Before I get into this editorial I need to address that I know Saturday Morning Slam is a show that has a fair share of critics. This is mostly from people who never really watched it however for even those who did it promoted something a lot of fans aren’t into and especially in a time where people felt more rebellious of it. In many ways it was as anti-Attitude as it can be. It was a show targeted towards children specifically with goofy presentation and the show would even go as far as to hide punches or moves to the head. However, in many ways Saturday Morning Slam represented everything right about wrestling and in addition could just make sense for WWE business. Give me a chance before you attack, alright?
Before getting into it at all, I should explain what the show is to those who may not know. Saturday Morning Slam was a show on the CW Network slotted alongside (and out performing in terms of numbers, by the way) Yugioh and shows of that nature. As previously mentioned, the show targeting a young audience meant that talent had restrictions in how they had to work or else it would require more edits. The show also featured a lot of over the top segments educating the viewers or just to entertain them. Oh, and Mick Foley was the General Manager. The WWE Network advertised it coming to the service in 2014, however when 2015 came and they removed the ad we haven’t heard a thing about it since.
I think a show like this isn’t for everybody. That needs to be the first point I establish because while that sounds like a flaw, that is kind of the point. Especially going into 2016, the WWE and the WWE Network is all about the different demographics. They aren’t targeting just adults. They aren’t targeting just children. They want a bit of everybody. And a channel that targets a mixed demographic needs content that appeals to different demographics. It just makes sense right? The service offers Attitude Era content, recent TV-14 programming like Too Hot For TV, and we will even be getting the adult-friendly Camp WWE.
On the flip side, we have a ton of family programming. Family programming does not mean children’s programming and that’s another key point. While critics like to say WWE is for children, they really are not. They offer a lot of violence and content that may not be suitable for all audiences, but ultimately the content is designed to appeal to as many age groups at once. RAW may be a bit edgy for children, but in general it’s a show for the entire family.
For children, we just seem to have Slam City shorts. Sure, other content may be suitable, but ultimately that is it when it comes to a true children’s demographic. We had Hulk Hogan’s Rock N Wrestling which unfortunately was removed and we potentially have the upcoming NXT Kids if the show does end up coming to fruition, however as of now at best we have a few minutes of content geared towards an entire demographic. It just doesn’t makes sense. An argument against more children-focused content is that children aren’t buying the WWE Network, but as we know that would be like saying children aren’t buying televisions and paying for cable. Parents, babysitters, older siblings, etc. would be very happy to sit their child down in front of something and it only makes sense to offer it. In fact, a children’s block on either Saturday or Sunday (or eventually expanding to both) just makes sense. And while this isn’t the article for it, I believe an “X-Men” or “Avengers” style WWE cartoon could be something really smart and could also lead to a lot of merchandising opportunities.
Back to Saturday Morning Slam, another important point beyond simply a target demographic that could ultimately increase either Network subs or satisfaction is that the show doesn’t ONLY appeal to children. I love it and I know other adults who do. Some may say I have a child like sense of humor, but that’s neither here nor there. Why did we like it so much? Well for one, the show is far less over produced than the other shows. I enjoy WWE, I’m far from a major critic, but something about having talent be able to experiment a bit more, or having Daniel Bryan do an entire commentary on wrestling bears, is just so much fun! It isn’t serious drama, but it’s very entertaining. In fact, in a lot of ways Daniel Bryan really improved as a result of being on that show because he had the chance to act goofy before Team Hell No was a thing.
This is going long already so I’ll elaborate less and only briefly mention two other points. One, the content is focused. I love Superstars and Main Event, but as good as they can be ultimately they are just RAW and Smackdown shows. This is something different, almost in a world in and of itself more similar to a NXT or ECW brand than just a B-show. Two, and related to that, having the talent have restrictions can certainly be frustrating but it also gives talent an opportunity to develop and work differently. A lot of people praise Bayley vs. Nia Jax because of how different Bayley had to present herself. In theory, this is the same thing. Punch/kick doesn’t work in this environment. Maybe more technical wrestling is needed. Maybe more flying. Maybe more antics. But the point is, it creates a challenge for the wrestlers to change up their usual flavor and as a result, it makes it more entertaining for the viewer and possibly more fun for the talent.
In conclusion, I know the show isn’t for everybody, but the show offers something different. Something for a specific demographic but also something entertaining for the hardcore fans. It also offers both restriction and freedom which challenges the talent while also somehow giving them more freedom to explore their characters. It just makes sense from a financial standpoint, being as the show would be short and easily slotted into the tapings with dark matches already taking place, but more importantly it makes sense to offer more content to a different fan base, one that could become bigger fans and long term fans as a result. So bring back Saturday Morning Slam, but it in a kid’s block with NXT Kids, Slam City, and some cartoon. Let younger children find a way to get more invested in the content. And if not, can we at least get the series finally added to the service?
Thanks for reading. Thoughts? Concerns? Make sure to follow me @aWWENetworkGuy on Twitter!