Recent WWE changes of 2008?

Question

Ok, so 2008 was the year for many new changes by WWE in attempt to re-brand itself and reach out to newer crowds. Among those changes included some things WWE fans hated such as switching to TV-PG, cutting down on blading, the usage of "friendlier" characters, cutting down on profanity, and so on. There were also some business decisions such as the campaign for WWE Universe, the WWE Universe Power Facts, switch to HD Sets, the launch if the WWE Fan Nation websites, and so on. Then there were also some creative attempts by WWE this year such as the Million Dollar Mania, WWE Draft, the signing of Mike Adamle, and other things of that nature. They've also started talent initiatives and hired some new faces behind the scenes as well. This isn't to say that WWE doesn't undergo it's fair share of changes every year, but this year seemed like the new changes that WWE have made have come more rapidly in 2008. So my question to you is how do you feel overall about WWE's attempt to modernize their shows?

Has it taken away from the wrestling experience, and do you even remember that WWE is a wrestling show? Are they moving in the right direction this year, and if not what would you do differently? And last, do you feel that obvious business decisions are necessary when the main focus of a wrestling show, should be WRESTLING?

Answer 1

Hmmm, good question...

To be honest, I think the WWE has improved recently, especially after the dreadful year they had last year. 2007 was without a doubt the most boring year that I've seen as a WWE fan, or as a WRESTLING fan in general. Cena's year long reign, Batista, Edge and Taker always headlining PPV's, Khali's title reign, lots of superstars suspended and injured and ofcourse, Raw's lowest rating in 10 years reflected that.

This year they seemed to have toned down on a lot of things, making some of the matches look unrealistic. I won't complain about the recent HIAC, I think that was the best match so far all year, but it had no blood, and that doesn't make sense as it was such a brutal encounter...

Besides small things like that, they've improved. There are still a lot of promos, but there's better wrestling. HBK and Y2J have an excellent feud going, probably the best personal feud in the last 2-3 years. The Divas on Smackdown and Raw have a title to fight for, not to mention that the wrestlers out of those Diva's are doing better than before. Also, newer stars like CM Punk, Ted Dibiase, Matt Sydal, Cody Rhodes and many others are getting call ups to the main roster. Colt Cabana, an excellent prospect for the future is also coming through the ranks and on to the main roster.

I think it's become better in terms of an overall wrestling show, even though PPV's have sometimes dissapointed, like Judgment Day for example. But there are a lot of changes we should be happy about.

I think they are moving in the right direction, and I think the business decisions as opposed to the wrestling decisions is reflecting that. Cena being champion for a year was a business decision to sell more merchandise and get the younger viewers watching. Now with him losing more and not being champion, ratings are still up and we still get enough viewers.

I don't think they need a game show or a Million Dollar give away to become even better than they are now. In my view, they're going through a transitional stage in an attempt to get a new crop of fans for the future, and it's working.  

Answer 2

Honestly, I'm really happy with all the changes. I know I'm probably gonna get slammed for not saying "s***w kids, I want the Attitude Era back!" but I really don't want it back. It was AWESOME. I liked the Attitude Era, but think about it. . If Vince tried to bring that back, it would never be as good as before. .The Rock wouldn't be there to call everyone Jabroni's and tell them to stick things up their candyass. Stone Cold wouldn't be there with his beer and middle finger. DX wouldn't be there because Shawn Michaels is closing in on retirement. All everyone would say is how this "Attitude" Era is nowhere near as good as the first. We should just be happy it happened once and keep it as a good memory. . It's near impossible to bring it back. Besides, I'm happy the kids are watching. Sure we may have to put up with Finlay and Hornswaggle doing that dumb dance in the ring, but hey, if it keeps the kids from obsessing over Disney Channel, Hannah Montana, or the Jonas Brothers, I'd say it's fine.

I'm glad some of the things are gone such as those beyond stupid "I look better than you in a bikini dance contest". I hated those. The women looked like trashy whores. I wanted to see them WRESTLE and finally it seems Vince is locking in on that.

I liked changes like the Draft and Mike Adamle. I was tired of seeing the same stars feud so the draft was a good move. It boosted ECW's ratings too, when they sent Matt Hardy and Finlay and Hornswaggle there. I think WWE went HD because well..they really didn't have a choice anyway. Since everybody has to go digital by 2009 [What a stupid rule .  .] it seems they had to make the change.

I noticed lately Vince has taken out a LOT of the wrestlers, and it seems he's making room for new ones. I'm really happy about that. I like seeing new talent in the ring. Hopefully, he recognizes good talent and brings em in.

I think they're doing a good job focusing on the wrestling aspect. I like the way the show is now. I think they should cut back on the promos a bit. They've shown what happened at Summerslam SO MANY TIMES already.. It gets old when they repeat the same ones OVER and OVER and OVER. . but anyway, I'm happy with the way the show is not.

I like their quick facts, ratings facts, and WWE 24/7 moments. They add a little to it.

Whoo. Longgg answer.

Answer 3

i like it the way it is. 'wrestling match, promo, segment wrestling match'. i think the only thing that was great for 2008 was the wwe draft. i think wwe is the best it has been for a few years because of the draft.

Answer 4

WWE has changed a lot. I mean, what the h**l is wrong with Vince Mcmahon??? He is destroying his biggest industry. I mean ressurecting the new ECW in 2006 was lame, but now it sucks here in 2008. No blood, barely any hardcore type matches. No ECW originals? Come on Vince, you ****** up ECW with boring storylines and only one title. At least ressurect the old ECW title.

Million Dollar Mania: How dumb is that? Vince, you are losing rating because of that.

No profanity. How dumb is that. That made the Attitude Era. Cussing out other wrestlers. It was entertaining also.

Hiring Mike Adamle is a dumb mistake. First at announcer. Mike killed ECW with his botches and as GM he's doing average on the job, but at least at Unforgiven, you should of had and Elimination Chamber match for the WHC. I still watch WWE, but to me, it's like a soap opera now. WWE needs to get more creative and fast before TNA catches up.

Answer 5

I think the changes have been good for business, maybe not for entertainment for some people but still good...

look at the fact that WWE Raw got more views then Monday Night Football in the last two weeks

Smackdown was highest rated show on Fridays for men too

Bad in some ways...Business very good.

Cheers  

Answer 6

i think they changed it way to much so much that i finally decided 100% that pro wrestling is fake i still thought it was partly real up to 2008 i think that even little kids prefer hardcore violence to stupid fake conflicts i used to watch wwe every night it was on but now i only watch it when there is nothing else to watch i am really disapointed by all these changes

Answer 7

Your correct. I think that WWE has changed too much. I don't understand why they changed the show to a TV-PG rating. I am alright with the hiring of Mike Adamle. I don't know why they did the half-a-million dollar contest. They act like the show is somewhat a game show instead of a WRESTLING show. I am disliking WWE more and more after each show now because it is just changing a whole lot. I absolutely don't think that they are moving into the right direction as a Worldwide Wrestling show, as an ordinary show, yes. I think that the business is necessary although they have made many mistakes. Those mistakes can be rather much fixed.

Answer 8

The good:

CM Punk as World Champion

Shawn Micheals vs Chris Jericho

Undertaker vs Edge at Summerslam

Beth Phoenix, Natalya Neidhart, Mickie James

Evan Bourne

Dibiase & Rhodes

the new ECW announcer Matt Striker

The Bad:

The GM character

Mark Henry

Regal SHOULD BE KING OF WWE UNIVERSE!

The Lame:

Million Dollar Give Away

Mike Adamle

Kane's current storyline