WWE Payback 2017 Review

It’s Payback time. Wrestlemania was a fun but mixed bag – let’s review what the follow-up Smackdown PPV had for us.

Chris Jericho vs Kevin Owens

First of all – Jericho is on the poster. I’m OK with that. And he’s a face now? OK I think I get it… The crowd aren’t stupid idiots any more and we were all cheering for him anyway!

Kevin Owens, with his suits and “Face of America” schtick, seems to be moving away feom hia previous personality. This fits with my meta-heel theory – if you change a character in a way that the fans dont like, that’s a sure fire way to become a heel now. Use them wrong.

Corey graves on commenrary delivers jokes in such a deadpan way that he makes them not sound like jokes.

I’d like to see someone submit vocally. I don’t remember the last time I saw it outside of an I Quit match. Why do the wrestlers still say ask him? Do they not watch wrestling? Or is it like how in Eastenders, Eastenders doesn’t exist? (Or does it?)

There’s a nice collapsed DDT from Owens and a LOT of rest holds. I guess Jericho is getting on. Kevin Owens hits a couple of cannonballs – I love that move. Just right for a guy of his physique, using momentum to propel his weight.

Jericho reverses a pop up powerbomb into a huracanrana, in a slick and quick flip. I like to think that KO and Y2Y spend time thinking about innovative ways to use their movesets. For example – the single finger on the rope which gets repeated here and taken to its logical conclusion, as Jericho batters it to the point where Owens can’t repeat the trick by reaching out to the rope and has to submit to the Walls of Jericho. That’s a fun and unique way to end a match, and props also to Owens – not every superstar would be able to make fun of themselves in that way.

Takeway from the match: Jericho remains one of the most compelling wrestlers to watch, and Owens is just as credible as a mid-card heel as a main eventer, which probably sucks for him.

Neville vs Austin Aeris

Neville is an exceptional heel: tough, fuming, unsympathetic. He’s like an orc from Lord of the Rings. In his previous incarnation he had to play the zippy underdog, which didn’t really suit him. He didn’t have a personality. Now he does and it’s working. (Do I just not like face characters…? Remember to talk to therapist about this.) The haircut, the physique, the black shorts.

Seriously though, he’s giving it the full beans and he’s being inventive with it too, coming out with some strange la-la-la stuff at the crowd. Does he get half-way through shouting “shut the f up” before he’s knocked from the ropes? That’s a proper heel right there.

The match is fast paced and full of energetic spots. It’s a good advert for the cruiserweight division, as it’s much more intricate and fluid than the previous match. There are more moves, and more new and unexpected moves. I guess the veterans don’t really need to innovate to entertain.

It ends with a DQ, but a good one for once, with Neville swinging at the ref to force the disqualification. That’s the kind of characterful heel move that you want to see – it shows desperation and an egocentricity that’s more interesting and believable than someone just deciding to go for a chair randomly.

Takeaway from the match: Neville is one of the more interesting heels of recent times and I’m going to watch more 205.

Sheamus & Cesaro vs The Hardy Boyz

I’ll write a full post on it soon, but gimmicks that evolve into more than the sum of their parts (or something unexpected and less clean cut) are, for me, the most compelling. Cesaro and Sheamus makes no sense. It shouldn’t have worked. But the first stage of them hating each other was entertaining and delivered just right, with good comic timing and reactions from both, and they’ve managed to evolve it into something strangely compelling now too. It could run and run. And I think the reason is that these two wrestlers are much better to watch when they seem to be having fun. Sheamus is not a natural heel, he seems to like his job too much. He smiles and laughs and has a positive energy about him that never quite sat with the mean guy thing that they were pushing a few years back. The League of Nations was nonsense because it wasn’t convincing. Sheamus is too cheeky to be serious. And Cesaro is also, at heart, a comedy wrestler, I think. They’re beaming when they run out, kind of like the New day during their own evolution – when they decided to stop giving a damn – and it’s great to watch.

The crowd go wild for the Hardyz. They’re showing the roster how it’s done, with presence and charisma. Matt Hardy sure knows how to shout. (Pete’s wrestling pro tip #1) They hardly need to do the “broken” gimmick as the crowd are doing it for them, chanting “delete” and “obsolete”. I love that Jeff still dresses like it’s 1999. (I’m also glad Cesaro got rid of his stupid arm sock.)

Cesaro basically has two impact finishers – the mega-uppercut and the Neutraliser. I suppose the uppercut is used more as a signature but wouldn’t it be great if everyone had two moves that finished matches? You just wouldn’t know which was actually going to do the job and you could get excited about a White Noise or a Side Effect. (AJ Styles also has two impact finishers that work. I’m sure in the old days a lionsault would get a three-count. And the Rock had the Rock Bottom and the People’s Elbow… maybe there’s something in this.)

Jeff goes flying with a huge bump to the outside straight from the ring, through the ropes and onto his back. A gut wrench suplex from Cesaro looks great, and then they ruin it all by calling Sheamus the “alabaster gladiator”. Just no.

HUGE leg drop from Cesaro. That’s how you do it Hogan! You can see why people like Cesaro even though he’s not great on the mic – he has MOVES, man, MOVES, and he does them with tons of athleticism. He is something else, hitting a swing and an elegant springboard uppercut. Is Matt bleeding from the swing?

Sheamus hits a massive White Noise from the top rope (surely that deserves a 3?!) and then there’s an inventive catch-and-reverse on the outside with Jeff and Cesaro. Did… did Jeff lose a tooth?? It doesn’t stop him from hitting the Swanton though, which still looks epic, and the Hardyz get the win.

I liked the “respect” angle which has always going to end with a betrayal, and Jeff gets shoved so hard he almost falls straight to the floor from the turnbuckle. OK, OK, we get it, they’re trying to end their careers, thanks commentators…

Takeaway from the match: these are four quality wrestlers right here. If you’re not doing a big title match, watching them enjoy themselves, in their element, is what makes a mid-card match compelling.

Strowman does a proper old-skool promo to camera, and I half expect him to say OOOH YEAH at the end.

Alexa Bliss vs Bailey

Alexa Bliss is a badass. I’m becoming a major fan. She’s got a great attitude, she’s amazing on the mic, with delivery and tone that matches anyone else in the business. I love watching her facial reactions to the people she disdains. Some of the women’s division have a problem where they watch the fallout of their spots, like “is she ok?” – you just see this momentary pause – but not with Alexa, who’s checking if her mouth Is bleeding or prowling around angrily. She’s in control of her body language and poise, a bit like Neville, in fact. I want to call her the female CM Punk, although I’m not sure that makes sense. The new outfit looks tough.

Hug life. What do I think about Bailey? She’s got moves. Let’s see them. The underdog story just gets boring and we don’t see enough of what she can do. To my previous point, I wish she’d finish with the flying elbow drop. What, someone will kick out of that but a half-assed belly-to-belly will just be too much for them? Give over.

