Now for those of you that have seen Lucha Underground, you know that they do a remarkably good job of establishing stakes that resonate. There have only been two episodes, but everything they do, from the commentary to the cut scenes backstage, to the promo time in the ring is done to raise the narrative stakes for each character involved in the story they are trying to tell. For instance, in their premiere episode, the Lucha Underground benefactor and owner Dario Cueto immediately made everything on the show more meaningful by promising $100,000 to the person that impressed him most that evening. To really convey that this bonus was meaningful, they had him show us the money, a visual that really helped us tangibly see exactly what was on the line that night. Each match had added meaning, where losing meant you were definitely not getting the bonus cash, and only winning in impressive fashion meant that you had a chance at it. Raising the stakes is one of the most important narrative tools at a storytellers disposal, and the WWE doesnt do it in meaningful ways. Lets take for example this Mondays Raw, where Vince returned without any real reasoning, in order to add a stipulation to Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series. If Team Cena wins, The Authority loses their power. On its surface, it may look like they really raised the stakes, but upon further inspection, they have only artificially enhanced the importance on the traditional Survivor Series bout set for November 23rd. Firstly, the stipulation is purposely vague which only makes us think that there is some kind of screwy unsatisfying resolution on the horizon. Lose their power isnt fired after all. Secondly, the stipulation came without reason or explanation. Anyone that can explain to me right now why Vince did what he did, be my guest. Dario offered a bonus to his most impressive warrior on his shows debut, almost ensuring everyone give maximum effort, which makes sense. Vinces decision doesnt make sense and came completely out of left field. Deus Ex Vince Mc-Machina doesnt exactly meaningfully raise the stakes. Finally, there isnt anything on the line for Cena, other than his own meaningless pride. Its meaningless because its not tangible. Cenas career, standing in the company, and his future title shot are all not in jeopardy during this match, so the stakes are fairly low. The WWE needs to establish meaningful stakes in the way that Lucha Underground does.
Matthew J. Douglas is an emerging screenwriter born in Toronto. A lifelong fascination with what makes a compelling story and the Toni Morrison quote "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." led the often opinionated Matthew to the life of writer. Matthew is also a lifelong WWE fan, and a self diagnosed Reality TV Junkie.
