Thought of the Day: They’ve Done Enough

This is something that really should just be a courtesy.

I’ve been watching the ECW pay per views lately and far too often it seems like they’re expecting the fans to do a lot of work to know what’s going on. A lot of promotions have this problem, but here’s a good example of it from Barely Legal.

Taz vs. Sabu was one of the main events and billed as the grudge match of the century. That sounds like a cool idea and something that might draw an audience, but it leads to an obvious question: why were they fighting? The fans in attendance and ECW diehards probably knew, but the fans at home were never told. I only found out later because an ECW fan told me about it on WrestleZone.

Here’s the thing: wrestling fans, be it at home or in the arena, should not have to do a single thing other than watch the show to know what’s going on and why the current match/angle is taking place. Asking fans to do research or watch a bunch of shows is not only unfair, but rude to the fans. Sure all of the story can be found if you watch the TV shows, but a promotion shouldn’t punish fans for only watching one show.

This might need some clarification. Obviously you can’t present the entire story in full detail every single time. Let’s go back to Taz vs. Sabu. Here’s what would have solved this whole problem.

Joey Styles: “Of course Taz and Sabu have a long history together. They feuded over the TV Title when Taz arrived in the organization but one day two years ago Sabu took a booking in Japan and blew off an ECW commitment. Taz was furious and swore that he would get his hands on Sabu. Tonight is his chance for revenge and make no mistake about it, Sabu hates Taz every bit as much for all the shots he’s taken at Sabu over the years.

That took me twenty seconds to write and even less to read. It tells the fans everything they need to know (that’s a key point. There’s a difference between everything there is to know and everything you NEED to know) about the feud in one statement. WWE is guilty of this too as often times they just expect you to get their stories and why we’re supposed to care about someone.

Fans should never have to do a thing other than watch a show. They’re already doing the promotion a favor by giving them their time or money. Think about it like this: if you go to a restaurant, you’re not expected to bring your own silverware or wash the dishes after your meal. You’re there, you pay, you get full service in return. Wrestling companies should never ask their fans to do more than enjoy the show.

PDFPrint