Alexa… boom! Takes home the title. She deserves it.

Takeaway from the match: Alexa Bliss is the best thing in the women’s division right now. So much for the four horsewomen.

Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt in a House of Horrors Match

House of Horrors… ugh. I loved Orton’s deadpan delivery when he said “I don’t know exactly what a house of horrors is…” on Raw. I don’t think anyone does and I’m not sure we’ll be any the wiser after the match. Anyway…

… here comes Orton in a car. It’s a whole pre-filmed horror-movie style skit. This is either going to be amazing or completely terrible. And I think it’s important to note that not many people could make this work. Orton is one of them. Good for him. I think some people are bored of him but he’s continuing to evolve as he gets older and I think his slightly unimpressed veteran thing is going to work well.

First thought – the house reminds me of Dodgeball. Not a scary image in my head.

There’s Bray. Hello! He’s so much less threatening without a crew. It’s his power over people that’s scary.

Randy’s in trousers. It’s a good look – he should keep them for matches. It would go with the whole been-there-done-that vibe.

You can never leave Randy! Except when we go back to the ring for a pinfall or submission. What’s going on…? It’s an interesting idea, but in a horror movie, there’s always the threat of death, and the bad guy always loses. Bray gets a frying pan like Vic and Bob. Bray has to escape each time to progress them through the house.

Bray throws a fridge at Randy. “Randy Orton has a refridgerator on top of him!”

And Bray leaves the house with Randy trapped (or Is he???) before treating us to a light show. For the New Face of Fear, he really enjoys his AV effects, doesn’t he?

Seth Rollins vs Samoa Joe

OK Seth you got injured. I feel like we’ve heard this story before?

So basically Joe botched a move and that’s part of the narrative now? I’m not a massive fan of Joe but he’s good on the mic anyway.

I don’t have much to say about this match. I like the static in Seth’s entrance. Joe does a dive through the ropes… he can move, for sure, but I feel like he telegraphs offence from the other wrestler. He also looks like he’s resting when it’s not his turn to attack.

Joe locks in the cuddle! Oh no! And Seth wins it. Just a hurdle for Rollins to overcome. Interesting to see someone different, but I just can’t get on with Samoa Joe.

Takeaway from the match: I remembered how good a performer Seth Rollins is. He’ll be back in the main event picture.

End of Wyatt vs Orton

Here’s the limo. A classic WWE scene. Bray looks like a tramp that’s a bit sorry for himself. And Randy Orton’s here! Who would have believed it?! Bray almost lands sitting down in an announcers chair for maximum swag having been thrown by Orton.

It ends when Jinder Mahal runs in and makes the save for Bray Wyatt – what?! But this just goes to serve my theory that he’s a meta-heel – do all the wrong things with him so the crowd hate him even more. Strange to do a run in for Bray. I’m worried that his moment has passed him by. This funfair stuff isn’t scary and he’s becoming a silly charicature of himself. I maintain he needs to be in a stable.

Takeaway from the match: dreadlocks are doing Bray Wyatt’s hairline no favours.

Brawn Strowman vs Roman Reigns

So Brawn’s becoming a big deal. Good. He can talk, he’s huge, he’s convincing. Not sure about his trousers though.

Roman always gives high intensity, high-impact matches and the haters should cheer up. Or maybe not… he’s a meta-heel after all! Here he is ducking out of the way of Strowman, adapting to an even bigger opponent and switching up his style. That shows versatility and he’ll have years at the top.

We see Roman try and fail to knock Strownman down – remember this is the guy who ended the Undertaker’s career. We see resilience and fight from the injured Reigns. And we see a double-running-powerslam pin for Strowman, asserting his dominance over the roster by beating the Big Dog. Look at Strowman’s face – talk about the new face of fear.

Takeaway from the match: Strowman’s the boss, Reigns is good value.

All in all, I enjoyed most of Payback. It’s a strong roster with interesting rivalries all down the card. I’m actually looking forward to Roman Reigns matches now, which is a first, and I hope Alexa Bliss keeps the title for a while. What about Bray Wyatt? I was so hopeful just months ago… his gimmick is so unique that I imagine he’ll have plenty of storylines to work with but I just think they’re losing their way with him.

WrestleMania XXXIII in review

Here it is, the showpiece event of the year. It’s not my favourite – partly because it feels a bit predictable, even when it isn’t (big feuds usually have obvious winners) – and partly because I just love the Royal Rumble. But it’s a big deal, there’s no denying that, and you can generally expect some decent set-pieces.

It’s pretty amazing seeing 80k people in a place like the Citrus Bowl, packing it down to the ring. The outdoor events always lose a little something when you’re watching on TV (or rather, the WWE network on your laptop’s crummy speakers) through sound dissipation I guess, but they are pretty epic.

Straight off the bat I’m upset by the announce team of Cole, Saxton and Byron. Nothing more needs to be said about Michael Cole. Saxon is literally a man without a personality or a purpose. All he does is grin. He should sit one row back with the fans and grin at the camera from there. I actually quite like Byron Saxton but in this trio he doesn’t have much space to be a personality.

Anyway, on to the show. The New Day are the hosts this year, which is an inspired move. They’ve had a stellar evolution and WWE have realised that they don’t even need to wrestle for people to find them entertaining. The Final Fantasy connection means basically my two favourite things have combined in an inexplicably improbable quantum collision. I went nuts when Xavier Woods played the Final Fantasy victory music on Francesca about a year ago out of nowhere. Michael Cole talking bout “chocobo” from his tick list was cringeworthy though and the lads obviously didn’t know what to do with it. The New Day schtick will get old eventually but for now it’s all good.

AJ Styles vs Shane McMahon

AJ is pretty much the star performer of the last 12 months for me. Everything he does is brilliant, no matter what he’s asked to do. Each match, from fighting Cena to the Luke Harper match on Smackdown, has been compelling. And Shane O’Mac – for his age, and to have been away for so long, he’s pretty amazing. Still got the flair, still got the moves, still willing to put it all on the line. It was a great match with all the right moments: a one-armed Styles Clash which created a moment of uncertainty; a nobody-home elbow drop to the announce table from Shane; traded coast-to-coast dropkicks; a shooting star press! And an AJ win, which was inevitable. Great match, least, good story, great way to get things started.

