It’s something that became clear around Wrestlemania 31… Instead of cohesive stories and good payoffs, it became about “WrestleMania Moments!”
Every year it’s just gotten worse.
Instead of making entertaining and worthwhile television, they are in the business of content creation and hours viewed. There’s no reason they can’t achieve both.
Honestly, I think the answer is as simple as, this is what Vince wants to do. He’s a borderline elderly man who is powerful, highly emotional, erratic, and quite frankly likely has cognitive issues going at play. I have to imagine he has some type of CTE. He’s capable of great TV (look at the Roman/Uso’s story), but he’s also capable of pure crap. My guess is that Black and Strowman did something to piss him off, and he just said “Im done with them”. I’ve worked with people like that before, they are exhausting. Luckily in my situation, none of them had the power to do anything. Unfortunately for us, Vince has carte blanche.
With all that said, I dont think WWE is as bad as some make when it comes to quality of content. Smackdown most weeks a very good show, NXT is very good, PPV’s are usually middle of the road to good, and the network specials are generally excellent. Raw is crap, and I think that is what most people are using when they assess the quality of WWE’s programming.
I mean the reason is likely money related Braun makes more per year than it probably costs to make 205 live.
I mean the transformers movies look like Shakespeare compared to RAW but yeah. There are too many options and wrestlers by and large cannot act. For the WWE style show they would be better off training actors to wrestle. That said they would still need better writers, or just go unscripted for a lot of people.
Is Smackdown really that good? Or is it the Attitude era style of good. Where the top story is good enough that we forget the other crap happening on the show?
Like is the current women’s title feud good?
What about the tag division?
What is the great story lined up for Apollo and the US title?
I’m not saying the show is bad, but wrestling fans seem to go with “good” is I really enjoyed some things and the other things didn’t piss me off”.
Smackdown to me seems like “Game of Thrones” if you had say one character with a really good storyline like say Jon Snow dealing with White walkers north of the wall or something. While every other character just kind of hangs out in kings landing being bored.
Good or bad is obviously subjective, but personally I’m really enjoying it right now, unlike raw which I can’t stand watching.
Top storyline is great, I’m also in to Bianca/Bayley, not saying it’s amazing but I have liked what they have been doing. This past week I really enjoyed Street Profits vs The Usos as it had great in ring work, and the match had consequences in setting up a title match for this week. I’ve liked the stuff between the dirty dawgs and mysterios, Ive even enjoyed what Tamina and Natalia have been doing. All in all I’ve enjoyed the shows.
There are some pointless matches (is. Last weeks Owens vs Apollo) but I saw that coming and fast forwarded through it lol.
That is the thing though I cannot think of any show I actually like other than wrestling where “I fast forwarded through part of it.” Is code for a good show. I’m not saying it is unenjoyable as you said that is subjective. Compared to RAW it looks great. But all in all it still feels like a so so show at best with one great character story.
Braun probably sneezed around Vince.
I guess I find it surprising they gave up on him after everything he’s been given. He just beat Shane at Mania and last year won the title by beating Goldberg. You’re telling me guys nobody cares about on 205 Live or NXT UK are more important than him? Makes no sense
Plus they signed him to a long term deal in 2019. Just totally baffling
I just can’t wait for Spring Break 2022, featuring Braun and Nicolas, reunited.
Not more important but less costly. I was surprised too but he probably makes more money than every performer in 205 live combined. NXT UK with the additional costs of running overseas probably costs more than Braun, but I probably makes more than he does as well (unless it actually loses money I have no idea). But for what they pay him Braun isn’t bringing a ton of new fans to their shows that won’t show up without him. I saw somewhere that his deal was something like $6 million per year. Guys in 205 live probably make like $100k or so.
I think the bar for WWE making enjoyable TV has just been so lowered over the years, that the good bits stand out much more than they would have once upon a time.
I remember a time when everything they put out managed to be entertaining, and then some.
I think people are hanging on to the hope that once Vince is gone, it’ll get better… Which is a really depressing thing to hang on to.
[quote=“Breng77, post:31, topic:13383”] I saw somewhere that his deal was something like $6 million per year.
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I can’t imagine he makes that much, that is Brock money. It was probably $6 million in total over four or five years. I just think he’d be one of the last guys to cut just based on his importance. You have people like Tamina, Ziggler and Titus who have been around forever and probably don’t come cheap either.
Even guys like Sheamus or R-Truth are people I could more so understand cutting than Braun at this moment.
Everything I’ve read had Braun making a downside of $1 million and Ziggler at $1.5. So I just question if it’s purely about dollars, then why cut Braun over Ziggler?
I’m seeing a high of $6 for 2020 (Brock in same article at $12.5) and a low of $1.9 annually with Brock $10 per year. $6 isn’t Brock money it is Roman money who I see most $1.9 might be his downside guarantee. So maybe he is at the higher figure based on other factors.
That might have been what guys earned with everything included. His downside was around $1 million - https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2021/06/backstage-notes-on-braun-strowmans-wwe-release/
Brock’s original downside was $3 million a year but he earned a lot more because they used him more than originally agreed to and he obviously made a lot off merch and other deals.
lol I cant argue with that. The only show I feel that’s comparable is SNL, there are definitely funny skits, but there is also a lot of crap.
Ill say this, I’m not by any stretch saying that SD is amazing, but I do find myself enjoying it when I watch it. As far as the fast forwarding part, to be fair I do that to a degree with Raw, SD, and Dynamite. Part of it is that I just dont care about certain matches, another part of it is that I only have so much free time, and I just dont have 7-10 hours a week to watch wrestling. When you FF through commercials, pointless matches, and recaps, it really does cut down on time quite a bit.
With that said, you make a good point.
According to Forbes Braun made 1.9mil in 2020.
Im wondering if we see Charlotte get dumped. Probably has a high salary, her husband requested his release and she failed to make any difference whatsoever when she was in NXT. She’s stale as hell and really has nothing left to do in WWE. They can job her to Rhea and then release her. Why not?