ATH - Q-Final Match #3 Omackeral Vs ImnottheHulk

beakerjoe

Former Champion Omackeral tackles new kid on the block ImnottheHulk, with both being impressive so far. Here is your question guys :


QF-Q3 : The Network needs a new original show that is fresh and new and you have to come up with it. It can be anything once it has a wrestling connection and must involve wrestling personalities in some way shape or form. What would your show be and why should wrestling fans be interested?

After your first post, why would your choice be better than your opponents?

Good luck fellas

Imnotthehulk

Beyond actual wrestling, WWE have a proven record of making very good documentaries on wrestling careers and various promotions. However, for the most part these are fairly fluffy career retrospectives, or broad rise and fall type documentaries. There are events, moments, aspects of the industry that are worthy of being documented in greater detail.

My suggestion for the WWE Network would be a 1 - 1.5 hour documentary highlighting different events and aspects in and around pro wrestling and WWE, somewhat similar to the 30 for 30 series on ESPN. Some of these would be made by WWE's in house teams, some by outside filmmakers.


Episodes of this series could/would cover such things as:
Vince JR buying WWWF from his father and going against the territory system;
the creation of the NWA;
the AWA leaving the NWA;
The failure of the Xtreme Football League;
Wrestlings relationship with other pop culture;
Jesse Ventura's election as Governor of Minnesotta;
The World Bodybuilding Federation;
WWE's Health and Wellness policy;
The making of No Holds Barred;
The impact of MMA on WWE;
The creation of the WWE Network;
NXT and WWE's various development territories;
WWE New York;
CM Punk's Pipe Bomb;
Wartime's impact on Wrestling;
Bobo Brazil and Ron Simmon's World title wins;
The Cold War and Wrestling's Russians.

Obviously this would involve wrestling personalities as either participants or subjects.


How is this fresh? Well it's a change from WWE's general style of documentary making, which tends to be celebratory and fluffy (in career retrospectives), or very broad (Rise and Fall of WCW, Triump and Tragedy of WCCW). A more indepth style, showing the good and bad, would bring a fresh take on WWE's documentaries, while building on their proven strengths in the field. Following 30 for 30's example, filmmakers would have a much freer reign to bring their own style to their documentaries.


How would this be of interest to fans?

We all subscribe to the network because we are fans of the WWE and pro wrestling in general. Many of us would be thrilled to get more information on the events that have formed and informed the product we're watching. The steps and mis-steps along the way. The behind the scenes politics of the early National Wrestling Alliance. Vince's going national in the 80's and it's impact on the NWA and AWA (from which WWE owns massive amount of footage). Personally I'd love to see a documentary on the failure of the XFL.

I think this would make for some fantastic programming on the Network, and it's something I would tune into happily.

Omackeral

After The Bell

I propose a new show called After The Bell. This show will focus on WWE Superstars, Divas, Figureheads etc who have moved on from life in the squared circle. Currently there is no show of this ilk on the Network but there is a small section on wwe.com called Where Are They Now? This section gives us a small insight into the lives of past performers and is accompanied with some photos too. It really only scratches the surface though. For example we have former fan favorite Scotty 2 Hotty, real name Scott Taylor, who has been WWE Tag Team Champion on two occasions in his career but is now a firefighter. How cool is that? A WWE Superstar rescuing you! Or how about the case of former WCW star and another Tag Team champion in his own right Chuck Palaumbo? Here's a guy who has gone onto the very cool world of Custom Vehicles and even stars in his own show about same. In 2014, he began co-hosting the Discovery Channel's Lords of the Car Hoards with custom car builder Rick Dore. He spoke of his retirement from wrestling on the debut of the show. This could certainly be revisited for After The Bell. This would have cross over value with the adult male demographic and petrol heads too.



