Do You Care Who Wins A Match?

[The Brain]

Sounds like a strange question right? We’re all fans. We all have wrestlers we like better than others. It’s probably obvious that you care who wins. I know a lot of people do based on the threads after every Raw, Smackdown, or ppv. So why am I asking such a stupid question? I want to know if there is anyone like me out there. Typically I don’t care who wins.

I never really thought much about it until last night. I was watching TLC at a bar and I kept getting asked who I thought would win and who I wanted to win. Not only did I not care, but the outcome never really crossed my mind. During the past few weeks the thought of who would win the world title match never entered my mind. First it was supposed to be Kane vs. Edge then Mysterio and Del Rio were added. I followed the story and was looking forward to the match but never thought about the outcome. Don’t mistake this for me not caring about WWE. I watch for the action and the storylines. I just figure regardless of the outcome I’m going to keep watching to see where the story takes me. The only time I get bothered by a result is when I feel a title reign was cut too short. Even then it’s because I don’t like short reigns rather than who the champion is or was.

It probably sounds like I don’t have much fun watching the matches if I don’t care about the results, but that is not true. I enjoy seeing the match develop, hearing the crowd reaction, and watching the story unfold in the ring. It’s like watching Monday Night Football when my team is not involved. I may not care for either team. I just want to see a good game.

 

[The People's Peep]

I understand what you mean and there are times where I also dont care who wins. Just like you, I didnt care who won the TLC match last night. I wanted Edge to win because I was tired of Kane as champ, but I really couldnt care less if he didnt win.

But most of the time, yes I do care who wins. First, its because I personally like the wrestler. For instance, I always want Daniel Bryan to win. But more importantly, I care about who wins for storyline purposes. Most of the time, who wins a match plays a role in the progression of a storyline or feud. When that match plays a part in what happens next week, then I care a lot about who wins.

 

[TheFortune4]

i would say yes and....no. for example, during the past cena and barrett matches, i found myself cheering for barrett, this was because i just wanted to see a more interesting storyline with Cena joining Nexus(though i think WWE dropped the ball with it) other times i dont care. for example....JoMo and Sheamus. i really didnt care who had won the match but,i found myself just enjoying there great encounter last night at TLC.

 

[Ferbian]

It really depends what sort of match you've got going.

If it'll be a match that will change the course of a storyline, let's say for example the Wrestlemania match for Undertaker vs whomever. It will matter who wins, and it will matter hugely, both in terms of changing the landscape of WWE, as well as changing the landscape of Wrestlemania, and the two careers of Undertaker / challenger.

But on the other hand, you can have your random tag team match like Kofi Kingston / Kaval vs Dolph Ziggler / Jack Swagger this week's Smackdown. It didn't matter at all who won, because in the end it's just a way of hyping a match, and building some "momentum" which both sides had a fair bit of.

So, really it all depends on what sort of match you've got. Is it a championship match that will change the course of WWE feuds, as well as storylines? Or is it a simple match that serves as a filler on RAW for example.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Do I care who wins? Hmm..I think I'ma go with yes. I mean, sure we all know wrestling is scripted. But that doesn't stop us from wanting our favorite wrestler to win; wanting to see our least favorite wrestler to loose; wanting to see the person we hate to drop the belt; etc, etc. I think it all comes down to predictions and desires. Everyone, in any given competition will always want to see someone come out victorious and someone come out defeated. Whether it be as simple as in a televison program or as sophisticated as a sports game--everyone wants someone to win and someone to lose. And while some may say it's not true, deep down inside, it is.

But here's the problem that I see when it comes to people not caring about who wins or not. And that of course, is the fact that wrestling is fake. When we, the fans, began to realize that one of our favorite things to watch on the TV was not real, we lost a bit of enthusiasm over wanting so-and-so to come out victorious. It just kind of took out the fun in things. Sure, we can still get involved in the storylines and have a fun time watching wrestling matches--but the fact that we know that wrestling isn't real overall affects the way we feel about it. And that ultimately, hurts our enjoyment of the program and ultimately the wanting to see certain people win or loose.

It's as the old saying goes, those that still believe wrestling is real, are the purest of wrestling fans. They are the ones that boo for the bad guys; they are the ones who cheer for the good guys; these are the fans that have a jaw-dropping momment whenever they see their favorite superstar loose or finally grab the gold.

Today's average wrestling fan is not like that. They think that everything that happens in the company is stupid. They are always complaining about the current product and wish for it to change. But I bet, if they still believed wrestling was real, then their opinions would be so much different.

Seems I went a bit off track here. My bad.

