Steve Cook’s Top 5: Ideas for WWE Commercial Breaks

WWE has made plenty of changes to its TV presentation, and Steve Cook weighs in on one of the most recent: no wrestling matches that span commercial breaks.

The most surprising WWE news I’ve heard lately is also the most positive. Apparently, Vince McMahon has decided that having in-ring competition going on during commercial breaks is ridiculous. This isn’t wrong. If it’s supposed to be a wrestling show, why would most of the wrestling take place during commercial breaks? That makes zero sense. It’s about time somebody recognized this. As out of touch as Vinnie Mac is said to be, the fact he’s supposedly behind this edict tells me he’s more on the ball as people may think.

The only possible issue I can think of here is there could be less entertainment for the live crowd. I’ve attended enough TV tapings to know that the down time just kills crowds. Everything just coming to a halt for a few minutes leaves fans not knowing what to do. This was a problem at sporting events for many years as well. Eventually, professional & college teams figured out they could have things going on during breaks in the action. Sometimes, depending on the quality of the team, the entertainment during the breaks could be more entertaining than the action during the game itself. It’s part of the experience, and sports fans have grown to accept the entertainment during the intermissions.

Pro wrestling can make it work too. There’s no reason it can’t. Here are 5 things WWE can present during their commercial breaks to keep fans engaged.

5. Superstars do Stand-Up!

I have heard about wrestlers wanting to do stand-up comedy for years. I’m not sure most of them would be good at it. However, what better venue would they have than warming up a crowd during wrestling matches?

Let’s be honest, people like Dolph Ziggler have two minutes of material at best anyway, so why not let them deliver it?

4. The Electric Chair!

I think there’s potential with this concept. It got tossed to the side pretty quickly after Sami Zayn’s stint in the chair, but if it’s not deemed ready for television, why not do it on commercial breaks? If the answers are a little too honest, they won’t be aired on USA. Let the live crowd hear them.

3. Trivia Contests!

As somebody that attends a lot of sporting events, I know nothing makes a fan feel better than feeling like they know the most.

WWE should have Charly Caruso out in the audience asking people trivia questions. If they get they right, they win prizes from sponsors. Every event I’ve ever been to tells me that this would work.

2. The Great Superstar Mascot Race!

Having been to way too many sporting events in my life, I can testify that nothing generates fan interest more between innings than mascot races. I remember the Mr. Red Race on the scoreboard of Riverfront Stadium back in the day that had the fans enthralled. Then the Milwaukee Brewers had sausages race, then the Washington Nationals had presidents, then all bets were off.

We can’t act like WWE Superstars are above such things like dressing like mascots. There was the whole business where Shawn Michaels & other wrestlers battled for the right to be Colonel Sanders. If KFC wants to pay the rights, they can have Colonels racing. All I’m saying is that WWE Superstars racing in outfits during a commercial break would have the fans enthralled.

Honorable Mention: Baron Corbin Wrestles!

A commercial break is enough time to send some poor jobber out there to get squashed by WWE’s top heel. Since he gets such great heat, what better way to spend downtime than giving him more time in front of the audience? Surely that’s what he needs to get over even more than he already obviously is.

1. Bring Back The Nitro Girls!

I know we’re in a PG age. I also know we’re in the age of the Women’s Evolution, though they’re only getting one event for it. But, goddamn pal, what better way is there to entertain hot-blooded young men during commercial breaks than by having attractive girls dancing?

I know the complaints that would come. People would ask why girls would be on the show dancing when they could wrestle instead. Here’s the thing: wrestling shows used to have plenty of men that couldn’t wrestle. They were called managers. There were some women on these shows called valets.

Not every single person on a wrestling show needs to be a wrestler. There can be supporting characters. Just because a female is on a show doesn’t mean she needs to be Becky Lynch, or even in the booth like Renee Young. She can dance. A true women’s revolution would mean that women could serve on every role of a show. Wrestler, announcer, referee, dancer, all of it.

Can’t we all dance? Life sure would be better if we could.