10 Times WWE Made MASSIVE Changes That You Didn’t Even See
How did Vince McMahon finally learn the importance of the space BETWEEN the moves?
WWE, at its core, is a family business run by a family not known for doing things quietly.
When the broadcasts switched to High Definition in 2008, they promoted it even if it meant catching sight of Shawn Michaels' bald spots like never before. When they switched to PG, millions of jaded Attitude Era holdovers swore blind that the lack of...well, swearing blind was a reason why the show suddenly sucked. Vince McMahon's "Cure For The Common Show" speech was designed to draw a crystal clear line between the recent past and the near future in the shadow of screwing Bret Hart live on pay-per-view.
On his Last Ride documentary, Undertaker praised how deft a salesman Vince McMahon still was. Doesn't seem so clear from some of his current storylines, but apparently the old dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve (or slapped across his chest if his bright orange gym shirt doesn't have sleeves). We the viewers didn't see or hear any of these because McMahon sent the cameras packing. He knows what he's happy to broadcast and the stuff he needs to keep under wraps - he's made company policy out of it. When stuff happens, they almost always want you to know.
Almost always...
10. We (Don't) Want The Smoke
WWE's attempt to claw viewers back from Monday Nitro in the mid-1990s went far beyond better business decisions than some of the worst creative excesses of the unfairly-maligned but extremely cartoonish New Generation.
A 1995/96 head-to-head period for the two shows had lulled the company into a false sense of security before the Atlanta outfit switched to two hours and celebrated the fact by debuting recent WWE escapee Scott Hall. The story built to the arrival and emergence of the New World Order, knocking the opposition down and nearly out.
McMahon, eventually, worked hand in hand with USA Network executives - most notably Kay Koplovitz and Wayne Becker - to ensure the finer details of winning a ratings battle were addressed as he made sweeping changes to his roster and booking style. One major change that exists to this very day was necessitated by another major one.
When Raw became War in 1997, it added the fire and fury of pyro unlike anything ever used in the company before. This looked, sounded and felt awesome, but it bogged half the matches in smoke not unlike that which fills the ring for a Karrion Kross squash by design in 2020.
Smoke removers were brought along to clear the space quickly so emerging stars such as Steve Austin and Mankind could shine brighter than those on the other side.