THE FORZESE FILES - HISTORY IN
By: Various Writers
9/24/2004 9:22:00 AM
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History In The Making?
The big announcement has been revealed by Mr. McMahon and that is the next PPV for WWE will be the groundbreaking Taboo Tuesday in October. This is to be the first interactive PPV where we the fans get to vote on the matchups and the match stipulations we want to see. I really like this idea but I fear that after it is said and done what great changes will occur within the WWE that will make it history worthy? This PPV should do well in the butyrate if the polling is not rigged and fans truly get to decide what will happen during this event, although I am not so sure how we would know if it was rigged similar to the provisions in the Diva Search competition. A title may change hands but that would most likely happen regardless of the interactive nature of the show. Who wins or how will truly determine if this event was a success or not in terms of added viewer ship to the WWE product going forward.
In my last column, The Next Big Angle, I pinpointed the fact that something of serious consequence needs to happen to get casual fans interested in the WWE again. This PPV has the makings of that very thing happening if done correctly. WWE needs to change the course of what Raw has been doing for the last few years and this PPV could do it all in one fail swoop. If WWE actually gives fans the ability to choose anything as opposed to limiting our choices then this could spark a great deal of interest in the product as we all check weekly to see what wins and will be featured on the PPV. The PPV should do a monster buy rate because everyone who voted will want to see the outcome of what it was that we voted on and how our votes have changed the landscape of the wrestling business within the WWE.
Now I say that anything and everything needs to be available to the fans so that when we make a choice it has serious repercussions that will resonate through the entire company. Here is an idea on changing the landscape of the WWE and obviously Raw in particular. Take the only announced match for Taboo Tuesday so far, Eric Bischoff vs. Eugene. On WWE.com have WWE announce that the voting poll is now open and that on Raw Monday night JR and Lawler will show the current standings of what was voted on the most. When WWE cuts to the booth have JR and King in a little bit of shock as to what they are viewing on the screen. Have King turn the monitor to the camera and show that what leads in the voting is winner of the match between Eric Bischoff and Eugene gets complete ownership of Raw for sixty days.
The following week have the poll started for who will face HHH at Taboo Tuesday. Again have JR and King show what the current results are for HHH’s competitor and find that Sting leads the voting. WWE can then have Vince appear on camera the following week in total disarray as to what is happening with this interaction and tries to convince Bischoff not to go through with the proposed match on PPV.Bischoff will say to Vince that he could not disappoint his loyal fans of Raw and that the match has to go on as planned. Each week show the lead for those two matches growing more and more so that when the voting is officially over those two voted matches and stipulations become guaranteed. I know this is not really allowing fans to truly vote but the fans will truly be voting on the other matches that WWE puts on. My thought is that WWE expects Randy Orton to win this polling and there is not much drama in that result. If Chris Benoit were to win then WWE would give him one match then
move him back down to the semi-main event again.
Of course all of this would hinge on getting Sting to appear on the PPV which I believe would be highly unlikely but it could happen if the price was right and the length of time is short. At the PPV have Eugene appear to take a dive so that Bischoff wins and takes control over Raw the following night. Then during the title match have Eugene interfere on Stings behalf and cost HHH the World Heavyweight Title. Then the following night after Bischoff reveals to the world that Sting and Eugene were in on the rouse all along and that it was Coach who rigged the voting so that these polls won, have Bischoff reveal that for the next sixty days it will be the return of WCW.Now I am not saying that this is a storyline that would turn the business around overnight or even draw at all but I am saying that casual fans would be mildly curious to tune in and see what will happen over the next sixty days. Bischoff gets to rub into Vince’s face all of the insults toward WCW and it’s closure. Let
the WCW be the baby face promotion it should have been during the Invasion.
Something should happen that makes this PPV stand out and has a lasting effect on what WWE does following it. If all this PPV does is give us the same matches it normally would but with a stipulation to each match then I doubt it will do any stronger business then a normal PPV would, this would just be Raw Roulette on PPV. Yes Jericho vs. HBK in a Hell In A Cell match would be great to witness but what does it do for WWE the following week when everything is back to normal? Yes a Hardcore rules match for the tag titles between La Resistance and Rhyno and Tajiri would be fun to see but what great changes does that do to the anemic tag team division on Raw? Because this PPV is new and on Tuesday night, WWE needs it to be ground breaking in every capacity not just in content but also in what lasting damage or change it did to the WWE landscape from here on out.
Bottom Line:
This is the first ever-interactive PPV on a Tuesday night no less and if WWE does not make this PPV feel special and make us feel that we have witnessed some sort of history in the making then WWE has failed their task. I am by no means saying that my scenario is a guaranteed success but something along those lines would intrigue fans enough to buy the PPV and possibly get casual fans to see what is about to happen for the foreseeable future. The last thing WWE can afford to do is have this PPV come across as a run of the mill, same old same old PPV. If that happens then fans that are disillusioned with the WWE creative team already will tune out altogether and those on the fence will choose to side against the WWE until further notice.
WWE is in a position that if WWE takes full advantage of what might happen during this PPV they could finally turn that corner and turn into a ratings powerhouse once again. WWE needs to win over the confidence of the fan base once again so with this bold concept must come creative situations that take the fans by surprise and make us all want to watch wrestling every week again. The ball is in the WWE’s court with this idea and the WWE needs to make the most out of what should be additional viewers interested enough in witnessing a history making event in wrestling. Anything less than history worthy will be just another reason to believe that WWE has lost touch with the fans completely. You have just read another chapter of The Forzese Files and as always feedback is greatly appreciated. PS get well soon Georgian I hope everything is OK and we all should send our prayers and also very sadly RIP Big Boss man Ray Traylor.
forzeseview@yahoo.com
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