 

[DecayNYFX]

I'd have to go with "Depends who's wrestling". Certain guys I either just don't care about or there are times when I like both competitors & would be just as happy whichever way the match goes. Otherwise, I'm a total Orton mark & actually wanted to see him beat 'Taker (my 2nd favorite) at 'Mania. Other guys I generally root for include JoMo, Drew McIntyre, Edge, Daniel Bryan, and Punk. But again, it depends who their facing, and as already mentioned, the impact it will have on a given storyline. Some feuds I want to see continue, while others, I want to see end quickly. The ones I want to see continue are the ones with the potential for drama, suspense & great matches. For example, as happy as I was to see JoMo win the number one contender match last night, I think it's too soon for them to drop the Miz/Orton feud. I've been waiting for JoMo/Miz to rekindle their rivalry, but not at the expense of a good story that wasn't allowed to be developed (Miz/Orton), and I don't want it to be a blow off either.

 

[dizzle1119]

The only time I actually care who wins a match is when a title is being defended on PPV. I absolutely can't stand cheap finishes for PPV matches. More often than not, I honestly don't even care WHO wins the match even then, as long as it's done with a 3 count or tapout.

I will admit that I generally like seeing John Morrison win, but that's only because I saw something in him from the very beginning and want him to be successful. I sorta have the same feeling about the Motor City Machine Guns. I liked both Shelly and Sabin even when they were singles wrestlers, but as a tag team they're head & shoulders above everyone except Beer Money Inc...

 

[ZLT-truth316]

I honestly just want to see a very good match between the superstar or depending on how the storyline is going and who would benefit more for the win and how the match went if it was between the 2 wrestlers or their in ring styles how they were able to carry themselves pretty much

 

[Mustang Sally]

The only time I would care is if they had "shoot" matches. Since they never do, I would say: No, I don't care.

All that we see is part of a storyline and who wins a match is pre-determined by what has happened already.....and what is going to happen. For that reason, the script may call for the heel to win a match you really wanted to see the face win. No big deal.

This topic reminds me of a guy on this forum who was talking about Nexus and how he hoped they would be driven from WWE because they're bad guys and, after all, no one wants to see bad guys around. That was one of the dumbest things I ever read on this board (which is really saying something).

It's fine if you want to see the bad guys lose and hope they will, but it's another to want them expelled from WWE because they're bad. In real life, they're same type of people as the good guys. It makes me think of Sheamus, whose character is as bad as can be, yet is said to be well liked backstage.

So, it doesn't matter to me who wins and who loses. It all shakes down properly in the end.

 

[Nicole13Edge/HardyFan]

Just like some people have said it depends. If one of my favorites like Edge is in it then I do care because I want Edge to win. Also yes during the TLC fatal-4-way match for the world title I was going for Edge and I wanted him to win. Also if someone like Laycool is in it then I also care because I want to see Laycool lose. So again really it just depends who is wrestling some matches I care about, some I really care about and some I don't really care about at all.

 

[Calderownz]

80 percent of the time, I would say that I don't care. However, there are times where it makes sense to me to have this guy go over as opposed to the other guy.

I feel that it could help the storylines out more if this guy gets the push, due to whatever.

So, it just depends. Most of the time, however, I just want to be entertained.

 

[MegaStarAustinSavage]

Honestly No not really , I don't care who wins because it's all predetermined anyway I watch wrestling for one simple reason ...... the WRESTLING !!! The in ring action I'm not into storylines that don't feel real , I perfer when two guys get in the ring and wrestle for 20 minute as opposed to two guys getting in a wrestling ring and talkin' each others ear off for 20 minutes. There are "workers" and then there are WRESTLERS guys that work are in the entertainment business . WRESTLERS are in the Wrestling business , guys like Davey Richards , Eddie Edwards , Shelton Benjamin , CHarlie Haas , Chris Hero , Austin Aries , let me make this list short the entire ROH roster are WRESTLERS . WWE and TNA have a bad habit of making too much out of a storyline and the entire time the outcome is so predictable that no one cares , ROH does a show and no one care say 100% that one guy will win over the other and that's what makes ROH great . So the outcome isn't that important to me as much as the match itself .

 

[goldbergiswrestling]

I know exactly what u mean. For the most part I dont care who wins a match, unless there is a stipulation. You used the example of the world title match, I do care who wins matches like that, or number one contender matches or other stipulations, but regular competition, not so much.

