Scott,
Something that I dislike about the current era of WWE is how sterilized everything looks. The stage is just one giant screen comprised of many smaller screens, and the crowd is far too illuminated.
In the Attitude Era, say what you will about its flaws, it had a great, gritty look that is conducive to an aggressive and exciting environment. There was one big monitor (the Titantron) and a whole bunch of metal shit around it. It didn't look like a Tokyo nightclub. The best rock shows of history have followed the same ideal: metal shit and a big statue or something behind the band. I don't want to watch a band play in front of a plasma TV.
The '70s and early '80s was great too, how the crowd is mostly in the dark and it makes the wrestlers look like gladiators fighting for good and evil among a dark sea of souls. It reminds me of stand-up specials from the same period.
That's why mid-'90s WCW looks so obsolete. Tough guys would come out through coloured fog and enter into Disneyland.
Could not agree more. I've been beating the "stale presentation" drum for years now, and shows like NXT really highlight how desperately in need of a change that the main program really is. Even doing occasional changes like the Old School RAW sets or maybe just having a change of scenery like an outdoor show or a small building ala the Hammerstein would go a long ways towards reducing the burnout that a lot of people are feeling. Doesn't have to be a major overhaul, just a palette cleanser every now and then.