The Wrestling Doctor 08.19.08: Don't Send 120 Minutes To Do An Hour’s Job.

Posted by W.S. Thomason on 08.19.2008

Did you know? 8,000 times as many people watched Raw last week as read this column.

THE WRESTLING DOCTOR: THE PRESCRIPTION FOR WHAT AILS

THE SECOND OPINION

Reader Cat's Music 43 sent this response in regarding Charleston, SC, hosting the most Clash of Champions events of any one city:

As an attendee of all 3 Charleston SC clashes, the reason had to have been that both the McAllister Field House and North Charleston Coliseum are small buildings comparatively- the field house is where the Citadel plays basketball and the coliseum couldn't hold more than 10k at best- real easy to sell them out or paper heavy and fill the seats.

It's always good to get a perspective from someone who was at the events. The Clashes that WCW did run in Charleston were in 1990, 1992, and 1994 – not exactly boom years for the company – so small buildings that the company knew it could both make look good on television and paper easily if need be were very attractive.

I'm glad that folks enjoyed the Clash of the Champions series of the last few weeks. It is clear that there exists a significant market for old WCW material and that the WWE would make a killing off of multiple WCW-related sets. The possibilities are almost endless – in addition to this fall's Essential Starrcade, there could be a Clash set, and similar "Best of" compilations from The Great American Bash, Halloween Havoc, Super Brawl, Spring Stampede, Bash at the Beach, Fall Brawl, Nitro, WCW Saturday Night, and (what the hell!) even Thunder. A Great American Bash set would inevitably include a disc of material from the WWE's edition of the event, but that would be a small price to pay for a series WCW sets. Add in biography and themed compilations, such as an overall WCW documentary, and the WWE could flush out its DVD schedule for years.

As several readers pointed out, a large chunk of old WCW fans are currently at a prime point in terms of purchasing power. A WCW fan who was, say, 15 – 18 during the company's peak run of 1996 – 1998 is currently 25 – 30. These fans are more likely to have more disposable income than they did a decade ago, and are less likely to have large financial drains such as child expenses, huge mortgages, and other such expenses. Combine a current cultural slant towards all things nostalgia with the fact that the WWE already owns the WCW library, and you have an entire series of DVDs with a built-in, hungry audience and extraordinarily low production costs. WCW can be a big winner for the WWE.

Vince McMahon appears to be less than enthusiastic over the idea of promoting WCW because of the defeats he suffered at the hands of the company from late 1995 to early 1998. While a degree of resentment is understandable, nearly a decade has passed since WCW went under, and Vince can now revel in the sweet irony making money off of the company that almost put him out of business. What makes McMahon's reticence more intriguing is that it is indisputable that he WON the Monday Night War. Marks can debate quality of programming, work rates, character development, and storylines all day and night (and we do), but the facts are that the WWE triumphed in the ratings battle and bought a dying WCW. Vince just didn't live on while WCW folded, he bought them. How much more decisive can you get? Vince is rumored to believe that WCW products will not generate revenue, but the three Ric Flair-related sets have proven that theory quite incorrect.

Every WCW mark needs to buy the Starrcade DVD and give a second copy as a gift. If that set can move at least 250,000 units, then maybe Vince will change his mind towards WCW.

THIS WEEK'S PATIENT: DON'T SEND 120 MINUTES TO DO AN HOUR"S JOB
Saturday Night's Main Event bombed in the ratings a few weeks ago, which does not bode well for the program's future (prime time or otherwise). The program as a show was good and well-paced. It made me wonder what would happen if the WWE reduced one of its major programs to 60 minutes.

I am – and always have been – a big fan of a 60 minute wrestling show. There is something about the challenge of putting together a great program in a limited amount of time that I have always enjoyed. The one hour Nitros of the show's first eight months were fantastic, and the WWF put on some solid one hour Raws in 1996-1997 once they figured out what they needed to do to compete with their rivals on TNT. These 60 minute battles from the Monday Night War may seem dated today, but they were solid offerings for the time which built the foundation for the multi-hour juggernaut shows we snore through today.