 

[Arkham Noir]

I don't care because of how little winning matches means anymore. Someone loses a match, oh well, they'll get a rematch next week. Sometimes the title matches at Wrestlemania get me caring , but even than, I know that WWE likes to have storylines go beyond just a match. I also know that beating someone else in the ring has very little to do with success in this buisness. Putting on a good match is what matters to me, not the outcome.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think I'm with Ferbian on this mostly. I think it does sometimes depend upon who the competitors are and how you really care about what they're involved in. For me, however, the outcomes of most matches do seem to matter to me at least to some degree because of the potential aftermath of the matches.

For instance, take Daniel Bryan vs. William Regal tonight. I enjoyed the match a lot and I liked the story that it told of a teacher vs. pupil involving two guys that not how to mat wrestle quite well. If Bryan would've lost the match, it would've been a huge blow to him I think because it could very well send a signal that the WWE is losing faith in him. As he won, however, it made me hope that there might be another match between these two, only one that might be longer and more in depth.

However, Diva matches and tag team matches in general right now aren't necessarily ones in which the overall outcome is all that important right now. They can be fun matches that tell good stories but my concern over who wins usually revolves around how much of a fan I am in the competitors involved.

 

[dman1373]

I feel that a match is better if I care who wins. It just means I have something invested in the match then I will be more interested. But if the person who goes over is the one that i don't want, i don't mind, unless its for a title, or a chance at a title.

I know people are going to flame me for it, because thats what people do on here, so go right ahead.

 

[gurvinder372]

Very interesting question! I used to have a doubt about how can there always be a pattern in wrestling matches results. May be that is the law of nature that good always wins over evil. May be when a guy becomes bad, he looses his mind, and in the process looses his focus and hence he just cannot win against good people. That drama used to suck me into what is happening in the ring, and the commentating skills of JR & JL used to make me feel that i am inside the arena watching that battle as it used to go on. I used to feel little uneasy when bad guys used to have field day, or when RAW used to end with Bad guys victorious. I literally used to feel the relief when good guys (like rock) used to come out victorious, i remember wanting Rock to win wrestle-mania very badly .

I came to know recently, just less than 2 years ago that WWE wrestling scripted and rehearsed thing. It changed my perception. Gradually, it sucked into me that moves which seems so random (like mat techniques etc), intense, shocking are actually scripted, and designed to make me feel that way. It felt stupid for me to want any one of the superstars to win. And when people say that 'this wrestler is good technical wrestler', i also started to wonder if they mean that he doesn't foul? or he is wrestling for real? Since i feel that if i can get some one to practice with, i cannot see the reason why i cannot do the same moves. I started reading more on internet about the differences in real wrestling and pro-wrestling and found that actual wrestling is more about winning (not making any foul and getting more and more points), and pro-wrestling is about putting up a good show, telling a good story, and producing a engaging drama through defined characters using wrestling as a sort of plot-device (or just a backdrop). I guess its the similar thing that happens in movies, where i do not feel any shame in wanting the hero to beat the villain, kiss the women, save the world from danger etc. I have now realized its more fun watching wrestling if you back the protagonist and just go with the flow.

Cribbing about lack of certain aspects of wrestling doesn't make sense to me anymore, all i expect/hope to see is an engaging drama in side the rings. I want to go back to being the casual fan who want to see the heel's ass getting kicked, and who wants the hero to defy all odds to win. And believe me, this makes the show much more fun to watch.

 

[The Raven's Epitaph]

There are certain matches that'll be on TV and I won't really be bothered who wins and who loses, but there are of course, matches that I am interested in and superstars I do root for.

I was rooting for Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship this past TLC event, and he won. I was quite happy about that. Edge has always been one of my favourite superstars so it was satisfying for me to see him come out victorious. Not only that, but to cement himself amongst the few superstars that have held the World Championship 10 times. That's some major achievement.

I was rooting for Sheamus to win at TLC (Fatal Four Way aswell now that I think about it.) but when the match was unfolding, I realised that I was witnessing an epic match. I wasn't bothered who won the match after about 10 minutes of action because both superstars were performing impeccably.

I agree with you partly though, Brain. I for one, am really not phased by who wins matches most of the time. For example, this past Raw when William Regal and Daniel Bryan had their match, I really wasn't too bothered. Some people may disagree with me, but I didn't really see anything about that match that tickled my fancy rather than seeing the Bella's excited. Sometimes I sit through an entire Raw episode and not be bothered by the results of any match, I just like watching WWE's programme. It's an addiction really.

I don't really care for the tag team matches nowa'days either. They don't interest me because most of the teams are random pairings and don't have any chemistry. It's a shame really, not that I want to bring up the past and compare time periods in the business, but I used to be really interested in just about everything that was going on.

