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WHY SHANE IS TREATED BETTER THAN STEPH, MIZ RETURNING TO REALITY TV, WWE RATINGS, TNA NAME CHANGE AND MORE

By Dave Scherer on 2009-10-28 10:00:00

There it is again, in today’s Q & A: “…I will be forced to name all three Ultimate Warriors.” I know I’ve asked the question about multiple Warriors and you’ve answered it, so I’ll change it up slightly: It’s hard to respect someone’s opinion when they are so wrong about basic historical facts. How do you guys put up with us, our lack of knowledge about the industry and our ridiculous questions?

If memory serves, the person that wrote that line was kidding.  In cases when people aren't kidding there are a few ways we can deal with a dopey question.  We can delete it.  We can shake our heads and try to mount an international campaign where the stupid among us are neutered to protect the future of our species from their demon spawn.  Or, we can just answer the question sarcastically and hopefully give a few people a chuckle and the expense of the idiots.

Why do more people give Stephanie slack than Shane? Shane wanted to work heavily on the corporate side and he was handed an Exec VP job. Stephanie wanted to work on the creative side and she also worked her way up and got an Exec VP job. But some people seem to think there is favoritism. I just don't get it. Is it because she is a woman and a lot of fans don't think she should be in the position? Or is it because she is a McMahon and they think Vince should hire a nonMcMahon for that kind of position? From what I heard (from a few people who have worked with the WWE in some shape of form), Stephanie is one of the few people that will challenge Vince on his crazier ideas. He obviously still holds creative control.  I also have to laugh when people think Shane would do a better job if in Stephanie's position. Again, why, has he ever really been tested? I don't get it. Is it just because he's a guy and the WWE is still primarily a man's world?  I personally don't think the company should be left to Shane or Stephanie. Stephanie has never really been given free reign in her position and Shane seems more interested in making a name for himself rather than what is good for the company (all this evident with his ridiculous Super ShaneO antics that do nothing for fans, the talent or the show).

So, you say Stephanie worked her way up to a VP spot but Shane was handed his?  You sound kind of biased to me Steph, er whoever sent this question.  People give Steph more grief than Shane because she is the head of the creative team.  Yes, she definitely is still at the mercy of her father's whims since he is really the head of creative, and yes she does challenge him, but when people are sick of the WWE product, they blame those responsible for it.  Steph has a big hand in that while Shane does not.

As for the creative end of the company, some people who work or worked in WWE have said that Shane was never given the chance to be part of it while Steph was.  People have told me that Steph "nosed Shane out" in carving out her spot.  People in the company have told me for years that their appears to be a bias where Vince is concerned towards Stephanie.  Only the family knows if that is true or not.  

And, I have no idea if Shane would do a better job than Stephanie as head of creative but she was strongly behind the idea of totally scripting promos and taking away the wrestler's ability to get himself over.  I think she has to take a lot of flack for that since it has hurt the product quite a bit. 

Don't you think it's sad that WWE can't even average a 4.0 Rating? Since they have no real threat to their product. Plus I think one of Vince biggest mistakes is not owning up to mistakes. The Brand extension has never really worked yet Vince forces it down our throat. Plus his idea to use ECW as a place to develop talent that idea stinks too. ECW should just be taken off air. His PG idea just make no sense cause even if you gain younger fans it will not make up for all the 18-34 year old fans WWE will lose. Plus with a PG rating 90 percent of divas should be cut cause most of them can't wrestle. Most of them are only their for their looks. What's your opinion on these topics.

In order:

-Sad?  No.  Pathetic?  Yes.  They should be able to average a 4, especially at a time when ratings are down for most shows making it easier to get new viewers.  It's not like they can't get people to watch with them give them reason to do so.  When they do something interesting, like the "we sold Raw to Donald Trump" angle, a 4+ audience tunes in.  Those extra folks want to watch WWE, but they will only do so if the product is good.  So it's pathetic that Vince McMahon won't give them what they want.

-The Brand Extension isn't the reason for the lack of viewership, the booking is.

-They make money airing ECW so it would stupid to kill it.  Plus, most weeks the show is at least solid.

-In theory, the TVPG thing makes sense if they can make lifelong fans out of kids.  The problem is, they could do that and appeal to adults too if they just took Vince out of the creative process and let someone with some talent do the booking.  Plus, they have put John Cena in the Hulk Hogan spot and with all due respect to Cena, he is not the charismatic star Hogan was.  Hogan made people fans for life.  I don't see Cena as someone who is going to be able to do that. 

Come on, “Desmond Wolf”??? When will this stupidity end? I think there are probably a lot more TNA viewers that have at least a passing familiarity with ROH and the top-tier indys than there are WWE viewers with the same. They know who Nigel McGuinness is. Instead of renaming him so they can sell T-shirts with a trademarked name, why couldn’t TNA capitalize on Nigel’s ready-made name recognition and reputation and run vignettes for a week or two touting his arrival? 

You answered your own question.  If they own the name, they make more money from it.  TNA is on basic cable and has a far larger audience than ROH does.  When ROH fans see Nigel, they will know who he is.  To the TNA fans who don't follow ROH, it doesn't matter what his name is.  TNA is smart to market a name that they own as opposed to one he brings in with him.

So I was wondering with Maria now on Celebrity apprentice, Ashley having been on Survivor and Stacy Keibler on Dancing with the Stars why doesn't WWE capitalize on The Miz's Real World connection and send him to one of the challenges. It's kind of win win for WWE, it could get them some viewers as Miz was always over with that crowd, if he wins the challenges he could use it in his promo work and show how 'tough" wrestlers are and if he loses a face could use it superbly again. The biggest gain I would think is in the synergy base of attracting some male and female fans who still watch those shows and who are fans of Miz. What do you guys think?

I think that is a decent idea, for sure, but the flipside is that Miz is a guy they count on to fill TV time and work house shows.  Him doing a TV show would take him away from that to appear on a show that is beneath the numbers that WWE does.  The divas appeared on shows on broadcast networks, so there was a real chance for exposure there.  That is the difference.

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