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Why doesn't WWE draw like they used to.....because they can't follow through on their stories....plain and simple.

 

I understand that WWE is a large corporation now and after shows are written, they have to pass the "McMahon stamp of approval" but this past week's RAW just showed me exactly why WWE consistently misses the boat.  They just don't draw the viewers in like they used to and it's so simple why they don't.  Soap operas will drop a character off for months at a time, then bring them back and explain where they've been and bring that story into the current one to tie it all together.....WWE seems to have forgotten how to do that.

 

The WWE company philosophy is mainly to use the TV shows to encourage PPV buyrates, accomplish your main storyline points and angles on monthly PPVs.  Live events are just a revenue generator for smaller venues in smaller markets to see some of their favorite stars live, just like Ringling Bros Circus does.....they (the circus) have split their touring groups up and now host smaller circuses in smaller markets and bring them together for big shows in bigger markets.....sounds like a winning formula, right?

 

Why isn't it working for WWE?  Well, it's simple.  RAW and SmackDown are the brands, ECW is an after-thought.  Sometimes it's taped with RAW, sometimes with SmackDown....it's just a one-hour show weekly and doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things (I'm saying this from WWE's promotion of it, not my own thoughts).  If it was my choice, ECW would be WWE's on-air developmental promotion...a gathering of "next year's stars" where RAW & SD could draft an ECW guy up from to "the big show."  But even though RAW is still seen to be the top brand, SmackDown has been more interesting lately.  The reason why that is?  All signs point to promotion of stories and the lack thereof.

 

The great stories being developed in WWE currently are:

 

RAW - HBK working for JBL

RAW - The Legacy

ECW - Jack Swagger's unexpected championship win

SD - Jeff Hardy's attacks of hit-and-run and now the pyro malfunction

SD - HHH and Vickie's feud

SD - MVP's losing streak

 

The "may get good" stories currently are:

 

RAW - Beth/Santino/Rosa

RAW - Punk/Regal IC Title feud

SD - Shelton/Taker

SD - Umaga's Return

 

But the problem is not the lack of ideas being tried, it's the lack of promotion and the lack of follow-through on them.

 

I just don't understand why there is such a rush to conclude stories in WWE rather than develop them further and drag them out over several months worth of TV & PPV.  Case in point, why have both major angles since Rey Mysterio's return been worthless?  Well, they started off with a good angle with Kane and the mask and ended it abruptly with no real definition as to why it happened.  Kane had Rey's mask and said he was broken, but the next week Rey showed up looking normal?!?  How?  Why?  And it was over and they moved on....to Mike Knox, who just this week was asked why he was stalking Rey and he said he didn't know and then they had the match that accomplished nothing.

 

The biggest one though, the biggest "missed the boat" opportunity was Vince McMahon's return.  Maybe they will develop this further soon, but the fact that it wasn't even mentioned on Monday just made me shake my head in disappointment.  WHERE HAS HE BEEN?  WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM WHEN THE SET FELL?  Why did none of this get mentioned?  They go straight into the Jericho begging segment and then into Orton's punt.  The whole ending of RAW has so many storyline holes in it, it's just ridiculous.

 

Bottom line:  If WWE doesn't start following through on their stories, they won't just be worried about television ratings and ticket sales.  The key to their success in both of those aspects is storyline development.  Get people watching again, get people talking again, don't blow the ending.  The difference between a B movie and an Oscar winner is the buildup to the climax.  They say that everything shot in a movie has a purpose, otherwise it would have ended up on the cutting room floor if it didn't have to be there for the story to work.  WWE needs to take a little more time in pre-production and planning and make sure that the things that happen on TV today translate into a payoff down the road.  TV time is too valuable to be wasted.