Would you watch TNA and WWE if ...

[Zeven_Zion]

Would you watch WWE if they had TNA's production?

Imagine the WWE you have today. Imagine Orton, and Cena, and 'Taker, and Kane and all the cool guys. Well, bar Cena. Imagine everything that is going on in WWE today without the big, fancy sets, without the glorious pyro, without the cool promo packages, without the special effects, without the nice lighting, without a big arena.

Imagine WWE in the iMPACT Zone. Would you watch it?

I'm asking because I feel like a lot of people think in the "Seeing is Believing" way. Both new fans and old ones. They see WWE, they see the awesome decors, they see the great production, they see the pro lighting and everything that makes the show what it is in 2010, and the first thing on their mind is - hey, it looks great, it probably is great. Even when WWE's product is awfully bromidic, and it has been for a very long time, people wouldn't dare to question it because it's the biggest wrestling company in the world. Biggest doesn't always mean best.

A question to ask yourselves is this, and I want you to be honest with yourselves if not anyone else : do you watch WWE solely because of their awesome storylines which spand over episodes and always keep you on your toes? Do you watch because of their adrenaline pumping matches and awesome booking? Do you watch it because of their exceptionally versatile talent? Or do you watch it because you're used to it. Do you watch it because your brain shuts off as soon as someone mentions ROH, TNA, DG, NJPW or any other wrestling promotion.

Would The Undertaker be still going today if it wasn't for his special effects? I'm talking about the time when his shit got real cinematic, which is after 2006 and so on. The lighting during his promos? The promo packages? Let's be realistic - The Undertaker is horrible in the ring. He's slow, he's not exciting. The only way to save a match of his is to have a wrestler of the caliber of HBK selling for him.

What if WWE's themes were as cheesy as TNA's. What if their arena was just as small. What if their production was lacking? Can you honestly say with your hand on your heart that WWE would still be better than TNA if the two companies had the same ammount of financial support?

And here's a bonus question. What if TNA had WWE's production? What if TNA had the fancy pyro, the huge screens, the promo packages, the music, the arenas, the billions of dollars? TNA has proved time and time again that they're the more creative company out of the two. Some of the things they're doing right now are extremely entertaining, such as ReAction, and they're working with a limited budget.

Would you, the fan who won't give TNA a chance not because he doesn't like it, but because it's a smaller promotion ( you know who you are ), take TNA Wrestling for granted if they had WWE's cosmetic value?

Is today's wrestling fan too caught up in HOW a company looks and because of that ignores its product?

Immature or not, we all loved The Attitude Era, and its production was also shitty. Its promo packages were nothing spectacular. The pyro was way worse than TNA's. All they had was the big titantron and arena full of awesome, supportive fans. It wasn't the cosmetic value that made the A.A as great as it was. Hell, it wasn't the cosmetic value that made WWF in the 80's as memorable as that, and I know a lot of you are still enjoying the stuff more than you do WWE and TNA for that matter.

Are people ignoring WWE's weak product because of the way it's presented? Are people ignoring TNA because the way it's presented? TNA's not the worst company in the world. In fact, the same mistakes TNA does - WWE does. But people focus on the negatvie sides, and if you count TNA's positive sides and WWE's positive sides, you'll see quite a difference.

Is today's average wrestling fan too fond of great production? Isn't WWE's production and money the only thing keeping it alive?

 

[Vintage]

Is today's wrestling fan too caught up in HOW a company looks and because of that ignores its product?

I really hate to butcher a great post with my quotation but that statement right there pretty much made me admit something to myself. When it comes to watching wrestling, I'm slightly shallow and I always considered myself a purist. I absolutely cannot stand ROH. It's nothing against the wrestlers and I know that because I simply cannot watch an episode of the product, not even for Homicide, Daniels, Benjamin and Haas whom are favorites of mine. It comes across as very low budget and I just can't bring myself to appreciate what I tuned in to watch in the first place. It's a shame really, I only hear good things about ROH.

TNA reminds me a lot of the old WCW when they were taping their shows at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando. Thank goodness we're spared the cheesy spring break specials. The production isn't top notch, but it's of higher quality than ROH which is the new AWA of the wrestling world.

WWE... I refuse to watch anything but their PPV's which i acquire indirectly. I cannot justify giving them my money at this time as I find the product stale right now. It's the best looking show of the 3 but unfortunately it's all smoke and mirrors and they've been running on auto pilot for years. They are the Ringling Bros of the wrestling world. It's the biggest show on earth.. the one that is cool to be into. It's trendy to be a WWE fan because of all the pyro, cool music and big name stars. That doesn't necessarily mean they provide a superior product, just one that people are conditioned to watch because it's been around the longest and it's the flashiest.

I just wish people would realize that no matter how much you dress it up, crap is crap and force WWE to step their game up by not accepting mediocrity..