On the Diva side of things, you could have a show with the formerly vicious Ivory who, after she hung up the boots, went all soft and natural and now looks after animals. Then you have former ECW lovely Beulah who is the real life wife of Tommy Dreamer and mother to his children. She is a published author and it would be great to see some input from Tommy here too as he's always been a likebale sort. You could realistically follow anyone who we haven't seen in quite a while and see how they're getting on. Anyone from Rodney of the Mean Street Posse who runs a landscaping business to Maven who went from a teacher, to eliminating Undertaker at the Royal Rumble to presenting infomercials on tv. The scope is a as broad as you like. Anyone from ECW, WCW or the NWA could contribute really as their libarary is under WWE's watch and you could go with lesser exposed former talents such as valets, referees and managers. On the other hand you could interview interesting big stars like Mick Foley and RVD, who have massive interests outside of the business and would be very happy to get on board.

The show could take elements of MTV Cribs and give us a tour around the subjects neighbourhood or household. It could interview colleagues or associates of the wrestlers and see what they think of working with a former grappler. Maybe they were unaware or starstruck? Either way it would make for compelling tv. One of the examples I gave for an episode was Scott Taylor's new life as a firefighter. I think this would definately catch the interest of not only wrestling fans but quite possibly their significant other or their roomates or even their parents who may not even be fans. As said, the scope is potentially massive and it could run on and on. What a treat it would be to see how some of our former favourites are getting on. The WWE travels all around the USA so it would be great to film a show when they're in and around the locale of the subject, so travel wouldn't be an issue for them and if they wanted, they could maybe come to the show and document that too. In a world where many never got a chance to have a major send off in an angle, this would be a cool way to connect with the fans again and I see little reason why it wouldn't fly. .

Imnotthehulk

Now here comes the hard part about this game. Why is my show a better answer than Omackeral's?

Well, I do like Omackeral's idea. If I wandered into the sittingroom of a Wednesday evening with nothing to watch before the Great British Bake Off, I'd happily watch After The Bell. Catching up with the lives of former wrestlers, seeing what they do now, seeing the reaction of their buddies/workmates as they see a video of this person in the ring with the greats. It's a nice bit of fluff entertainment, but it's hardly fresh. WWE meets TLC (Not the group, the channel that shows Toddlers and Tiaras, Say Yes to the Dress, etc).

The type of thing you'd expect sandwiched between a repeat of Total Divas and a new episode of Superstar Ink. After that, maybe a tv show on superstar's favourite meals.

I sincerely believe that my documentary series would produce much more compelling television. Hell, I think an hour/hour and a half documentary on the life of people after wrestling would make a great one off documentary (and a nice counter point to beyond the mat).
With my show, episodes could delve into important events of the past, societal issues affecting wrestling. How great would it be to see an episode about WCW's north korean ppv?

Would you prefer to see a documentary comparing and contrasting Bobo Brazil's and Ron Simmon's World Heavyweight Title wins, or an episode of After The Bell chronicling Rico Constantino's life as police officer for the Nevada Taxi Authority ...

Omackeral

I've given this question and show a good bit of thought so was interested to see what points you had.

If I wandered into the sitting room of a Wednesday evening with nothing to watch before the Great British Bake Off, I'd happily watch After The Bell. Catching up with the lives of former wrestlers, seeing what they do now, seeing the reaction of their buddies/workmates as they see a video of this person in the ring with the greats. It's a nice bit of fluff entertainment, but it's hardly fresh. WWE meets TLC (Not the group, the channel that shows Toddlers and Tiaras, Say Yes to the Dress, etc). The type of thing you'd expect sandwiched between a repeat of Total Divas and a new episode of Superstar Ink. After that, maybe a tv show on superstar's favourite meals.

I disagree. Firstly, the question asked for a show that's fresh, which I took to mean new. This is definately a new show. It hasn't been done before so it is fresh in that sense I'm sure you can agree. As for fluff entertainment? We're talking about the lives and workings of firefighters, school teachers and actors. These types of shows are ratings winners on other mainstream outlets so it stands to reason that it would translate here, even more so given we have an emotional investment in the stars of the show as we already know them.