Oh, and there's my well-documented radical disdain for five hours of WWE television each week. Holding the view that five hours of weekly original programming is promotional, I proposed a few months ago that the WWE cut its secondary brands in favor of one three hour Raw. This week I am conducting a similar thought experiment, except this time I am proposing that the WWE reduce Smackdown from two hours to one.

Bare with me. I understand how ratings and advertising revenue are tied in a nice little knot to the WWE's bottom line. I fully realize that Smackdown will only be cut down if My Network TV brings down the ax. However, the upsides of a voluntary reduction are many and should be considered. I know that some smart ass is going to comment that ECW is a weekly one hour WWE program, but I am looking at major shows. If you are not convinced that ECW is minor league, just consider that the ECW Title match at Summerslam ended in a disqualification after 35 seconds – all for the purpose of setting up the rematch on the ECW program two nights later. The Wrestlemania ECW Title match was nine seconds (albeit that finish had a nicer effect). Two title matches less than 36 seconds at two of the biggest PPVS of the year? No one with stock options gives a quarter of a damn about that strap.

ECW is short on respect, but one thing it does have going is solid pacing. It is a one hour show that does not feel uncomfortably packed, as Impact did during its first two years on Spike. The roomy atmosphere of ECW is more out of necessity than anything else, as the brand lacks the talent to pack a show. Some episodes in the past have been too rushed, but since the draft the segments have been smartly spaced.

The WWE is capable of producing an excellent one-hour show. Saturday Night's Main Event and ECW prove that contention. Raw, as the company's flagship, will never be cut down as long as Vince McMahon is breathing, but Smackdown is a viable candidate for booking reduction surgery. The healthy ECW-style same pacing could be applied to Friday nights, and a better experience would be the result.

The major criticism of cutting down Smackdown is going to be that young talent are going to lose opportunities to develop. I argue the opposite.

In his autobiography, William Regal discusses how he encouraged Triple H to leave WCW for the WWE in 1995 even though it would kill their proposed Blue Bloods partnership (the replacement pairing with Eaton didn't have the same luster). Regal states that what HHH needed more than anything for his growth was the WWE's heavy house show schedule. Regal argues that the best training ground for a wrestler is in front of a live crowd but away from television cameras. The emphasis of the match can be on growing the wrestler as a performer, and not on making the company look good on its weekly television show. Wrestlers at house shows do not have to worry as much about whether or not their entrances will have to re-taped, and if they botch a spot they can learn from the moment instead of having to re-shoot the match later or getting heat for screwing up in front of millions of live viewers. Every generation of wrestlers up until this century has grown and matured through non-televised events. The current new talent coming into the WWE is taking a different path, and the weakness of the approach shows through every week.

Smackdown has a particularly weak mid-card roster. Triple H, Edge, and Undertaker are the franchise players. Hardy, Kennedy, and MVP are on the top tier bubble. Big Show, Umaga, and Great Khali are the monsters always on call for a placeholder PPV title match or big brawl television main event. And everyone else? Benjamin and Carlito are in dire need of reconstruction, Chavo has never been over in singles, and most of the younger talents have either not been well developed or have limited potential.

Smackdown does not have enough top names to fill out an interesting weekly two-hour program. The wrestling on a mediocre Smackdown trumps that on a great Raw, but Friday nights have a fair share of filler. Cramming Smackdown's limited mid-level talent into 120 minutes does not help young performers develop, it only adds to their stagnation. New talent should be exposed on television in moments of quality, and not just thrown in front of the cameras at every opportunity because the writers can't have Edge making out with a wedding planner more than once an episode. Many would argue that new wrestlers need weekly exposure in order to get over and be remembered, but that assertion is not always correct. Young stars may get somewhat over initially, but the support quickly wanes as the fans get burned out on seeing the same characters every week. A new talent who has varied and entertaining matches every other week is far more likely to gain crowd support than a guy who has the same predictable three minutes every seven days.

