Why the hell do all the shows look the same? It used to be that Raw and Smackdown had their own individual sets and rope colors. Even the ppv's use those lame ass white ropes. Are blue, red and even black ropes not considered PG?
Well, NXT looks different, but that's kind of a special case. By the way, Hulu didn't put the new episode up tonight, so I dunno what's going on with that. Usually they're up at midnight EST on the dot.
Anyway, I think the sameness of the shows is for budgetary reasons, in that they have to tape Superstars/Main Event/Smackdown/Saturday Morning Slam/Ring Ka King all in one go a lot of times, and it's easier to change the graphics on the big screen and use a generic set of ropes and ring aprons rather than having to swap out entire sets from show to show. Plus it gives the entire lineup a unified feel, which I can understand from a business standpoint.
Now, my own pet peeve is that they haven't actually changed the basic look of any of the shows in 10 years, outside of Smackdown getting rid of the big fist, but that's another issue entirely.
yeah, still waiting on that Hulu shit.. no worries though, because we are about 27 hours away from another NJPW ppv.. presumably debuting two new members of Bullet Club.. if only they could bring El Terrible back, and then we'd have the ultimate faction.. should have kept the belts on Forever Hooligans and had them drop the straps to the Bucks on the 1/4 show, assuming shelley will still be out.. but i digress..
ReplyDeleteWe really need some good coverage of Japanese wrestling here. I would like to get into it but I basically don't know where to start.
ReplyDeletePeoplea are justt goanna buitvh about tsidh shit for ythre resdt ogf time n they ain't nebver gonan chsnfhe ot htstd just how threr fuvjk iy itds.
ReplyDeleteThe dauckin Blof of Dougwie miassed me uayall fuckain knaow ti.
Maybe it's the beer talkin' Murph, but you've got a butt that won't quit.
ReplyDeleteDo you visit any particular blogs to keep up with the storylines? I've been watching loads of NJPW but without context.
ReplyDeleteFIVE DOLLARS? Get outta here.
ReplyDeleteI think something as simple as freshening up the look of the shows would make a huge difference. They could even use Wrestlemania as the reset point and the new set could debut the night after mania which would add to the already special feeling it has
ReplyDeleteNo, I really don't. Just watching the shows, for me it's as simple as keeping up with my local indy. I mean, I'll pick up something from the wrestling observer that I needed clarified, like "what was Suzuki saying to Nakamura after the IC title match?" But for the most part it translates easily. Plus you got Bullet Club doing their amazing segments, and Forever Hooligans singing the Russian national anthem, even Nagata & Nakamura using English to cut promos on their Spanish/Portuguese speaking opponents. Throw in some Killer Elite Squad, and the show feels somewhat American to me as it is. Never know, an American could be the IWGP World Champ, 2 weeks from now..
ReplyDeleteYo ass should try gizoogle.net , cuz whatever yo ass is rockin aint working.
ReplyDeleteHonestly what would you change about the look? I'm tired of it too, just haven't really come with any ideas except for the entrance being in the background like they do for some MSG shows.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the look of the shows go, the pink ropes are just so unseemly right now. We're approaching an event named Hell in a Cell and we've got pink ropes around the ring!?!? Come on!
ReplyDeleteHow on earth are you a moderator?
ReplyDeleteAnd everybody wears pink shirts and shorts and even COO HHH wears a little pink something. One show was OK, but over weeks... just stupid.
ReplyDeleteI've been catching up on the G1 stuff, which is superb, but I don't even know if they have a weekly tv show or anything.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, though, I don't even watch a whole episode of Raw. I check if there any good looking matches, watch those, then if I read of a decent segment I'll make the effort to find it. It just seems like NJPW is running great stuff top to bottom, so it'd be good to get a refresher of what's been happening recently.
Am I right in thinking the next PPV is their big annual show?
I really don't like that all of the heels are wearing pink.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I don't mind guys like "The Real Americans", who aren't so much evil as just close-minded, wearing pink since it doesn't clash with their gimmick, but I feel like a violent sociopath like Orton shouldn't.
I don't even mind "Raw" and "Smackdown" looking the same (other than "Raw" using white ropes - come on, it's the RED show!), but I hate how generic the PPV sets have become. They used to be really special, now they look like any old TV taping.
ReplyDeleteWhich is kind of appropriate, I guess, since most of their PPVs tend to FEEL like any old TV taping.
Not this shit again
ReplyDeleteA valid question.
ReplyDeleteThem looking the same doesn't bother me as much as the fact that everything, typically excluding WM, looks so damn generic and bland.
ReplyDeleteSince I speak fluent drunk, let me translate... "People are just gonna bitch about this ahit for the rest of time and they aint never gonna change it... (no idea).
ReplyDeleteThe fucking blog of dougie missed me, yall fucking know it."
Well said Mr. Murphy, well said.
THIS. If you were watching straight through in 2001... when you saw the WMX7 entrance ramp... you were blown away. Now they all look the same. I guess you want things to really pop on TV, especially if you're in HD, but for my own personal reasons I wish RAW and SD were "dumbed down" a bit in presentation to make the PPVs look like something special.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely hate the look of RAW especially. It's looked lame since they moved to Spike Tv/TNN.
