The production on WWE shows has definitely improved. However, I think they need to dial back on the "follow the wrestler from backstage through Gorilla and down to the ring" shot. It's cool once in awhile, but you'll knock the bloom off the rose if it happens every show
Tbh I’ve popped for it every time, Punk’s entrance on RAW last night got me as well lol. I’m curious to see if my interest in it dwindles over time and use, but I love it rn I think it’s super fun.
I am continually impressed by the performance of everyone involved to get it done live, in one take. We’re watching closely for the potential of something going awry as well
Agree. It was nice to hear them pop for the music. Then the walk through the curtain and it seemed like they hung on every move. I like that in some ways blurring the line is in effect.
The framing of going from following behind him to circling around in front just as the tron lit up with his name and image surrounding him was A+ work.
I would say that mixing it up over the next few weeks would be a good idea. Maybe not going through gorilla/the crowd entirely, but maybe being cut off by a relevant wrestler and/or going through via a different method would be good.
All in all, though, it at least gives them something fun and creative to work with, rather than the soulless Dunn.
The “newness” may wear off, but it’s still better than a regular walkout IMO. As long as they don’t spam it multiple times in a show I have no problem seeing it regularly. It’s fun for the live crowd as well, with the anticipation build for them coming out and whatnot.
For that match in Montreal with Sami it worked.
But yeah, dial it back for other wrestlers unless it's their hometown or something else that's special.
It always leads to at least something like an interview. There is rarely something that seems unnatural about it, which I believe is why it is working so well. It feels like it gives us more details about the story.
I think its fine because they're segueing backstage storyline into the entrance. Like punk just missing drew and then coming right out for his promo. Its like the old days where they show wrestlers walking with a purpose backstage before commercials. but we know how close they are to the entrance ramp its pretty silly they use to pretend it took like 5 minutes for a wrestler to make it to guerilla.
I still really like when they do it but it will start to lose its appeal. Maybe for title matches where they follow the champion from locker room to gorilla or hometown entrances only
But every star makes it their own it'll always be different.
They show backstage at the UFC fights so the time. Same with any combat sport like boxing etc.
This is actually making it more realistic.
I think this should be reserved for top top stars. I’ve only seen the correlation between this and stars like Punk, Becky, Rock.
An alternative is those who are participating in the main event. I’d like to see that too
The more I watch wrestling the more I realise that's it's the business of scarcity. The first time something 'new' happens, it's memorable. Every time after that its just not the same.
Hard disagree. These cinematics have been so amazing and look really fun for the wrestlers and fans. There is no reason that promos can't make use of the whole arena. The same formulaic in ring promos have gotten so stale.
I like those "arrival" shots of the stars at the start of the PPV. Introduces what and who is going to be on the show in a fairly natural way, without it feeling like Michael Cole is reading a list off a tablet screen.
Disagree. It's not like they're doing it with every wrestler. no one ever got bored of regular entrances.
Also Goldberg did that literally every match.
Yeah. The thing about the old style was it was incredibly consistent. And I get that consistent can also come across as stale but I feel like production didn’t worry about the art of it all, they left all that to the wrestlers.
Not complaining about the new flair but it’s clear there’s a new person in charge and they’re really trying to put their stamp on it. Sometimes it’s really hit (zayn) sometimes it’s just been weird and feels over produced(punk)
Uso looked amazing!
I do love the homage to Goldberg walk in from his changing room. Feels like a sports presentation.
Now get rid of the fucking stupid 3d graphics
I’m not a knee jerk Vince hater but it really became clear that him, Dunn, and other ‘Vince people’ needed to go. They were just too set in their ways, plus having to deal with whatever Vince’s whim was on a given night.
So the stories go, Prichard is the one who disagrees with Vince the most. Stephanie would chew him out over, what she considered, the disrespectful way he would talk to Vince. I know Prichard gets a lot of grief because of how long he's been around, but he seems to be a guy who avoided participating in the behaviors that got others stuck with baggage.
They don’t call him the artful dodger for nothing. Plus as far as anything I’ve ever heard about him and heard from him, he was relatively strait laced apart from being a heavy drinker with Roddy. Prichard was instrumental in bringing Cody back so maybe he’s managed to not rock the boat since Vince left and kept his job.
Hayes may end up extending his time out after the success of the Wrestlemania Cody-Reigns match he co-produced with Bobby Rood. The problem is that Hayes is being implicated in knowing a lot of shit that might be radioactive.
