WWE Should Bring Back Cyber Sunday
Credit: WWE Network
When going through the archives on the WWE Network, I am just blown away at the amount of content they have on the service. They have every single PPV (WWE, WCW, and ECW) and many other territories as well. Sometimes I just turn on a random PPV or an episode of RAW or SmackDown just to see the storylines and the matches that they were constructing back in the day. Another thing that I pay attention to is the changes in fan reactions and how superstars played to the crowds. Fan interaction is probably the best that it has ever been in the WWE’s history with the social media boom, but many fans feel like what they want and what is planned are on opposite spectrums. Obviously, fans aren’t always going to get their way every time and personally I think that is the way it should be, but a show centered around what the fans choose is just what the WWE needs right now.
From 2004-08, there was a PPV that was originally called Taboo Tuesday, but after three years the name was changed to Cyber Sunday. This PPV allowed fans to choose who they wanted in matches and the stipulations of matches. The choices were limited to three options, but it was a great concept that provided an opportunity for fans to feel like they had a part in booking PPV matches.
Many people thought they had fixed outcomes when it came to voting results, but Chris Jericho said that they weren’t fixed and that they didn’t know who they were facing or the match stipulation they were going to be in. I honestly feel like they weren’t fixed, because the WWE gave options of who to put in the matches, so all there was left to do was to have the match. All they would have to do was plan accordingly. I don’t know why this PPV was discontinued, but after re-watching old PPVs is making me want it back.
The concerning thing about reintroducing this PPV concept is the fact that storylines would be non-existent for the most part. Fans would literally dictate the matches, but that’s not to say that storylines couldn’t be formed from these matches. Looking back at some of the matches in Cyber Sunday’s history, there were some pretty cool matchups. In 2007, fans chose Shawn Michaels over Mr. Kennedy and Jeff Hardy to face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. In the same PPV, Stone Cold Steve Austin was chosen over Mick Foley and JBL to be the Special Guest Referee in the World Heavyweight Championship match involving Batista and The Undertaker. Triple H faced Umaga and the fans chose for them to be in a Street Fight match over a Steel Cage match and First Blood match.
Giving fans a choice for who or what they want in a PPV is a great way to regain fan approval and bring in new fans as well. I’m not saying they should do this for every PPV obviously, but one PPV each year where the fans decide what happens would be very cool. Imagine choosing between Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, or Aleister Black to face Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship. Or maybe even choosing between a Steel Cage match, an Extreme Rules match, or a Ladder match in a match for the Intercontinental Championship between Bobby Lashley and Finn Bálor. It would be an amazing experience for fans and it would rejuvenate their intrigue.
For the most part, common sense would kick in for those booking the matches and honestly, this concept shouldn’t be any more difficult to book than a normal booking. In 2005, Ric Flair faced Triple H for the Intercontinental Championship, but fans voted between a Steel Cage match, a Submission match, and a regular match. Obviously with those options, a Steel Cage match was inevitably chosen at a staggering 83%. To keep fan intrigue, all of the options to vote for ideally wouldn’t be that close, but for match bookers to have an idea of what to plan for, they should at least have a couple good options in mind prior to the polls closing.
Past Taboo Tuesday/Cyber Sunday PPVs took place in late October/early November and honestly this would be a great time to reboot the annual show. This would mean that the PPV would occur just a few weeks before Survivor Series and a couple months after SummerSlam. I understand that it would be tough on the competitors, because most of them rehearse matches before they get in the ring, but a great deal of them compete against each other all of the time, so I don’t think it would be a huge issue.
The possibilities would be endless in this PPV style and we could get an organic fan reaction and pushes for certain superstars that wouldn’t otherwise be in bigger situations. We could see something similar to the rise of Becky Lynch or the more recent rise of Kofi Kingston in the WWE title picture. I think it would be great for all involved and I think it’s a great opportunity for WWE to regain a more interactive experience with their fans.
Yacs
*Would you guys like to see the WWE reboot a Cyber Sunday/Taboo Tuesday style PPV? Let us know your thoughts. Send us a tweet @thesportschief