WWE looks back to '80s in effort to go mainstream

BY BLACKJACK BROWN
It is time once again for WWE to reinvent itself, and it sounds as if wrestling fans could well be heading back to the '80s if the bosses in Connecticut get their way. WWE will start heading in a new direction that will be more acceptable to mainstream America -- a group that Donald Trump and movies such as ''The Marine'' have brought to the company.

The suits have taken a long, hard look at the product and, according to some sources, they believe fans want the wrestling glory days of the 1980s and will bring back a more simple story-driven, good-vs.-evil way of promoting the business. Vince McMahon has said that wrestling shows should be 90 minutes, not two hours, and that all wrestler promos should be condensed to a few short lines that immediately get to the point.

Fans have been begging WWE to get rid of the 30-minute, microphone-only openings for ''Raw'' and have indicated they just want the wrestlers in the ring. They might get their way. In particular, The Undertaker could be making the change as McMahon wants the Dead Man to become more mysterious, and will accomplish that by keeping his appearances to a minimum.

source: suntimes.com