The Forzese View - 6 Simple Rules
Submitted by Jim Forzese on Wednesday, November 19, 2003 at 7:56 AM EST



6 Simple Rules

If you ever wanted to watch a wrestling show that was very close to perfection in a by the book sort of way then the 2003 Survivor Series would be it. Survivor Series did all the little things that a fan should expect from a wrestling program. The simple rules of wrestling were in abundance for this PPV and WWE carried them out to what I believe was a four star effort. The principles in wrestling were in place and when any wrestling organization can perform to that level then there is nothing more that the fans should expect from them. I won’t say that the PPV was flawless, but it was definitely one of WWE’s best efforts this year.

There are certain feelings that WWE must extract from the fan, be it at home watching on TV or live in attendence. WWE must take the fan on a roller coaster ride of emotion so that fans are truly on the edge of their seats for the entire broadcast. One of the biggest problems WWE has is the consistency to do this very thing. Survivor Series should prove to WWE that they have the resources to do it when they are focused on the task at hand. WWE recently hired consultants from Hollywood to “proof read” the scripts. All of this done in the hopes that Stephanie can prove to the WWE brass that her vision of wrestling is what Hollywood writers would consider A-list material.

Unfortunately for little Stephanie her vision is being met with a large amount of criticism and concern from the Hollywood scriptwriters. They can see the all too glaring problems that WWE is creating for themselves by the manner in which WWE writes their TV. The good news is that if Survivor Series and Raw were any indication of a new direction than WWE might just be going in a direction that helps them ascend to heights not seen since the late ninties. As long as WWE follows some of the simple rules that apply when writing wrestling they should be in good shape.

Below is a list of six rules which I feel are very necessary in writing some form of compelling TV.I am not saying that these are the only six rules that apply but rather six I feel to be extremely important to touch upon when WWE ventures into their creative meetings. They are rather obvious to the true fan but sometimes WWE is guilty of not complying with the booking 101-text guide that they should refer to when beginning to write the scripts for their latest attempt at episodic TV. So let us take a look and see if this makes any sense shall we?

1:All problems get settled in the ring. No matter what happens on WWE TV the solution is that men and or women settle their differences in the squared circle. If a program or angle cannot result in a match then it is not worth doing. Even if the issue is between non-wrestlers the situation needs to get settled by hand selected wrestlers in the ring. Much like what happened with Team Austin vs. Team Bischoff the General Managers did not wrestle but they had wrestlers solve the problem for them in a match. The big payoff has to be on PPV.Free TV is the building blocks to get the consumer to spend the thirty-five dollars a month on PPV to see the climax of an epic encounter. Save holy-shit moments for the paying customer because too much on free TV makes holy-shit moments seem the norm and not special.

2:Non-wrestlers cannot overshadow the talents that compete on TV and on the road weekly. McMahon’s, Bischoff, Heyman all cannot make the wrestlers seem weak or inferior to themselves. If a non-wrestler or part time wrestler is going to defeat a full time wrestler then it has to be by a screw job. Like Kane helping Mr.McMahon, outside interference has to play a roll in helping with a defeat to a wrestler that WWE needs to draw ratings. Kane needed to defeat Shane so that Kane can continue on as a force to be reckoned with. A loss to Shane would have killed his aura of being a complete monster. Austin would be the only non-wrestler that can get the better of a wrestler cleanly because Austin should still be able to compete at an acceptable level if not for his injuries. Austin was the greatest superstar in WWE history next to Hogan, and should be able to kick some ass regardless of the opponent.

3:PPV need to give a feeling of passing the torch. Certain wrestlers need to come out of the PPV with the general feeling from the fans that it is his time. WWE needs to let the fans know who is going to be the top dogs in the very near future. John Cena and Randy Orton certainly came out strong from Survivor Series.WWE needs to show which wrestlers are the future and which wrestlers are still the current standard. Through the history of PPV, when a PPV was presented correctly fans could see who the WWE was positioning to be flag bearers for the company. Shawn Michaels, Ultimate Warrior, Stone Cold all started climbing the ladder at PPV’s. WWE needs to get the fans to connect to certain wrestlers so that they can feel comfortable when WWE hands them the ball. PPV and house shows get the fans ready to accept the dawning of a new era in the company.

