10 Things Fans Want From WWE 1

1. Respect

When it’s all said and done, this is what fans really want from WWE. It seems like such a simple concept and something so easy for that company to give. At times, it’s not really that much of a big deal and fans are usually treated fairly well.

Then there are times like we saw on the July 21 edition of Monday Night Raw, when Triple H decided to blast the fans both in attendance and watching at home. He addressed the online fans by mocking their use of social media including Twitter, over disappointment stemming from John Cena’s win at Battleground.

The moment was hailed by some as another great example of WWE trolling its audience and that does make sense, as The Game is arguably the top heel right now. Why not come out and insult the crowd?

However, this is perhaps just one small moment of something much larger. Triple H may have been in character when he ripped the fans but the question is, just how deep does that go? Was WWE intentionally trying to disrespect its paying customers by directly addressing their use of social media?

Perhaps the better question is why would WWE consistently promote their presence on social media platforms each and every moment of both Raw and SmackDown, only to then insult fans for contributing to it? How many times will fans be left feeling as though they’ve either totally been ignored or mocked for what they want to see when they lay down their money to buy tickets?

Fans just want to be respected. No, we don’t have all the answers and no we’re not in charge of the programming so ultimately it’s out of our hands. That does not mean we are not smart about the business or do not make the right choices when it comes to who should be on top of the company.

All we want is respect for what we mean to the business and to the success of WWE. It’s a very simple concept indeed.

                                                                                                       

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 2

2. Kayfabe

When WWE began partnering with the Be A Star campaign against bullying, some fans immediately cried foul. They believed the company was being very hypocritical with a cause that it spent so much time directly contradicting. After all, how could WWE stand up against bullies when that is exactly what fans see on a weekly basis from them?
However the biggest issue with this and some other situations in WWE is the fact that kayfabe is all but disregarded now. Indeed, the very element that has historically kept the business believable and thriving in the past is practically ignored in many cases by the biggest pro wrestling company in the world.
The Be A Star campaign is just one example of this. Another one is the Fatherhood Involvement program, which encouraged dads to be more active in their kid’s lives. Three WWE Superstars joined this cause; Roman Reigns, Alberto Del Rio and Titus O’Neil. While this is surely a worthwhile endeavor and sets a great example for fathers everywhere, the truth is that Del Rio and O’Neil are heels.
That does not mean they are not human of course, but WWE has spent a lot of time in the past getting them both over as antagonists. Could they not have perhaps chosen two babyfaces for these PSA’s?
Stephanie McMahon joined with the rest of WWE in working with the Special Olympics recently and there is no doubt that the cause itself garnered great publicity for the company and its Superstars. However the next time fans saw Stephanie, she was back to her smiling, conniving ways as one half of WWE’s diabolical corporate leadership.
The other half of that leadership, Triple H, has opened up Q&A sessions on Twitter before, in which he has been very cordial and very respectful of the fans he speaks to. Then he goes on the air and blasts them for being too smart for their own good. Perhaps fans should not have been encouraged to talk to WWE’s top heel by that top heel himself?
All of this may seem like petty complaints on the part of fans, as everyone understands that what they see on TV are performances only. The men and women that get on camera are portraying characters, not real life individuals.
Having said that however, the fact is that heels should be heels and faces should be faces. Any shades of gray in between do not help the product and harms the overall credibility of the program. Fans want the fictional reality of kayfabe to be maintained because at the end of the day, we do enjoy getting lost in the drama of it all.
WWE needs to decide if its committed to that reality or not. Until it does, fans will likely be left scratching their heads trying to make sense of it all.

                                                                                                       

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 3

3. Wrestling

This is the easiest one on the countdown and the one that should be on every fan’s list. The fact is that of everything that the audience needs or wants to see, it’s the wrestling that brings us all together.

Without the in-ring action, WWE is just an entertainment company fighting to gain a foothold with its audience. They would be no different from any other sort of company that sought to make money on TV or in Hollywood. Of course they would also not have a solid fanbase that has supported them and continues to tune in each week.

