WWE star Triple H stated in an interview with AOL Moviefone that the WWE does not need to evolve in response to the growing popularity in the UFC and MMA. In fact, he suggests that the UFC product needs more of an entertainment component.
Via AOL Moviefone (h/t MMA Fighting) :
Moviefone: How do you think WWE and pro wrestling needs to evolve as UFC and MMA grows in popularity?
Triple H: I don’t think we have to evolve. It’s two totally different things. I think now especially there’s this thing like, “oh it’s very similar.”
I don’t see us needing to evolve to what UFC does because quite frankly sometimes the fights are long and boring, guys lying around and sometimes the fights are fast and over in five seconds. I’ve always thought one of the things about us, if you look at us solely from a sports standpoint, is that we always give you a good show. We’re never going to give you a crap game.
I think if anybody needs to evolve, it’s them. Give more of an entertainment standpoint. Give more form; they just have fighters who walk in in T-shirts and shorts and just stand there and then they fight and then they win and then they go “thanks, I’d like to thank my sponsors” and then they leave. The whole world was up in arms when Brock was flipping people off and was cussing at the beer company because they didn’t give him any money and everyone thought, “oh my god, he’s disrespectful,” — the whole world was talking about it. They couldn’t wait to see him get beat up. And then he did well, and he beat some guys and then people jump on his bandwagon going “Brock’s the greatest.”
Payout Perspective:
If you put aside credibility issues MMA fans may have for a pro wrestler critiquing the UFC product, is Triple H’s assessment valid? The one thing that the UFC and WWE have been quick to mention in the past is that the two are not competing organizations. One is sport (UFC) and one is entertainment (WWE). While the latest Diaz (and now Penn) drama may segue into WWE-type drama, comparing the two products is not fair. This criticism may be the start of a rivalry between the two as the UFC heads to Fox.
Triple H’s critique comes from the perspective of an outsider and what one sees on television. Its obvious that the WWE can control the match whereas the UFC cannot. Triple H also calls out the fact that there is no pomp and circumstance with most UFC fighters. No pre-entrance show, no post-entrance show. His theory is that sports is entertainment. And from his perspective, that’s what the UFC is lacking.
Is Triple H’s criticism that the UFC needs to be entertaining something that the UFC is concerned with? The UFC’s move to Fox was great for the business but will there be a concerted push for entertaining fights. We saw exciting fights at UFC 134 in Rio with several knockouts but no submissions. In fact, most fights rarely saw the ground. For those not accustomed to MMA, ground grappling can seem tedious as the fighters work for position.
As far as the outrageous personalities, there are several MMA fighters that are entertaining and can sell fights. MMA fighters do not play characters, they are athletes. It will be interesting to see the first Fox Primetime and how the product is different from Primetime’s of past. How will the show be produced and how will the UFC/Fox sell Cain and JDS?
A few things i would like to mention. H seems to take the question the wrong way and gets defensive. “I don’t see us needing to evolve to what UFC does”. Apparently he is under the impression people want wrestlers to start fighting for real. Due to him being old and obviously not wanting to get beat up he gets defensive.
Then he talks about the ground game being boring and drawn out. I remember when i was a kid the wrestlers would oil themselves up and guys would sit in sleeper holds for 5-10 minutes.
HHH is just feeling threatened. You can always make something more exciting at the expense of the sport itself. Wrestling isnt a sport any more than a Broadway play or a Movie is a sport. It is athletes acting and doing stunts. NFl could be more exciting too. I guess HHH would have trap doors in the field players have to dodge and people with Shoguns trying to shoot pass’ out of the air. At the 2 minute warning a pack of dogs are released onto the field. BUt even that would get old and you have to keep pushing the envelope which is why the wrestlers get killed like Owen Hart. There is no game or competition to interest the fans. Only an increasing theatrics of pointless risks.
While elaborate fighter entrances, pyrotechnics and crazy light shows would all enhance the live event experience, and give the shows more “sizzle,” Zuffa has tended to eschew these things in favor of bringing the full focus on the “steak” (the fights). It’s a difficult balance, because while there needs to be music and lights involved with a prizefighting event, adding a lot of extra pageantry really detracts from the feeling that you’re watching a world-class sporting event, which is exactly the way that Zuffa wants MMA to be perceived. For the UFC to continue to grow, legitimacy > pageantry.
the guy should come out with some music to get him psyched, end of story. I like a good fight, i don’t want to go to the circus. the day they turn it into one, will be the last time I watch.