Chris Jericho vs Kevin Owens

Now I was excited about this – two great performers, amongst the best in the business on the mic, and inventive in their in-match storytelling too – and a strong lead-up all the way across the year from their best-friendship to their break-up. I think Y2J is a decent shout for wrestler of the year given how he still shows up for energetic, technical and emotional matches and how entertaining he’s been with the List of Jericho, the best friend gag and the stupid idiot catchphrase. He just holds court. And there aren’t many people who can do that in the current roster – I think that’s the only problem in this New Age which is a real golden one in many ways. Anyway, I have to say given how intense and long-running the story arc was, I found this match a bit underwhelming. This should have been a whole list-burning, car-smashing, backstage-spilling, parking-lot-brawling, betrayal-revenging epic, but it was just a “normal” match. It wasn’t bad, it’s just I was expecting a bit more from it. I really liked the one-finger-on-the-rope idea, and the Pop-Up Powerbomb into Codebreaker counter. I also have to say I don’t like the turnabout “you were never my best friend” thing – it was such a funny bit, and so different from anything that had been done before, that I would have much preferred it if the angle had been “best friends who fell out” rather than the usual “I was using you all along” thing. Even the commentators acknowledged that they couldn’t say “former best friends” and when the commentators can’t tell a good story, you’re in trouble.

Bailey vs Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax vs Charlotte Flair

Moving on, we had an elimination match between Bailey, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax. The entrance of three of the four was great – I’ll come back to that – cementing the new prominence of the women’s division with swag and confidence. The fireworks behind Charlotte especially were a pretty stunning moment. The match itself was pretty quick. And I’ve got to say, a bit nothingy. Now I’m a big, big fan of the women’s revolution in WWE, so I won’t frame it in those terms, but this match showed a few cracks which I think need to be addressed in these performers specifically. First off, Nia Jax looked straight up terrified on her way to the ring. Nervous. Exhaling through pursed lips, like “this is the big one, Nia.” Look, if you’re meant to be this monster bruiser, you need to be literally the embodiment of IDGAF and blazing with contempt for your competitors. In the match itself, and in other matches, she shifts nervously and almost fidgets – you can sense that she’s tense and worried about what she’s doing. Either that or she just doesn’t know how to act. She needs to look at how Brock or the Undertaker or even Mark Henry, if she wants to be that kind of monster, hold themselves. Confident, rooted, strong, bold. She doesn’t look like she’s meant to be there. Which is a shame, as physically she’s got it. As a side note, I think one easy way to split good performers from bad ones is how much they shout and scream. If you’re a monster, it just looks boring if you don’t look like you’re making an effort. I hate Big Show’s knockout punch, for example – it just looks like a normal punch. If anything it looks like a weak punch. If he just screamed from the bottom of his lungs as he did it, it would give it a whole lot more impact. I’m digressing but Nia Jax needs to scream more and not just push people over or stand there politely waiting for them to attack her. Anyway story-wise her bit was great and the triple pin was good fun. My second moan is for Sasha Banks. Now I love Sasha Banks, so this criticism is in context of really enjoying her greatest hits like her NXT iron man. I feel a bit like there’s nothing really exciting about watching her wrestle at the moment. She’s got a very slight frame, which means to be convincing you have to have something else special about you: great moves, sneaky tactics, a fast and furious style. I don’t really see any of that at the moment, especially with her as a face. She just gets dominated, which seems unsurprising given her physique, and then does a couple of ordinary looking moves or rolls into the Bank Statement as a reversal to change up the match. I’d love to see her go a bit more high-risk and crazy. or more technical, breaking out more submissions, but maybe that’s the curse of the main roster. She looks like a non-conformist, like a risk-taker, so show us what you’ve got. Don’t rest on your laurels. The last thing is, I just don’t really like Bailey. Again, in the face of Charlotte Flair, who is head and shoulders above these other three, in terms of talking, storytelling, technique, physique, moveset and also literally height-wise, she just seems like a wrestler with nothing in her arsenal. I can’t stand the belly-to-belly being used as a finisher (oh, let me just put you down here. Bump.) and she just looks worried the whole time. If she’s going to play the underdog, she needs more grit in her game to make it compelling watching. Like Shawn Michaels or Dolph Ziggler in his prime. Charlotte should be champ. She’s a elegant, graceful, strong woman, and should eat Bailey and co for lunch. By the way, she also carried the match story-wise completely, with a much more entertaining and watchable character than anyone else.

WWE Hall of Fame Induction

I don’t have much to say about the folks inducted into the Hall of Fame apart from the one and only Kurt Angle. This guy is a legend: a top performer and almost unbeatable on the mic. I was a major fan during his prime. He was such a believable heel. Completely, brilliantly hateable, but with a vulnerability which made him endearing too. I remember thinking in my more earnest days that he was the best of the best, and that the Olympic (Angle) Slam was the #1 most powerful move IN THE BUSINESS. You did not kick out of the Olympic Slam. In his speech, he hit the nail on the head when he said you should try making fun of yourself; I’d be fascinated to know how they came up with his charcater and decided this Olympic hero should be a heel. (Maybe it was in response to the”boring” chants – after all, this was the era of headshots and crazy over the top violence.) And in this crazy heels-are-faces era, we’re treated to well-meaning “You Suck” chants from the crowd which Angle drinks in. Good for him. Legend.

Enzo & Big Cass vs Cesero & Sheamus vs Anderson & Gallows vs The Hardy Boyz for the Raw Tag Team titles

I absolutely love Enzo and Big Cass. Enzo is unlike anyone else and always steals the show, cutting through the seriousness of a lot of the modern era. He sells the scrappy underdog brilliantly. Big Cass is a good partner for him and their chemistry and ring work is fab – my only complaint is that Big Cass, when he’s not shouting, isn’t great on the mic. It’s like he’s reading from cue cards. It’s wierd because when he’s fired up and giving it all 12 cylinders, he’s much more convincing. Cesaro and Sheamus, next to the ring, are an inspired partnership and have evolved well too. I miss them getting annoyed when they would interrupt each other’s entrances but the new in-sync version is working too: they’ve got tons of great moves and athleticism between them. I’ve warmed to Sheamus too – I think his personality has become a lot more genuine over the years. I think he’s always better when he has a storyline, a thing, and angle, rather than just being Sheamus. His last championship stint, for example, seemed a bit pointless to me, like a character that was just mean for his own sake. He needs to have fun, have a drive, something to get frustrated by and angry about. He’s a comedy character at heart I think. Next up, Anderson and Gallows have grown on me too, mainly because of their promo work. I much prefer them without AJ Styles, as now they seem more their own characters than just henchmen. I like that they’re tough with just a touch of goofyness. But what’s this? The New Day’s music hits – are they joining the match? The Hardy Boyz music hits and the place goes wild! This is one of those returns that everyone’s been waiting for. It also means we pretty much know who’s going to win the match. The match itself has some greats spots – Sheamus and Cesaro with a fantastic sequence that involves Cesaro standing on the shoulders of Gallows – a real circus moment – a mega swing, a from-the-ladder Twist of Fate and an insane Swanton Bomb from the top of a huge ladder. Everything you could ask for in a match like this and two veterans putting their bodies on the line. And of course they pick up the titles. It’ll be great to see them play out their broken craziness on WWE, if that’s what’s going to happen – they’ve been groundbreaking and endlessly entertaining on TNA.

