Content, Creative, and Crybabies, Oh My!

   Normally, the day before a WWE Pay-Per-View, I would write a blog about my predictions for that particular show. As you may know, tomorrow is TLC. However, I know I will get off on tangents due to it, so this blog will not be my normal prediction one. Though we have not yet found out what, if any, matches will occur on the kick-off show, it looks as though we're getting a total of 12 matches. Does that sound excessive to anyone else?  I know many of the old WrestleMania cards had as many as that, if not more, but this is just TLC, a run of the mill December PPV. After all, no one really cares about anything until the Royal Rumble anyway. In my opinion, that's way too many matches! 

   

   This therein leads into my next topic. Recently, some wrestlers and wrestling writers reacted to fans who have been criticizing the WWE product. Of course, this is not something new! However, Xavier Woods, for instance, said some fans were coming off as entitled crybabies. Writers said that fans don't seem to understand how hard it is to write a three hour show in Raw every week. First of all, I don't think fans are stating that they can write better wrestling television. There may be some know-it-alls out there, but not all fans should be lumped in with them. Don't get me wrong, because there definitely are fans out there that complain for the sake of complaining, act like crybabies, and possibly even some that claim they can write better shows. For instance, I really thought the crowd was being disrespectful during the Seth Rollins/Dolph Ziggler Iron Man Match at Extreme Rules. However, I know what I say is opinion and not fact and have never claimed to know anything about the business because I'm not in it. At the same time, I also don't want to be made to feel guilty for having an opinion.  Obviously, it has to be quite difficult to write a three hour show every week. Maybe that's the problem, though! Maybe there is just too much content for WWE fans, and especially WWE itself, to handle. 

   While I've always advocated for Raw to be cut down to two hours, that's not where it ends nor is it what I will mainly focus on in this blog. There is simply too much content out there! You've got a three hour Raw on Mondays, a two hour Smackdown on Tuesdays, a one hour 205 Live, a one hour NXT, a one hour NXT UK, as well as all of the PPV's and specials that occur often more than once a month. I can't forget the Takeover shows either! That's a lot of programming! I actually had no idea, but Main Event is apparently still going on as well. Not to mention, other original programming on the WWE Network! Lately, I've been more entertained by the thirty-minute Edge and Christian Show than the entirety of Raw. I also happen to love the way NXT is put together and often enjoy their one hour show over Raw or even Smackdown, which also more times than not, comes off more entertaining than Raw. NXT UK has just gotten started so they're not quite on the radar yet. As for 205 Live, as great as the matches can be, not as many fans watch it. For instance, the segment and match they gave to Mustafa Ali on Smackdown this week was probably more exposure than a talent like him has had since he began with WWE well over two years ago. 

   Am I nuts for not wanting all of this content? Perhaps! Then again, I've always adhered to the "less is more" approach. More doesn't always equal better! I'm definitely a quality over quantity guy. I know the ratings may not matter as much as they used to, but when the Smackdown deal with Fox goes down next year, they may affect WWE slightly. I don't think Fox is going to tolerate low ratings for long. Some even think Smackdown will end up presented as the A-Show over Raw. Raw has always been seen as WWE's A Show, even if Smackdown is often the better show. I find myself changing channels, dozing off, not paying attention or even missing a Raw these days because it's just not must-see anymore. I'm not comparing the product to the Attitude Era specifically, but back in those days, it was also the Monday Night Wars, where everything was must-see! 

   Let's start back at the top here for a second. I mentioned that a problem I see is that tomorrow night's TLC has 12 matches lined up. I'll be honest, half the card I don't care about whatsoever and are angles that can be cleared up on Raw and Smackdown, respectively. The following is the TLC card in no particular order. I might as well put my predictions in as well while I'm thinking about it!

1. WWE Title - Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
prediction - Daniel Bryan

2. Intercontinental Title - Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
Prediction - new Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose (possibly with a Renee Young heel turn)

3. Raw Women's Title - Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax
Prediction - Ronda Rousey

4. Smackdown Women's Title Triple Threat TLC Match - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
Prediction - Asuka (possibility that they pull Becky out for a higher purpose)

5. Smackdown Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match - The Bar vs. The Usos vs. The New Day
Prediction - The Bar