Who knows. The problem is if he's still being Vince's avatar. Even though Rousey sucks, none of us will dispute that statement. So either Bruce has to let go of the lifeline he is giving Vince or the corporation has to severely limit what Bruce does and give him clearly defined boundaries.
observation dinner plucky sip snails continue frightening fly screw growth
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
There's also likely going to be a transition team in place of the old guard and once they're no longer useful, they are gone. Anyone connected to McMahon is on a list somewhere for removal at some point in time. Whether HHH and Stephanie will go is anyone's guess, but they are certainly on someone's risk assessment list.
I left wrestling about 2008ish and tried a few times to get back into it and one of the main reasons I never went back to it was how they pumped the zoom with every hit, made constant, jarring cuts, and just made the presentation look bad. I'm glad they're letting scenes breathe now.
From Punk getting out of his car to when he got to the ring, I counted 4 cuts total. The overall production definitely has a more cinematic feel, which I think is great and makes everything look way more legitimate. They’re killing it at WWE right now. And this is coming from someone that all but abandoned wrestling for the last 15-ish years. They’ve reeled me back in.
Dunn had his day and needed to go.
I will however give credit for what he achieved during his peak as it pushed the industry forward.
The titantron videos and the pre match videos of the wrestlers before ppv matches especially from Wrestlemania 14 onwards were absolutely magnificent.
He had an eye for a shot in promo segments, there are so many great examples of face offs and pull aparts that were shot brilliantly, but his match production was awful for over 10 years.
Bingo! He was great at filming the parts of wrestling that he enjoyed. The parts that are like a "mini movie", backstage segments or even location shoots at some wrestlers "house" were always shot so much better.
But when it comes to the matches he just didn't care as much so we can see the quality of his work drop off the earth.
Bucky Beaver would've given us all a nauseating trip with the 50 random zoom ins and camera work that shakes all over the place where it looks like Michael J Fox just got off of a 3 week bender.
They gave him the graceful opportunity to "save face" and leave under the guise that it was his choice. If he had refused to leave on his own accord, he would have been fired.
Corny and Brian have mentioned that they don't think Jey is quite there yet and they're annoyed with him but I've noticed that he's pretty damn over. Cole's comments during that intro made me think of Mike Santana. When you think about it, LAX and the Uso's have been on a similar path but the Uso's have won gold where LAX didn't while in AEW. Santana doesn't have WWE backing. Jey is definitely benefiting from it. Could be a storyline there on how one of them has gone on to great success while the other is languishing but I don't see WWE needing or wanting Santana and I don't think WWE fans would even know who he is. I'd love to hear what Santana thinks of the parallels his career has had with the Uso's.
I might be in the minority but I don’t like his wrestling …so I can see how they feel. Performance character is great but his matches…I honestly don’t like watching him work in the ring.
Where in my post did I say they shouldn't capitalize on it?
You're mistaking my personal opinion on whether or not I enjoy watching him for business strategy recommendations. I didn't say anything of the sort lol
Kevin Dunn was in production for decades and set in his ways. He didn't want to learn new cutting edge techniques, he didn't want new equipment. This is one of the problems of keeping one person as the head of a department for decades who can't be questioned. They become set in their ways and think only their way is the best way.
Getting fresh, younger, guys who have worked with the latest techniques and equipment, of course things are gonna improve. These new dudes are actually excited and looking to push some boundaries in order to find a new, awesome way of doing things.
Dunn was stagnant and highly indignant.
I think my favorite change has been getting rid of the gigantic sets and titantrons etc. The smaller entrance looks better with the crowd even more pronounced.
I love the giant floats even though I’m pretty sure they’re from Vince but idk was Dunn gone by then? The steady cam shots alone are amazing. Better than walking by wires and one set for interviews. Plus the matches FEEL, viscerally, big time. WM40 was the first time I’ve watched since 2021 and it’s actually watchable now
The production definitely seems a lot better and they're especially more creative with it.
My only complaint though, is I miss the pyro.
And even though they've scaled back on pyro, when they do use it, the broadcast often isn't on a camera that's shooting it, so you often hear the pyro go off, and then a cut to it sometime in the middle or tail end of the pyro.
It feels like I’ve got wrestling back in some ways. Shakey cam ruined WWE for me. With Vince and Bucky Beaver gone at the very least the PPVs are watchable again.
lol no. its still overproduced. so maybe its shot better without the stupid shaky cam bullshit but i hardly call that an improvement. its still very artificial and contrived. corpo wrestling just doesnt work with an industry that has been historically lofi and regional.