I agree with you about the title reigns aswell, Brain. It's irritating when a title reign is cut short. Sheamus' first championship reign is a good example. He won it in December 2009 and lost it in February 2010. He may have gone into Fatal Four Way and won the championship for a second time, but WWE had been building Sheamus up all year long and to have him finally win the big one, they cut it short and give it to a seasoned veteran in Chris Jericho.

I guess to round it up, I'm like you in a way, Brain. Sometimes I don't care for the results, but sometimes and for certain superstars, I do care.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

It really depends on the superstars involved in the match. Generally if it is a main event level match, I do care as to who would win the match as that will have an effect on how the storyline involving the two main eventers would pan out.

But if you come down to midcard matches like Daniel Bryan vs William Regal or Kofi vs Ziggler, I would say that I do not care who wins them. And I feel most people inside the industry feel the same way too, though that is just speculation.

In short the main event is all about storylines but the midcard is all about matches unless the said midcarder is getting a push.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

I'd say that yes it does matter who wins, but it's the level of importance that differs. For example, if i'd sat and watched Regal v Bryan last night, i'd have wanted Regal to win, because i enjoy Regal's work and he doesn't win often, and allegedly this is his final run as an active WWE wrestler, so it'd be nice to see him go out with some decent matches and a couple of high profile wins here and there before he hangs his boots up.

If it's Santino/Kozlov vs The Uso's i couldn't care less because i don't care about the Uso's.

If i'd watched Ziggler/Cena last night, i'd have wanted Ziggler to win, because when was the last time a mid-carder actually beat Cena on free TV? 2005?

Let's take TLC as an example. I didn't watch it, but i know the results so i'll telly ou what i didn't care about, and what pissed me off about the results.

Triple Threat Ladder I wanted Dolph to win, but would've been happy with any of them. They are each solid mid-carders who can hold decent fueds, and in both Kofi and Swagger's case, need something to do right now, so any of them walking out the champion would have satisfied me personally.

Divas Tag Table Didn't care. Assumed LayCool would win, they didn't, i'm not fussed either way.

JoMo/Sheamus Ladder Didn't honestly care, but if JoMo hadn't won, i'd have lost that little bit more faith in the creative team. I personally don't want to watch JoMo/Miz but i know it's a far better option than Miz/Sheamus.

Orton/Miz Table I had zero doubt Miz would win, so......

TLC THIS is the only match outcome that pissed me off. Another throw away title reign for Edge instead of continuing with Kane's run. Piss poor way to take the belt off of Kane, shite angle leading up to it, and Edge is a 10x champion seemingly for the pure hell of it.

-There are no ME heels on SD, so who the fuck is Edge going to fued with other than Kane again? Drew McIntyre seems to be the only name that springs to my mind. Of course at EC he'll have a gimmick match defense to deal with, and then at Mania, if he's still champ, he'll probably face Cena in a unification match (if they truly are going that route).

-If he IS still champion at Mania, that'll be the 4th year in a row he's been in one of the title matches at the biggest show of the year. Way to keep things fresh WWE.

Cena/Nexus Chairs Match Shouldn't have been at the end. Should have been between the Title matches. No way should THIS have been the ME.

Taker retiring HBK after the title matches at Mania? Yeah, that makes sense. Cena v Barrett in a chairs match at TLC as the ME? Fuck off!

TLC the PPV, should have been headlined with a TLC match, ya know, like it was last year? Remember the ME was JeriShow/DX in a damn TLC match? Well the same should have happened here.

Nothing wrong with the match outcome, just not in the right place imo. Most will argue it was the biggest story of the PPV, but i still don't think A) the angle was done well enough for it to deserve to be the PPV ME, and B) TLC should have been headlined with a TLC match!

If a match has talented vets or impressive rookies in them that rarely ever get the win or a decent match length, then those are the guys i want to win. If they don't, i don't honestly care. When someone drops a title or doesn't win a 'contract' match, so that someone who's had accolades more or less thrown at them can have another meaningless victory, then that's when i tend to care, because it pisses me off.

 

[Kayoh]

The way the WWE works almost forces you to care who wins or loses. The WWE puts a massive emphasis on their main titles and don't mind pushing everything else out of the focus of the viewer. If you don't care who wins, in the WWE at least, then they aren't doing their jobs.

ROH on the other hand, tend to focus more on just putting on great matches, and the outcomes are actually pretty underplayed. They hype up matches instead of individuals. With the WWE, it's "come see John Cena, Randy Orton, and The Undertaker"! With ROH, it's "come see a two out of three falls match between Nigel McGuiness vs Bryan Danielson"!

