Why haven't they been listening to us sooner? Submitted by Going Broadway on 12/20/2018 at 04:55 PM
In 2014, Batista eliminated Roman Reigns to win the Royal Rumble.
This was met with a chorus of boos.
In 2015, Roman Reigns eliminated Rusev to win the Royal Rumble.
This was also met with a chorus of boos.
Nothing changed, and it stayed that way for the next three years. Countless booking decisions that spit in the face of what the fans wanted.
Why is it that in professional wrestling, listening to the very fan base that buys your tickets, merchandise and network subscriptions, treated as a revolutionary act?
This is a multi-million dollar company and I'm supposed to believe that from all of the market research, social media feedback, and merchandise sales that Vince McMahon could never put his finger on the idea that listening to his buyers is beneficial? Why is it that an organization that is apparently on the "pulse" of the industry and is considered to be the very best continuously behind the times?
Did Vince keep missing the memo that pee and poop jokes aren't funny and women shouldn't be treated like objects? (...and are worthy of main event status as we saw with TLC...) -- Did he not pick up on the success of NXT talents like Rollins, Ambrose, Balor and Nakamura -- guys who do not fit the traditional McMahon "beefy" mold? (This continues with Chiampa, Black, Gargano, and Ricochet)
Why should I treat what happened on Monday night in anyway special? These are supposed to be the "experts" of the industry, but NOW they finally get that they need to listen to their fans?
That's the equivalent of an NFL owner benching their top talent for backups, drafting duds year after year, hiring inept coaches, and experiencing a long and painful losing streak before finally "listening" to the fans and announcing that they want to start finally winning. (So basically, the Cleveland Browns) The only exception here is that investors have thrown a lot of money into the WWE since they are the only real show in town, hence giving McMahon a reason not to give a shit.
I'll keep this short and sweet: I am not impressed by the McMahons and a Levesque telling us what we already know. I will not be impressed by a couple of logical booking decisions with talents pushed that not only the fans want to see pushed, but deserve to be. I will not be impressed with quickly stripping Brock Lesnar of the now meaningless Universal Championship.
What will impress me is some goddamn consistency.
Listen to the fans for more than just a lead up to Wrestlemania. Listen to your fans for even a year, and create a future where talent isn't wasted, and I no longer have to fear juvenile writing that I suspect came from a 6th grader.
For once, listen to the fans "Now, Then, and Forever".
