Do we need squash matches?

[muzzerman]

I was looking over debut tapes of different WWE superstars that are 250-plus pounds and I realised that the majority of them started of demolishing cruiserweights for a few months and they demand more competition. Then they feud with someone their weight and ultimately win. It happened with Khali and Kozlov to name some recent examples and it won't stop unless the WWE make it stop.

So my question is this. Do you think that debuting heavyweight and super heavyweights should do these insanely boring squash matches that the crowd is dead for or do you think they should prove themselves in good, strong and consistent match-ups early on that will have the crowd on their feet saying "Wow. This guy has potential." Should we have these men make a name for themselves by beating a respectable opponent or do we want them to beat up 150 pound midgets?

(Note) By the way, when I say respectable opponent, I mean a mid carder such as Matt Hardy or Kofi Kingston.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The whole point of this is to make guys like Khali, Jackson, and Kozlov look as dominat as possible. People who watch these matches will say, " Holy shit I cant believe how Khali just destroyed that guy!". So by the time they get to feuds with guys like Batista, Undertaker, or HHH WWE annoucers can go on and on about how they've been demloshing the roster, and now is the time to see if one of the big names can take them down.

​

Of course after a while I get tired of seeing these matches, but they will keep happening because the big men need to look impressive. Khali became a world champion, Kozlov got a huge push last year, and Jackson is on the same route in ECW.​

 

[TwistofRKO]

You need squash matches. The top dogs needs air-time, and you shouldn't be throwing main-event caliber feuds on free television. Do you think if you put Big Zeke up against John Cena he'd really be booked to win the match? No. It's the wrestling route to the main event.

 

[TheChampionOfTheWorld]

You need squash matches to a point, one per program. It does help put over a guy. With there being 4 television shows per week and at least 1 PPV per month. There is time to give guys air time and establish them via a quality match. Squash matches show dominance, but not the ability to perform. Look at the push that Kozlov had, where is he now? He doesn't really even get ring time, he is more of an enforcer than a wrestler. Kali isn't much of a ring performer either, he was limited to comedy segments for the longest time. Glad he's on smackdown so I don't have to watch him.

 

[TheGreatSPAMbino]

I don't know, maybe wrestling has evolved past the need for squash matches, because wins and losses have nevered mattered less than today. They still are important but not as much as previous eras. Also, the television consumer wants to be entertained and excited, sometimes sexually, (i dunno i just thought that was funny so i put it in) and squash matches are really that exciting or interesting. In truth they are exceedingly boring and cause people to change the channel.

Pushing a new guy, no matter what his size can be done in closely contended action-packed matches. Not neccesarily against main event guys but against midcarders. If the match is close, and not a total demolition, you can still push the new guy by giving him the "win" without really burying the midcarder because the midcarder put up a great fight. This makes for a form seamless integration of the new wrestler into the midcard scene. Also, by putting him in actual matches rather than matches with jobbers he can better develop his skills as a worker and generate more interest in his character, the days of guys like Goldberg have passed. And most importantly you aren't putting the audience to sleep with a blatantly filler squash match.

 

[samboisdead]

You have to have squash matches. The put the guy over as a dominant force. Alot of these wrestlers arent that good when they start squashing people. They put them in those matches to get them used to the crowd because that is one thing you cant really train for. Also you cant put Koslov against say Chavo Gurrero in his first match and have him struggle to beat Chavo then claim he is a main event monster. Goldberg was built soley by squash matches and look how big he got so were the Road Warriors. I hate everything Goldberg stood for but I have to admit I enjoyed watching him crush unknown guys every week. Belive it or not everyone that watches wrestling is not a smark. Some people actually watch the show without annalyzing everything and trying to figure up ways they could have done it better. Some people still think its real and some people enjoy seeing a big guy crush a little guy every now and then. If every match is a technical masterpiece then it would actually get boring quick because if you saw it all the time it wouldnt be as special anymore would it.

 

[TheNextEdFerrara]

i don't think squash matches are needed, simply because they do not seem effective. everyone knows the new star being pushed will win and the match isnt entertaining cuz its a blow out (no one likes blow outs in sports, same applies for wrestling)

i just think that squash matches can be used for better matches/segments during the air time

 

[JBK2008]

Squash matches are good for big guys only. I don't want to see someone less than 275 lbs destroying a guy in a minute. Sure, these matches can be boring and sometimes ineffective, but they are a must to put fear into the rest of the roster and fans.

 

[Alex]

They're needed up to a point, Big guys like Kozlov and Zeke need to look dominant, but I believe they're only needed when guys debut, it breaks them into the program, allowing them to work up the ladder having them in a squash match when they've been there a couple of months e.g. kozlov being drafted to ECW and having loads of squash matches just ins't effective

 

[brodymulder]

They're needed up to a point, Big guys like Kozlov and Zeke need to look dominant, but I believe they're only needed when guys debut, it breaks them into the program, allowing them to work up the ladder having them in a squash match when they've been there a couple of months e.g. kozlov being drafted to ECW and having loads of squash matches just ins't effective

That is pretty much where I stand. I think squash matches are necessary to build some people up (it works best in extremes with big men or really fast working cruiserweights) but these should only have a shelf life of a two pay per view cycle at best (meaning the house shows and tv tapings that come between any two PPVs). Beyond that, you need to put these guys in a real feud.

I think that is ultimately what buried Kozlov. People wanted to see him in a real feud with someone who could give him a run for his money. Creative took way too long to build this up by putting him in squash matches for what felt like an eternity. There was no suspense. When he was booked into a match with Triple H (which I think was his first title shot. Might have been Jeff Hardy, I can't remember), besides the obviousness of who he was fighting, it was just way too apparent that he was going to lose.

Had they not drawn that out too much, Kozlov's matches might have been entertaining to watch. Kozlov is the prefect example why you never keep putting wrestlers in extended squash programs.

 

[Барбоса]

Squash matches are still a very valuable part of the wrestling world. Not only can they be used to make talent such as Jackson and Kozlov seem more dominant as already mentioned above. They can also be used to kick-start the evolution of an already established character. The most obvious and perhaps recent example of this is The Great Khali squashing The Undertaker. Unless I'm mistaken, this led to Taker adopting the Hell's Gate, which has further added to his dark image.