Long time fan, first time write-in.
Would McMahon be better off splitting WrestleMania into a two day event?
They'd have a vehicle to split all these big-time main events down the middle; they'd make twice the revenue in tickets and pay-per-view buys (offering a discount to anyone who bought both days); be able to feature the entire roster plus guest/returning stars without cramming twelve guys into a tag match; and fans would have a "moment" to catch their breath and energy between major bouts.
Fantasy booking WM 29, WWE could feature Daniel Bryan vs. Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship and John Cena vs. the Undertaker on Night One, and CM Punk vs. Steve Austin and Rock vs. Brock for the WWE Championship on Night Two. The show just keeps growing and it seems unwieldy to cram everything into a single event.
Thoughts?
God,they have enough trouble laying out a single four-hour show as it is, can you imagine them trying to do a two-night 6-8 hour event? Plus you KNOW that someone is gonna get pissy and want to work both shows for the double payoff, not to mention the politics involved with being on the first show which would be considered not as important. Plus as a fan one PPV a weekend is more than enough for me, thank you very much.
It's an interesting idea on paper, but it would be exhausting to deal with in real life.
I agree that Wrestlemania needs to be reformed but a two day event is not the answer. I'd much rather prefer if they:
ReplyDelete-Have one world title instead of two. Aside from WM XX, WM 21, and WM 23 I don't think there has been a Wrestlemania where the two title matches stood on equal ground with one another. It's time to end a situation where a world title match curtain jerks Wrestlemania.
-Curb usage of people who aren't regular members of the roster/part timers/one night only/people who are only there for dream matches before it becomes a bad habit. I enjoyed The Rock vs. John Cena, Undertaker vs. Triple H, and CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho this year (I was there live) but I think having guys who aren't regular member of the rosters having their own match or being dispersed throughout the card in matches against regulars is not a good habit to develop.
-Also would be nice to get more midcarders involved in a format other than the MITB in years past or the GM match this year. Perhaps revert back to a 10-11 match card instead of a 7-8 match card?
Wrestlemania is the Super Bowl of wrestling, right?
ReplyDeleteHaving it split up into multiple events would be a terrible idea.
This was discussed about a month ago when somebody e-mailed you about doing a modern-day WM2 scenario, with the show coming from three different locations.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I wouldn't want to see WM divided into separate days/events, at least not permanently, but I *do* think that it would make for an exciting celebration of WM30. Divide the show into three nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday), and give the home audience the option of either ordering all three live shows, or getting the full event on Sunday (replay Friday and Saturday before going to the live Sunday show).
Plus, it would be a great way to sell more tickets; bands will play one venue for several nights in a row, so why couldn't WWE? Selling 70,000 seats is great by itself, but what if they sold 140,000 or 210,000? Give ticket-buyers a discount if they go to all three shows.
Again, not something I'd want to see permanently, but it could be fun as a one-time event, or something that only happens every ten years.
If I was running the WWE, I'd expand WrestleMania wknd but with another PPV.
ReplyDeleteI'd add a live SmackDown Friday night from the WrestleMania as a pseudo-PPV with announced matches & such. Like have the Tag Titles or the IC title be the main event. Sprinkle in the more hype about the PPV but give the mid-card a chance to shine.
Looking at this year's card, you could've headlined the Friday show with Big Show/Cody and a tag team title match. Or maybe move the "get everyone on the card" match to Friday while still giving those guys a PPV cut. The WWE gets another great gate (an easy sellout of any arena) and the midcard guys get some exposure when the most wrestling fans are tuned in - think the rating would be good too.
Then they can still do the HOF Saturday night for another easy sellout. And do WrestleMania proper on Sunday.
The way they've done it now with like one match on SmackDown and 90 minutes of hype is zzzzzzzzzzz inducing. It's a waste.
No, splitting it into two days isn't a good idea. #1, the cost would be so astronomical that even diehard "I buy every Wrestlemania" would think twice. Even with a discount you're probably still talking about $100, and to be honest, I wouldn't pay that. Especially because of point #2: Wrestlemania I think is somewhat of a party atmosphere, moreso than other PPVs. I know every year either I or a friend host a WM party. Split it over two days and it's far less reasonable to try to get everyone together two nights in a row. And #3, as pointed out they can barely book a 4 hour show, trying to do 6-8 hours is a mess.
ReplyDeleteI think that would be VERY rough on both people attending the shows (I live in CT and want to go to WM, but you'd be asking me to not just attend three nights or buy tickets for three nights, but now if I want to go to Axxess I'd have to probably take a week off from work since it would have to start way earlier, even if I don't I have to pay for hotel rooms and probably takle the Friday off...if I'm watching from home I now have to devote three straight nights to it while totally ditching the WM party I have every year. Personally I'd hate it. But that's me.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the main event for WM 30 will be?
