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| Article: |
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| Variation On A Theme |
James McCron |
Should WWE be reducing PPVs rather than rebranding them?
Vincent Kennedy McMahon knows the old adage of necessity being the mother of invention better than most people. History shows that when times are tough, he’s been able to turn things around by presenting something new and cutting edge; be it by destroying the old territorial system and stealing big names from other promoters, or repositioning his product to make it grittier and more adult-orientated.
However, there are signs that the old master’s responses to the latest downturn just aren’t working. In recent times, WWE has tried unsuccessfully to push new names to the top and try to reconnect to its family entertainment roots by ditching TV-14 rated content, neither of which has done much to raise ratings and PPV buyrates on a consistent basis. The latest big idea from WWE HQ is an overhaul of its pay-per-view roster, rebranding many of them with specific gimmicks in order to give each event its own flavour, allowing the gimmick to be the attraction for fans rather than the matches presented.
On the face of it, that’s actually not a bad idea. Many WWE PPVs are distinctly unmemorable and with originality at a premium, anything to make them more enticing must surely be considered a good thing. As everything else in wrestling (wrestlers, matches, announcers, even referees) is already gimmicked, PPVs can’t be considered as immune. It’s not as if other sports don’t do the same: after all, the US Masters golf tournament is unlike the other Majors since it’s always held at the same venue and not shifted around like the others. And besides, pay-per-views based around a gimmick are nothing new. WWE’s own Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated shows of the year, and TNA’s cage-crazy Lockdown event does great business for the Orlando group. However, the plan to make practically every PPV revolve around a gimmick isn’t just potentially going a step too far, but it also misses the real crux of the problem: the current work schedule is too much for WWE’s creative team.
The move to theme PPVs has been going on for several years already. No Way Out, the last stop before WrestleMania, has been spiced up with two Elimination Chamber matches at both the 2008 and 2009 events. The One Night Stand (now Extreme Rules) event grew out of WWE’s original decision to resurrect ECW in 2005. Night Of Champions emerged as a way of breathing life into the traditional July set-up event for the following month’s SummerSlam. There was also Taboo Tuesday/Cyber Sunday, billed as the first truly fan interactive pay-per-view… although ironically, that now appears to be one of the shows junked by the rebranding exercise.
For the rest of this feature, check out issue 45 of FSM - available at WH Smith and all good retailers. (For US readers we are now carried at Borders and Barnes & Noble, so check for local availability or click here to subscribe.)
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