[Annoying author's note: I'm doing this post bare bones on my phone because my internet is currently down. So don't expect the usual bells and whistles, and do expect typos galore.]
As an involved father of six (that's not a typo), I can tell you where my children are not. They are not in front of the tv watching Monday Night Raw.
My kids range in age from thirteen to four, mostly girls, with a couple of boys sprinkled in there too. So my house makes for a nice demographic study.
My oldest son, who's eight, is special needs and doesn't watch tv. My other son is the four year-old. Anytime I have wrestling on and he walks in the room the first words out of his mouth are "I LOVE wrestlings!" (Again, not a typo, that's how he says it.) He then plops down next to me and after about twenty seconds he's gone, off to find something else to do.
Hardly a knock on the product because, he's four. He does that with everything he watches. Some things hold his interest longer than others but for the most part, it's running back and forth between playing and watching. Plus, I don't think his understanding is fully there yet of how wrestling even works. Not the whole kayfabe thing, I mean I don't think he even knows that you win a match by pinning your opponent. All in due time.
My thirteen year-old has had the most exposure to wrestling just because she's been around the longest. She thinks the Undertaker is cool as hell but she won't sit through a match. A couple of years ago she might have, but I think the unfortunate curse that comes with being thirteen has struck in which everything you do either has to be really trendy or really, really entertaining in order to warrant your time.
What's that tell you? It tells me that as cool a character as the Undertaker is, his appeal goes only so far in the current product. If wrestling were trendy, which it was once upon a time, or if the stuff they were putting out was highly entertaining, which it isn't, they would probably be reaching this demographic of teenagers.
With all of these examples, of course there are exceptions to the rule. But even I went through it. When I was thirteen it was 1991 and Dusty Rhodes was dancing with Sapphire dressed in polka dots and the Bushwackers were the top contenders to the tag team titles. The Undertaker was around but at that time his character was pretty goofy. So in the interest of being cool, it was abandon ship as far as my love of wrestling was concerned.
Plus, my tastes had matured. I was reading gritty stories in Batman comics and dealing with relationships for the first time. My daughter is also a reader, having graduated to things like Eragon, the Hunger Games, and Where the Red Fern Grows. You really think she has any interest in watching Hornswoggle dance with Brodus Clay?
So where is the WWE making it's bread and butter if it's not with the little kids and it's not with the teenagers? How about with the kids in between? My six year old daughter is a little princess who could care less about wrestling. But my other two girls, ages eleven and ten, will still get into it. I ordered this year's Royal Rumble on pay-per-view and it was actually a lot of fun watching it with them because they were going nuts. The concept of being eliminated by going over the top rope added an element of suspense that had them on the edge of their seats, screaming and frantically clapping their hands, especially when it came down to the final two guys, Sheamus and Chris Jericho.
I can't say they really knew much about either guy. They just knew that Sheamus was the good guy and Jericho was the bad guy and that was enough for them. Unfortunately they did not follow in their father's footsteps and cheer for the heel. They fell right in line with the WWE program and cheered vehemently for Sheamus and celebrated wildly when he won. It was the same way with WrestleMania, which I also ordered. They cheered the good guys and booed the bad guys like good little members of the WWE Universe should.
That being said, these were the only two pay per views that I'm probably going to order this year. They'll sit and watch them because they know that a pay-per-view is something their dad pays for and sets aside time to watch. They'll get into it because the action is usually pretty consistent.
But when it's time for Monday Night Raw, my kids are usually finding something else to do.
Most of the segments bore them. They don't really care about storylines or getting to know the characters. What they need to know about them, they get in the matches. They know that Big Show is big. They know Kane is a big evil monster. They know Randy Orton is a lean, mean wrestling machine with a cool look and a cool move. They know John Cena wears the bright, colorful clothes and that he's the top good guy, going so far as to ask me if he is "the best wrestler" which usually results in an answer from me that is way more comprehensive than they care for.
Watching my own children and their response to the product has been quite the eye-opener. And it's helped me to realize that the WWE isn't trying to please me. They're trying desperately to appeal to a couple of my kids and their peers in the hopes that their product will catch on with them to the point that we will make a concerted effort as a family to purchase pay-per-views, merchandise and tickets, as well as watch their shows on a regular basis and maybe turn into lifelong fans. Knowing that helps me to relax a little because what is wrestling if it's not having fun. And if I can watch a pay-per-view with my family and just have fun, who am I to complain?
That being said, I think they are still failing to reach their target demographic in their weekly shows. I know I'd enjoy Raw and Smackdown a whole lot more if my kids were watching it with me. It sounds a little too simplistic but I think the answer is wrestling. I think things are a little too storyline-driven these days. I enjoy the occasional backstage segment or angle but the in-ring action has really taken a backseat to everything else the last few years.
Like I said, my kids know everything they need to about a wrestler by what they see in the ring. It was the same way when I was growing up. I didn't need a lot of angles involving Tito Santana to know he was a good guy or to become a fan. I became a fan of Tito because of what I saw him do in the ring. (oooh...italics) And squash matches went a long way in establishing who I became a fan of. It certainly hasn't hurt Ryback's popularity. It also helped me take undercard guys more seriously because I saw them actually get some offense in and win matches. So that when it was time to watch them on a pay-per-view, I was excited because I knew what they were capable of.
Did I really say all this just to say bring back wrestling and bring back squash matches? I guess I did. Fact is, I love wrestling, I love the WWE, and I'd like for my kids to love it too. And that's a subtle change that could be implemented gradually, inexpensively and perhaps really go a long way into boosting the company's bottom line. I seem to recall business being pretty good in the days of squashes and fifteen minute wrestling matches as a regular occurance tv.
Anyhow, sorry for being a little long-winded this time. I promise that's the last word, and I'll try to keep it shorter next time. Until then...discuss!
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