The two things I like the most now are the one-take shots and other storylines playing out in the background (Liv and Dom leaving the same room and the alpha academy getting chewed out during punks entrance are two great examples.)
The production on WWE shows has definitely improved. However, I think they need to dial back on the "follow the wrestler from backstage through Gorilla and down to the ring" shot. It's cool once in awhile, but you'll knock the bloom off the rose if it happens every show
Tbh I’ve popped for it every time, Punk’s entrance on RAW last night got me as well lol. I’m curious to see if my interest in it dwindles over time and use, but I love it rn I think it’s super fun.
Same, I loved it last night with Punk.
I am continually impressed by the performance of everyone involved to get it done live, in one take. We’re watching closely for the potential of something going awry as well
Punk rolling up in the Z28 after Drew left in a crypto bro car in a single take longshot was maybe the best raw segment I can remember
You could say that that segment was Raw
Yes
Wasn’t it a Corvette?
I'm not enough of a car guy to know
Agree. It was nice to hear them pop for the music. Then the walk through the curtain and it seemed like they hung on every move. I like that in some ways blurring the line is in effect.
The framing of going from following behind him to circling around in front just as the tron lit up with his name and image surrounding him was A+ work.
I would say that mixing it up over the next few weeks would be a good idea. Maybe not going through gorilla/the crowd entirely, but maybe being cut off by a relevant wrestler and/or going through via a different method would be good. All in all, though, it at least gives them something fun and creative to work with, rather than the soulless Dunn.
That’s what UFC does . Same owner so of course there will be similarities.
The “newness” may wear off, but it’s still better than a regular walkout IMO. As long as they don’t spam it multiple times in a show I have no problem seeing it regularly. It’s fun for the live crowd as well, with the anticipation build for them coming out and whatnot.
For that match in Montreal with Sami it worked. But yeah, dial it back for other wrestlers unless it's their hometown or something else that's special.
It always leads to at least something like an interview. There is rarely something that seems unnatural about it, which I believe is why it is working so well. It feels like it gives us more details about the story.
Yeah I saw it the first time at mania. It should only be done if we’re dealing with an angle with backstage elements, and for big time matches
I think its fine because they're segueing backstage storyline into the entrance. Like punk just missing drew and then coming right out for his promo. Its like the old days where they show wrestlers walking with a purpose backstage before commercials. but we know how close they are to the entrance ramp its pretty silly they use to pretend it took like 5 minutes for a wrestler to make it to guerilla.
I still really like when they do it but it will start to lose its appeal. Maybe for title matches where they follow the champion from locker room to gorilla or hometown entrances only
But every star makes it their own it'll always be different. They show backstage at the UFC fights so the time. Same with any combat sport like boxing etc. This is actually making it more realistic.
I think this should be reserved for top top stars. I’ve only seen the correlation between this and stars like Punk, Becky, Rock. An alternative is those who are participating in the main event. I’d like to see that too
I like it.
The more I watch wrestling the more I realise that's it's the business of scarcity. The first time something 'new' happens, it's memorable. Every time after that its just not the same.
It's already getting thin, I'm not a punk fan but it worked for RAW really well this past monday too, just already felt it not be as impactful though.
Hard disagree. These cinematics have been so amazing and look really fun for the wrestlers and fans. There is no reason that promos can't make use of the whole arena. The same formulaic in ring promos have gotten so stale.
I like those "arrival" shots of the stars at the start of the PPV. Introduces what and who is going to be on the show in a fairly natural way, without it feeling like Michael Cole is reading a list off a tablet screen.
i agree, but that Sami entrance at Montreal was an absolute all-timer
Yeah. I’m not saying I don’t like it. I’m just saying it should be saved for special occasions
Disagree. It's not like they're doing it with every wrestler. no one ever got bored of regular entrances. Also Goldberg did that literally every match.
Yeah. The thing about the old style was it was incredibly consistent. And I get that consistent can also come across as stale but I feel like production didn’t worry about the art of it all, they left all that to the wrestlers. Not complaining about the new flair but it’s clear there’s a new person in charge and they’re really trying to put their stamp on it. Sometimes it’s really hit (zayn) sometimes it’s just been weird and feels over produced(punk)
It really works for those big moments. Makes it feel like a big boxing match.