Would you prefer to see a documentary comparing and contrasting Bobo Brazil's and Ron Simmon's World Heavyweight Title wins, or an episode of After The Bell chronicling Rico Constantino's life as police officer for the Nevada Taxi Authority .

I'd much rather see Rico as a cop to be honest. He played an effeminate stylist on TV, how cool would it be to see him do a 180 in real life and uphold the law? A world away from what we're used to. Also, this Bobo Brazil championship win you keep trumping as a major selling point is sadly not even recognised by the NWA or WWE. He was simply given the title after Buddy Rogers broke his ankle in a bout with Killer Kowalski. 70 days later the title was back on Rogers and he started feuding with Lou Thesz. It's nothing but a footnote in history and has a literal asterisk next to it. Ron Simmons won the title on a house show in Baltimore in 1992 and dropped the title on a house show in Baltimore in 1992. Riveting.

Beyond actual wrestling, WWE have a proven record of making very good documentaries on wrestling careers and various promotions. However, for the most part these are fairly fluffy career retrospectives, or broad rise and fall type documentaries. There are events, moments, aspects of the industry that are worthy of being documented in greater detail.
My suggestion for the WWE Network would be a 1 - 1.5 hour documentary highlighting different events and aspects in and around pro wrestling and WWE, somewhat similar to the 30 for 30 series on ESPN. Some of these would be made by WWE's in house teams, some by outside filmmakers.

I'm not really following what you're proposing to be honest. It just seems like a very broad genre. Is it just random programming with links to wrestling? The question said It can be anything once it has a wrestling connection and must involve wrestling personalities in some way shape or form. What would your show be and why should wrestling fans be interested? It seems like you just repeated the question back without really putting definition on your answer. You did go on to list a few possible ideas ;

The failure of the Xtreme Football League;
The World Bodybuilding Federation;
WWE New York;

Vince's three biggest financial flops of all and frankly his biggest embarrasments. The man is a certified ego maniac and, while he's in charge, they'd never fly. The XFL was widely ridiculed and failed after just one season. Vince McMahon himself conceded that the league was a "colossal failure". It cost him $35 million. What's in it for him to highlight this again. He enjoys a hatchet job, just not on himself. He wouldn't allow it. The WBF featured roided up performers and again was a stinker on PPV. I doubt they want to highlight steroid use in today's climate. It also was around the time Vince was indicted on steroid charges and he's not going to allow content on that, especially if his wife was to run for office again.

the AWA leaving the NWA;

Already done. WWE released The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA in 2006. The DVD included a documentary on the amateur and professional career of Verne Gagne, the rise and fall of the AWA over its 30-year history. Everything is pretty much covered in it

Vince JR buying WWWF from his father and going against the territory system;
the creation of the NWA;

I'd enjoy this. A good idea.

The making of No Holds Barred;

Sounds like an extra on a dvd, not a fresh or groundbreaking show.

Jesse Ventura's election as Governor of Minnesotta;

Maybe it could be alright but I don't exactly think your average wrestling fan has much of an interest in politics outside of a casual one perhaps. Jesse Ventura's said this on his relationship with Vince McMahon: "It was good until Linda McMahon ran for office. I said in the media that I wouldn't endorse her because she ran on the Republican ticket, and I heard that Vince got mad at me because I said that publicly. I don't endorse any Republican or any Democrat. If I he gave me as much money as he gave her to run for her elections, I would be the President.'' He also said he'd only appear on WWE if ''the decimal point was in the right place''. He's fallen out with Vince many times over the years. It all seems a bit salty and bitter between them. I can't really see McMahon endorsing Jesse too much really.

WWE's Health and Wellness policy;

I'm not even gonna say much here. Of all the ideas, this is the one that will never be done. Test, Umaga, British Bulldog, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero. Not a hope in hell would they go near this subject matter.

