CALDWELL'S TAKE CORNER CUBE TUESDAY 5/13 - WWE brings out the heavy hitters and sells a PPV May 13, 2008 - 8:04:41 AM

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By James Caldwell, Torch columnist

Updated daily from the corner cubicle, Torch columnist James Caldwell's weekday blog focuses on hot topic current events and other items of interest from around wrestling.

Updated Tuesday, May 13, 2008

First off, I want to congratulate Jamie Penick on becoming the new managing editor of our sister site, MMATorch.com. Penick is my partner in crime every other week on the Raw audio post-game show, and he is already busy at work on the site. If you're an MMA fan, I hope you'll check out the revamped site in the weeks and months to come.

On to Raw. WWE wasn't about to hold back on this show. They weren't thinking about holding off the heavy hitters until after Judgment Day, as there was a clear sense of urgency to this show after last week's Raw continued the disappointing ratings slide.

Bringing back Jeff Hardy and John Cena, while keeping Triple H virtually non-existent until the final segment, will give WWE a very strong indication of Hardy and Cena's collective impact on the viewing audience.

On paper, it reads like WWE put more effort into advancing TV storylines rather than trying to sell the Judgment Day PPV on Sunday. Quite the contrary, as the entire show seemed to create momentum going to Judgment Day with each storyline from top-to-bottom advancing to some degree. WWE kept its eye on the ball building to a crescendo in the final segment that sold two of the main matches on Sunday.

What seemed like a completely dead-in-the-water PPV prior to Raw instantly became a show worth a second look on Sunday evening for whether it's worth $40 and three hours. It helped that the crowd in Detroit was red-hot throughout this show. John Cena certainly did his job in the opening segment getting folks in the building fired up for two hours of Raw.

I hold to the theory that one of the keys to selling a PPV is the interest level of the live audience on the final show before the PPV. If the crowd seems lethargic or indifferent when WWE is trying to pitch their top storylines going into a PPV, then undecided home viewers are most likely going to balk at the idea of another $40 on a blah product. If the live audience is hot for everything, then undecided home viewers are going to lean a little more to ordering the PPV.

The momentum of an energetic John Cena return, a memorable Jeff Hardy return, a poignant sweet chin music from Michaels, the women's division advancing, Cade turning on Murdoch, a very hot main event between Orton and Cena, and two of the top PPV matches being sold at the end of the show created a strong sales pitch that wasn't there the previous two weeks.

WWE brought out the heavy hitters on Monday night, and in the process, they sold a PPV better than they had at any point the previous two weeks. WWE had an eye on delivering a better TV product, but they also gave themselves an opportunity to earn additional buys that weren't there prior to last night.

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Updated Monday, May 12, 2008

This time last month, we were talking about TNA having an opportunity to turn the corner after the Lockdown PPV when they presented the template of how to promote serious pro wrestling. In the weeks that followed, TNA returned to what they know - confusing gimmick matches, zany angles, and A.J. Styles as a goofball character.

That culminated at Sacrifice, which turned into one of those forgettable PPVs that wasn't particularly bad or insulting, but it wasn't good. It was what was expected, with TNA wanting to dip into the bag-of-tricks, while also trying to present a somewhat more serious product. They want to overbook because that's what they know.

As a result, Sacrifice delivered seven tag matches that were all very similar until the final match of the tournament, one giant structure monkey bars gimmick match featuring eight people, one battle royale/ladder match/head-shaving three-piece combo that featured ten people, and one three-way main event for the TNA Title with a de-pushed X Division wrestler replacing a former World champion. It added up to an overloaded show that was a blur by the end of the night.

TNA's TV ratings are reflecting a lukewarm response to a lukewarm product. The shows are fine; I'm not feeling stressed out after watching two hours of Impact. The current product mix just doesn't lend itself to a strong response one way or the other.

It starts at the top with Samoa Joe. During the pre-match introductions for the main event, the crowd response to Joe was indifference. Granted, it was the tenth match on a show that seemed to wear on the psyche with repetitive tag matches. There are only so many two-on-one beat downs and hot tags that fans can tolerate in one night. But, the response to Joe is indicative of fan response to the product right now.

It doesn't help that Joe has been presented on TV as overly-aggressive compared to calm and cool Kevin Nash. Joe yelling and screaming doesn't play well juxtaposed to the coolest man in the room. I'm tempted to call for a Joe heel turn, but that's falling into the same trap TNA falls into by writing a 10-chapter story that is missing chapters 2-9. That was the case with Awesome Kong's first match with the men, as there was no story behind the most-dominant heel on the roster mixing it up with the men.

It's obvious TNA doesn't want to give up its bag-of-tricks. The bag is like a security blanket that keeps the company aligned with the vision for let's-not-take-ourselves-too-seriously wrestling. When something unfamiliar, such as legit build-up to Joe vs. Angle at Lockdown creeps in, TNA knows exactly where they can turn for comfort.

Joe as a serious champion trying to have serious matches doesn't mix well with TNA's vision for attempted comedy and overbooking. It creates a strange mix that doesn't play well with audiences, as evidenced by the ratings trends the last four weeks.

I don't see this mix changing. TNA will continue to overbook and come up with more "concept matches". We know next month's PPV will feature yet another gimmick match with King of the Mountain. It's the reality of how TNA presents its product. Right now, it's not bad enough to be hair-pulling and worthy of tuning in for a trainwreck, but it's not good enough to be memorable and worth spending money on the product.

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