WWE: Stylistically Speaking on the Lost Art of the Video Hype Packages.

As a longtime WWF/E fan, I have seen many television and PPV events. So I have seen the differences between Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in a Steel Cage and The Rock vs. Stone Cold. One of the differences I’d like to point out is video packages.

One of the least known names in WWE history is David Sahadi. However, this man is responsible for some of my favorite moments in WWE history. Sahadi could take a staredown, which is heavily overused in sports entertainment now, and give it an epic feel. He could take a song completely irrelevant to wrestling and make it seems completely natural in context. Watch the Vengeance 2001 intro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KutId8xccE

This is David Sahadi’s work. Sahadi has been credited with increasing the PPV buyrates simply because his video packages made so many matches seem epic. Many people will say that matches such as The Rock and Stone Cold at Wrestlemania 17 were already epic.

This is a very true statement, but Wrestlemania 17 was the second time The Rock and Stone Cold had fought at Wrestlemania, with Stone Cold having the victory in the first match. Also, to the casual viewer who may have missed something in the pre-Tivo/DVR era, the video package simplified the whole story.

Another major aspect of Sahadi’s work is that it was used to promote the Pay Per View. At Wrestlemania 27, some the best moments were the video intros for the Miz and John Cena. A complaint about the Miz’s intro in particular was that it should have been shown on Raw, because it would have lent credibility to his success story while solidifying his right to main event Wrestlemania.

That is what great video work can do. It tells a story. It condenses information for those with short attention spans and memories. SportsCenter plays highlights from games because fans want to see the exciting parts.

The difference between Miz and Cena’s separate video intros and Sahadi’s work is that Miz and Cena’s videos emphasizes their coming of age and individual careers, while Sahadi would have emphasized their rivalry. A big part of the difference is the Rock’s involvement and focus on Cena, but Sahadi could have made everyone look like equals.  

Sahadi aside, WWE, as a global entertainment entity, should recognize the importance and selling ability of properly placed video packages. These packages are rare nowadays, and the ones that they do have are nearly devoid of passion or feeling. These are recaps, not hype packages. 

Sahadi made hype packages, and even if they were played just before a match, it got the crowd excited for the upcoming match. Many B/R writers have dedicated slide shows to Sahadi’s work, some 10 years later, and for good reason.

Here is an interview with David Sahadi, for anyone more curious about his career:

http://alanwojcik.tripod.com/id107.html