The impact of MMA on WWE;
CM Punk's Pipe Bomb;

A direct competitor and possibly the biggest threat to Pro Wrestling today. Wouldn't be done. Outside of sparingly mentioning it to put over Brock Lesnar, it's a no go I'm afraid. On Punk's Pipebomb, What's to say? It was a worked shoot. It also features a blacklisted former employee. They're not gonna make a martyr out of him. Plus, he now works for their biggest competitor.

The creation of the WWE Network;

Not yet, it's still only in its infancy. A few years down the line and this would be a runner, and a good one at that.

Bobo Brazil and Ron Simmon's World title wins;

Already touched on these.

Wartime's impact on Wrestling;
The Cold War and Wrestling's Russians.

Wouldn't be for me but some older people might find some interest in them, not their core demographic though in my opinion.


I feel my idea has more defintion to it. I could tell you exactly what it is in 30 seconds. There's scope for it to continue for literally years. We'd get to know the real side of the great many superstars that have provided us with years of entertainment while still protecting what's left of kayfabe. I'd love to see what the likes of referee Tim White is up to this weather. He could tell us what his duties included as a referee. Did you know he was Andre the Giants confidante and one of his best friends, he'd have great stories I'm sure. How about Mark Yeaton, he was employed for two decades as a time keeper, he's seen it all go down from Hogan to Austin to Cena. How about Steve Blackman? Isn't he a bounty hunter now? That would be a fascinating watch I'm sure. Fit Finlay is a producer and road agent with WWE, what does that entail? Sure would be great to find out. The more I type, the more I wonder at how this hasn't been done yet. It's handily created, it benefits the superstars in that they can have their moment in the limelight and sell what they're doing now to possible new investors or just share with their fans . It benefits the company in that it gives them a great new show and shows current talent that when they hang up the boots there's a life to be had and it benefits us the fans in that we get to reconnect with our favourites once again.

Imnotthehulk

Omackeral wrote: »

I disagree. Firstly, the question asked for a show that's fresh, which I took to mean new.

As for fluff entertainment? We're talking about the lives and workings of firefighters, school teachers and actors. These types of shows are ratings winners on other mainstream outlets....

First I think our definitions of "Fresh" are slightly different. You take it to mean new, I took it to meaning both new, and different. You say it yourself, these types of shows are on other mainstream networks. E!, TLC, MTV, all show these types of shows, they are ratings winners because they appeal to a certain audience, is this the same audience that subscribes to the WWE Network? I'm not sure.

My idea, a documentary series revolving around wrestling, while it does have 30 for 30 as a base idea, it is not an idea that has been done to death. It is not essentially a clone of Cribs or any other show that features on other mainstream networks.

Also, this Bobo Brazil championship win you keep trumping as a major selling point is sadly not even recognised by the NWA or WWE. He was simply given the title after Buddy Rogers broke his ankle in a bout with Killer Kowalski. 70 days later the title was back on Rogers and he started feuding with Lou Thesz. It's nothing but a footnote in history and has a literal asterisk next to it. Ron Simmons won the title on a house show in Baltimore in 1992 and dropped the title on a house show in Baltimore in 1992. Riveting.

It's thinking like this that shows why such a documentary is important! Pro Wrestling is a notoriously racist industry, comparing and contrasting these two championship wins, how they were treated and the culture around them. To clear some things up, Buddy Roger's ankle break was a work (not actually broken) so the nature boy could take some time off, and the match took place nearly a year before Bobo Brazil's win. The Killer Kowalski match was in November 1961, the Bobo Brazil match in August 1962. There was a worked claim that Rogers had a groin injury, which was then dismissed the day after. Brazil went on to hold the title for 70 days, losing it back to Buddy Rogers in October 1962.

You're practically dismissing Ron Simmon's title win. He held it for 150 days, defending it on Starrcade, WCW's alternative to Wrestlemania! He didn't just win it at a house show in Baltimore only to lose it at another house show Baltimore. He had a 5 month reign. Both title reigns are important for the fact that a Black man was holding the title in a racist industry. To be as dismissive as you are of these wins is to highlight how necessary these documentaries are to educate fans about the industry they love.