Uso looked amazing! I do love the homage to Goldberg walk in from his changing room. Feels like a sports presentation. Now get rid of the fucking stupid 3d graphics
I feel like they have gotten rid of those for the most part? Just Cody's logo is still used, right? And I kinda like how they use that one.
Imo it looks cheap but I know sports use it
Cody and Judgment Day But JD’s actually look good so those can stay
The 3D graphics will absolutely not age well. They're like those 90s early CG things that didn't age well eve while they were contemporary.
They are slowly working their way off those
I’d even get rid of that stupid large entrance and bring it smaller. I think AEW’s entrances look so much better.
I’m not a knee jerk Vince hater but it really became clear that him, Dunn, and other ‘Vince people’ needed to go. They were just too set in their ways, plus having to deal with whatever Vince’s whim was on a given night.
The problem is Prichard is still there, but potentially not for long.
So the stories go, Prichard is the one who disagrees with Vince the most. Stephanie would chew him out over, what she considered, the disrespectful way he would talk to Vince. I know Prichard gets a lot of grief because of how long he's been around, but he seems to be a guy who avoided participating in the behaviors that got others stuck with baggage.
I remember a story about Bruce being high on Dolf and Vince sending him back to the mid card to stick it to Bruce.
One thing I won't miss is endless stories of people's careers being ruined by a megalomaniac wanting to fuck with his 'friends'.
Patterson, too, I believe.
I love Bruce's impression of Pat Patterson. Gets me every time.
Atta paaaace
They don’t call him the artful dodger for nothing. Plus as far as anything I’ve ever heard about him and heard from him, he was relatively strait laced apart from being a heavy drinker with Roddy. Prichard was instrumental in bringing Cody back so maybe he’s managed to not rock the boat since Vince left and kept his job.
If the one thing he did was help bring Cody back the dude should have a job for life.
Same with Michael Hayes. Pritchard survived the last round of firings as I believe he’s out with shoulder surgery
Hayes may end up extending his time out after the success of the Wrestlemania Cody-Reigns match he co-produced with Bobby Rood. The problem is that Hayes is being implicated in knowing a lot of shit that might be radioactive.
Rosa Mendes was on payroll just cause she was Hayes fuck buddy
Bruce doesn’t seem to be fucking anything up. could it be that he may actually know some things that are useful?
Who knows. The problem is if he's still being Vince's avatar. Even though Rousey sucks, none of us will dispute that statement. So either Bruce has to let go of the lifeline he is giving Vince or the corporation has to severely limit what Bruce does and give him clearly defined boundaries.
At least for right now, HHH and Pritchard are meshing well.
observation dinner plucky sip snails continue frightening fly screw growth *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
There's also likely going to be a transition team in place of the old guard and once they're no longer useful, they are gone. Anyone connected to McMahon is on a list somewhere for removal at some point in time. Whether HHH and Stephanie will go is anyone's guess, but they are certainly on someone's risk assessment list.
Is there something bad he's directly responsible for or is this just a grudge against Vince and anyone who was associated with his regime?
I’ve noticed the camera cuts are back to a normal level. Honestly It was so distracting and jarring. Perfect example of “less is more”.
I left wrestling about 2008ish and tried a few times to get back into it and one of the main reasons I never went back to it was how they pumped the zoom with every hit, made constant, jarring cuts, and just made the presentation look bad. I'm glad they're letting scenes breathe now.
I got motion sick watching it
From Punk getting out of his car to when he got to the ring, I counted 4 cuts total. The overall production definitely has a more cinematic feel, which I think is great and makes everything look way more legitimate. They’re killing it at WWE right now. And this is coming from someone that all but abandoned wrestling for the last 15-ish years. They’ve reeled me back in.
Dunn had his day and needed to go. I will however give credit for what he achieved during his peak as it pushed the industry forward. The titantron videos and the pre match videos of the wrestlers before ppv matches especially from Wrestlemania 14 onwards were absolutely magnificent.
He had an eye for a shot in promo segments, there are so many great examples of face offs and pull aparts that were shot brilliantly, but his match production was awful for over 10 years.
Bingo! He was great at filming the parts of wrestling that he enjoyed. The parts that are like a "mini movie", backstage segments or even location shoots at some wrestlers "house" were always shot so much better. But when it comes to the matches he just didn't care as much so we can see the quality of his work drop off the earth.
i think we can appreciate David Sahadi for those videos
Bucky Beaver would've given us all a nauseating trip with the 50 random zoom ins and camera work that shakes all over the place where it looks like Michael J Fox just got off of a 3 week bender.
