Fakerer

I am typing this as I am watching last night's edition of Monday Night Raw. It was the first time the show was aired in High-Definition so there was a lot of notable changes to the production. As I haven't got a HD-TV then I cannot say whether it was a success or not. What I can say, however, is that it is going to cause the WWE a lot of problems from now on.

On a message board I am a member of someone has asked a few weeks ago what would HD do to the product. The first response made me laugh.

His reply was 'it will make it fakerer'.

And it is true.

I've seen HD televisions on display in the shops. They look amazing and everything stands out. Now, imagine watching wrestling on one. You're going to see a lot more than what you really should see.

The WWE had a meeting with all their performers a number of weeks ago to explain a new change in how they operate their televised events. All performers have been told they can no longer 'call spots' during their matches.

Calling spots is where they set-up their next moves. Most of today's matches are made with a skeleton outline of what they want to accomplish in the ring. Most of the additional moves in the match are made on the fly. Taking that out of the match may prove to be a challenge for the wrestlers.

Another thing that was brought up in the meeting was the use of spray-on tans. As HD-TV can pick up blemishes in the face and make the appearance seem more realistic there is a concern that sprayed tans can be caught on camera when they begin to run.

Fans without HD-TV will see something different, however. The company has spent millions on a new set that will be used from now on. I read somewhere that the wall has 1.2 million LEDs on it. New pyrotechnics are also being introduced.

Obviously, the new set and pyrotechnics will look good on normal television but the real winners are going to be the people there live at the arena or - the next best thing - sitting at home watching the WWE in High-Definition.