Vince McMahon may have taken WWE into other directions over the years and he may believe that “wrestling” is a dirty word but for the fans, nothing could be further from the truth. With some of the most talented workers in the industry today, WWE is more than capable of putting on a truly great pro wrestling program from start to finish.

However that is not always what we see. Oftentimes, both Raw and SmackDown can get bogged down with promos and seemingly endless flashbacks from the program before. And while the company has somewhat improved the flow of its programming for the most part, the truth is that “pass the mic” gets very boring and very tiresome to watch.

Fans want the wrestling. That is what brought us to the table and it’s what keeps us coming back. Wrestling is the reason Daniel Bryan got over the way he did and why both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are applauded every week that they’re on TV. The wrestling is what matters and even though Vince doesn’t want to talk about it, it’s no less true.

                                                                                                            

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 4

4. Recognition For The Company’s Success

WWE fans catch a lot of heat. The majority of that heat can come from those who don’t watch the product, from other fans and even from the company itself. Despite how much grief fans have to endure, the truth is that without us WWE would not exist today. And for many, it’s high time that the company acknowledged that.

If the Monday Night Wars proved anything, it’s that the audience has the real power. Both WCW and WWE were pulling out all the stops in order to win the battle for ratings and in the middle of that struggle were the fans. The fact is that there was no better place to be at that time.

The fans were the ones that made the nWo an overnight success and dictated that Goldberg not only deserved their support but that he should be a top guy. Ted Turner’s company made serious waves thanks to the men that made up the locker room, there is no doubt about that but it was their fanbase that kept them on top.

However it was also the fans that decided they were growing tired of the same old routine week in and week out from WCW and turned the channel to watch WWE. Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind, The Undertaker, they all got over and stayed over thanks to the crowds that came and watched at home. WWE won because they made the right moves at the right times and because the fans backed them up all the way.

Years after the fact, WWE keeps releasing DVD’s and documentaries on that era. The company pats itself on the back for a job well done and then continues to plug away with the current product. While no one can argue with the work that their talent did to succeed back then, the fact remains that without fans, they never would have made it.

Fans are talked down to, they are criticized for being overly critical themselves and they are subjected to silly storylines that make very little sense to anyone. WWE seems to have forgotten the impact the audience had for them then and has for them now. Fans want that to change.

                                                                                                                 

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 5

5. Old school Angles

Dean Ambrose’s recent war with Seth Rollins is one that has brought both excitement and drama to WWE. Ambrose is out for revenge against the man that betrayed both he and Roman Reigns, forever dismantling The Shield and ending the run of WWE’s most dominant faction.

Now this is a pro wrestling storyline and it’s absolutely working in every way. This is what WWE needs more of; clear, simple, straight storylines and angles that may not be complex but are extremely entertaining to their very core. The business was built upon the idea that two men have a conflict and they settle their differences in a wrestling ring.

Any variation of this basic premise is just fluff and all the gimmicks in the world will not provide a great story if there’s not one there to begin with.

This angle is not about Randy Orton complaining about who the face of WWE should be. It’s also not about The Authority, the corporate heel group that feels no pain and is able to consistently wave off every attack thrown its way. This is not a confused Superstar in Damien Sandow attempting to find himself while being made to look like a fool in the process. It’s also definitely not about John Cena moving from one opponent to the next while really helping no one along the way.

This is about two guys that just want to fight and fans want more of this.

Rollins versus Ambrose is not over with the crowd just because of The Shield’s popularity or because of what the two men could potentially be in the future for the company. This feud is over because it plays right into what a pro wrestling presentation should be; two guys that just want to beat each other up.

It cannot get any simpler than that.

                                                                                                               

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 6

6. Realistic Situations

Part of the problem when it comes to the ever growing divide between WWE and its fanbase has been the company’s insistence on force feeding stars and situations that are just not real. Fans know they’re watching a pro wrestling presentation and expect to be worked from start to finish but if they feel like they’re being talked down to? Fans can see through the phoniness that’s presented to them and for WWE to believe we can’t is an absolute insult.

