Jim Ross has a new blog entry up.
Ross on fixing WWE in light of their recent troubles on Wall Street:
Beautiful day in Oklahoma as we thank you for stopping by our newly designed website. Let us commence….
My thoughts on WW’s recent communications and the fallout regarding their stock is simple. I outlined most of my take on this matter in the last blog that I authored.
However, I feel the solution is as simple as producing a more compelling TV product, putting key talents in a positive position to make a difference and overall ‘booking’ a better product that will appeal to the existing die hard fans and entice disenfranchised fans to return to the fold with a style of product that appeals to more to a mass audience of sports entertainment fans.
No fan, old or new, wants to sit through bad acting or long scenes that feature such. Dramatic, organic, dynamic promos where performers express themselves regarding a hot, personal issue or the importance of becoming a champion do not fall in the category of bad acting within the genre IMO.
Fans also do not need to be subjected to poorly executed comedy that is simply not funny. If comedy is written to satisfy a small aspect of the audience and that could be as small as the decision makers it should not be on TV. Simple, right?
Talents who have been percolating and touching the next level should e turned loose and given the chance to make a legit difference. In WWE, Dolph Ziggler comes to mind, in TNA guys like James Storm or Bobby Roode pop into my head as does a Michael Elgin in ROH.
Likely multiple other names belong on this off the top of my head listing but the bottom line is that if talents have gotten close but their creative push has been cut short for whatever the reason then perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate that mindset and put them back in the game if they are sound of mind and body.
At the end of the day, any company’s whose ‘sales’ are down has to focus on attracting new customers using smart marketing and consistently delivering a great product. Yep….it’s easier said than done but it’s doable.
Adding new customers/consumers will solve many ills but the general image that the media has on the genre isn’t changing in a major way any time soon even though I can tell you from personal experience that the perception of the genre today as compared to when I started in the business is night and day.
Changing the overall image of men in tights wrestling inside a 20 foot squared circle is and always will be a “work in progress” and that’s o.k.
The pro wrestling business is resilient and has deep roots unless those in charge of the genre across the board feel compelled to change what has essentially worked well for years.
Refine it, yes. Change it and continue to distance one’s self from the fundamental aspects of the business is as illogical as any business ignoring the basic rules of economics. If one spends more than one earns said entity is certainly doomed for failure. That goes for ALL business as the basic laws of economics are just as viable today as they were when the concept was created. Same goes for the fundamentals of pro wrestling which are just as viable today as they were back in the day.
As always, I highly recommend that you check out Ross’s website. You can read the entire blog by clicking here. Ringside with Jim Ross tickets in Chicago are available now at ticketmaster.com. Ross also noted that Bill Goldberg will be on his podcast this week.
