WWE
By Scott Keith on 9 April 2024
Hey Scott,
I'm guessing that WM was for you, like me, the most time you've spent watching this version of WWE rather than following the highlights on YouTube. What did you think about the production, commentary, etc? I could definitely tell a difference — the promotional stuff that even Vince never wanted to do (like branding/logos in the ring and on turnbuckles, sponsors for every match) was certainly a negative — but I thought some of the camera angles and different ideas for shooting entrances and backstage activity was great. I enjoyed Cole, McAfee, and Graves more than I ever have before — it seemed like they were genuinely having fun. And Samantha Irvin was incredible both nights.
I'm guessing that WM was for you, like me, the most time you've spent watching this version of WWE rather than following the highlights on YouTube. What did you think about the production, commentary, etc? I could definitely tell a difference — the promotional stuff that even Vince never wanted to do (like branding/logos in the ring and on turnbuckles, sponsors for every match) was certainly a negative — but I thought some of the camera angles and different ideas for shooting entrances and backstage activity was great. I enjoyed Cole, McAfee, and Graves more than I ever have before — it seemed like they were genuinely having fun. And Samantha Irvin was incredible both nights.
The actual production of the show made it 100 times easier to watch, for sure. The announcing was much more laid back, although Pat McAfee is getting worse in the post-Vince era and there was too much of him and not enough Corey Graves. I liked the calmer camera angles and longer-lasting shots. I'm still not a fan of the 8K HFR ring introductions at the beginning, which feels like playing with technology before it's ready. Overall, production is definitely not an issue any longer. But that being said, the production is still SOOOOO overly slick and produced that it takes away from my feeling of watching a wrestling show and makes it feel too much like a video game cutscene a lot of the time. Which is what they're going for, obviously. Dusty Rhodes would have LOVED this stuff, unironically. He's portrayed as the gritty old school wrestling guy by WWE history but he was constantly wanting to push production values on shows that he was working on.