I would say WWF peaked after Wrestlemania
17.......they still had solid ratings and great PPV buyrates up to that
point but after that, it was all downhill. It wasn't just one
thing......it was a combination of things. I don't think it was because
of the Rock's babyface act because without Austin there (who went and
healed up his neck), Rock had to carry the ball and Rock was still
getting mega pops so I think that reason is lame. Triple H, on the other
hand, lost a lot of momentum in the fall of 2000 with the botched Kurt
Angle feud, not turning babyface and being the man responsible for
running over Stone Cold.......I would buy him as a bigger reason than
Rock's babyface act. The switch to TNN, Stephanie becoming head of
creative, laziness in storylines, less attention to detail, the failed
Invasion angle, the XFL, running the same feuds over and over again, not
pushing enough new stars.........all of these were a combination of why
the ratings plummeted to where they are now and what's funny is that
the WWE continues to do the exact same thing today.
Tito - I really think two other key events played a part in WCW's demise:
1. Making David Arquette the WCW Champion.
This is an extrapolation on what you said earlier about upsetting southern fans. The NWA/WCW title was a very important title...so much so that it carried over after the promotion died. Fans, including myself, were pissed at how the World Title was used as a marketing ploy. It was a slap in the face to guys like Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and countless others. It turned a lot of casual people off.
2. The Jarrett/Hogan/Russo clusterfu**
You know the story...Hogan has Creative Control and won't put Jarrett over so Russo and Jarrett decide rather than do BUSINESS, they're gonna embarrass Hogan. So, Jarrett lies down in the ring and refusing to do business with Hogan...just the finish. Hogan goes on his tirade and then Russo in idiocy, decides to shoot and sets a Jarrett/Booker T match and strip Hogan of the title. Wow....
Hogan was wrong for not jobbing when asked, regardless of contract. If you want me to job, double my pay brother!
Jarrett hurt the fans not working for them against Hogan. People paid to see him and he let them down to play politics with Russo. This and the Chyna ransom are why JJ will never be welcomed back to WWE.
Russo exposed the business. I think Russo doing that shoot made a lot of casual fans say "you know what, screw this, I'll find something else to watch". Russo was a Bull in a China Shop...he caused a mountain of damage and yes his New York style with wrasslin' didn't mesh well.
1. Making David Arquette the WCW Champion.
This is an extrapolation on what you said earlier about upsetting southern fans. The NWA/WCW title was a very important title...so much so that it carried over after the promotion died. Fans, including myself, were pissed at how the World Title was used as a marketing ploy. It was a slap in the face to guys like Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and countless others. It turned a lot of casual people off.
2. The Jarrett/Hogan/Russo clusterfu**
You know the story...Hogan has Creative Control and won't put Jarrett over so Russo and Jarrett decide rather than do BUSINESS, they're gonna embarrass Hogan. So, Jarrett lies down in the ring and refusing to do business with Hogan...just the finish. Hogan goes on his tirade and then Russo in idiocy, decides to shoot and sets a Jarrett/Booker T match and strip Hogan of the title. Wow....
Hogan was wrong for not jobbing when asked, regardless of contract. If you want me to job, double my pay brother!
Jarrett hurt the fans not working for them against Hogan. People paid to see him and he let them down to play politics with Russo. This and the Chyna ransom are why JJ will never be welcomed back to WWE.
Russo exposed the business. I think Russo doing that shoot made a lot of casual fans say "you know what, screw this, I'll find something else to watch". Russo was a Bull in a China Shop...he caused a mountain of damage and yes his New York style with wrasslin' didn't mesh well.
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