The Miz & Maryse vs John Cena & Nikki Bella

As I said on Twitter, if you’d told me a year ago that I would have watched a 20 minute Miz TV promo with John Cena that aired recently I would have laughed. But I did watch it, and it was great. Their rivalry was built well, with that close-to-the-bone joshing that’s a key part of the reality era, and I genuinely enjoyed watching them row. And as I watched the Miz and Maryse walk down the ramp, gesturing at the crowd, really living this narcissistic character, I realised suddenly that I like the Miz. Ive never cared before. But he seems to be thriving in this latest evolution: not just bitter and precious, but confident and smarmy, swagging through the place with his feeling of superiority. Not “you should respect me” but “I’m awesome and I own this place”. In fact, both The Miz and Cena seemed to just be enjoying themselves, revelling in the love-hate relationship that they have with the fans. They were smiling. And it was fun to watch. The match itself was kind of weak, with Miz dominating (Miz is awesome chants??!) and then getting caught in the big turnaround. I suppose it was really just setting up the big moment though, the proposal, which was actually very sweet and hardly booed at all. Cena used Nikki’s full real name in this (presumably) kayfabe proposal moment, which shows how far the bizarre and unqiue reality/kayfabe blur has gone.

HHH vs Seth Rollins.

Triple H still has it. No two ways about it. He could easily still be a convincing part of the main roster and in a way I wish he was – I always hated the Authority storyline and much prefer Trip with some emotional vulnerability like in his heyday. I think he could be part of a really interesting storyline where he’s scrapping for survival and needs to lead from the front. His match with Rollins was full of high impact big moves, and I’ve always particularly respected HHH for being able to sell and put peolle over even if they don’t win; he makes both competitors look good. Seth Rollins is wierd to me – great wrestler, no question, but I preferred him as a heel. He’s just another full-of-heart underdog otherwise. In the Attitude Era you didn’t have characters like that really: everyone was an SOB and you had ones that fought for the people and others that fought for themselves. You didn’t have people who were like “I’ve just tried so hard and now I won’t let a meanie like you stop me.” (Bailey, Sami Zayn.) Anyway the match played out as expected. Good solid stuff from these reliable guys, and a bit where Triple H looks at a sledgehammer for a bit. By the way, compare HHH, now in his late forties, to the other guys who come back, like the New Age Outlaws, or even Kane. Who’s in better shape? Who looks more credible? The Undertaker’s only 5 years older than him and looks like a dinosaur now. Sorry Taker.

Mr Worldwide.

Hmm.

Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton

I’ve been waiting for Bray Wyatt to be champion for years. Having said that, I preferred him as part of a stable: the problem with a master of fear and mind-games is that you always have an antagonist who is going to be pushing against the credibility of that. In other words, as soon as a face doesn’t show fear, the illusion is cracked and it seems like a gimmick. However, if a character like Bray has an army of minions, people who are permanently under the spell, it maintains the aura of power even when the competitor is strong/brave against the fear. I also preferred Wyatt as the creepy cultist, rather than whatever he has evolved into. The hawaiian-shirt and rocking chair were cornerstones of his weirdness, creating unease by putting a twist on familiar symbols, and also making him kind of believable. He looks like a cartoon version of himself now. I don’t dislike him, I just think WWE have made him shed a lot of the interesting and unique signifiers that made him such a compelling character originally.

Big fan of Orton. Big fan. A lot of what I like about superstars is about their acting in-ring, and Orton knows how to put on a show. He has presence. And he looks emotionally invested. He has what I call a “recessive” gimmick – he has a personality you can describe, he’s got an MO, he’s got a style, but it’s not in your face all the time – and only the best wrestlers can really achieve this without seeming bland. In a way, we should all be bored of Orton, but I’m always happy to watch him. Especially as a bad-face. What do I mean by that? One of the cornerstones of the Attitude era, as I’ve mentioned before, was that everyone was a bad guy when you really thought about it. So here’s a bad guy – an arsonist! – a mean, tough, unforgiving viper, who is effectively the good guy in this situation. In his last big championship run, he played the “cowardly heel” like Seth Rollins, which is fine, but this to me is much more nuanced and interesting. Is he good? Is he bad? Should we want him to win? Can he control himself? And so on.

The entrances seemed strangely muted, especially Bray’s. Maybe again that was down to the arena, but one issue with Bray’s entrance, which I love, is that the music is gentle and the lights-up cut is sudden and silent. The crowd don’t quite seem to know how to react: it’s designed to make you uneasy and wierded out. There was no big cheer when the lights went up nor when Bray held the title up. Maybe it was just the TV audio, but it seemed to me that it didn’t build up like other superstars’ entrances into that moment where the crowd goes wild. Orton’s projection, meanwhile, seemed to stutter – there’s nothing worse that when something like this doesn’t have the full impact. But fair play to the idea.

The match felt rushed to me. They got to the big moves really quickly (which seems to be a trend more and more in PPV matches) and we got another “domination”-type match, which frankly I’m getting bored of. The set-pieces of the match were projections of maggots and other creepy-crawlies onto the ring, which was an innovative idea, even if it wasn’t very scary. It might have been better to save these for moments where Orton was dominating to throw him off his stride, rather than to add to Bray’s dominance. And then, after a quick match, Orton kicked out of Sister Abigail and hit an RKO OUTA NOWHERE (which even the commentators called as how it always happens nowadays) to pick up the title. Apart from the fact that it was disappointing to see Orton take the title from Wyatt and end what might have been an interesting run before it really got started, and the fact that we’ve seen Orton as champion plenty, why on earth have him kick out of Bray’s finisher (not the first of the match either) and then pin him clean? I generally don’t mind about characters being “diminished” like this but it just seemed a really cold way to shut down the potential of Wyatt as a title-holding major player for now. Wyatt deserved better and crazier than this.

Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg

What was the point of this match? What was the point of this rivalry? This was a complete non-wrestling sideshow where each character has two moves that they do over and over again until someone wins.

Brock has hardly done anything apart from German suplexes since 2013. I used to be a major Brock fan but there’s nothing to look forward to any more. You get this huge buildup of Heyman-led poetry that ends in a match you can count in seconds (or suplexes) and tells no story about either man. What did we learn? That Goldberg fluked it over Lesnar? That he is old after all? That it’s a toss-up as to who wins a match like this? That Lesnar’s better now? That Brock’s tough? (I think we knew that.)

Ugh. I suppose there is something interesting in the Brock Lesnar sideshow, watching him demolish everyone and then get taken apart in seconds by the monster, who he then defeats in the end. But it’s a much better line in a Wikipedia article that a series of matches to watch. Brock’s destruction of Cena and the Undertaker were necessary to signal a New Era I think – but where now?