After Roman Reigns sabotaged Stephanie McMahon’s coffee, she supposedly got so sick that she was able to stand upright and projectile vomit right in the face of Vickie Guerrero. During Vickie’s last night on Raw, she hurled Stephanie into a swimming pool full of what fans were lead to believe was excrement.

Hugh Jackman stood in the middle of the ring and pretended that Damien Sandow had the ability to use magnetic powers as sound effects were played for the audience. The Big Show came back to Raw and even though he was supposedly fired, his entrance music played anyway.

Virtually none of the participants in a Hell in a Cell or an Elimination Chamber match show any ill effects the next night on Raw. Randy Orton is presented as the face of WWE under The Authority’s protection, yet he is practically left on his own through the bulk of his title run. The list unfortunately, goes on and on.

The small things make all the difference and the devil is in the details. If WWE wants us to buy in then the situations must be more realistic and the people involved not as phony, The ability to suspend disbelief is the only way to accept and enjoy what we’re seeing in and out of the ring. If that goes, so too does the product itself.

                                                                                                               

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 7

7. Jim Ross

When the whispers of WWE wanting to make a change at the lead commentator position first began online, many fans likely thought it was all just a rumor. After all, Jim Ross had been the voice of the company since 1993 and though his tenure was not a constant, he was always brought back and was always considered to be a huge part of the WWE family.

So when the company began making noise that Michael Cole was being groomed to take J,R.’s spot sooner rather than later, it did seem like a slap in the face to many fans. The company supposedly wanted to go with someone younger, someone that the audience could more readily identify with.

However, the audience didn’t seem to want that. They wanted J.R. WWE was evidently not prepared to discuss it though, as they kept moving forward with Cole. Ross was ever so subtly moved to the side more and more until suddenly the man that had guided WWE’s broadcasts during the bulk of the Monday Night Wars was relegated to SmackDown back in 2008.

Cole took over on Raw and J.R. kept suffering through the same back and forth that he had endured for years in the company. He was used on TV in storylines he had no business being in and was also used to get other guys over at his own expense. WWE seemed hellbent on embarrassing Ross and they did so on more than one occasion.

But what the company does not understand about fans in this whole situation is that we never wanted this. We did not want Jim Ross to go anywhere. And while the company supposedly wanted to move on, the fans consistently said no. The real issue here is that once again, WWE did the thinking for its audience. Treating Ross the way they did was indicative of how arrogant the company could be at its worst and is just another example of how they do not understand what the fans really want.

Ross has moved on now and is officially done with WWE. While he seems to be genuinely happy and ready for the next chapter of his life, that has not stopped fans from wanting him back again. What three men now do on Raw, J.R. could more than do by himself. Fans want Jim Ross and they likely always will.

                                                                                                          

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 8

8. Plausible Diva Storylines

The Divas division in WWE has been the subject of very spirited debate for several years now. The reason for that is due to the commonly held belief among fans that the women in that company are just not being given what they need to succeed. The issue use to be that the Divas were treated like sex objects; now they’re being treated like reality stars. And some fans have just as much of a problem with that.
While Total Divas is a hit, it does very little to strengthen the division whatsoever. In fact some would argue that it’s an even bigger mess than before and it does not appear to be changing anytime soon.
At the root of the problem here is the storylines. The male Superstars are given their fair share of angles that spotlight realistic motivations and real world situations. Betrayal, anger, greed, power, ambition, these are all used fairly consistently in the men’s division and provides the backdrop for the matches themselves.
On the Divas side however, fans are treated to Natalya being upset that her paintings were criticized. That alone constituted more than one match and honestly, it’s not gotten much better than that. The only real bright spot as of late has been the situation between AJ and Paige, which has more closely resembled an angle that fans would see in the men’s division.
Having said that however, the truth is that AJ is the Divas champion yet she is not a Diva the way the company portrays them. Stephanie McMahon is in the top storyline in the division yet she’s also not a Diva and not a wrestler. Just when it seemed like things could not be worse, there’s Eva Marie who does not seem capable of doing anything.
The fact is that fans want something more from the Divas. While there will always be a segment of the male audience that tunes in only in hopes of seeing a wardrobe malfunction, the majority of fans want to see the Divas at their best. The only way to accomplish that is for WWE to offer exciting, intense rivalries that keep fans interested and keep them coming back for more.

