WWE Television & Pay-Per-View Shows: Overproduced or Just Very Slickly Made?

There is no denying the genius of Vince McMahon and the vision he brought to life through WWE. This man single handedly changed the face of pro wrestling forever.

Back when Vince took over control from his father, WWE was still producing shows the same way everyone else was.

There were matches, of course, along with a few interviews and an occasional backstage brawl which spilled out to the arena.

Over the last few decades McMahon has implemented changes which have made the entire format different from how he found it.

Now when we tune in to watch Monday Night Raw or SmackDown we are given more than some matches and interviews.

WWE has become a new form of entertainment in and of itself. It combines wrestling with comedy, drama, romance, intrigue and even occasional suspense.

These changes have not always been met with acclaim, as many critics feel wrestling has turned into a circus and no longer has its roots.

Whether or not you want to see two straight hours of wrestling or you want some story behind it, you have to admit that wrestling is predetermined and therefore classified as entertainment despite still being a daunting, physical business.

Sometimes it seems as if WWE goes overboard with their efforts to be theatrical. I will call into evidence the incident where McMahon had a spotlight representing God coming to the ring.

Enough said.

Having angles like Undertaker being buried alive, Kane being burned, Stephanie being sacrificed and Gangrel being a vampire opens up the gates for more fans to watch who would have never watched a pure wrestling show.

All this does not take away from the fact that WWE can still put on quality wrestling. CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett have started to draw attention back into the ring over recent years.

When it comes to WWE, there is a time for going overboard with the impossible storylines and there is a time for a good ole rasslin' match.

When it comes to the fiction side of wrestling, WWE likes to pull out all the stops. They go to great lengths to make sure their backstage segments, video packages and replays are very well produced.

Video packages have been coming back into prominence in recent years. The likes of Alberto Del Rio, Brodus Clay and Sin Cara have benefitted from the use of video packages to hype their debut.

Undertaker and Kane have also had very slickly made video packages over the last couple of years which have really drawn the attention of the viewers.

Everyone can probably recall those ominous videos of a man in a long coat entering a log cabin in a dark wooded setting.

Speculation ran wild that these were for Sting, but in the end it was Undertaker who was behind the intriguing videos.

Kane has had some interest sparked recently after videos showing him with his old mask have popped up on Raw and SmackDown.

WWE also has their current "It Begins 2012" angle, which has had people guessing for weeks as to who could be returning in early January.

If you are one of those people who would rather watch more wrestling and less fiction, then WWE is not for you because they make every effort to make sure their shows encompass all forms of entertainment.

They have also incorporated the use of numerous cameras to capture the action from every angle, including mobile cameras to follow the action when it spills out of the ring.

There was once a time when having two different camera angles was a fancy production, but with WWE following in the footsteps of other major sports who have used multi-camera setups, they have become the top produced wrestling organization in the world.

Even if you can't stand all the overproduced segments and videos, you have to admit that watching a WWE match today is much better than it was 25 years ago when you had one camera covering the action from one side of the ring.

What do you think, are WWE shows and PPVs overproduced or just very slick looking?