For further study in this area, see: Jesse & Festus; the many guises of Chuck Palumbo; The Spirit Squad / Kenny Dykstra; The Highlanders; Vladimir Kozlov; The Boogey Man; Jimmy Wayne Yang; La Resistance; Ron Conway; Mark Jindrak; Rosey; and dozens of others. Weekly appearances will not make or break a nascent worker; quality appearances will, even if infrequent.

Another advantage of a reduced Smackdown is that developmental talent can stay in FCW longer and build a better skill set. Most guys coming out of the WWE developmental system are just not up to snuff when they reach the "big time." The WWE needs to address their system if they want to have major stars in the future.

Let's take a look at the last three week's of Smackdown and see what segments would have fit into a one-hour show and what moments would need to be put out to pasture like The Highlanders.

I used Larry Csonka's Smackdown reports for match times and original run order.

Smackdown 08.01.08
Video recap of the previous week bleeds into our intros from JR and Mick Foley.

Non-Title: Mr. Kennedy over US Champion Shelton Benjamin (13:30): A wrestling match is always a sure way to open up a wrestling show (take note, Raw!) plus this one sets up a Kennedy-Benjamin Summerslam match (a moot point now, but a good plan then). Shelton's whining follows.

Backstage segment with La Familia regarding the identity of Edge's guest.
Then the Triple H video since he's off with his new baby, followed by the Summerslam update.

Non-Title Match: Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder over Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore (4:30): This match originally occurred on the 08.08.08 Smackdown, but I'm moving it up a week because it fits better on this show. Here we see the one-hour show advantage of not over-exposing the mid-card. Hawkins and Ryder can get more quality attention every-other-week on a one-hour show than serving as a weekly segment spacer on a longer broadcast.

Brain Kendrick over Stevie Richards (3:45): Nice little match to build up the real potential in The Kendrick heel character. The former tag champ is probably the best young performer Smackdown has, so they should invest wisely in how he is booked. I'm very surprised that the WWE cut Richards, as he knows how to make an opponent look good.

The Great Khali over Jeff Hardy (11:00): While Khali's involvement brings everything down, this match continues to build up Khali as a threat to Trips at Summerslam, and MVP's interference furthers his storyline with Hardy. Furthering the story is the point of a wrestling television program, and two-for-one booking is a great way to realize that goal. We'll cut down the actual match time a little to make it fit, plus nobody should be regularly exposed to more than eight minutes of Khali ring time.

Cutting Edge: Edge destroys Mick Foley in one of the best individual show segments this year. Great stuff which re-invigorates the vicious, calculating side of the Edge character going into Hell-in-a-Cell.

What Is Out:
MVP over Jimmy Wang Yang (3:00): Nothing against either guy, but this match is not needed as we will see MVP later on in the Jeff Hardy match, plus we stuck Yang in the show against the tag champs.

Maria over Victoria (3:01): Maria beating Victoria does nothing. Out! Is there a Divas title around here somewhere?

Big Show over Domino (1:00): With no Big Show-Umaga match at Summerslam, this match and the subsequent stare-down have no storyline value. Gone like Domino later that week.

Chavo and Bam talking about Edge's guest. Combine this moment with the La Familia segment from earlier. Sixty minutes gives us no room for redundant backstage banter.

Smackdown 08.08.08
This show was more bloated than that 8 pound 8 ounce baby born at 8:08 on 8-08-08. Yeah, I took a shot at a new-born baby. The Doc is a Jericho mark.

The back stage black rose segments from this episode were great, and they actually led to a definite conclusion with Edge turning on La Familia and further developing his calculating psycho persona. These segments are a great foundation around which a strong one-hour show can be built.

Keeper Bits

Video recap of Edge destroying Foley cuts to La Familia finding Bam Neely unconscious with a black rose. Shoot out to JR and Tazz for intros. Run it all together to save space.

Non-Title: Jeff Hardy over Shelton Benjamin by DQ (18:00): This match is how you open a program. Good if not great working that keeps attention on a suddenly rival-less US champion Benjamin while building up the Hardy-MVP feud. A DQ in a non-title match is stupid, but it was still a good opener.