4:Surprises need to be surprising whether it be on TV or PPV.Everyone on the “sheets” reported that Stephanie was to return at Survivor Series and help Vince defeat the Taker. When it turned out to be Kane, what started as an anti-climatic feeling by the fans turned into a memorable moment not soon forgotten? With the amount of heel and face turns scheduled the feeling of utter excitement will soon get lost again. The feeling we felt at the formation of the New World Order, or the higher power is needed a lot more regularly than we are getting lately. The feeling that we just witnessed history can’t be done every PPV but every now and then fans need that adrenaline to stay buying the product. Something along the lines of a Linda McMahon heel turn would certainly make TV interesting for a while because it has never been done before.

5:Intrigue and drama that carries from PPV to TV that week is one of the most essential elements in wrestling. WWE needs to make fans miss everything else on TV but Raw or Smack down the week after the PPV event. Something needs to make fans say I cannot miss what happens next. What is he or she going to do or what impact did that match have in the WWE landscape is imperitive. Survivor Series gave at least six examples of building intrigue for future programs and Raw also created a few. It does not need to always be that many but at least one or two per PPV is very neccassary. WWE cannot be predictable because fans will not keep on shelling out their money every month on filler matches and angles that go nowhere. When WWE presents PPV events that will be a hot topic until Raw and Smack down commence they have done their job creatively.

6:Titles are to be presented as the single most important part of the program. Just about every match needs to center around specific titles and the importance that each one exudes. Tiles are not props, wrestlers need to keep focus on the goal of being a champion in whichever division they desire and are suited to compete in. If a match is not centered on a title than it needs to be of an epic proportion that drastically alters what fans will witness every week from now on. Careers on the line and matches that send wrestlers to the hospital maybe never to be heard from again are acceptable alternatives from the title picture. Titles need to be presented in a manner that he who has it will do anything to keep it and he who wants it will do anything to obtain it. It is just that simple as it relates to title belts. Titles are the center of the wrestling universe.

Bottom Line:

Those are just six basic rules to follow when writing a wrestling PPV or TV show. Survivor Series hit on all those rules and for that reason it came off as a four star event. Storylines, workrate, career advancement all were achieved during Survivor Series and thus made Raw a very good show because of it. Again it was not flawless but I would accept this PPV every month and feel justified that I dropped thirty-five dollars to witness it. I feel that maybe the only real issue with Survivor Series was that between the seven matches on PPV and the one on Heat, the heels won six out of eight matches. The saving grace was at least Goldberg came out on top in the one match that if he lost, would have spoiled the event altogether which in turn would have wiped out all the good that came before it.

My last column dealt with my belief in why it may be time to end the brand extension. Survivor Series reconfirmed that belief but I will say that all is not lost. WWE needs to make sure that these six elements of wrestling are consistent every PPV.If WWE were to do that then perhaps the brands can still work out. Kudos to WWE and the creative team for putting on one hell of a Survivor Series now the real task is to make Armageddon, a brand specific PPV just as enjoyable. That will be the true test of was this fluke or is WWE back on track creatively? If not I have more rules for WWE.Last thing after watching Raw and seeing Val Venis vs. Rico It made me think about a new faction. The Fab Five Faction consisting of a “porn star” Val Venis,”flamboyant stylist” Rico, “the lady killer” Lance Storm, the “bizarre” Goldust, and if the rumor holds up a “gay psycho” Stevie Richards. Think of the possibilities with that faction. Until next time that’s just my view.

Jim Forzese
forzeseview@yahoo.com









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