On
a recent episode of Wrestling with History on VOC Nation, Ken Resnick
talked about who could have carried the ball for WWF if Hulk Hogan
hadn't jumped. He also talked about the current product being
like a Cirque du Soleil show, guaranteed contracts killing the
business, and more. Here are some highlights:
On
guaranteed contracts hurting the business: "In the old
days guys used to sell because it made the matches better which made
the houses better, which made everyone’s payoff better. Now
guys are generally working on guaranteed contracts – right now
there are no houses it’s all television – but with the guaranteed
contracts (the talent is) a little more concerned about their own
image than the match."
On
lack of car travel hurting chemistry: "In the old days
with the small towns guys would spend hours and hours together in
cars going from town to town. It’s like anything; when you’re
with someone, not only at the arena but in cars, at hotels, you
develop a rapport and relationships are established. And
subconsciously you want to make sure your friend looks as good as you
do in the match. I think the combination of (both guaranteed
contracts and car travel) being lost has resulted in a lack of
selling."
On
today's booking versus the 80s: "It’s almost like the
same philosophy as Cirque du Soleil where you want to keep the
audience entertained every second. (The fans) don’t really
need to think about what they just saw they just enjoy (it) and (wait
for) the next high spot. That philosophy has almost taken over
wrestling where (now) you never see someone just wearing down their
opponent with a hold because today that would be considered
absolutely boring. It’s gotta be one entertainment moment
after another after another… There’s got to be a way to mold the
two of them together…there’s got to be a way to bring back the
psychology of a match, and within that body of high spots and
entertainment (to) get the fans themselves more invested not only in
the talent but in the ongoing match itself. That’s what’s
(been lost that is) sad to me."
On
mega stars not being built anymore: "Every angle back then…it
was almost like there were more stars than not. It was done
through some squash matches on TV, but the booking was to build these
stars that people wanted to buy a ticket and come see…They built
huge stars, and now today it’s more the 50/50 booking along with a
default position (built around the brand in general)… You’re not
really building any mega stars. Today it’s more of coming to
see – prior to the pandemic – the brand as opposed to coming to
see the stars."
On
whether Andre the Giant could have carried WWE nationally:
"Andre could have been the face of the company if they used him
sparingly. (But) if you’re trying to undo all these unwritten
rules of never treading on another territory and take this company
national and generate the kind of TV ratings and revenue you want,
you can’t use a face of the company sparingly. To me that
would have eliminated Andre. He was a huge attraction and
certainly people would have come to see him, but would they have come
to see him a second time?... Andre was a hugely important piece, but
I don’t think he could have been the man nationally."
On
what attributes someone would have needed to play the role Hogan
did: "This takeover was happening prior to PPV. You
needed someone on their interviews who could sell tickets (and) get
someone to come to the event. Then you needed someone whose
charisma would reinforce to people that they’re glad they came to
see him. And you needed someone who was still good enough in
the ring during the match itself to produce a great match and
product. You really needed all three facets. "
On
Sgt Slaughter: "I do think Sarge could have. His GI
Joe gung ho interviews would have talked people into coming to the
match. He had the charisma coming to the ring. He wasn’t
a real high flyer but neither was Hulk… To this day Sgt Slaughter
is the only real life character that actually was included in the GI
Joe toys (and) the GI Joe movie… Kids would have been bugging their
parents to take them to see Sgt Slaughter who they saw in the comic
books, whose toys they were playing with, and who they saw in the
movie. I would say Sarge could have certainly carried it, not
to the degree of Hulk."
On
Ric Flair: "If Hulk had not gone, I’m almost certain
Vince would have gone after Ric Flair. He had the interviews,
he had the charisma, the robes when he came out, (and) what he was
able to do in the ring. If it had not been Hulk, I think Ric
Flair could have done it. Obviously he would have been a face,
he would have been great.