One other thought, which is maybe a little harsh. Has Paul Heyman ever looked so bad? He seems enormous – he looks like Paul Bearer now. Seriously, though, he waddles to the ring and has far less physical presence than he used to. He’s not a wrestler, and of course his body shape is no-one’s business, but visually he is looking like a different character. He still talks like no-one else, but I think he’s in danger of becoming a caricature of a caricature. I find it hard to take him seriously.

Alexa Bliss vs Becky Lynch vs Carmella vs Natalya vs vs Mickie James vs Naomi

OK, this division is for sure weaker than the Raw Women’s division, but I have been enjoying watching Alexa Bliss for her character and in-ring attitude. It’s all in the face. I also really like Natalya and I’ve been trying to get on with Becky Lynch – great wrestler, but she just can’t talk.

This was not a great match. There were few good moves, too many people in too short a space of time, and a quick end. Becky looked great with her dreads and warpaint, and did the most in terms of wrestling moves, and Alexa did some good chat and a nice mid-air elbow. Natalya tried a double sharpshooter which is a move I like but it went wrong.

Naomi picked up the win. There were really two things that I thought after this match: one was that WWE were trying to do too much with this Wrestlemania, which is why there were so many rushed matches and so many people on the card; and secondly that CFO$ need to get some serious credit for helping to create some exciting characters. Naomi for example has been made relevant with a great entrance. The music does a huge part of the work, and these guys know what they’re doing. Remember when every entrance was a variation on screamy metal?

Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker

Right. Big boos for Roman but that’s the point of him isn’t it? He’s just a heel in the new sense – someone people hate for being too mainstream, and not alternative enough. He puts in good matches – there’s no question of that – and I assume that he’s on a mega slow burn heel turn. Either that or we just need to rethink what it is to be a heel and a face nowadays. Plenty of people like Roman. But in this meta-kayfabe world, people still don’t like authority, and if you’re shown someone as the face of the company, rather than the hero of the people, you hate them. And think about it, what better way to create a heel than to have him beat up a living legend? I liked Roman’s entrance. In fact, the staging or the entrance ramp, despite being crazy long, gave a lot of opportunities for spectacular entrances, and we got them tonight.

Is it just me or has the WWE always had a disproportionate number of goatees? Who has a goatee anymore? At least the Undertaker has long hair again. He always seems very concerned about taking proper care of his hat and coat. Which to me isn’t very scary.

When he got into the ring, my first thought was that Taker looks deeply unwell and needs to retire. His face is getting bigger as hairline receeds which makes him look weary and old; he started the match with a red stripe on his forehead from his hat, which made him looks like his fallen asleep on the arm of his easy chair and it’s left a mark. He is huge though and at least he’s having a proper match unlike some of the other veterans we see. He doesn’t look great put he can still put a shift in, just about. He couldn’t do the Last Ride properly and looked exhausted about five seconds in.

But, once again, I think this was all the point of the match. Taker looking brave and tired, like a familiar old dog, and Roman basically putting him down. With a whole bunch of spears and superman punches. The final spear, where he zipped back and forth, with the Undertaker spinning around in confusion and helplessness, was genius. The crowd hated it, of course, and Roman looked great doing it. In fact, their outfits mirrored each other, with Roman looking like the fitter, faster, younger, more energetic version of the Deadman. Our memories, our dreams of the Phenom were shattered, and Roman was the one holding the hammer. What a great way to make people hate him. It’s the new way of being a heel – not cheating, but doing things that the people don’t like.

I was trying to think, who is Roman Reigns the new version of? The Rock before people started to like him? Maybe Triple H post-DX? Or maybe he’s just something new. Maybe we need to stop comparing the New Era to the old ones and just get to understand the new stories that are being told for what they are.

All in all, I thought there was a lot to enjoy about Wrestlemania 33, but for sure they tried to do too much. The roster looks healthy – think of the guys who weren’t involved or were only in the the (not great) Battle Royal. Nakamura, Ambrose, Balor, Strowman, American Alpha… should be an interesting year.

WWE Most Electrifying List: April 2017

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The premise behind this list is simple. Not who’s the best, who deserves it more, who’s technically superior, but which WWE Superstars am I most excited to see on screen. Which wrestlers do I look forward to watching, and why, based on recent programming.

It’s the WWE MOST ELECTRIFYING LIST OF SUPERSTARS OF RIGHT NOW!

The List of Nope

Elias Samson

Mickie James

Dana Brooke

James Ellsworth

Falling by the wayside

Nia Jax – Needs to up her game and get comfortable in the ring quickly.

Dean Ambrose – Stone Cold was right! Just not that interested in him any more.

Samoa Joe – Can’t get on with him. Looks fake.

Brock Lesnar – Since the doping incident, much less interested, and when was the last time he did a compelling match?

Becky Lynch – Needs more presence. She seems flustered and uncertain.

The Electrifying Top 21

21. Bobby Roode – terrible name, great on the mic and in the ring.

20. Luke Harper – loved his match with AJ and excited to see him in other situations.

19. Randy Orton – he’s legit. Keeps coming back stronger in different guises.

18. Bray Wyatt – so glad he’s champ. But he needs to keep up the crazy.

17. Alexa Bliss – five feet of fury, and good value for them.

16. Gentleman Jack – posted without comment.

15. Neville – despite the awful name, his new bad attitude has made him more compelling.

14. Gallows & Anderson – tough and good to watch.

13. Cesaro & Seamus – they’re having fun and going for it. Loads of great moves between them.

12. Sasha Banks – falling away a little for me – I’ve just not been that excited by her matches recently. So much goodwill in the bank, as it were, means I’m still hopeful with each match.

11. The New Day – a continuous flow of creative energy.

10. Enzo Amore & Big Cass – straight up good fun.

9. John Cena – sorry haters, but now that he’s able to play up to the hate, he’s relaxed and having fun. He’s getting some of that swag back and his matches are full of big moves.

8. Kevin Owens – exciting and explosive. A master of in-match chat.

7. Chris Jericho – I think he was Superstar of the Year. The List of Jericho, the Stupid Idiot business and the Best Friend gag show a guy who’s enjoying himself and doing his thing. Just one of the most entertaining guys in the business with charisma to spare.

6. Asuka – Completely nuts and compelling to watch. Absolute badwoman.

5. Shinsuke Nakamura – Completely nuts and compelling to watch. Just looks like he’s having fun.

4. Charlotte Flair – Charlotte is figuratively and literally head and shoulders above the rest of the women’s division. I’ve loved the Women’s Revolution, but at the moment she’s storming ahead in terms of ring performance and storytelling. She’s elegant and graceful, and hits some astonishing-looking top rope moves. Nothing bad to say about her. She is looking like a proper queen and smashing it at the moment, and I look forward to her matches.

