heat going into them: Austin vs. Rock, Rock vs. Hogan, McMahon vs. Hogan, Cena vs. HHH, and Undertaker vs. Michaels. All other WrestleMania main event matches have had "manufactured heat" at best, and have been forgettable.

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Jersey Shore's Angelina and TNA: Why Celebrities Should Not Appear On TNA Impact

The March 10, 2011 edition of TNA Impact featured the Jersey Shore's Angelina in her debut match and it was as lame as I expected it would be. TNA's ratings have stayed the same for a long time now so the company's desire to see movement in the numbers is understandable. That being said, c-list celebrity associations is not the way to go about it, as all that does is make the celebrity look bad, and takes away any kind of credibility to the claim that professional wrestling is a fun, smart, legit form of entertainment that can be enjoyed by all.

It can be argued that the WWE's usage of celebrities in the 80s helped to launch it into the conscious of the mainstream and give it the credibility needed for the current position it holds in the entertainment market today. I have no doubt that TNA is aiming for the same affect with its' usage of celebrities as well. However, there is one major difference that I believe TNA has not taken into account, and that is the modern view of the celebrity. Celebrities do not hold as much weight as they did in the past and this manifests itself in the general mood expressed by public towards them. Instead of coming across as likeable role models with style and grace as they once did, many come across as isolating, out of touch, dislikeable people. 

With the rise of the cable network and the numerous content providers that have come along with it, the visibility of celebrities has greatly increased. They are constantly promoting themselves, and or expressing isolating viewpoints many do not want to hear anyway. The total sum of what I am saying is that today's celebrity is not likeable, not relatable, and over exposed.

If TNA improves their product then success will come, period. Hey TNA, focus on creating dynamic characters with compelling storylines and I promise you the television ratings and pay-per-view buys will improve, it's not that hard. And I'm out!

Randy

Hey be sure to follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/randygreed

Why Do We Even Watch Pro Wrestling?

So why do we watch pro wrestling?  For the violence?  If that's the case then hell UFC takes care of that.  Maybe we watch for the storytelling but it is so bad at times it's insulting.  We know that it is not a competition and that the titles don't really mean anything.  The comedy is bad and the skits are extremely cheesy.  So damn, why do we watch pro wrestling.  The WWE calls it sports entertainment but many times I'm not entertained.  And why is there only one major pro wrestling company in North America?  I mean the United States is a country filled with a bunch of drama craving, competition obsessed, star crazy people, which seems like the perfect condition for the pro wrestling concept to work, but the WWE has averaged a 3.3 rating for like 2,000 years and TNA still performs in front of the same 15 people every week on national television.  All I can say is this: despite how much I just crapped on pro wrestling, I still watch in hope that the art form will one day live up to its full potential, and honestly, I suspect that is why so many of you disgruntled fans continue to tune in each and every week as well.

Randy
http://www.sportsentertainment-rgr.blogspot.com/

A Major WWE Failure

The WWE has been able to save WrestleMania.  With the Rock participating in some way and possibly Stone Cold, sports entertainment's biggest show will probably have a relatively high buy rate.

Why have a relatively high buy rate when a phenomenal one is possible.  This possibility will always elude the WWE until it learns how to do two things.  The WWE has to learn how to create characters and story lines that us fans care about.  The celebrity involvement theme has always been a focus in regards to the marketing of WrestleMania itself and this focus has intensified through the years im afraid.  The WWE is a major media and entertainment company and wants to be a power player in show business, but has not produced a legitimate star in years.  The only stars in that company are  John Cena and Undertaker and that is because these two are characters that the fans emotionally invest in.  As a major entertainment entity, the WWE's right of passage so to speak has to be the ability to create characters that turn into stars the level of Cena and Rock consistently and frequently.   As a major entertainment entity, storytelling is essential.  Some nostalgia act, or appearance by some big celebrity will not bring in the phenomenal buy rate.  Try producing must see TV with story lines that resolve themselves at WrestleMania, and watch the buy rate explode!  Not that hard.

Randy 

The Rock's Promo

So, I did not catch all of Raw tonight (nothing unusual there these days) but I did catch the best part of the show, and that was the Rock's promo.  It was powerful and actually felt as if he really was upset that John Cena would question his loyalty to the business given his lineage's history in the business.  Great way to make the conflict seem personal.

I do not think these two will meet at Wrestlemania, but I sense that the Rock is a competitive person and going back and forth with Cena verbally over an extended period of time may possibly lead to a match.  If their are indicators that this match could really be the biggest in WWE history, the Rock's competitive nature will not allow him to miss out on the opportunity to claim involvement in the biggest match in sports entertainment history.  Practically speaking, it would make business sense: big pay day for the Rock and the mainstream buzz it would provide if promoted correctly for Rock and WWE would be beneficial.  You know, Hulk and Andre from the Main Event from 1988 has claim to being the most watched wrestling broadcast in American history, 33 million.  Could a Rock-Cena special break that?  I believe so, and man that would be awesome!!!

Wrestlemania 27

I am going to my first Wrestlemania this year and have decided to start this blog to document the weeks of WWE television and news leading up to the event.  I want this discussion to be as interactive as possible so please comment to my posts and or to each others.