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Post: #1075875
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This message was edited by Dan Shocket's Ghost on April 04th, 2024 00:19 GMT
I grew up watching the WWF during this era, and at the time I never noticed just how formulaic the promotions booking was.
With the (ethnic) babyface World champion on top wrestling a constantly rotating cast of incoming heels managed by 1 of the 3 local managers, and the secondary faces putting over the incoming heels before they rotated out again while keeping their own credibility by being gatekeepers to the title and having occasional runs as tag team champs, and a cast of ethnic face and heel jobbers at the bottom. This all went on for 20 years.
Was I the only one who failed to notice all this? Did anyone else notice the formula?
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Post: #1075880
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I just enjoyed it for all those years.
Its only been in the past 20 years looking back on it that I realized there was a formula. But I appreciate the hell out of f how simple the Elder McMahon's formula was and how successful it was for such a long time.
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Post: #1075907
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I picked up on it in the 70's living in GA just following WWWF in newsletters and magazines. A heel would come in then after a short build up have a series of matches with the champ then be gone. Here in the south feuds were personal and various angles to push feuds. In WWWF heel was gone not long after run with champ. Here a heel might be around for awhile having several different feuds with different wrestlers. The WWWF way of booking would not have worked here but their buildings were monthly while we were weekly or every couple weeks.
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Post: #1075927
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New heels coming in to tv started the process. First decision was which manager to be paired with. After the first set of tapings a decision of whether the heel was over or not and whether an angle is needed at the next set of tapings. Next does the heel go straight into a program with the champion at MSG or does he need a victory over a star Babyface to elevate him into the program
His first appearance in MSG is watched closely by VJM who decides if the heel is one and done or will have one or two return matches.
All booking revolved around the WWWF title.
The WWWF was a gimmick oriented, brawling, babyface promotion
McMahon tried to deviate with Bruno vs Pedro at Shea Stadium.
It sounded good on paper but fans did not want either of their heroes to lose
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Post: #1075928
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Great analysis, Spoiler. Spot on. When I talked to WWWF talent from the 70s and early 80is at fanfest they all tell me that Vince woud be at the curtain to gauge the audience reaction to Bruno vs. heel, Pedro vs. heel, Bob vs. heel to determine whether to have a return match. The full card for next month's show would be announced prior to the last match
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Post: #1075930
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Thanks Battle Royal.
I was always intrigued by how a heel was selected for a championship program.
McMahon would contact his fellow promotors while his inner circle made their recommendations.
There were 3 rotating managers. Albano, Wiz and Blassie.
Each manager had a distinct personality and a wrestler had to compliment that personality.
VJM made promoting look easy but their was a science to it
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Post: #1075943
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VJM, like Jim Crockett Sr., used a small notebook that he kept in his suit pocket that detailed all the details on upcoming programs.
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This message was edited by gcbowman on April 05th, 2024 12:35 GMT
I grew up during the Backlund area and did not start watching until he had won the title, so I never noticed the ethnic champions.
As a kid, I did pick up on parts of the formula. New heel wins on TV in squash matches, and then beats the best of the babyface lower card stars, like S.D. Jones.
I knew that if I saw Jones against, say, Muraco, Jones would give him a run for the money but would eventually lose quickly after missing some move (like a run to the turnbuckle). If Jones were controlling the match like five minutes in, better stay tuned, because a pin or submission is right around the corner, lol.
As soon as the heel appears on TV he has a manager (one of the three regulars), and then gets a title shot against Backlund, which is promoted on TV.
In time the heel would disappear eventually after not winning the title, and then new heels would come in.
Wash and repeat.
As a kid I also picked up on the fact that lower card babyfaces would never get a title shot against Backlund. It never bothered me, because I "knew" they weren't as good as the champ and didn't deserve it. I never bought Strongbow or Putski as potential champions. They were not as legit as Backlund, whom I completely bought as a champion. He LOOKED like an athlete and when on TV performed like one.
I also figured out that if a heel who had been there for a while had a shot for the title on TV, Backlund was going to win cleanly, because in my eyes if the heel was getting a shot on TV, he already was in decline because he did not win the title in the Philly Spectrum in previous championship matches promoted on TV. The reason we are getting this free championship match is because they cannot make money selling it at the Spectrum.
