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WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

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Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#51

Post by BjoernKW »

Quarrelsome wrote: post #8

If I were a UFC fan then I would be concerned about the integrity of UFC, given the pure entertainment and narrative focus that an organisation like WWE has. There will be moments where WWE execs or simply WWE practices and processes will realise that a certain UFC outcome will be much better entertainment. The question is whether or not everyone will forever have the integrity to ignore that as an option and if the…

> Could it maybe work the other way, start to make the WWE more real?

They actually tried that in the 90s. Turns out, having performers compete who are used to making a fight with a scripted outcome look real - rather than win an open-ended fight - is a terrible idea.

While there certainly are pro-wrestlers who could legitimately win a real fight (the name Haku coming to mind; according to reports that a guy was a certified bad-ass you wouldn't have wanted to mess with), most of them likely don't really know how to block non-scripted jabs or strikes, which led to serious injuries during that event.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#52

Post by sschueller »

BjoernKW wrote: post #50
sschueller wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it would be better if people would say that it is scripted as it is certainly a very physical activity requiring quite a bit of athleticism even if the hits may not be as hard as if they were "real". In fact I would compare wrestling to what stuntmen do. Scripted but very real in most ways.

> Scripted but very real in most ways. Different era, but back in the 90s, guys like Ric Flair or Mick Foley were almost superhuman in terms of stamina or the bumps they were able to take and still continue.

It's been a while since I saw wrestling but I remember the Undertaker throwing Mick Foley off the top of I think a 12 foot high cage.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#53

Post by bena »

sschueller wrote: post #12

So Joe Rogan may become a WWE commentator? I find that hilarious as he isn't a wrestling fan. "Back in 2014, Joe Rogan caught heat from pro wrestling fans after making fun of wrestling when comparing it to MMA. Rogan noted that MMA was real, while wrestling "was some weird, f**ing jerk-off thing that strange guys do when they sit in front of the TV and pretend that they don't know it's fake." Rogan later said he was…

It is an actual athletic event. People come at pro wrestling from the wrong angle. It's a stuntman exhibition show.

And no one is going to say that it doesn't take athleticism to be a good stuntman. That it's not dangerous. The difference between the WWE and professional stuntmen is that the professional stuntmen have guidelines and rules about safety. The WWE, less so.

On a movie set, if you were going to dangle a person 100 ft in the air, then every possible landing surface would be covered in padding and foam. Then about 10 yards further out just in case. In the WWE, Owen Hart hits the concrete and dies live on Pay Per View. And then they continue the show.

These are real people, doing real stunts, with real danger. The only thing fake is the outcome of the match.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#54

Post by dagw »

nperez wrote: post #32
Quarrelsome wrote: post #8

If I were a UFC fan then I would be concerned about the integrity of UFC, given the pure entertainment and narrative focus that an organisation like WWE has. There will be moments where WWE execs or simply WWE practices and processes will realise that a certain UFC outcome will be much better entertainment. The question is whether or not everyone will forever have the integrity to ignore that as an option and if the…

I'm an MMA fan and I'm not concerned about this affecting UFC's integrity. Their matchmaking is already often based off of what will be marketable. It's an accepted part of the business, and they know they need to balance it with high level competition. I think this move really makes sense for the career paths of UFC fighters. Right now, you can have a very marketable fighter fall in the rankings, and suddenly lose a…

Ken Shamrock and Brock Lesnar both started as pro wrestlers who transitioned between Pro wrestling and MMA. Only Rousey has really managed to make a successful pure MMA->WWE transition. It will be interesting to see how many MMA stars can actually find success in the WWE before WWE fans become tired of the UFC treating the WWE has the UFC retirement home.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#55

Post by vannevar »

nperez wrote: post #32
Quarrelsome wrote: post #8

If I were a UFC fan then I would be concerned about the integrity of UFC, given the pure entertainment and narrative focus that an organisation like WWE has. There will be moments where WWE execs or simply WWE practices and processes will realise that a certain UFC outcome will be much better entertainment. The question is whether or not everyone will forever have the integrity to ignore that as an option and if the…

I'm an MMA fan and I'm not concerned about this affecting UFC's integrity. Their matchmaking is already often based off of what will be marketable. It's an accepted part of the business, and they know they need to balance it with high level competition. I think this move really makes sense for the career paths of UFC fighters. Right now, you can have a very marketable fighter fall in the rankings, and suddenly lose a…

>Their matchmaking is already often based off of what will be marketable.

Sure, but the concern is that they will start following the WWE practice of basing the winners on what is more marketable. Given that the practice of fight-fixing has a long history in boxing, this merger seems like a really tone deaf money-grab to me.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#56

Post by BjoernKW »

I find it amusing when pro-wrestling gets compared with MMA - or any other combat / fighting sport, for that matter. I appreciate both, but they're entirely different beasts and should be judged based on their own merits.

I by the way consider it no less funny when people pretend or assume MMA to be tantamount to - or at least a close approximation of - self-defence situations. MMA is still a sport with rules, which has very little in common with a non-consensual fight.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#57

Post by imbnwa »

WWE fans should brace for the exorbitant PPV price hike. UFC PPVs cost $80 in the USA whereas the recent Wrestlemania was $54.99. On the bright side, Endeavor might merge UFC Fight Pass and WWE Network since its wise to consolidate infrastrcuture.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#58

Post by AndrewOMartin »

sschueller wrote: post #52
BjoernKW wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Scripted but very real in most ways. Different era, but back in the 90s, guys like Ric Flair or Mick Foley were almost superhuman in terms of stamina or the bumps they were able to take and still continue.

It's been a while since I saw wrestling but I remember the Undertaker throwing Mick Foley off the top of I think a 12 foot high cage.

Which surprised even the Undertaker at the time... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS110ggmHIM

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#59

Post by yamtaddle »

sschueller wrote: post #52
BjoernKW wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Scripted but very real in most ways. Different era, but back in the 90s, guys like Ric Flair or Mick Foley were almost superhuman in terms of stamina or the bumps they were able to take and still continue.

It's been a while since I saw wrestling but I remember the Undertaker throwing Mick Foley off the top of I think a 12 foot high cage.

Shane McMahon did a similarly-nuts fall from a cage a few Wrestlemanias ago.

Re: WWE Agrees to Merge with UFC

#60

Post by endtime »

sschueller wrote: post #12

So Joe Rogan may become a WWE commentator? I find that hilarious as he isn't a wrestling fan. "Back in 2014, Joe Rogan caught heat from pro wrestling fans after making fun of wrestling when comparing it to MMA. Rogan noted that MMA was real, while wrestling "was some weird, f**ing jerk-off thing that strange guys do when they sit in front of the TV and pretend that they don't know it's fake." Rogan later said he was…

Pro wrestling is ballet. Simplest way to think about it.
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