wrestling / Columns

Could Desperation Solve WWE’s Oversaturation and Creative Problem?

September 18, 2014 | Posted by Greg De Marco

Oversaturation. Lack of Creativity. Desperation.

Those three words best describe the WWE’s product of today.

Less than two weeks ago I presented an argument that the WWE’s product was oversaturated and suffered from a serious lack of creativity. I even pointed out recent examples, all of which you can read here. As you can see in that article’s poll, most of you readers agreed with me!

This past Monday’s Raw provided a third adjective to describe the WWE’s product: desperate.

The WWE is rarely shy or coy about their actions. In fact, it’s usually quite the opposite—dating back to Vince McMahon telling the audience he’d no longer “insult their intelligence” (hold your jokes about the current product, please) and even the XFL openly being everything the NFL wasn’t.

But this Monday’s Raw either took it to a new low or a new high, depending on your perspective. The company set-up an in-ring confrontation between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and his WWE Night of Champions challenger John Cena during the opening segment, and later flawlessly executed that confrontation. But it was shoehorned into the middle of the show—or as they put it, “Halftime.”

Since its debut in 1993 to the current season we’re witnessing today, the WWE has spent a good 17 weeks out of each fall and winter competing with the NFL’s Monday Night Football. The company has obviously had to adjust and bolster Raw from time to time, but Monday’s “Halftime” stunt was one of the worst moves they’ve made. Never before has the product been so reactionary to an outside factor—something that Vince McMahon is famous for ignoring—and done so in such a shameless way.

I mean seriously…halftime?

What better way to remind your viewers that something better might be on another channel than to tell them to come back when said something reaches halftime. Raw doesn’t have halftime—in fact, a live Raw doesn’t have intermission at all.

Even worse is the fact that the WWE used video packages and backstage segments to make sure the Cena-Lesnar showdown did in fact happen at intermission, as if to say that the company itself would rather be watching football!

As I said earlier, the eventual in-ring confrontation between Brock and Cena worked. It was well done, believable and told the story that John Cena just might be able to capitalize on a Brock Lesnar mistake and regain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions. The segment was money and would have been the perfect way to end Raw.

But it happened during hour two!

And it all screams of desperation. But is that a bad thing? I think not.

It was desperation in response to WCW taking over the ratings lead and ECW’s cult following that led to the Attitude Era. It was desperation in response to a depleted roster that led to Steve Austin’s King of The Ring win and live microphone where he mocked Jake Roberts’ faith and coined one of the five most famous catchphrases in wrestling history…and I’m not referring to Austin having a hard time hearing Jake’s testimony and saying “What?!?!” in response.

It was desperation in not having a mega star to the level of Hulk Hogan that led to the WWE putting their weight behind the “guy who plays a white rapper.” Hell, it was desperation that led to Vince McMahon ending a 3-week reign by The Iron Sheik to crown a “Real American” as his WWF Champion.

What could desperation lead to now?

Here are some ideas:

Rusev, World Beater – So Rusev is going to be John Cena’s next feud? Well what if Cena needs to take time off for these nagging injuries? Rusev is the man to pull that off. Then he can crush more people.

But then there’s…

Lana, American Spy? – Now we’re talking! I mean, Lana’s from, like, Alabama, right? Why not use that, and reveal that she’s actually a spy! This whole Putin thing? It goes way deeper than we think.

And since the WWE is so worried about ESPN Monday Night Football…

RAW Bottom Line – You know the scores at the bottom of the screen on ESPN? Why not just keep updating the RAW viewer on the football scores??? You can also display any breaking news (sports or otherwise) as well as any tweets. Because the WWE loves them some Twitter!

Weekend Update Style Newsdesk -They already have the desks from the pre- and post-shows, why not go full-on Weekend Update style with it??? Vince loves comedy and dick jokes, right?

And finally…

Renee Young, Ringside Reporter -Just in case Renee has any visions of taking up ESPN on a future offer, you can stop that now and just make her a sideline reporter yourself! (Complete with voyeurism inspired hotel photos?)

And if they get really desperate, they can mix their ever-so-popular Total Divas show with everyone’s favorite division.

That’s right, get ready for Total Midgets!

This desperation thing could really work out…

Greg DeMarco is a wrestling fan of over 30 years and has also worked on the independent circuit as a promoter, announcer, character and booker. Greg a weekly contributor at 411Mania.com, applying his opinionated style to the world of pro wrestling on Sundays and Thursdays.

He began writing for 411Mania in October 2010 and has been pissing readers off ever since!

Greg’s latest series of must read articles at 411Mania.com:
The Crystal Ball: Looking Ahead to WWE WrestleMania 31
Squandering A Mega Star: The WWE Blew It With Ryback
What If Brock Lesnar Never Left WWE?
Who Is The Best Manager: Bobby Heenan or Paul Heyman?
Bold Predictions for WWE SummerSlam 2014
I Just Don’t Understand Why The WWE Won’t Push Zack Ryder!
The Undertaker, Sting, and Hulk Hogan: One More Match
Go Ahead WWE, Put The World Title On Brock Lesnar—I DARE YOU!
One Man Could Have Saved TNA’s TV Deal…And His Name Is Paul Heyman
My Open Letter To The WWE, Triple H And His Friend ‘Mark’

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