I'm not really following what you're proposing to be honest. It just seems like a very broad genre.

It is a broad genre, you're right. It is essentially a documentary series about important and interesting elements of Pro Wrestling history. I don't think that's a hard concept to grasp. WWE has the tapes, access to the right people, the resources, and this would be the perfect outlet for all of this.

Vince's three biggest financial flops of all and frankly his biggest embarrasments. The man is a certified ego maniac and, while he's in charge, they'd never fly. The XFL was widely ridiculed and failed after just one season. Vince McMahon himself conceded that the league was a "colossal failure". It cost him $35 million. What's in it for him to highlight this again. He enjoys a hatchet job, just not on himself. He wouldn't allow it.

Who said anything about hatchet jobs? This isn't the self destruction of the ultimate warrior. These are honest documentaries. Also Vince McMahon made a second career for himself putting himself in embarrassing situations, this is not a man afraid to show his failures.

WWE released The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA in 2006. The DVD included a documentary on the amateur and professional career of Verne Gagne, the rise and fall of the AWA over its 30-year history. Everything is pretty much covered in it

Yes and no. Covered, but not covered in depth. As I said, WWE's documentaries have covered elements of history, but there is great scope to expand on these stories. AWA leaving the NWA had a huge impact on the industry as a whole, WWE have the capabilities to show that effect on the AWA, the WWWF (or Capitol Wrestling), and the NWA.


Not going to go into each of your individual arguments for each suggestion I put up. But do remember Vince has fallen out and made peace with so many wrestlers it would take several hours to name them all. (Ultimate Warrior being a prime example).

Vince doesn't conisder MMA to be competition to WWE ("Most people thought at one point that we would be competitors. But it turns out they are not competition to us at all, or hardly at all. They are sport, we are entertainment; it's a huge difference. The revenue they have cut into is that of boxing.")

Wouldn't be for me but some older people might find some interest in them, not their core demographic though in my opinion.

There are thousands of stories that could be told, and some probably won't appeal to you at first, but if done properly you might just find yourself learning more about WWE, Pro Wrestling, and the culture around it.

I feel my idea has more defintion to it. I could tell you exactly what it is in 30 seconds. There's scope for it to continue for literally years. We'd get to know the real side of the great many superstars that have provided us with years of entertainment while still protecting what's left of kayfabe. I'd love to see what the likes of referee Tim White is up to this weather. He could tell us what his duties included as a referee. Did you know he was Andre the Giants confidante and one of his best friends, he'd have great stories I'm sure. How about Mark Yeaton, he was employed for two decades as a time keeper, he's seen it all go down from Hogan to Austin to Cena. How about Steve Blackman? Isn't he a bounty hunter now? That would be a fascinating watch I'm sure. Fit Finlay is a producer and road agent with WWE, what does that entail? Sure would be great to find out. The more I type, the more I wonder at how this hasn't been done yet. It's handily created, it benefits the superstars in that they can have their moment in the limelight and sell what they're doing now to possible new investors or just share with their fans . It benefits the company in that it gives them a great new show and shows current talent that when they hang up the boots there's a life to be had and it benefits us the fans in that we get to reconnect with our favourites once again.

Your show does have more definition to it. Week in, week out we know what's coming. The first half or so of the show will tell us who the person is and how they were involved in the industry. The second half is a cribs style show showing how that person lives now.

Hey kids, on this week's episode is Mark Yeaton. Know him? No? Well he used to ring the bell, and threw beers to Steve Austin. Now you get to see how he lives now that wrestling's over!


Hey kids, remember Tim White? No? Well he used to be Andre's friend, was a referee, and had a segment each week on tv where he would try and commit suicide. Fun times. Now lets see how he lives.

Rico Constantino? Remember when he played a hugely offensive parody of a gay man for comedic purposes? No? Well lets revisit that, and now you get to see him being a cop for the taxi authority.