6. Cruiserweight Title - Buddy Murphy vs. Cedric Alexander
Prediction - Buddy Murphy

7. TLC Match - Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin
Prediction - Braun Strowman

8. Tables Match - Natalya vs. Ruby Riot
Prediction - Ruby Riot

9. Ladder Match - Elias vs. Bobby Lashley
Prediction - Bobby Lashley

10. Chairs Match - Randy Orton vs. Rey Misterio
Prediction - Randy Orton

11. Mixed Match Challenge Finals - R-Truth & Carmella vs. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox
Prediction - R-Truth & Carmella

12. Finn Balor vs. Drew Mcntyre.
Prediction - Drew McIntyre (unless Finn is the Demon)

   That is a lot of matches, half of which have little to no momentum behind them. Though the stipulation for the Mixed Match Challenge is for the number 30 spot for their respective Royal Rumbles, I feel it could have occurred on Raw, Smackdown, or even a dual-branded House Show. I don't consider Braun vs. Baron to be important enough to be a TLC match. Though a ladder match with a guitar hanging is intriguing, Elias vs. Lashley doesn't seem to be important enough to be featured. As much as I love both Balor and McIntyre, there hasn't been enough build for a PPV match. I listed those matches specifically for a reason. Since lately there has been an affiliation between Baron, Lashley, and McIntyre, I would combine these matches into a six-man tag team ladder match. I'm happy that a non-Title program in the women's division is happening in Natalya/Ruby, but I'm afraid it will get lost within the show. The same goes for the Cruiserweight Title match unless you watch 205 Live. 

   It's possible some matches may not even take place. The jury is still out on whether Braun will be cleared. Also, rumor has it that Balor may not be able to participate due to a recent illness. The bottom line is that this seems like more matches than necessary and some will not get the time they truly need. For instance, at Evolution, the Toni Storm/Io Shirai Mae Young Classic finals match was only given ten minutes. I enjoyed the match but feel both competitors were slighted and with more time could have been match of the night. 

   I understand that everything is dictated by money, which is why we have a PPV once a month, if not more, and why we have a three hour Raw. Let's also not forget that WWE runs House Shows several times a week, so it's straining on both creative and the performers. There has to be a happy medium where the monetary value is still reached. yet without as much content. The importance of things happening on free television has made PPV's seem less important. If you've already seen matches or angles on Raw or Smackdown several times over, why would you care when they reach the PPV? These days, Raw and Smackdown aren't even built towards the PPV's anymore but rather the next week. While I do think continuity is important, there has to be anticipation built up to care about what happens at the PPV. 

   Since we're still on the subject of PPV's, the time has increased for all of them, not just the big four. The big four have been expanded to four, sometimes five hours with a two hour kick-off show, while the rest have been expanded to four hours with a full one-hour kick-off show. This year, along with the PPV's and Takeovers, we've had several glorified House Shows as Network Specials. Both the Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel took place in Saudi Arabia on the WWE Network, while WWE presented Super Showdown in Australia. I'm okay with the emphasis that was put on these shows but they didn't have to be televised. I'm of the opinion that Shawn Michaels should not have come out of retirement but even more upset that his come-back was wasted in a tag team match that should have seemed a lot more important than it was. Triple H's injury notwithstanding, HBK carried the entire match.  One PPV a month is a lot for me and these other shows is just overkill at this point.

  

   More times than not, I enjoy Takeovers more than their main roster counterparts, even the big ones, even WrestleMania in some cases. NXT UK has just begun and is finding it's footing. However, I'm looking forward to NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool. I've watched the shows and it's great to see what these men and women can bring to the table. UK Champion Pete Dunne always brings it, there's a great story with him and Mustache Mountain against the new group consisting of Wolfgang and the Coffey Brothers, a tournament will crown NXT UK Tag Team Champions, and inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion Rhea Ripley is making waves. NXT itself is always great to me and I look forward to each Takeover immensely. There is great story telling with little to no nonsense. I'm all for comedy in wrestling but sometimes I just want to get to the action and not have long drawn out promos made by wrestlers that can't really cut promos that well. I also think what wrestlers say is much too scripted but that's for another blog altogether.

   I've already mentioned it, but Raw would be better off as a two hour show. They've already gotten rid of the 15-minute over run on the USA Network for Raw so that's a good first step. I know the format for Raw and Smackdown is not the same as NXT, but sometimes those shows are hard to get through. We also cannot blame things entirely on creative when sometimes at the last minute, Vince McMahon himself will change everything and the performers have to improvise on the fly. Perhaps I'm the pot calling the kettle black with the amount of content in this one particular blog, but I have a lot to say on the subject. Thoughts? Comments? Anyone? Bueller?

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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