My parents never took me to a match (my father was and is a big fan of amateur wrestling and saw "pro rasslin" as an insult to the sport), so it's not like I could compare the TV product with the arena product.
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Post: #1075948
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As a kid I also picked up on the fact that lower card babyfaces would never get a title shot against Backlund. It never bothered me, because I "knew" they weren't as good as the champ and didn't deserve it. I never bought Strongbow or Putski as potential champions. They were not as legit as Backlund, whom I completely bought as a champion. He LOOKED like an athlete and when on TV performed like one.
Backlund writes in his book, VJM would not risk matching Backlund vs a Babyface title match for fear of poor ticket sales
If Backlund was matched against Putski and fans cheered more for Putski that would hurt Backlunds credibility at least for that evening. If Backlund pins Putski that would hurt Putski's credibility. No good scenario Babyface vs Babyface, as in the WWWF babyface always win in the end
Backlund was a great wrestler but it was his ability to brawl toe to toe with the heels and win that sold tickets.
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Post: #1075952
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This message was edited by gcbowman on April 05th, 2024 15:57 GMT
Quoted from: Spoiler, April 05th, 2024 14:14 GMTAs a kid I also picked up on the fact that lower card babyfaces would never get a title shot against Backlund. It never bothered me, because I "knew" they weren't as good as the champ and didn't deserve it. I never bought Strongbow or Putski as potential champions. They were not as legit as Backlund, whom I completely bought as a champion. He LOOKED like an athlete and when on TV performed like one.
Backlund writes in his book, VJM would not risk matching Backlund vs a Babyface title match for fear of poor ticket sales
If Backlund was matched against Putski and fans cheered more for Putski that would hurt Backlunds credibility at least for that evening. If Backlund pins Putski that would hurt Putski's credibility. No good scenario Babyface vs Babyface, as in the WWWF babyface always win in the end
Backlund was a great wrestler but it was his ability to brawl toe to toe with the heels and win that sold tickets.
Yes, indeed. Backlund also was smaller physically than most of the heels and often appeared to be an underdog. He was the David who overcame the odds and won fairly against the diabolical heel Goliaths, who not only were bigger but had managers conspiring to rob the champ of his title. The stories that Backlund told in the ring helped truly get him over. He was, as you said, able to stand toe to toe against the heels without eating them up.
Strongbow and especially Putski would have been less interested in that kind of measured approach. Putski in particular would have no problem eating up a heel. That attitude would have ruined the formula.
Looking back, it is kind of funny that as a kid I figured out some things about the formula even before I knew for sure there was one. I figured out Putski and Strongbow as less talented, less able workers and as a result knew that they were in the right place--as workers unable and undeserving to hold the belt.
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Post: #1075970
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This message was edited by The Avenger on April 05th, 2024 19:04 GMT
Quoted from: Dan Shocket's Ghost, April 04th, 2024 00:17 GMT I grew up watching the WWF during this era, and at the time I never noticed just how formulaic the promotions booking was.
With the (ethnic) babyface World champion on top wrestling a constantly rotating cast of incoming heels managed by 1 of the 3 local managers, and the secondary faces putting over the incoming heels before they rotated out again while keeping their own credibility by being gatekeepers to the title and having occasional runs as tag team champs, and a cast of ethnic face and heel jobbers at the bottom. This all went on for 20 years.
Was I the only one who failed to notice all this? Did anyone else notice the formula?
This era was before my time but I see how it was much too formulaic for my taste. They didn't like to shake things up too much. Having ethnic wrestlers was interesting and made perfect sense. But, yeah, it was too predictable for my taste. Once you've been exposed to other promotions, I don't see how you can rate this promotion at the top. I can't help but think some people were either sleeping through the first 4 or so matches on many of these cards or just didn't show up until later. At least, from what I've seen from quite a stretch in this era.
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Post: #1076013
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As a fan who became addicted to wrestling in the Bruno era, you were so invested in Bruno.....we really believed. We lived and died with his matches. It was no formula. You rooted for him like you life depended on it.
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