There's nothing wrong with the show, it's just typical bland entertainment that is on every channel. There'd be good episodes, there'd be bad episodes. Nothing offensive, nothing to get too excited about. WWE has enough of those shows already. Of course, this show comes with the added benefit of being about WWE's has beens, never weres, and never heard of them. (Harsh, but that's the judgement from the names you listed). Would it appeal to people beyond wrestling? I don't think it would half as much as you think. It would barely appeal to fans of todays product!

My series would be different to anything currently on the air at the moment (not just the network). Would make use of all of WWE's resources, it's technical know how, it's personalities, and of course it's huge library. The series would be dramatic, educational, fun, heartfelt, etc. The potential for this kind of show is massive.

(On a personal note, I'd love to see a documentary on the WCW's pay per views in North Korea).

Omackeral

I'll pick up where you started off...

First I think our definitions of "Fresh" are slightly different. You take it to mean new, I took it to meaning both new, and different. You say it yourself, these types of shows are on other mainstream networks. E!, TLC, MTV, all show these types of shows, they are ratings winners because they appeal to a certain audience, is this the same audience that subscribes to the WWE Network? I'm not sure.

Ok well going with either definition, my show still ticks both boxes. It's new in that it hasn't been done on the WWE Network before, which is what we were asked to write for, and it's different in the sense that this type of programme hasn't been touched on before where former stars and their outside exploits are the focal point of the show. As for whether there's a cross over with the outlets you've mention and WWE fans? Without doubt. The MTV generation and the WWE demographic pretty much have always gone hand in hand since the formers arrival in the 1980's and WWF's Rock and Wrestling boom in the same decade. E! is home to Total Divas and does good ratings as you said, so I would say yes, there is massive mutual appeal there for existing fans.

It's thinking like this that shows why such a documentary is important! Pro Wrestling is a notoriously racist industry, comparing and contrasting these two championship wins, how they were treated and the culture around them. To clear some things up, Buddy Roger's ankle break was a work (not actually broken) so the nature boy could take some time off, and the match took place nearly a year before Bobo Brazil's win. The Killer Kowalski match was in November 1961, the Bobo Brazil match in August 1962. There was a worked claim that Rogers had a groin injury, which was then dismissed the day after. Brazil went on to hold the title for 70 days, losing it back to Buddy Rogers in October 1962.

Pro Wrestling is notoriously racist? Can't agree with that. Sure there have been regrettable gimmicks in the past but pulling the race card out here is a little off centre. WWE celebrates Black History Month very vocally each year. Ditto for Martin Luther King day. At present, you have three African American guys holding the tag titles who are super over and are arguably the hottest act in the company. They won those titles from another black tag team and are currently engaged in a feud with with the Dudley Boys, who are comprised of a black talent and a white talent. The Divas revolution has many ladies of colour at the forefront, too, namely Sasha Banks, Naomi, Tamina and Alicia Fox. As for the Brazil/Rogers/Kowalski scenario, fact remains that the WWE don't recognise the title switch. They'd have to re-do their history and that would involve rewriting the lineage of the World Title, which they hate doing. Besides, between us we've basically told the full story in about 4 sentences. Doesn't seem to be that much else to add.

You're practically dismissing Ron Simmon's title win. He held it for 150 days, defending it on Starrcade, WCW's alternative to Wrestlemania! He didn't just win it at a house show in Baltimore only to lose it at another house show Baltimore. He had a 5 month reign. Both title reigns are important for the fact that a Black man was holding the title in a racist industry. To be as dismissive as you are of these wins is to highlight how necessary these documentaries are to educate fans about the industry they love.

I'm not really dismissing it. I just think he was one of the more forgettable WCW Champions in that companies history. He hardly compares to the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair or Sting. As for his reign? Well you can say he defended it at Starrcade but you didn't mention the fact that that match went to a double count out. A double count out at their WrestleMania, as you put it. His other high profile defence was against The Barbarian. Come on now. He dropped it to the monstrously talented and charismatic Vader after that. That's the ins and outs of Ron Simmons' historic reign. I know it's not romantic but it's just the way it was. Wouldn't make for a great documentary, I'm afraid.