 

[LSN80]

I dont care so much about the who in who wins, but rather then in the why. When I first became a wrestling fan, I wanted to see the face win at every turn, and used to get depressed if they didn't. I didn't understand the ideas of ring psychology, advancing storylines, and character advancement and enhancement.

Storytelling to me has become far more important to me these days then who wins in the match. Did they get me emotionally invested in the way the match played out in the ring? If so, then I'm pleased, regardless of the outcome. I want to see a good match where the ability to suspend disbelief about the outcome is available. If the two players in the ring make that connection and are able to tell a story in the ring, then I'm generally pleased, regardless of the outcome.

If it's the case of advancing a storyline, then I do care who wins the match. John Cena is my favorite wrestler, but I was happy when Wade Barrett defeated him at the Hell in A Cell PPV. Why? Because it allowed for the Nexus/Cena angle to be advanced and become alot more interesting then it once had. Had Cena won the match, the angle would have been severely crippled. Because he lost, it opened up a different realm of possibilities that weren't available had the outcome been different. So I cared who won the match, but not because I wanted my favorite wrestler to win. Rather, I wanted the storyline involving my favorite wrestler to be enhanceed. To do so, he had to lose in this case.

The final reason is for character development and enhancement. I found myself wanting heels and faces alike to win at TLC, and not because Im necessarily a fan of theirs. Rather, I wanted to see their character advanced and developed.

In one case, I felt myself cheering for John Morrison to defeat Sheamus in the ladder match at TLC. I like JoMo, but he's hardly a favorite of mine. But in looking at the bigger picture, he benefitted far more from the win the Sheamus did. If Morrison lost the match, he would have been without direction and back to the mid-card, without credibility. Sheamus in loss could hang his hat on the fact that he's a former 2 time WWE Champion, and the 2010 KOTR. Morrison? He hadn't held a title for a year, and had yet to challenge for one since coming to Raw. So it allows the opportunity for a talented competitor to enhance his on-screen persona by virtue of being No. 1 Contender. Would that same opportunity be afforded him if he had lost the match? Absolutely not.

So with regards to ring psychology, advancing storylines, and character advancement, I do care about who wins the match. It's just not the same criteria I used to base my rooting interest on, where the battle lines were simply about the face defeating the heel.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

When it comes to a match between two established wrestlers, I don't really care who wins the match most of the time. If it has anything to do with two established wrestlers engaging in a feud and it happened to be extremely one-sided, then I'd want the losing opponent to come out on top.

However, when it involves an up-and-coming star taking on an established star in a series of bouts, and depending on how talented he is, I'd prefer that the up-and-comer pull off an upset. Not only does it make for great entertainment, but it breaks the predictability factor that a lot of matches on WWE suffer from. A great example of them doing it well is the John Morrison vs Sheamus feud. I personally didn't see it coming when JoMo defeated Sheamus. In that regard, it keeps me interested.

 

[The Idiot]

Great topic...don't know why I didn't catch it earlier.

I completely understand about not caring who wins a match. I mean, it's all scripted so in the end it really doesn't matter. What does matter is guys going out there and giving it their all to entertain us, the fans.

Watching wrestling today is completely the opposite of how it was when I was younger. Back then, as a kid, it wasn't about wanting to see a great match. It was about wanting your favorites to win. As long as Hogan, Warrior, Savage, and the Rockers won I would be happy. When they lost I was disappointed.

I don't think that's the difference in the generations, I think that has to do more about growing up. Being smart and understanding the business.

The last time I really wanted to see someone WIN (along with seeing a great performance) was Michaels/Cena at Wrestlemania. Of course, I didn't get what I wanted in the outcome...but at least I saw a great match (something I wouldn't of cared too much about 20 years ago.)

 

[Notorious718]

Nowadays, I don't really care who wins a match so much as if I actually enjoy the match or not. When I first started watching, I didn't know wrestling was scripted and the results were predetermined. So back then, I would sometimes get upset when the faces didn't win and angry when the heels lost. Of course, that was years ago and it doesn't really bother me as much now as it did then.

That's not to say I've completely stopped caring about who wins their matches anymore. For example, ever since Michael Cole began kissing Miz's ass on a week to week basis, I wanted to see Miz lose his matches more frequently not because I disliked the Miz necessarily but because I wanted to see Cole's reaction to his hero losing. Another example is Undertaker/HBK II. I didn't want Undertaker to lose his match and have his Wrestlemania winning streak be tainted but at the same time I didn't want to see HBK retire.

In short, there are times when I do care who wins their matches but not as much as I used to when I first started watching.