3. The Miz – am I nuts or does this guy look like he’s going places again? Watching his feud with Cena, and the way the crowd reacted to him at Wrestlemania, I think his A-lister personality might be coming into its own. Arrogant, but confident and revelling in it, not the recent (and usual) heel-who-doesn’t-get-the-respect-he-deserves. I like this Miz, and I actually think he would be a credible world title contender. He’s becoming more like Alberto Del Rio: privileged, flashy, hatable, but in a legitimate way, not just a poser. What if he actually was a A-lister, and came to the ring in a limo, rather than just pretending to be one? What if the swagger was genuine, and he became a heel you admire rather than one you pity? Good in the ring, good on the mic. Just get the tone of the character right.

2. AJ Styles – this guy is just on fire. Every match he’s in is great. A massive move set, and one that he can play with and vary to keep it interesting. He’s a compelling character, and he’s become his own person, not just a Bad Guy, who can dial it up and down from lighthearted to serious.

1. The Hardy Boyz – straight off the back of Wrestlemania title wins, hopefully we’re going to see some Broken madness in WWE. The Broken storyline has been unlike anything else recently and shows what you can do if you let people off the leash in terms of creativity and craziness. Do weird stuff and see what happens – it worked for The New Day too. I also was the biggest Hardy Boyz fan back in the day so there’s an element of nostalgia here, but also it’s great to see veterans give it all like we saw straight away in the ladder match. Hopefully it’ll be a meaningful and exciting return.

How I’d like to see Royal Rumble 2016 play out

I know, it’ll never happen this way…

Roman Reigns heads to the ring, a man resigned his inevitable brutal, gladitorial end. He knows there’s no way he can win from #1. He just wants to go out in a blaze of glory, fighting to the end, determined to do as much damage as possible so that people remember what he did in this Rumble, not the winner. He’s going to lose his title. He knows it. The McMahons have done everything they can to be sure of that. And why? If they hate him that much, they could just fire him, right? No, they want to see him suffer. So his revenge will be not flinching as his doom approaches. Bring it on.

The first few entrants are mid-card hopefuls, unlikely to last more than a few eliminations. Then here comes Alberto Del Rio – the first serious test for Reigns. They go at it, swatting out a few others as they join, until Big Show rocks up around #7 and stakes his claim as the immovable object. The action revolves around getting him out and with the help of a tag team that like the Usos that happen to have shown up at the right time, he’s gone. Reigns gets rid of Del Rio and and he’s still going strong. Y2J bowls in and straight after we get Dean Malenko for some random Attitude-era flashbacks. They mess around for a bit but are both eliminated by Braun Strowman who enters #13. Straight after him it’s Kane and they keep each other busy for a bit as the ring fills up with six or seven from the roster, including Kevin Owens – the dark horse for the title? – and Stardust who just hangs around on the turnbuckles as if he’s playing WWE Smackdown 2 on the PlayStation. Kofi Kingston avoids elimination by landing on the trombone. Strowman takes out five of the superstars in the ring. Owens is eliminated by Neville and is called out even though his feet didn’t both touch the ground. He throws a tantrum outside the ring. Neville goes to the top rope and Strowman just throws him over the top. Then we’re down to the last 7, with just Strowman and Reigns in the ring. Dolph Ziggler is 24, and wears Reigns down with his usual enthusiasm. Brock Lesnar is 25 and straight away takes out Ziggler. 26 is Eric Rowan, 27 is Luke Harper, so it’s 3 of the Wyatts against Reigns and Lesnar. 28 is Spike Dudley, who lines up on the side of Reigns and Lesnar to try and “even things” up but Lesnar thinks it’s a joke and throws him out. Everything gets hectic in the ring, Lesnar hits an F5 and lights go out – when they come up the Undertaker is standing behind Lesnar and eliminates him as revenge for their rivalry. So Reigns is still there, hanging in, and number 29 is of course John Cena. But John’s not the superman he used to be and 3 on 2 is just too much for them. Reigns can hardly walk. Cena battles well but ultimately all three of the Wyatts take him out together. And number 30 is… Bray Wyatt. He walks in to see the shell of Reigns, who has lasted all the way from #1 only to be offered up on a plate to Bray. Bray finishes it, and throws Reigns out. The other Wyatts start looking at each other like they’re going to fight it out, and surround Bray… only for him to give them their instructions and one by one they walk to the edge of the ring and eliminate themselves. Bray Wyatt stands in the ring, by himself, the winner.

Rethinking 5 WWE superstars

One of the reasons that WWE endures is its ability to reinvent characters and create personas that click with the audience. Often I think the best ones tend to be an evolution of a character who grows into “themselves”, with depth created by various storylines or moments, rather than just a gimmick that sticks – think Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, The Rock, or Triple H. But you have to start somewhere, so here are a few re-designs for characters who I think have potential.

Fandango

Fandango is a handsome and charismatic wrestler who I think is hampered by a ballroom dancing gimmick that means he can never be more than a sideshow. I reckon he doesn’t have the presence of Randy Orton or Kevin Owens at the moment but that’s just because of how he’s used. But he looks legit and could surely play at least an intercontinental role.

I think the way to transition him out of the ballroom dancing thing is to give him a broken-down, scruffy and angry version of himself. He’s already meant to be a heel I guess, so why not give him an edge? Perhaps after years just outside the limelight, an attention-hungry and ambitious guy like himself would get dispirited and turn to the bottle, losing a grip on his once-immaculate style and poise. Give him a bit of stubble and mess up his hair a bit, maybe an open shirt over a white vest and more of an attitude of someone with nothing to lose. (No-one seemed to like Batista when he came back but I liked the scruffy, hairy, angry version of him – it was much better than trying to make him the sculpted Hollywood superstar type, which no-one wold warm to.) Maybe he gets fired by WWE and just keeps turning up to fight anyway until they can’t ignore him any more. He could become a hard drinking, hard fighting, tough anti-hero, a rebel without a cause, a lone wolf betrayed by the world… like Dolph Ziggler crossed with Randy Orton. Stone Cold crossed with James Dean… a fighting casanova whose heart has been ripped out.

His real name is Curtis Jonathan Hussey. Assuming WWE has its fill of Curtises, how about he goes by John Hussey, which has all the right connotations for him. He don’t care bout no-one, y’hear? All I want to do is fight! A guy at rock bottom is hard to beat. Then give him a face turn when he teams up with a caring female manager and BAM, you got a world champion.

Damien Sandow

Damien Sandow almost did it himself. He went from pompous know-it-all (great gimmick anyway) to pretentious “divine right” champion-to-be (via the classic transition to black ring gear) before his brilliant but totally beneath-him stint with the Miz as stunt double.