It is a broad genre, you're right. It is essentially a documentary series about important and interesting elements of Pro Wrestling history. I don't think that's a hard concept to grasp. WWE has the tapes, access to the right people, the resources, and this would be the perfect outlet for all of this.

Again, I'm not really feeling what you're proposing. While I definitely agree with you that WWE has all the tapes and access etc, there's no defining characteristic of what you're describing. What exactly is it? It's just an echoing of the original question from what I can see. I don't feel you're selling it all that well.

Who said anything about hatchet jobs? This isn't the self destruction of the ultimate warrior. These are honest documentaries. Also Vince McMahon made a second career for himself putting himself in embarrassing situations, this is not a man afraid to show his failures.

A massive difference there. The Mr. McMahon that we saw on TV was a totally separate entity to the real Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the proud business mogul who craves adulation from his media peers. One is a cartoonish television character, the other is a self preserving man who needs legitimacy to validate his life's work.

Yes and no. Covered, but not covered in depth. As I said, WWE's documentaries have covered elements of history, but there is great scope to expand on these stories. AWA leaving the NWA had a huge impact on the industry as a whole, WWE have the capabilities to show that effect on the AWA, the WWWF (or Capitol Wrestling), and the NWA.

The question called for new and fresh material. The AWA has been covered, ergo, it's not really fresh. It's 30 year history was the focal point of the production, no matter what add-ons you like to edit in.

Vince doesn't conisder MMA to be competition to WWE ("Most people thought at one point that we would be competitors. But it turns out they are not competition to us at all, or hardly at all. They are sport, we are entertainment; it's a huge difference. The revenue they have cut into is that of boxing.")

Bluntly, it is without doubt their biggest competitor. Even if Vince can't see this, Kevin Dunne will. Hunter will. I can't see it getting green lighted.

Your show does have more definition to it. Week in, week out we know what's coming. The first half or so of the show will tell us who the person is and how they were involved in the industry. The second half is a cribs style show showing how that person lives now.

Exactly. You actually described it excellently. I like that half and half style formula.

Hey kids, on this week's episode is Mark Yeaton. Know him? No? Well he used to ring the bell, and threw beers to Steve Austin. Now you get to see how he lives now that wrestling's over!

Hey kids, remember Tim White? No? Well he used to be Andre's friend, was a referee, and had a segment each week on tv where he would try and commit suicide. Fun times. Now lets see how he lives.

Ah ok if you want to go this route then how about this. ''Hey Kids remember the Cold War and Ivan Koloff? No well, it was a clash of ideologies between the Capitalist West and the Communist East and...''. Look, if you're going to rip into my argument using the kids POV angle, you may forget about any NWA era splits and territories, any wrestling Russians from the 80's and any wartime impact on wrestling.

There's nothing wrong with the show, it's just typical bland entertainment that is on every channel. There'd be good episodes, there'd be bad episodes. Nothing offensive, nothing to get too excited about. WWE has enough of those shows already. Of course, this show comes with the added benefit of being about WWE's has beens, never weres, and never heard of them. (Harsh, but that's the judgement from the names you listed). Would it appeal to people beyond wrestling? I don't think it would half as much as you think. It would barely appeal to fans of todays product!

You call it bland, that's your prerogative. I think it's an excellent chance to catch up with talent that gave plenty of their livelihood for us in the industry. There's be great episodes such as Scott Taylor as a firefighter or Spike Dudley as a teacher. You must have missed where I mentioned former World Champions Mick Foley and Rob Van Dam or else omitted them because it didn't quite suit your argument. Foley is an accomplished author and comedian. Van Dam has a massive interest in radio and tv and has worked in both media outlets outside of wrestling. We were asked to come up with something different, something fresh and something new that we've never seen before on the WWE Network, After The Bell ticks all those boxes.

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Imnotthehulk

Well done to Omackeral ... fairly dominated that question! Better go on and win it now!