The Slam Diary: One PPV that needs to make a comeback

Posted by Jack Patterson

I will be honest with you guys, I was not a huge fan of the gimmick PPV’s (Money in the Bank, Elimination Chamber, TLC, etc.). In fact, I despised the idea. I loved the traditional PPV lineup, last seen fully in 2008. I am talking about Backlash, Judgment Day, Unforgiven, No Mercy, Vengeance and Armageddon. I’d go as far as adding One Night Stand: Extreme Rules and the Great American Bash. At this point, you are probably wondering which PPV I could possibly be talking about. Ironically enough, it was one of the newer, yet short lived PPV’s during WWE’s “Ruthless Aggression” era. Give up? The PPV I am talking about is… 

That’s right. WWE Cyber Sunday. The one PPV a year where the WWE Universe takes control!

Don’t believe me? Watch this Cyber Sunday Intro  from 2008.

Now, seeing that this PPV has been defunct since 2009, when it was replaced by Bragging Rights, let me give a quick rundown on the history of the PPV. Cyber Sunday started off in 2004 as Taboo Tuesday, a RAW-branded PPV that aired on (you guessed it) a Tuesday in late October, and was the last PPV before Survivor Series. The basis of the show was to let fans control anything from a stipulation two superstars would fight under, to a special guest referee for a match, to picking the actual opponent in the match.  The voting ran through WWE.com, and although attendance was dismal at best (after all, it is a Tuesday), the concept was a hit. In 2006, Taboo Tuesday re-branded to Cyber Sunday, and the attendance and the concept gained strength. It soon became a PPV that was almost a must order in fan’s eyes, making that their WWE PPV purchase for October, rather than the Smackdown-branded No Mercy. Then, in 2009, with the advent of the gimmick PPV’s. Cyber Sunday was removed from the lineup, to the dismay of many fans, including me.

So why bring it back now? Simple. With WWE’s goal to push it’s platform on social media (Facebook, Twitter, TOUT, WWE app), it would get a much wider feedback and participation from the WWE Universe and the IWC, and (in my opinion) would drive up PPV buys and traffic on all social media platforms. Not to mention it would have a bigger impact than a “Social Media Smackdown” or a “Viewer’s Choice RAW.”

So, where would it fit in the current WWE rotation? Well let’s take a look at the current PPV schedule for 2013:

• January: Royal Rumble
• February: Elimination Chamber
• Late March-Early April: WrestleMania
• May: Extreme Rules
• June: WWE Payback
• July: Money in the Bank
• August: SummerSlam
• September: Night of Champions
• Early October: Over the Limit
• Late October: Hell in a Cell
• November: Survivor Series
• December: TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs

Notice I have June highlighted. For the longest time (2002) to be exact, WWE has struggled mightily to find a suitable replacement for the King of the Ring (yes, for you new fans, King of the Ring was at one point considered highly with the other Big Four PPV’s). We’ve had Bad Blood (2003-04), The Great American Bash (2004), ECW One Night Stand (2005-06), WWE One Night Stand: Extreme Rules (2007-08), Extreme Rules (2009), Vengeance/Night of Champions (2005-08), Fatal 4-Way (2010), Capitol Punishment (2011) and No Way Out (2012). Folks, that is 15 different PPV’s in the month of June in the last 10 years. Typically, June is seen as a slow month, due to the fact that it is in the middle of the longest break between Big Four PPV’s. This is where you start to get crappy matches and story-lines that don’t really make sense. This is where Cyber Sunday fits right in. It provides a way to finish some rivalries, continue others and start new ones, all with the input of the people who matter the most. We the people, and no I’m not Zeb Colter or Jack Swagger, but I am a card-carrying member of the IWC for nearly 15 years at this point and I feel the We the people of the IWC deserve a right for our voices to be heard and actually make a difference.

Goodness knows what on earth creative and Vincent K. have planned with this “Payback” business (sounds like Backlash to me), but if I were them, I’d be scrapping that, and prepping for Cyber Sunday, this June in one of my favorite wrestling cities, Chicago. I promise you, if that were to happen, the Chicago fans alone would make this PPV a must buy. Money in the Bank (2011) and Extreme Rules (2012) proved that true. In my eyes, this would be a win-win for the WWE (pushing social media, PPV buys), Chicago fans (because they just love a good show anyways) and the IWC (who get to voice their opinion via social media). It’s just an idea boys and girls.

Thanks for reading, if you have an opinion or criticism, I’d like to hear it! Leave a comment below or send it to Twitter, follow me @jp_mediamvp!

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