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Would you watch WWE if they had TNA's production?

The Undertaker is horrible in the ring. He's slow, he's not exciting. The only way to save a match of his is to have a wrestler of the caliber of HBK selling for him.

Undertaker has been faster and more athletic in the ring over the last few years than he ever was in his early days in WWE. Back then he wasnt allowed to move at any speed, he was more of an "undead-zombie-type character". He was still incredibly over back then even without as much special effects as now.


I still think I would watch it without the pyro, huge titantron etc, as much as the production can benefit the "show" aspect of the wrestling business, fact of the matter is, if you cant deliver in the ring and on the mic, no amount of special effects, lighting and fireworks will cover it up.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When it comes to TNA, I'm not generally hung up all that much when it comes to how the Impact Zone looks. I think that TNA is doing the best they can with the financial strength they've got. I figured out a long time ago that TNA isn't going to be touring and having iMPACT! in a different arena each week. They just don't have the financial means to do it and I've accepted it. I still watch TNA because I've accepted that there's not really much they can do when it comes to the cosmetics. However, the physical presentation, what we see with the pyro and all that can only take you so far in my opinion.

What turns me off about TNA isn't production values, it's just the general product in and of itself. In most of the major angles and storylines they've got going on, I simply don't care about them. I think that's due in big part to the fact that I don't care about a lot of the wrestlers invovled. For instance, Fortune is a faction that's got several legitimately great wrestlers in the fold. I love Styles and Beer Money but the faction just feels a bit generic to me and I think that could be due to how weak TNA has booked several members of the faction to look and be. I care nothing about EV2.0 at all, I just wish they were gone personally. RVD and Abyss just don't excite me all that much. Abyss can be eyerollingly corny and RVD is a little overrated. The X-Division is bland, the Knockouts are on the same level as the Divas. The World Championship scene is kind of interesting right now for the first time since RVD won the title. The tag team division feels fresh right now and I'm glad to see that it's mostly young teams being the focus of the tag team scene at this particular point in time.

Production values can make people look at a company be impressed by the general show of strength. All the various fancy pryo, the promo packages, the music and all the rest of it can potentially add to it. However, I don't watch wrestling for a fireworks show or to hear music. If I don't care about the actual wrestlers, the storylines, the angles, promos and wrestling matches, then production value won't make me care about the company.

Production value isn't a huge consideration in whether or not I like what a wrestling company is putting out. TNA is basically doing the best they can with the financial resources they have. I've long since figured out that TNA isn't going to be airing iMPACT! in a different location each week and that it's not going to happen anytime soon. I've also accepted that and the fact that TNA is doing their best with what they've got. It's not like they just don't want to spend the money, that'd be a different story with me.

However, what turns me off about TNA is the product in and of itself. I think that TNA does have some great talent on its roster but I don't particularly care about the vast majority of them based on what TNA does with them. I'm not going to rag on what my opinion of TNA's faults are. With the exception of the tag team scene in TNA right now, I think the rest of it is crap. If you don't care about the wrestlers, watching them in their feuds with whomever, their promos or whatever, then that's a creative situation rather than a production one.

Production values can make a company look all big and imposing and powerful and all this and that. That's all well and good, but the pyro and promo packages and the music and all that is just window dressing. If you don't care all that much about the wrestling product then all the bright lights and fancy fireworks in the world isn't going to do much for me.

 

[GreenEyedDevil]

TNA is cool because it doesnt OVER PRODUCE every little thing it does.

It's the gritty crime-drama of primetime pro wrestling shows. It needs to be a little dark. The creative, violent, stories wouldnt be as realistic if they were perfectly lit and produced.

But there are certain backstage angles that need to more well lit, i will admit it.

I can guarantee that there are tons of main stream fans who watch WWE because of the big budget, and scoff at TNA because of the small arena, and simply the fact that theyre not the familiar WWE that they grew up with.

Why do conservatives only watch fox news? Because outside viewpoints, and change scares them.

Same with A LOT of wwe fans.

 

[excel_excel]

TNA's production values are hardly that bad are they? They're the best they've ever been, and quite frankly I think for TNA the production values have absolutly no effect on peoples desicion to watch.

Maybe for ROH and some indie companies they have this problem, but TNA their production values have been better then ever yet their ratings haven't improved and their buyrates are at an all time low compared to say 2006 where they had a much worse 'presentation' if you will.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I watch wrestling to be entertained, and the wrestlers who entertain me are those with a little something called personality.

Production levels play a small factor into this (as it's much more difficult to watch something that looks like it was filmed in a basement of some kids home on a handheld camera), but above all else personality is what drives my passion to watch, nothing more.

That said, I'm pretty sure everyone already knows exactly what my answer would be here.

 

[TheAssassin]

I'm not sure, I guess I would. But it would definetely ruin that important feel to the shows, since it would feel so low budgety.