WWE: What It Can Learn from UFC, Part 2

In the previous article we looked at where the current WWE product is and what it can learn from UFC. One of the most important opportunities for the current WWE brand is the importance of titles.  In any sport or competition, it truly is all about the gold.  

UFC is not a draw simply for their talented athletes, but because their hard work and in-ring ability is justified by the opportunity to become a champion.  There is not a television outlet for bar fighting.

If UFC was merely about violent fights, the product would not have become the phenomenon that it is.  The thrill of competition, and the glory of championship gold haunts the dreams of all sports fans.

Take any sport, strip it of any championship pursuit and it falls apart.  Why follow a sports team if everyone finishes the same? Why watch racing if there is no chase for the cup?  This is no different in the realm of sports entertainment.   

Professional wrestling titles are now seen as props to get a superstar over.  The average title change occurs every three to four months. This is due partially to an overexposed product.

WWE produces four hours of television programming every week. With two brands and a younger audience geared to constant shake-ups, the title finds itself constantly changing hands to entertain and build on storylines. This was not always the case.

WWWF/WWF:  You Think Cena has long reigns? 

Looking back at the history of the WWE prior to "get the F out", we find a rich history of champions such as Bruno Sammartino.  Sammartino defeated "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers in 48 seconds to become the longest reigning WWWF Champion from May 1963 until January of 1971. The WWWF was the product of Vince McMahon Senior.  

Vince McMahon Jr.'s WWF gave rise to the power of "Hulkamania" with a victory over then-reigning villain Iron Sheik on January 23, 1984.

Hogan would hold the title for 4 years and 13 days, controversially losing it to Andre the Giant on February 5, 1988.

More Title Changes Mean More Ratings! 

As the WWF entered the '90s, title reigns were usually shorter than a year. More title changes occurred as a result of increased pay-per-view and television exposure.

The Attitude Era offered the first taste of frequent title changes as the "Hardcore Championship" changed hands on a nearly weekly basis, sometimes multiple changes occurred on a single program.

Today this would be seen as "getting people over", hardly the case.  It did give incredibly brief television exposure to Bob Holly and several other mid-carders, but not enough to simply "get over".

The Wrestling God: John Bradshaw Layfield

Many people will complain that Triple H was a champion for far too long during the early 2000s. Triple H was in the title picture frequently, however none of his reigns even came close to the year-long reigns of the past.

It wouldn't be until Vince McMahon took a chance on John Bradshaw-Layfield that the WWE audience would have a taste of what a championship is truly about.  

Prior to his major push, Bradshaw was a career mid-carder and tag champion for WWE.  Always seen as a workhorse, Bradshaw was a mainstay dating back to 1996 with the New Blackjacks.  Vince McMahon saw the outside exposure that Bradshaw was acquiring as a financial analyst and saw potential in Bradshaw.

Ditching the beer-drinking roughneck for a suit, tie, cowboy hat and a hair cut. Bradshaw was pushed all the way to his first and only WWE Championship in June of 2004 over Eddy Guerrero. 

Bradshaw was a natural fit as a villain, and for the next 280 days Bradshaw found ways to retain the title to the dismay of WWE fans.

Bradshaw retained by disqualification, interference, and even luck throughout his rein.  In many ways this was Ric Flair 2.0, as once again a classic heel held the title by hook or by crook.  This was done not only to ensure that talent was exposed even in defeat, but also to prepare the fans for the man who would save them from JBL.

That man waiting in the wings, the man that fans were clamoring to have a shot at Bradshaw's title was John Cena.

John Cena rose to his place atop the WWE at WrestleMania 21, defeating JBL to win his first WWE Championship. 

Can't Stop the Reign:

No WWE Champion would reign for over a year until John Cena's third reign, this lasted 380 days. Cena would forfeit the title with a legitimate injury to Randy Orton in 2007.

During this run, Cena faced new faces and old faces.  From classic matches with Shawn Michaels, to brutal "slug fests" with Edge, Rob Van Dam and Umaga; John Cena faced all comers.

People payed to see if Cena would hold on, and who would be the man to knock him off.  Once again the title was the focus of the company.

The Purpose of a Championship:

 The purpose of a Championship is to showcase the best, against all potential challengers.  Dating back to Ric Flair and the NWA Championship, the purpose was to showcase the best that a company had to offer.  Ric Flair's job as the Champion was to make other challengers credible, even in defeat.

A challenger would take Flair to the limit, but fall short. This left the fans with admiration and love for the challenger who came so close, yet couldn't quite end Flair's run.  

Flair would lose clean to his challenger in a non-title bout, thus ensuring greater interest for the money match with the title on the line.  Flair would often retain by nefarious means, or even time limit draws; yet his opponent would come away with even more support from the fans.

Imagine a Ric Flair today with the internet fan.  Flair would be seen as keeping talent down, and not "putting new talent over".

WWE and UFC: Titles breed Feuds

The Championship is the end all be all of any sport including the world of professional wrestling. Rivalries and feuds naturally occur as stars pursue the various mid-card and heavyweight titles.

Just as many bouts in UFC are for the right to become the No. 1 contender, so too should wrestling bouts.  There was a time when fans would tune in to see who is the "No. 1 contender" to the WWE championship.

Storyline feuds began over the right to be "the man".  In UFC, a bout just to be the next in line is worthy of pay-per-view.  WWE must return to this in order to restore some of the shine to the championship gold.    

Looking ahead: Cena and Orton

Cena recently captured the WWE title from the Miz at Extreme Rules May 2011.  Cena has said he will hold the title until his bout with the Rock at WrestleMania 28.  While many fans are in uproar about this, they miss the point.  Cena will not hold the title until 28.

The point is to spur fan interest as the stakes are raised.  Will Cena retain the title in the face of such incredible odds?  What will be of Cena's dream title match against the Rock at WrestleMania?

This kind of angle will further revenue, and renew interest in the WWE title as Cena takes on the younger talents Raw has to offer.  Cena will most likely lose the belt before 28, just look for him to reclaim it in time for Mania next year.

The internet has become ablaze with furor over the recent SmackDown taping, in which Randy Orton defeat Christian to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.  Fans clamored to witness Christian capture his first WWE Heavyweight Title at Extreme Rules, and for many fans it was a long time coming.  What fans forget is that Christian is older than Randy Orton.  Orton is being built as the face of SmackDown, the title was going to be in his possession at some point.

Orton has time on his side, younger than both Cena and Christian, he has many years at the top of WWE to come.  In time, Orton ,may become the next generation Triple H; a heel who fans clamor to see that next new star defeat.

With respect to Christian, he is not out of the title picture.

McMahon sees that there is a fan base that will pay to see Christian chase the title.  Christian could fill that necessary heel role in his pursuit to regain the championship.

Fans will pay to see this, and McMahon knows this.  Orton too has many new and younger opponents to showcase to the world.  Orton has been tasked before to help stars "get over", and his current role on SmackDown will be no different.

The role of champion is to carry the show, and to showcase the best of prospective opponents.

Look for SmackDown to once again become the show for "wrestling", even though McMahon will not use the word.

Bottom line is Orton and Cena will make fans appreciate the title once again. This is a must to develop the future of the company. 

If the WWE wishes to grow and find a new audience, as well as bring home lost sheep, they must restore the gold. The chase for the title is what wrestling and MMA is about, and no doubt must become the centerpiece of the WWE program. Once again it must remind fans that, "to be the man, you have to beat the man". 

In the next article we will look at how McMahon can not only utilize UFC to his advantage, but also find a way to showcase "wrestling" without even having it in the company name. We will also look at how this same approach to match-making could revitalize the product as it competes with MMA.

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