10 Ways WWE Can Make Network-Aired House Shows More Special
8. *Shocking* Storyline Advancement
What if instead of the pictured six diva tag match, we instead got Natalya versus Paige as a grudge match with something on the line for either of them. If Natalya pinned Paige, Team PCB would become Team NCB and Paige couldn't get a Divas Championship match for a year. As well, if Paige won, Natalya would have to give up her wrestling contract in WWE and Paige would remain in Team PCB. Yes, this is a stipulation match fit for a pay-per-view, but in all reality, in the Network era, "pay-per-views" as traditionally constituted don't exist in WWE anymore. Thus, instead of a bunch of paint-by-numbers chicanery on TV leading up to a "pay-per-view" match with much limited interest than before, just cutting to the chase with some stories is now possible. If Nattie pinned Paige on Saturday night, there's now a few hot issues in the burgeoning Divas Division heading into Monday. WWE needs to understand on a creative level just how much creative control they now have and the speed at which stories can be told given their new style of presentation.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