ReplyDeleteTriple H vs Undertaker: Revenge of an era match. I'm not joking btw.
ReplyDeleteThey need to do more with Axxess. Do a special on NBC the weekend of WM and have some matches and run a few more final buildup angles. They need to buildup the entire weekend more than just showing a 30 second highlight reel during the PPV.
ReplyDeleteThe Wrestlemania formula is working fine as it is. How about just building up another PPV? Sure it won't have a huge impact at first, but if you keep on treating a PPV as a big deal then eventually it will be. I mean, that's how Wrestlemania started, right?
ReplyDeleteI feel like ever since WWE went public they have been focusing on short-term growth rather than long-term. This makes plenty of sense, as most companies with stockholders do the same thing, but it's a large part of what has made wrestling so blah in recent years.
Where to, Aurora Rose???
ReplyDeleteThis isn't a bad idea...if they ever bring back MITB to Mania, they could have qualifying matches at Axxess to generate interest.
ReplyDeleteIf they made WM into a 2 night event, I think you need to get rid of the Raw the Monday night after it.
If the cut out the stupid backstage segments, celeb interviews, and the obligatory shitty women's match they wouldn't need 2 nights.
ReplyDeleteDoubt it will be the main, but I'm willing to bet Sting will finally get his WM moment.
ReplyDeleteNo, I doubt that. I think if Sting was to do an in-ring performance, it would have happened by now.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, his Hall of Fame induction will happen eventually.
No, Aurora Rose is already booked that night. After all, Chris Jericho has to job to SOMEONE in that family, right?
ReplyDeleteI get the feeling that it would be like when they were running two PPV's in the same month: people would pick one over the other. Most likely, they wouldn't divide the shows evenly, and one show would appear stacked.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, maybe they'll have something fantastic lined up for WM XXX.
Why tinker with the WM formula? They have it down to a science, the show sells itself.
ReplyDeleteMaybe all these years I've been watching wrestling wrong, but I don't believe this bullplop about how you have to cool down the crowd between good matches on big shows, with a women's match or shitty angle. Even in the building at ppvs, I've never thought "you're doing the main event already? Whoa, slow down, let me catch my breath!" I don't doubt WWE believes that, but I have enough energy to WATCH a show live and see two good matches in a row.
ReplyDeleteI HATE the idea of cooling a crowd down with a crap match. WrestleMania 19 had basically 5 main event matches back to back to end the show....it's one of the best cards ever (imo). WM 17 ended with HHH/Taker and Austin/Rock back-to-back.
ReplyDeleteAnd really, there's a cool down between every match anyway with the video packages, interviews and way too long entrances at WrestleMania as is. There's enough filler on WWE shows. They don't need to make a match filler too.
Good call on pointing out the bs of the "cool down match." That was just an excuse for HHH boring the crap out of the crowd in the main event of WM18. After all, why admit that making the champion look like a joke through dog pooping angles for three months in order to feed your ridiculous ego was why the crowd didn't care about the match when you can just blame it on the crowd?
ReplyDeleteSee, it wasn't my fault that I insisted on a shitty build-up to feed my ego! It was the crowd's fault that they didn't have enough energy for my anticlimactic win from a shitty angle that was telegraphed from a mile away!
Again, it's HHH blaming the fans rather than accepting that the booking for that match killed what should have been a good match between two solid workers.
And yes, I'm a Jericho mark. And yes, HHH will always make we want to change the channel. The WM19 match against Booker made me change my view from "bores me to tears" to "change channel immediately." The fiasco with the build-up (babyface invades heel's home that has a dozens of random models in it! ... at least in the Austin-Pillman fiasco it was the heel invading the face's home!)) and match at WM25 adds to my
ReplyDeleteYou can have too much of a good thing. Wrestlemania is fine as it is. Dragging it out over two days would just be overkill and the viewers would be mentally exhausted after six or eight hours of wrestling in one weekend. The one thing I would change about Wrestlemania is a ban on music acts - i don't know anyone who has ever ordered a wrestling PPV because a particular band were playing at an event.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you guys think of Gabe Sapolsky's set up of trying to have a sub main event halfway through the show? Basically the show builds up to the sub main event, then there's intermission, and then you start over and build to the final match of the show. He tried to do this with Ring of Honor.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea. I think more people would warm up to the idea if it was a one time thing not every year.
ReplyDeleteBut also your putting the people who go to Mania in a jam because not only do they have to spend more money but they have to be more wise about what events they go to. There are people I know who go to Mania each year and like hitting up the Indy stuff like ROH, you split Mania up over an entire weekend I don't know if people are gonna choose Day 1 of WM over say Day 2 of ROH.