6 Problems That Led to WWE Ratings Decline
By Carl Gac
WWE.com
Everything is pre-planned
How do you expect someone to stand out from the crowd when everyone is so micro managed? How can you judge a guy for not grabbing the Brass ring when you tell him exactly what to say and do at every moment? How does a wrestler from NXT make a name for themselves on the main roster when you take them from an environment where they are allowed creative freedom to one where every little thing they do is planned and scrutinized?
Nothing on WWE TV feels organic any more. Guys stand in the ring with a microphone in their hands and do their best to get through a pre-written promo, often with little emotion or the feeling that they actually believe what they are saying. Can anyone remember when Roman Reigns used the line “Suffering Suckertash” during an in ring promo not too long ago? That was a line written for him, i know that’s hard to believe but it’s true. How is a guy of that stature, who’s meant to be a bad ass, meant to get that ever without sounding like an idiot? The main problem on this side of things is that the creative team are scripting the lines for them without really knowing or understanding the character and how people in real life would talk.
Way back in 1996 one of the most legendary lines ever uttered on wrestling television came from the mouth of Stone Cold Steve Austin. After winning the King of the Ring final against Jake the Snake Roberts he said the line:
"You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn’t get you anywhere! Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16… Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"
That came from inside Austin, not the head of a writer. Austin didn’t need a team of guys telling him what to say, allowing him the freedom to speak for himself allowed him to come out with a classic line, one that sold t-shirts in record numbers and it was so ridiculously simple. Would that line have come if he’d been told what to say before he went out for that match? No is the simple answer.
By telling everyone what to say and do, you take away a massive part of what makes wrestling so amazing to watch, spontaneity. Two guys stand in the ring with a script, they get through those lines with little or now actual feeling. If you give them a basic outline of what to say and allow them to craft those words in reaction to what the other man is saying and you’ll automatically see the best talkers rise to the top and produce absolute gold.
Next: Slow down and see the difference