Breaking The Walls Down - USA All The Way Submitted by Chris Dailey on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 at 4:21 PM EST
Breaking The Walls Down
Hello all and welcome back to another edition of Breaking The Walls Down. The NFL is filled with injuries right now and it’s not getting any prettier. As it relates to wrestling the news has not been that great, so we’ll forgo Bits and Pieces this week and go straight to the column.
U.S.A. All The Way
What’s old is new again, or at least that seems to be the predominating theme in The WWE these days. Wrestlers from ten to twenty years ago (and sometimes longer) are signing “Legends Contracts” and appearing on television. Ric Flair is champion again, but this time it’s the Intercontinental Title. And The WWE has moved RAW (and the minor shows) back to The USA Network. What kind of gain can The WWE expect from this kind of move?
To begin, The WWE has apparently been granted more television time with USA Networks as opposed to what it had on Spike TV. This doesn’t come across as shocking, as USA has always loved the WWE product and what it’s product does for ratings, but what is surprising is Spike TV. Spike TV, seemingly, over the span of the contract it signed with WWE, has almost pushed RAW and the minor shows to the background. Hidden amongst “tough men” movies and sci-fi and testosterone-driven television shows, RAW was on Spike TV’s lineup. But now USA is thinking of having a one hour show that will be a precursor to RAW every Monday night. This is an interesting proposition, if not an altogether frightening one. We already see a startling lack of quality wrestling matches and now with the possibility of a non-wrestling show leading into RAW, I fear that quality wrestling will be saved for special occasions, rather than every show.
Additional programming, while mentioned above, is also a possibility. Aside from what I have already mentioned, maybe it would be possible for The WWE to revamp and reproduce a promotion like WCW or ECW. This isn’t some grand thought or idea, but cold, hard reality. With a television network that is more willing to work with the company, programming ideas can begin to flow freely. Spike TV did promote The WWE product, but USA had a knack for simply putting the advertisements for the program at the right time and the right place.
As much as I hate to say this, as it usually leads to disaster, the move back to USA gives wrestlers the chance to star in more USA original movies. Wrestlers who are aspiring actors have a chance with USA Networks. The wrestlers have to know this and are probably thinking about the best way to go about doing it. Wrestlers who don’t have The Rock’s success in Hollywood would benefit greatly by this move. Guys like Austin and Hogan, who already know what it’s like to be on the big screen or television, would certainly benefit from this move. Both wrestlers’ movie and television careers are stagnant, if not lifeless and could use some help, this could be that kind of help. And, for guys who want to crack into the movie/television business, this is perfect.
Another benefit for The WWE is that USA Networks is carried by many, many more cable providers than Spike TV. Sure, Spike TV is carried by plenty of markets, but I would guess that they are still not carried as widely as USA Networks. The amount of exposure could surely help a sagging WWE product. Ratings are something that The WWE has been sorely missing since 1998-2001. This move should greatly benefit them in this department. However, hopefully with the competition of The UFC on Spike TV, The WWE will be more motivated to put forth a product that is more interesting.
In order for The WWE to put forth a better product, it is believed that competition is needed. With the move from Spike TV to USA Networks, Spike TV was forced to put something in that time slot. To them, it made sense to compete in a similar genre with the UFC. This will remain to be seen if it pushes The WWE. Spike TV didn’t like The WWE getting too risqué and violent, yet they’re going to have UFC on? UFC is, in some cases, gruesomely violent. They don’t hold back. If someone’s leg is breaks on a kick, it breaks on a kick. They don’t pan away from the action. Now, I will admit, I don’t know if they plan on being live every week. Perhaps, in an effort to keep the violence to a minimum, they won’t be live. But, in my opinion, that takes away from the thrill of it all. I’d rather see live (well, reasonably live because there is always a delay) action, as I feel it’s less tainted and more true to form. Perhaps by this move, direct competition will force The WWE to better its’ product.
Moreover, USA Networks is a more refined network than Spike TV. USA Networks is a network that is taken much more seriously among viewers than Spike TV, as well. Spike TV is still attempting to find its’ place in the market and I believe that may have hurt The WWE’s product. From the constant name changes since The WWE has signed with the network, to the constant rotating set of programs the network puts forth. All of these things and more, speak of a fledgling network that is still trying to find itself. Again, USA Networks simply makes more financial sense.
In the end, the move The WWE has made to ensure the betterment of the company will surely pay off. Competition will breed success and more exposure will breed success. The only thing that is left is to have some decent story lines going forward. After watching RAW last night, I have some doubts. I saw the guy who is a golfer and his caddie broke a golf club over Sheldon Brown’s back. The problem with this is simple, that doesn’t hurt. Please make this stuff at least mildly interesting. Golf clubs are very light weight for the purpose of a better swing. The shaft of a club will not hurt if broken over someone’s back. It simply doesn’t make sense. My wife laid in bed last night and said, “The problem with this is it doesn’t look as real as it used to.” Hopefully The WWE, after making the brilliant move to USA Networks picks its’ product back up and puts forth said product with a lustful zeal that rivals that of the late 90s. The WWE has one foot in the door, now all they have to do is pull the other through.
