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Does anyone remember the days when the ring announcer would introduce the matches by saying, ‘this match is for one fall with a 20 minute time limit’? That’s something we don’t hear anymore as the rules of a pro-wrestling match have declined over the years.
My question is, should the WWE have clear rules for their televised matches?
All we hear now is that a match is set for one fall and that’s it. Matches can go on for however long the WWE needs them to because of TV time. Raw is a three hour long show which, in my opinion, is too long for a weekly broadcast as there is a lot of time to fill.
Some weeks the segments vary from very short to long drawn-out matches, we get promos which are at times pointless to sometimes great. There is very rarely a balance between the two. If the WWE were to go back to time limits for each match then they could easily prepare for a show without the need for pointless ‘filler’ segments.
The divas have suffered over the years for not having much time in the ring to showcase their talents. More often than not they are given 5 minutes or less to try and prove to the audience that they are more than capable of holding the attention of the fans in the arena and at home watching on TV.
I would be quite happy to see 5 or 6 matches on Raw that would last 15 – 20 minutes instead of a few time-fillers and 1 or 2 lengthy bouts. The divas would be able to show what they can do in the ring if they are given time and I know many people say it’s time for a bathroom break when the divas come on TV, but I believe it’s because we aren’t given time to watch them develop in the ring.
By setting out the format of Raw by having an equal amount of time for each match, we could be given a better insight as to who are the better performers in the WWE. Lower and mid-card talent would have a better chance of getting over with the fans by their in-ring skills.
I would rather have a 15-20 minute Dolph Ziggler match every week on Raw than a 5 minute 3MB match.
Not only would having time limit matches give the superstars a chance to shine in the ring, it would also be easier for the WWE to prepare for a broadcast – at least one would think. By having 5 or 6 near 20 minute matches, they would be able to prepare their promo and advertising segments. At the end of the day, no matter how much Vince McMahon denies it, the WWE is a wrestling company at heart.
We all love the promos that go on in the ring and it’s necessary to have these to set up storylines but the majority of us are wrestling fans and we want to see the superstars wrestle. The casual fan might prefer the promos more than the matches but every feud/storyline ends in a wrestling match.
It might just be me thinking this but wouldn’t a time limit in a match also create a bit of tension, especially in a main-event bout?
A WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at a PPV with a time limit would put me on the edge of my seat with every passing minute. Imagine if the main-event at Wrestlemania 30 would have had a time limit, the tension would have been dramatically increased and it would have created more excitement for Daniel Bryan’s eventual win.
I would love to see the WWE re-introduce the 20 minute time limit to every match but I don’t see it ever happening again unless it’s a stipulation. Maybe they got rid of it because it doesn’t matter anymore or because they have other commitments when it comes to producing a TV show and time is needed for advertisements or segments.
I think, sadly, time limit bouts are now a part of history.
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