WWE: What If the IWC Is Wrong? and Does the WWE Need to Change Direction, Again?

As members of the IWC, we think we know it all. When a PPV bombs, we know how it should have been booked. When a wrestler isn’t getting over, we know it’s because they need to turn his/her face/heel alignment. We know which young stars deserve a push. We know which independent wrestlers need to be signed to a contract. But what happens when the WWE does what we want them to do and it doesn’t work? Both Money in the Bank and SummerSlam received a variance of praise from their most discerning critics on the Internet. Praise that ranged from it being called a good, solid show, to being hailed as a legendary one, one of the best of the decade. The booking of the last few months has felt rejuvenated, with the infusion of CM Punk into the main event scene and Triple H as an authority figure. The storylines have drawn mainstream attention, getting play on ESPN, TMZ and other popular media outlets. It was the type of attention and free promotion businesses would pay for. For years, we have cried for Punk to get this kind of push. We’ve pleaded for him to become the anti-establishment baby face that we remember from our youth during the Attitude Era, when wrestling was on top of the world. We desperately wanted John Cena to show some aggression, use a few curse words and appear human, presenting legitimate human emotion. Despite all of these changes, and the critical acclaim some of the shows have received from the smarkiest of smarks, ratings are down. This Monday’s “epic” show, which saw a strong singles victory for the new champion, good promo work from the Miz and Truth, new tag team champions and a money main event between the two men that have torn down the house as headliners at consecutive PPVs. Unfortunately, it also saw a first-hour drop below a 3.0 rating and an overall show rating in that ballpark. As the calendar tears away each week, moving closer to the kickoff of the NFL regular season and the return of Monday Night Football on September 12, the WWE has to be fearful that the annual midsummer ratings swoon could take a complete nosedive as its young adult audience permanently switches its attention to the gridiron. It’s easy for those of us sitting at a computer or on our couch to take potshots at the WWE and assign blame, but what would you do differently? CM Punk is the most compelling character on the show and he is chasing the WWE Championship. You just saw the crowning of a legit pair of tag team champions. Vickie Guerrero is working as an old school wrestling manager and the phrase “stable” was even used in reference to a potential collection of mid-card heels under her guidance. They got rid of the Anonymous GM. It’s been a long time since we’ve had to sit through “Guest Host” segments. Cena hasn’t been pandering to children for weeks, yet ratings are slipping, and as a publicly traded company, WWE has to respond quickly. The company’s stock has taken hit after hit for weeks, just waiting for the market to reach back, spit in its hand, and deliver one last haymaker to send it over the top rope. WWE is in a difficult position, one that they haven’t yet faced. Prior to the astronomical success of the Attitude Era, the company had been privately held in the hands of Vince McMahon and a select few investors. When the company hit hard times, following the decline of Hulkamania and the transition into the New Generation in the early-90s, it was private and it could take its time to build stars and establish roots in new fans. It was during this time period that we saw the inception of WWE Raw and the In Your House PPVs that later grew into the monthly branded shows. Many point to the Attitude Era as what defined wrestling as we know it today, but, in reality, it all grows out of the New Generation with Bret Hart, Sid, the Undertaker’s early years and the rise of HBK Shawn Michaels. Hulkamania took WWE national, but the New Generation built the model that we know today for television and PPV broadcasting. It’s seen a few shifts since, with the move to airing Raw live, the addition of Smackdown, and increased usage of theme PPVs, but the nuts and bolts are still there. It’s coming up on 20 years since this model was conceived, which is an eon in terms of national media and television promotion. Consider the leaps forward that technology and broadcasting made from 1970 to 1980 and 1980 to 2000. Is it time for the WWE, as the wrestling promotion industry leader, to once again break the mold, change the model and look for new ways to promote the company and make money? It begs the question as to whether or not television ratings are still as valuable as they once were. When Vince only had to answer to himself, he could take his time, take risks and see what worked. Now, as the chairman of a publicly traded corporation, he doesn’t have that same flexibility. Of course, this could all be a massive overreaction. I know, hyper-reactionary comments and articles get posted online? Inconceivable. After the post-Attitude Era high of riding Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, sporadic appearances by the Rock, a dominating run by Evolution which lead to the rise of Batista, Cena and Orton, the WWE has been in denial for the last five years, putting on blinders and moving forward with hopes that CeNation will resemble the success of Hulkamania. While they have branched into new international markets, successfully leveraged social media and connected with larger, mainstream sponsors (no more PPV’s presented by Stacker 2 or Stridex), WWE has squandered numerous opportunities to build new stars that will carry the flag and bring in money. With Triple H taking on a more prominent role backstage and in the creative process, the last few weeks may be just the beginning to a long road toward re-branding and a new identity. Hopefully, the WWE has realized that Cena can only take them so far, and that it's time for a change in philosophy. Nothing against Cena, who has busted his ass for the company for more than half a decade and been one of the most successful draws in the history of the industry, but just like there was only one Elvis, there is only one Hogan. Times have changed significantly since their heyday, and we may never see someone at quite that level again. Any transition is going to take time. It will be painful, and such processes are difficult to push through as a publicly traded company. Stockholders want results now. They want this quarter's numbers to be better than last, and each Wrestlemania to draw more buys and bigger dollars than the one previous. This year’s Wrestlemania will draw huge with the Cena-Rock dream match carrying the lion’s share of the interest, but continued reliance on the Rock is simply unsustainable as a business plan. To these quandaries, I offer no solutions. Instead, I just hope to illicit some conversation here on the topic.