Why start finals at 184?

[Jimmy Cinnabon]

This makes no sense...the highest drama match first?

And ending with Steveson running circles round Hendrickson in a snoozefest?

[BarSeries]

 

[poorwrestler]

Honestly the two biggest draws of this finals round are probably Starocci and Gable, so keeping viewership high from beginning to end could be the reasoning.


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[Jimmy Cinnabon]

1 minute ago, poorwrestler said:

Honestly the two biggest draws of this finals round are probably Starocci and Gable, so keeping viewership high from beginning to end could be the reasoning.


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I mean the match with the most certain outcome is Gable's.  Zero drama as to who will win.

[poorwrestler]

I mean the match with the most certain outcome is Gable's.  Zero drama as to who will win.

Right, but him wrestling at all is a draw. For a lot of people he’s one of the few wrestlers they even know.


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[fatlaz]

So, start at 184 then to  125 then 133 etc through to Hwt?

[CHROMEBIRD]

5 minutes ago, fatlaz said:

So, start at 184 then to  125 then 133 etc through to Hwt?

Sounds like it from JB's video

[SocraTease]

JB is a reasonable guy, but that is a bad rationalization rather than a good reason. 

Start at 125 and either (a) go straight through to 285 or (b) preferably, just rearrange the last three matches since in the  situation now chosen, you are already doing that by putting 184 first.  125 .... 197, 285, 184.

Simply put 184 last rather than first.  Then you build up the interest over the whole series of matches.

 

Edited 21 hours ago by SocraTease

[BarSeries]

 

[CTMopar]

Mr. Trump and crew in the house...Potentially to honor the 1st 5X NCAA Champion...No pressure!!!

[SocraTease]

Speculation: ESPN knows that a certain visitor is coming to the venue.   He wants to show up, watch a few matches, feed off the fan frenzy and excitement (and likely imagine it is really for him) in the biggest, first match, and then leave early.  

Perhaps ESPN is even being pressured to accommodate this visitor, though they would never admit this out loud so they come up with a strange, twisted, and illogical rationalization for starting with 184.

[BarSeries]

The crowd for the opening 184 match will be yuuuuge!!!!!

[BarSeries]

 

[CHROMEBIRD]

I love that Sparks tweets just like he talks. I'm hearing his voice as I read that

[jackwebster]

9 minutes ago, SocraTease said:

Perhaps ESPN is even being pressured to accommodate this visitor, though they would never admit this out loud so they come up with a strange, twisted, and illogical rationalization for starting with 184.

I guess the conspiracy pandemic has finally hit my house or it's our TDS flaring up,but my wife and I immediately decided that this is what happened 

[SocraTease]

12 minutes ago, BarSeries said:

 

I like Shane Sparks and appreciate his energy (sometimes), but he is just being a cheerleader and shill for the network.  He picks a cause or a side or a musical band or the name of a wrestling movie (e.g., coffee grinder) and then throws his whole being behind it ... even when he is completely wrong.

[tablealgebra]

Yeah, he's a company guy (Burroughs) so he has to back what ESPN is doing, but I think the decision is actually bad business. Casual watchers aren't going to stay tuned the whole time if all they want is Starocci and Steveson, and dedicated watchers will watch the whole thing, except if they're 15 minutes late because they had dinner with their family they are going to feel cheated.

Keeping the weight classes in order would have actually been fantastic. After the 184 pound match it gives you 7 minutes of what is going to clearly be a low-key match at 197 to decompress from 184 (which looks to be a really good one) and hype the heavyweight match (which may or may not be good, but will be entertaining).

Edited 21 hours ago by tablealgebra

[Richferg]

Imagine this scenario. Starocci wins and DJT personally congratulates him.  Does anybody trust Starocci not to say something really off the cuff. 

[BarSeries]

 

[NormMacDonald]

I think for the national championship basketball game they should play the 2nd half first because its the most exciting, so lead with that. 

In other words I ***ducking** hate this.  Start at the bottom and work up. 

Edited 20 hours ago by NormMacDonald

[ChickenWing]

No one has mentioned how or if this affects the wrestlers. 

Boomer comment incoming:

50 years ago they experimented with changing the order of matches by random draw for college dual meets. Everyone hated it, fans and wrestlers. The lightweights were used to going first and the heavies were used to going later. The idea died quickly that season.

[Wrestleknownothing]

 

more from Burroughs

[peanut]

I get putting Gable last. But why not put Keck-CStar second to last?

My sense is that for a lot of wrestling fans, that’s the biggest match of the night. 

Edited 20 hours ago by peanut

[Seanyd]

1 hour ago, SocraTease said:

Speculation: ESPN knows that a certain visitor is coming to the venue.   He wants to show up, watch a few matches, feed off the fan frenzy and excitement (and likely imagine it is really for him) in the biggest, first match, and then leave early.  

Perhaps ESPN is even being pressured to accommodate this visitor, though they would never admit this out loud so they come up with a strange, twisted, and illogical rationalization for starting with 184.

This is silly, when has ESPN ever been a right leaning media source? 

[WrestlingRasta]

I get the reasoning.  Especially from the side of grabbing the not so regular fan.  I’m sure many wouldn’t plan on watching the whole thing, just plan on tuning in around the end.  Some of them then forget and never turn it on.  
 

However, having a set time when you know when that match is going to take place….and then possibly getting some hooked….some of those who may have never ended up tuning in, now become those who never turned it off.