ReplyDeletePlus I hate the blandness of the ppvs sets
I would have loved to see Macho Man verbally berate Elizabeth, then turn to the camera screaming "Be a Star!!! and let's all join in the fight against breast cancer!! OH YEAH!!!"
ReplyDeleteThe big show, who is supposed to be fired and a rebel, is still coordinating with the corporate initiatives. that was such a bad touch.
ReplyDeleteI would say personally, I'm dying for something DIFFERENT! I mean remember when you could actually tell when the shows were at MSG? Or Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens with the entrance ramp all the way to the ring? They all look the same. I would love to see an outdoor show....or an Episode of Old School RAW where they go back to the old Ballroom in Manhattan where they did the early shows. They own the Great American Bash PPV - do an outdoor small stadium PPV. Something!
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel better it's all going to Komen for the Cure, which is one of the more evil "non for profit" charities. I believe it's still only 5 percent of their donations going to researching a cure.
ReplyDeleteI hate the unified generic set. Now, not even the ropes are different colors. Like Scott said, the set hasn't changed dramatically in years. If you go to WWE.com and view photos from their shows, unless it's zoomed out to the extent that you can see the stage or apron, you can't tell which show it's from or even what time period it's from.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I liked when each show had it's own unique look. Raw was red and black, with a bit of a hard core look. Smackdown was blue and silver, with a sleeker, more futuristic look. ECW was silver and black with a grittier, more subdued look.
With one set, the same colored ropes, and the essential elimination of an opening theme, the shows really don't have any distinct identity any more.
Now Smackdown uses white ropes too!
ReplyDeleteyeah, agreed. I'll watch matches when they're linked, but some more context would be really helpful.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy how WWE announces that a "portion" of the pink merch sales goes to Komen. Which is probably like 1% of net proceeds, when then gets filtered further through the Komen foundation until a few cents goes to cancer. CANCER HAS TO EAT TOO, YOU JERKS. Like they really couldn't afford to man up and donate all the profits from their stupid pink t-shirts for a month?
ReplyDeleteSuperstars
ReplyDeleteMain Event
Saturday Morning Slam
Maybe too many generic shows that the majority don't watch is the problem.
Am I the only person who liked the Smackdown Big Fist? It made the set pop a bit.
ReplyDeleteThey've got these big chewy pretzels here.....(slurring)
ReplyDeleteTheir website states that 20% of the sales goes to Komen.
ReplyDeleteHey now, Macho Man could definitely have pulled off an all-pink outfit.
ReplyDeleteI thought Ring Ka King was a TNA product?
ReplyDeleteIt was and it's out of business. I'm pretty sure Scott added it as a joke.
ReplyDeleteBoo, hiss.
ReplyDeleteFitting though as to how tame and lame the HIAC match has become
ReplyDeleteGiven the connection to Komen, I think it should be the HEELS all wearing Pink, while the faces do something else.
ReplyDeleteI loved it. If only b/c it was fun to try moonsaults off it in video games.
ReplyDelete10 years of looking the same...
ReplyDeleteNow consider how much the sets changed from 1986-1996. Yeah...they're overdue for a overhaul.
I hate it too, but have you every bought/not bought a show based on the set they're going to use? Or the pyro? I know I personally haven't, and I'm guessing many are in the same boat.
ReplyDeleteI miss the SmackDown fist.
ReplyDeleteI thought people stopped this gimmick in high school.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's quite the sacrifice that WWE is making there.
ReplyDeleteWhen was the last time they even did that at MSG though? Royal Rumble 08?
ReplyDeleteI'd settle for the occasional hard camera positioned on the opposite side of the ring. Can't remember the last time I saw that.
ReplyDeleteI think Long Island, Atlanta and maybe Dallas are the only three major arenas that require a "hard camera on the other side" setup, but you're right, it's seemingly been a long time since Raw or Smackdown has ventured to any of those buildings.
ReplyDeleteThe look of the shows is another thing that I suspect may be changed or freshened up once HHH/Steph take over and Kevin Dunn is inevitably fired.
1. Get back the flags over the ring - or some big screens or something like that
ReplyDelete2. No more big entrance areas at least for the PPVs. You need them on TV for the interaction but for PPVs the whole focus should be on the ring. AND they can put more people in the arena. If you watch old PPVs you can see the whole arena jam-packed with fans and today 1/4 of the arena is empty because of the entrance.
3. Get back the red-white-blue ring ropes like before the attitude. They still look much better than only red ones or only black ones or white with pink ones... which btw gives you eye cancer and is very counter productive to this whole donate thing if you really think about it (just kidding ;-).
Whatever happened with them running a separate company to help other acts tour? Did that get tossed aside like the network when I wasn't looking?
ReplyDeleteI'm not even opposed to a generic set for every show, if they'd just change it up a bit for all the shows every once in awhile.
next PPV is in less than 12 hours. Yay! They run another one in November (at least one), and I would assume at least one in December. and then their Wrestlemania is Jan. 4th..
ReplyDeleteShow wearing pink doesn't bother me - he's a face, and a very emotional one at that. His character would wear pink whether his company mandated it or not.
ReplyDeleteSay what you will about WCW - but this one place where they 'got it'. They tried all sorts of different things - PPVs at bike rallies, the original Souled Out, a ring surrounded by a swimming pool. Not all of them worked, but they did try some fun ideas.
ReplyDelete