Perhaps a twist on the original themes would help, and someone like Bon Jovi taking, say, Mars Electric or Marvellous3 on the road with them would be a massive boost.
One thing I always find strange is the term big hair bands being such a term of abuse. Why did putting a show on become unacceptable-unless of course it ate into record company profits? And haven't bands such as Slipknot/Korn/Coal Chamber et al have rules and regulations regarding image, you know, the jump in the right place, the wallet chain, the new tatts, the goatee, the PublicEnemy stage persona, the personality disorders to be broadcast to the planet.
A Stateside friend of mine told me that when Cinderella's "Still Climbing" album came out, a dj on his local station smashed it up on air, saying that "We're not playing this shit!"
The drive into the underground was industry-driven.