2010 TNA/WWE- The good the bad and the ugly.

[DarkPhoenix]

Was watching TNA last night and it struck me just how different TNA and WWE are becoming in the directions they are taking and the way they operate. They were different before but the gap just seems to be widening throughout this year.

It seems to me that certain things one company excels in the other lacks significantly. Just interested in others thoughts on what you think the strengths and weaknesses of each company are.

For me:

WWE
The Good

• The Drama aspect- The acting of the superstars in backstage segments is top notch, mic work is focused on a large amount.
• Gimmick development- With a few exceptions you rarely see a person change their gimmick in one week, its a gradual build. Take for example ortons new psychotic gimmick, it started off as a few twitches here and there and has built up to an "entering the zone" type thing where his senses become heightened and its almost impossible to sneak up on him.
• The family aspect- Its a show you can take your kids to/show them. The superstars are always accessible at live events and travel the world meeting the fans.
• Feuds seem to have meaning- Feuds are 'rarely' thrown together for the sake of it.

The Bad

• Can be TOO pg at times- granted this is usually at the insistence of parent groups who cant mind their own business and just ban their kids from watching the show, I still yearn for the old days.
• Talent cycling- Excellent talent is often buried and removed from the roster before they can show what they can do. Just look at the names of some of the indy superstars who are absolutely amazing that have been given developmental contracts and never used and have subsequently gone to TNA etc.
• WWE programming seems too small- WWE really need a third show. Not an ECW type show another show similar to Smackdown and Raw, maybe make it a Smackdown vs Raw type show where superstars from both brands can compete with and against each other. The WWE roster is so large that some great talent languishes on crap shows like Superstars which has no story, no theme, no medium to show off their talent, we have great superstars like Yoshi Tatsu who could be anything, yet we rarely see them.

The ugly

• The company is run for the money- Heel/face turns often seem to be decided on how much revenue will be gained/lost for the company.
• Favoritism- See HHH for a prime example, and nowadays John Cena.
• Gimmick Segments- Rarely are funny or interesting yet they continue to serve them up (think the run of Guest Raw GMs).

Thats my WWE list, TNA list to come later.

 

[djrossie16]

WWE is one of those shows I can only watch about half an hour of. It is so vanila and cheesey. It is just boring wrestling and childish promos (ok Santino is good!). A shadow of what it was even a few years back. That half an hour I watch is usually reserved for the start and finish. Love Orton and Edge and even some of the new stuff like nexus Barett ect. But honestly it is a shadow of what I used to love from about 1998-2005. It amazes me the amount of people here who watch things on raw and smackdown that is otherwise very "meh" and act as if it's a great show.

 

[Cleavy]

nXt comes under all 3 categories, right?

 

[Hawks1523]

nXt comes under all 3 categories, right?

nXt 1 - the good.
nXt 2 - the bad
nXt 3 - the ugly

 

[NitroFan]

* The company is run for the money

Yeah. That's sort of what happens when you're a publicly traded half a billion dollar company.

 

[WinmarToLockett]

WWE programming seems too small- WWE really need a third show.

I hate this RAW / Smackdown "brand" s**t. The draft is a bunch of s**t. Different titles for different shows is a bunch of s**t. It's just one wrestling promotion and pretending it's otherwise doesn't work.

 

[Sir G]

I hate this RAW / Smackdown "brand" s**t. The draft is a bunch of s**t. Different titles for different shows is a bunch of s**t. It's just one wrestling promotion and pretending it's otherwise doesn't work.

Well with Raw and Smackdown losing their appeal a third would be a bad idea

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Well with Raw and Smackdown losing their appeal a third would be a bad idea

Mmhmm, its less about them needing a new show and more about them having too many superstars to use on the two shows theyve got.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

WWE does have a third show, Superstars?

 

[DarkPhoenix]

WWE does have a third show, Superstars?

Falls into the "Ecw" type show... being a 1 hr hunk of crap.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

2 two-hour 'A' shows works well I think. Asking people to watch more than four hours a week is pushing it.

Superstars and NXT are available for those who like WWE enough to want to watch more (although I see NXT is still yet to find an American broadcaster).

 

[Chops18]

Mmhmm, its less about them needing a new show and more about them having too many superstars to use on the two shows theyve got.

Yep thats exactly the problem. So much talent gets wasted. Maybe a separate brand for Tag Teams and Cruiserweights or something like that would be better than NXT/Superstars.