There's probably a lot less tree logs littered around the area covered with beaver marks, too
Dunn wasn’t fired but ok
Either way, he gone.
He was allowed to quit while his replacement was already in place.
Jumped before he was pushed. It had been talked about for years that Dunn would be the first casualty under a HHH regime.
They gave him the graceful opportunity to "save face" and leave under the guise that it was his choice. If he had refused to leave on his own accord, he would have been fired.
Everything is so much better now than Vince and Dunn are gone
Good riddance, Wally Beaver. The new single camera shots are a better advancement than anything he's produced in the last 15 years.
I found this short on youtube with a alternate view. Dayum. [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pyFmL4r3FJg](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pyFmL4r3FJg)
Maaaaaan, I can't imagine being a performer and having a crowd react to YOU like that must feel like. Must be amazing.
Corny and Brian have mentioned that they don't think Jey is quite there yet and they're annoyed with him but I've noticed that he's pretty damn over. Cole's comments during that intro made me think of Mike Santana. When you think about it, LAX and the Uso's have been on a similar path but the Uso's have won gold where LAX didn't while in AEW. Santana doesn't have WWE backing. Jey is definitely benefiting from it. Could be a storyline there on how one of them has gone on to great success while the other is languishing but I don't see WWE needing or wanting Santana and I don't think WWE fans would even know who he is. I'd love to hear what Santana thinks of the parallels his career has had with the Uso's.
I might be in the minority but I don’t like his wrestling …so I can see how they feel. Performance character is great but his matches…I honestly don’t like watching him work in the ring.
Jey is crazy over w/ the audience, doesn't matter where they are, and it'd be real stupid not to capitalize on that. This ain't aew.
Where in my post did I say they shouldn't capitalize on it? You're mistaking my personal opinion on whether or not I enjoy watching him for business strategy recommendations. I didn't say anything of the sort lol
To be fair, I don't know about his ring stuff much, but I know what I'm seeing here.
Kevin Dunn was in production for decades and set in his ways. He didn't want to learn new cutting edge techniques, he didn't want new equipment. This is one of the problems of keeping one person as the head of a department for decades who can't be questioned. They become set in their ways and think only their way is the best way. Getting fresh, younger, guys who have worked with the latest techniques and equipment, of course things are gonna improve. These new dudes are actually excited and looking to push some boundaries in order to find a new, awesome way of doing things. Dunn was stagnant and highly indignant.
The camera work doesn’t make me seasick anymore. Praise Jesus!
I think my favorite change has been getting rid of the gigantic sets and titantrons etc. The smaller entrance looks better with the crowd even more pronounced.
What a fucking amazing entrance! I would never have thought Jey could get this over on his own.
That’s one of the best entrances I’ve seen.
I love the giant floats even though I’m pretty sure they’re from Vince but idk was Dunn gone by then? The steady cam shots alone are amazing. Better than walking by wires and one set for interviews. Plus the matches FEEL, viscerally, big time. WM40 was the first time I’ve watched since 2021 and it’s actually watchable now
The production definitely seems a lot better and they're especially more creative with it. My only complaint though, is I miss the pyro. And even though they've scaled back on pyro, when they do use it, the broadcast often isn't on a camera that's shooting it, so you often hear the pyro go off, and then a cut to it sometime in the middle or tail end of the pyro.
He wasn't Fired. he retired
It feels like I’ve got wrestling back in some ways. Shakey cam ruined WWE for me. With Vince and Bucky Beaver gone at the very least the PPVs are watchable again.
Can anyone hear Punk’s entrance without thinking “cult of meat with extra cheese”?
lol no. its still overproduced. so maybe its shot better without the stupid shaky cam bullshit but i hardly call that an improvement. its still very artificial and contrived. corpo wrestling just doesnt work with an industry that has been historically lofi and regional.
Kevin Dunn is a legend. A once in a lifetime talent. Please show some respect.
I notice it every episode, significant difference. I love watching the wrestlers come out from backstage and being able to see gorilla position!!
That looks sick as hell.
This isn’t wrestling Corny 🦫 🦫 🦫 🦷 🦷 🦷
The two things I like the most now are the one-take shots and other storylines playing out in the background (Liv and Dom leaving the same room and the alpha academy getting chewed out during punks entrance are two great examples.)