                                                                                                          

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 9

9. Less Comedy

Everyone likes a good laugh and WWE fans are no different. There have been some very entertaining moments through the years in that company, by some very funny guys that made every segment just a blast to watch. Mick Foley, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, even Stone Cold Steve Austin, all brought their senses of humor to the table.
However, somewhere along the way that humor seems to have been lost. Now, the company uses Superstars that are nothing more than comedy acts. While this has been done many times before in WWE, the fact is that it’s still being done today and many fans have no idea why.
As with the idea of using guest musicians, the notion of using joke gimmicks for cheap laughs in the modern era seems a bit unnecessary. After all, this is an era populated by Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton. Considering the intensity that all of these stars bring and the great work they deliver, the question becomes why would WWE still feel the need to get stupid goofy at a moment’s notice?
The fact is, fans don’t want this. A few comedy bits here and there are fine; they lighten the mood of a crowd that is perhaps emotionally drained from watching an intense match. In those instances, some humor is needed and in small doses can become very entertaining moments of the night.
However, when two grown men are dressed like Mexican matadors and are accompanied to the ring by another man dressed like a bull? Enough is enough.
Again, a little humor here and there is fine. But when fans find themselves rolling their eyes in one comedy segment after another? There’s nothing funny about that.

                                                                                                         

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE 10

10. No Musical Guests

Many fans are into music. And many fans are into the current artists of the day. The demographic for both WWE and MTV is very similar and because of that, Vince McMahon’s company has seemingly always felt the need to crossover in an attempt to get ratings. After all, if a rapper or singer can bring some of their fans with them then that’s good for business right?
However, the problem is that theory does not seem to work now. The ideas that once fueled The Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection in the 1980′s were great for its time and the work done during that era expanded WWE’s audience. Vince’s company went from being just a territory to being a staple of American pop culture and it just got bigger from there.
In the modern era though, WWE is such a worldwide phenomenon and so deeply ingrained in entertainment circles that there is no real need to bring in any musician to help them get anywhere. In fact both musicians and celebrities are used very sparingly at WrestleMania now, if at all.
Yet anytime WWE can bring one in for Raw or for a pay-per-view, they do. Flo Rida’s recent appearance on Raw was announced just one week prior and it served no real purpose for the program whatsoever. He performed the theme song from WrestleMania 28; an event that occurred two years ago.
The fact is that fans pay to see WWE, not MTV. A mini concert does nothing but slow down the card and also takes away a segment that could have been used for a Superstar that perhaps didn’t get booked that night. Fans came to see wrestling, not rapping. And somehow, WWE does not seem to understand that.

                                                                                                       

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10 Things Fans Want From WWE

10 Things Fans Want From WWE

                                                       

There are two types of realities as it pertains to WWE. One is the reality of what the company wants and the other is the reality of what the fans want. In some instances, they are one and the same. When that is the case, it’s typically a good day for both sides.
However, there is not always such harmony between WWE and its fans. Oftentimes, what one side wants directly conflicts with the other. Truth be told, this is usually the way it goes and at this point the WWE faithful are used to it.
Now the question is, why the divide? Why does such a separation exist between Vince McMahon’s company and the masses he invites to view his programming week in and week out? Make no mistake about it; there is definitely a rift between each side and that rift can either be a simple disagreement or it could be very dramatic in terms of how it affects everyone involved.
The fact is that for fans, the answer is very simple; WWE just does not understand. Call it being out of touch with the times, call it unfamiliarity with the current generation, call it what you will. The point is that despite how it’s labeled, the great disconnect that usually exists here is mostly due to fans feeling so misunderstood they would rather stop watching than to put up with it anymore.
At the end of the day, fans want what they want. Despite whether or not the company agrees, nothing will ever change that…

                                                                                                         

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