Sandow’s next move should be angry evil genius. I like him as the leader of a stable, but something like the anti-DX, a group that wants to make WWE less populist and more legitimate. It could be a different take on the old Ted DiBase/Alberto Del Rio/JBL millionaire thing – somewhere between that and Right to Censor – where he can continue the elevated, “I>U” thing but in a less comedy and more Bond Villain kind of way.

He could build a team of henchmen around himself Authority-style, and become a challenge to the existing hierarchy through a combination of machinations, carefully planned plots and ambushes and nefarious business dealings. So you just have to dress him up a bit. You could keep the dressing gown schtick that I love and move it a bit more towards the TV soap opera evil boss thing (a bit like my man Chilly Gonzales), but now give him a cigar and a suit too. The more he becomes like Lex Luther, the better.

Footnote: I will not rest until this man becomes WWE champion.

Curtis Axel

What can be said about Curtis Axel? He seems pretty decent when he’s fighting and has certainly done a good job of getting beaten up in recent times. He just doesn’t seem to have any discernible character. “The less interesting one” in teams like Rybaxel and the Meta Powers is surely the worst possible place for him.

There was something unnatural about him as a plain old mean guy with Paul Heyman. I never found him totally convincing like that due to his funny grin and body language (he’s no Stone Cold) so I think it would need to be tempered by a stylistic uniqueness that could give him some character.

His reactions and his potential for comedy make me feel he’s being pulled in two directions. He could just go for laughs – perhaps he could become an all-out maniac like Perry Saturn. You could have him attacking the wrong people, making obvious mistakes, falling over in a pantomime way (as a kind of self-referential joke about the reality of wrestling, like Mizdow wrestling himself or Batista’s phantom-punch KO). You could give him a straight-man manager like William Regal and we could watch him screwing everything up Pinky and the Brain style.

Or maybe there’s something a bit more enduring for him that pays to his strengths. Where Bray Wyatt has gone for horror-movie Southern weirdness, I wonder whether Curtis could find the other side of that. A bar-brawling, slow-reading, check-shirted lumberjack type, a well-meaning but simple and rustic guy full of emotional reactions and crazy decisions. Cactus Jack’s cousin who didn’t get hit quite as hard on the head by the falling branch. Mr Imperfect. He knows he’s no star so he’s bought himself some land with plenty of trees to chop down and a great big smoke-pit barbeque to just enjoy the simple life. How about it?

John Cena

John Cena. Does he suck or is he awesome? There are a lot of haters out there and there are a couple of obvious reasons why. One – he got to a point of near invincibility (remember him beating my hero Damien Sandow with literally one arm?) Two – he’s too clean cut. Since his demolishment at the hands of Brock Lesnar and subsequent feuds where he’s looked much more human, a fading force even, it’s a great time to transition him to a veteran role. A kind of, “I’ve been there, done that” kind of guy with advice for the new wrestlers and a more battle-hardened style to match. He’s like the commander who’s been in the field for years, who’s scarred by what he’s seen, a guy who still wants to do good but finds it harder and harder as he gets disillusioned with the world. Lose the “Never give up” towel and the neon colours. Make his mantra something he clings to, not some slogan on a bit of merchandise. Make it something he demands of others. See the anger in his eyes at the injustices of the industry.

He brings out big move after big move in his matches and the haters just need to start seeing a different side to him. A bit darker – not a heel turn, just a different side to the predictable character.

HHH

Post-DX, Triple H was always one of my favourite guys. He was just cool and didn’t need some cheesy gimmick. He had swagger, but not in a showy way, he had presence, he was scary and angry and selfish. But he also looked vulnerable and human and knew how to sell better than anyone else. That made him seem like a gladiator, a moody, brooding survivor up against the world (even when he was up with the McMahons), fuelled by a desire to survive and put himself into the battle for glory or annihilation.

When in DX mode he had a firebrand anti-establishment identity. He just didn’t care what you thought and wanted to cause a ruckus. He seemed like the kind of guy who would fight fire with fire, a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.

Which is why his “Authority” identity fits so badly. As head of the Authority, trying to look like the boss his schtick is far too controlled and calm, so he just comes across smug and smarmy. He’s the guy you hate to hate. It’s the worst kind of irony when he talks about how he’s in charge and you can’t do anything about it.

What he needs is to bring some of that in-ring vulnerability to his COO persona. He needs to be threatened by something, to become a ruthless survivor at the top, not just the unshakeable symbol of general badness. He needs to have motivation, an enemy to make him come across as a cornered tiger. Where’s Shane O Mac these days? Or is it a feud with Steph? Either way, the whole concept of the Authority doesn’t make sense to me in this day and age: why do you need a set of enforcers when you own the place anyway?

So why not make HHH the under-fire executive, threatened by a hostile board of directors or investors, superstars who threaten to leave the brand, lawsuits and subordinate influences backstage. He could become a really nasty frustrated corporate boss, who takes things out on the employees, and rides the line between businessman and rebel. Sure, he wanted to be in charge, but it’s all too easy for someone who used to be a complex character. We need to see him being restrained by the real suits. Let the tiger out of the cage a bit.

Cesaro

Cesaro is well liked by the crowds and great in the ring. But that interview with Vince made it seem like he didn’t believe in Cesaro, and to be fair, the personal charm which probably worked independent-side doesn’t seem to have translated into something that make sense on the big stage. Another character held back by too much “fun” in his style? He’s almost too real, too human, and while crowds probably like him for that, you need to ramp it up a bit to make it work on TV.

His odd briefs and boots need to be changed. It’s hard to understand what he’s meant to be. Circus strongman? The larking about with Tyson is all well and good to get him back in the limelight, but it doesn’t really make sense.

I think he could do well as a European version of someone like Shawn Michaels crossed with Alberto Del Rio. Full of heart and spirit, and with a bit more flair. But you need to change his style for this. Make him a bit more flamboyant and a bit less athletic. Maybe a glamorous Geneva style would suit him, white trousers and jackets. Make him a bit more arrogant – someone who likes to embarrass his opponents with moves like the Swing and the flying uppercut. He’s got plenty of substance so give it a bit more style. I prefer his actual name Claudio Castagnoli, which has a bit more old-world glamour. And ultimately I think you need to let him cut loose on the promos and just act a bit more like Pitbull on a yacht with a bottle of Krug in one hand and a title belt in the other.

Wrestlemania 31

Roman Reigns will win against Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Of course he will. Unless…

What if it turns out that a legitimate UFC champion actually is better than anyone else in the locker room? What if, no matter how good Reigns is, Lesnar is better? What if the same thing that happened to John Cena and the Undertaker happens to Reigns, and he gets taken apart by the Beast?

Perhaps even the superman Reigns, despite being on the run of his life, just isn’t strong enough. Perhaps no-one is.