Second black rose segment, except this time both Hawkins and Ryder are taken out together instead of individually. Taking the tag champs out at the same time would make the perpetrator look even more devastating and Undertaker-like (which Edge needs going into Hell in Cell).

Maryse, Victoria and Natalya over Michelle McCool, Cherry and Maria (2:45): This was short, stupid, and pointless. It did nothing for the Divas Title or division, and it should be gone. However, given a few more minutes it could have done something for the Diva's division. We'll do so.

R-Truth video. I'll grant him a few moments, as he'll be cut by December.

Indian Broken Glass Arm Wrestling: Triple H vs. The Great Khali: Is there a Saw-like option where I can chew off my toes while wearing someone else's quadruple-spiked feces-soaked retainer in order to avoid not watching this segment? I want to ditch it faster than a severed head at a police station, but we can't get around the PPV title math, no matter how pointless. Hurry it up and get to the head vice.

Raw rebound and Summerslam card rundown.

Backstage segment with Edge making a deal with Vickie and Chavo.

Edge taking out Vickie and Chavo ends the show. I like my Edge as he's being served up now: utterly despicable. I'm not a big fan of ending shows with anything other than a match, but great character development like this is an exception.

Fin.

Wasn't that fun, kids?

What is out:

Brian Kendrick over Super Crazy: The only reason this is cut is too keep Kendrick fresh for weeks to come. The guy is great.

Non-Title Match: Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder over Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore (4:30): This match was bumped back to August 1. That show would be a better place to showcase Hawkins and Ryder as a team apart from Edge.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Jesse (1:25): Do I even have to justify here?

Smackdown 08.15.08

Keeper Bits

Open with a quick recap and intros, and it's to the ring!

US Title: Jeff Hardy over Shelton Benjamin by DQ (15:40): A DQ finish in the title match is better than the non-title out the week before. This match gives fans their Hardy fix, keeps Benjamin on the radar while booking looks for a suitable opponent, and MVP's getting beat down afterwards builds up the Summerslam match.

A brief backstage Vickie / Victoria conversation sets up the show's ending, as we head to the ring to hear from Kendrick. A quick pre-match interview from Scotty Goldman leads into…

The Brian Kendrick over Colt Cabana Scotty Goldman (3:20): This match could be worse than Killer Khan vs. Outback Jack and it would still make my cut, just so I could get the joy of seeing so many people mark out over a guy who three-minute jobs in his WWE debut. In all seriousness, it's all about building Kendrick. That goal is accomplished here.

We hear from Triple H, who mocks Kenny before The Great Khali and Runjin "I Lost A Bet For This Job" Singh come down to ringside. That goes straight to…

Non-Title: Triple H over Kenny Dykstra (1:00): A lot of folks are upset that The Game buried Kenny, but it's really not a major loss. Dykstra is a guy who looks like he could be a major player, but he does not possess the intangibles to achieve true stardom. The only reason to keep him is so that Mickie James does not jump to TNA.

The entire HHH-Kenny-Khali package is one segment.

Combine the last two Vickie / Victoria skits into one, with Edge snagging up Vickie! What will happen?!

Big Show over Ryan Braddock (1:00): Show has no Summerslam match, but this squash helps put space in between the two big Smackdown PPV stories while reminding everybody that the big man is still around.

R-Truth promo #2

Edge takes Vickie on a Ride to Hell: This segment paled in comparison to the last two, but it served its purpose of taking Edge's character into Summerslam. We'll keep it on the promise that a match ends the show next week.

What Is Out:

Maryse and Natalya over Michelle McCool and Maria (3:00): Weak once again. The Divas division is too thin to have them out every week.

MVP promo : MVP can work the mic, but this was his week to get taken down by Hardy prior to the PPV.

Vladimir Kozlov over Festus (3:45): I'm glad this is free TV – I would be pissed if Kozlov was on Raw because I'm paying for cable. Kozlov is the next Brakus.

Once some of the repetitive backstage banter is cut out, plus a pointless here or there, Smackdown turns into a tight one-hour show without losing its drive. In fact, it's a more exhilarating watch more likely to keep viewers from flipping channels. Kozlov can't say that.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. See you next week.