Reigns and Cena could team up and lose 2-on-1. Triple H could get concerned that Lesnar might leave with the title, and send in Seth Rollins and the Authority in an unheard-of alliance… only to see them get picked off one by one.

Paul Heyman could gloat, but secretly start to get worried that he’s losing control of his creation. Instead of pulling the strings, he might become an unwilling advisor to Lesnar, being towed around watching beating after beating, even trying to rein Lesnar in but failing. Imagine if Lesnar had become too much for Heyman, as a manager and a human.

The story of the summer could be the whole WWE trying to get the title from Lesnar and exorcise him from the company. Ultimately, Triple H himself could get involved and put himself on the line, maybe even bet the company itself, to convince Lesnar to have a match against him, Cena and Reigns for the championship. Maybe it would take them combining, plus the Rock and Stone Cold at ringside, to finally put Lesnar down. Reigns, having taken punishment from Lesnar all spring but surviving, could become the new Triple H, the new enduring gladiator, win the fans’ love again and win the title on a wave of support. At the very least it would be an epic struggle against the ultimate foe, a big, era-defining story.

Or maybe he’ll win tonight and that’ll be that.

Ad Review: Highland Spring

As a creative, I’m always torn between what I think looks cool and what I think makes sense for a brief. My position though is always start with the meaningful message and then build something beautiful around it.

I’m also always aware that what I consider great design work lies somewhere in the middle of my own personal preferences, current design trends, and historical reference points. What motivates me personally is shaping the world according to my creative vision, so when I see artwork that I don’t like, it troubles me to my very core. #firstworldprobelms

But like I said, you have to bear in mind that sometimes excellent communication doesn’t look like something you want in your living room.

QED: Highland Spring’s recent ad campaign. My first reaction was that it looked a bit tacky. But then I read the line and it all came together.

Highland Spring is being positioned as a classic “magician” brand – one that provides a moment of transformation, of magic, transporting you to another (fancier, more special) place with just the twist of a cap. Sparkling water is often used as a kind of shortcut to a more sophisticated dinner party or event. Bubbles! Wow. You are truly spoiling us.

That’s what Highland Spring can do for you. And no, it doesn’t look as trendy as Voss or Ty Nant, and the visuals of the ad for me look a bit photoshopped and OTT (when you’ve got the natural epic beauty of Scotland to work with, does it need to be pushed this far?) – but the message of this campaign is absolutely on-point.

PS Shout out to David Boni, the photographer – some stunning stuff to look at on his website

Content Marketing Strategy

Marketing Worth Watching

A lot of people are talking about content marketing at the moment from lots of different angles – some focusing on SEO, others on enriching user experience on websites, some looking at just rationalising all their channels to make sure everything is aligned and coherent.

The most interesting thing for us about content marketing is this: creating content that acts as marketing, but is something interesting and useful in its own right. In many ways, it’s about creating marketing content that provides the same benefit as the product itself.

In other words – your Nike trainers will make you fit, so their content marketing – workout suggestions, tools for managing your exercise – does the same thing. Your Nivea skincare is simple and effective – so their pre-roll videos on Youtube show you simple and effective life hacks.

We find it fascinating that companies have started to realise the power of creating content that people might actually care about, might actually find useful – even if it’s a slightly softer sell – rather than just bleating on about why their product is amazing.

Here are ten tips on how to improve your content marketing strategy:
1. Always bear this question in mind: What could you put out as content that your customers would actually care about? Most brands start with the product. Flip your thinking and start with the audience’s lifestyle and needs.

2. Be genuinely useful. Think about, for example, how you can improve people’s lives, save them money, make them fitter, solve their problems. That’s what people are looking for online.

3. Think about customer need states, and what form of content matches what your message is. Your audience might be on Facebook, but that might not be where they solve the problems you can fix.

4. Spend some time thinking about your brand message. Because channels like blogs, Twitter, video and so on get set up independently in silos, it’s easy to strategise for each individually. But all your content should be focussed on your brand positioning – if it’s not, why are you producing it?

5. Be part of a bigger ecosystem. If you’re a food brand, for example, you’re not just dealing with people’s hunger – you fit into a much broader lifestyle pattern and attitudinal structure. Create content that matches this broader mindset.

6. Avoid white noise. There’s no need to create content for the sake of it. The relentless speed and ephemeral nature of social media makes it feel like you have to – but much better to have four really compelling and valuable videos on YouTube than constant meaningless chatter.

7. Think about sharability. The reason that infographics, text-on-image jpegs and gifs and so on have become so prevalent is that they provide social users with ready-to-share content about things they love, expressed better than they could have.

8. “How to make an omelette” is more interesting than “latest egg news”.

9. Use your expertise. You are experts in your field – get that information out there for people to see and make yourself easier to find.

10. Don’t forget about activation. One of the misunderstandings of content is that what you produce is all there is to think about. If you don’t get it out there you might as well not make it.
Aside from anything, we’re all making content already – whether social posts, blogs, emails, product videos or articles. So maybe it’s time to start strategising, to make the most of it and make it as compelling for the end user as possible.

This blog was originally published on Futureproof Thinking

Creativity: Connecting the Dots

One of the main pieces of advice I give to marketers is “keep your eyes open”. People think that creativity is all about racking your brain really hard to produce a brilliant idea. It’s not.

Partly it’s about letting your imagination free so it can play, and find its own path to a great idea. That’s why you hear people saying that things just came to them as they were taking a walk, on the tube, or chopping vegetables.

Partly it’s about approaching the problem from innovative angles, and pointing your mind down interesting pathways to see what happens there. (What if this was a film? An illustration? A music video? An art installation?)

To do both of these things well, there’s a crucial element that allows your innate creativity to arrive at something wonderful. Input.

Input is a bit like when you create a moodboard as stimulus in a brainstorm session. Images, words, objects… they all spark off thoughts which can lead to something big.

What I’m suggesting is that rather than waiting for someone to bring you this kind of stimulus, you should be constantly seeking it out yourself. Filling your head with all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff, so that when someone presents you with a brief, a brand thought or position, a product, idea or story, you have a whole field of fertile ground and exciting bits and pieces in your head to make links with. Creativity is about playing connect the dots – and you can’t play connect the dots without any dots, no matter how good you are at drawing lines.

And I think that everything is interesting. Watch one episode of a random TV show you’d never normally watch to see what it sparks off in your head. Read up about an obscure medieval principality. Study art nouveau furniture. Analyse racing bike design. Anything and everything. This might sound silly, but you never know what you might be reminded of at some point, and what will spark off something new and beautiful. The most creative people actually refer back to old things when making something new.

“It reminds me of…”

“Have you seen…”

“What if we crossed…”

The more you’ve seen and remembered, the more sparks you can create, and the more great ideas you can be at the heart of.

This blog first appeared on, and was written for, Creative Huddle. http://www.creativehuddle.co.uk/2014/06/connect-dots/