Do you guys even LIKE pro wrestling anymore??

[SmattyG]

I'll preface this. I'm 44yo. And yes I still like pro wrestling - the emphasis on wrestling. Each week between family and work I still watch everything WWE can throw at me, and make time to check out ROH, TNA and NJPW as often as I can. I'm what you may call a rusted on wrestling fan.

I come on to sites like wrestlezone to see the news and the opinions and the general feedback from the IWC, of which I declare myself a part of by association. About 25% of the time it's worthwhile.

The other 75% of the time it's pissing and moaning and bitching and whining. I can live with the my favourite star isn't being pushed logic - I can deal with the Cena sux logic. I can even deal with ROH NJPW is better than WWE logic.

What I can't deal with is the so called IWC members who bash everything. RAW sucked tonight, like it sucked every week for the last 10 years, but I'll still watch it. TNA sux, even though I just read the truncated results on here and didn't actually watch the show.

Why the hell are you still watching pro wrestling for? As Vince since, there's every other form of competition to take you away. Hell, even Mark Madden says there's more people that used to watch pro wrestling than still do. It seems pro wrestling got left with the rump.

Just a thought - if you truly love pro wrestling - in all it's forms from Lou Thesz to The Damn Bunny - then by all means say your piece. If you used to love the Attitude Era and now just think it's shit - then guess what? It ain't ever going back to that, so go off to UFC or Robot Chicken or whatever makes you happy.

Pro Wrestling - for better or worse - is for Pro Wrestling fans. If you ain't a fan anymore, ask yourself, and know before you answer that Vinnie Mac ain't listening, why do you waste time on here?

 

[Dave]

I think the reason that people piss and moan so much about wrestling is because they actually like it; they care for it. If they didn't give a shit about the product, then they would stop watching it. It's as simple as that.

I have been watching wrestling for about 15 years now, since I was about 9 years old. And sure I go through times when I don't want to watch the programming any more but, sooner or later, I always come back to it. It is always the same old matches and I always like to have a moan about things like The Big Show versus Eric Rowan in a chairs match. But I continue to watch it and I continue to spend my money on it.

Just because I complain, it doesn't mean that I don't like it, like hundreds of other people on here. It's because I want to see the WWE take out views seriously and start doing something about them. I have been spoiled by the Attitude Era because now I expect a cutting edge show and I am never likely to get that back. But that's life.

I think getting pissed off about people getting pissed off is as worthless as Brock Lesnar's WWE Championship run. The reason we are all here, each of us, is because we care. Some of us even care too much.

 

[Navi]

I've been a fan for about 30 years now. There was a long time when I thought screw this, the product was in the crapper and I stopped watching, but I did keep up on it.

My 23 year old son got be back into it and I'm glad he did. Wrestling fans are a niche group and even although we bitch and complain, we still watch. Not for just having a reason to complain, God knows there is enough to complain about anyway in general, but because we care. If I didn't care I would just stop watching period.

The IWC gives us a place to come together to air our grievances with like minded people. I can't talk to any of my friends about wrestling, they all think I'm crazy for watching it to begin with. So coming here is a good place to vent, hear what others have to say, and get caught up if I've missed anything.

Are there some posters who clearly hate the WWE and everything it has to offer? Yes there are and I ignore most of what they post. They have a right to their opinion as well, even if I don't agree with it.

If we even take the time to complain, that means something. It means we are thinking about the product instead of just turning the channel.

 

[JamJam]

Yes, I definitely still like pro wrestling. The great thing about wrestling is that there is always an alternative. Yes, WWE has been the one wrestling promotion that everyone knows about. But now, there are a ton of other wrestling promotions that people look forward to. ROH, TNA, NJPW, and many others have a pretty good fan base. Plus, what's there not to like about pro wrestling?

I've learned over the years, that there is always something new that pro wrestling does that perks my interest. For example, Sting showed up in a WWE ring. Who would've thought that that would ever happen? Even if there are a lot of complaints about wrestling, I think that what is shown to us is enough to keep us satisfied. I don't know if its just me, but to me, it's pretty fun thinking of ways that the WWE or other wrestling promotions could've handled a certain scenario better.

 

[the_peoples_adam]

Why should I hate pro wrestling... I love it ...More than ever..
There is more greater talent in the current roster than ever. More greater matches..I mean what should we hate about the current product..Coz there is less blood..No sex and mere amount of gross comedy..
Well I think the current product is lot fresh..Its really in a transition period..After the current NXT stars come to main roster it will get even better..
I love Pro Wrestling and WWE Then Now and Forever..

 

[Meth Head]

No matter how much we bitch and whine about the product as it is today, the reason we all still watch - or in my case, regularly keep tabs on - the WWE (and pro wrestling in general) is because we will always have a lasting love for the product, no matter how stale and neutered it becomes. It's as simple as that. Once you're on this train, there ain't no getting down.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

WWE and TNA are absolutely awful. I gave up on TNA long ago, and keep up with WWE by flicking through a recording or reading the results here. I was loyal to WWE for years - after all, you don't just desert your football team after a couple bad seasons, right? - but I've had my fill of it now. The only thing left to see is Sting's match, then I'm bailing out. If I hear word from my pals that it's gotten better, I might come back.

I tried ROH, but I don't enjoy it. It's mostly a bunch of guys doing spots to compensate for a lack of charisma.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I didn't watch wrestling from WrestleMania 21 to about WrestleMania 28.

I have gone back and watched some of the things I missed, like Bret Hart's return and the Summer of Punk. But I like individual wrestlers... like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose. On the whole, I don't really watch RAW or SmackDown regularly. I'll read the spoilers / reviews and watch bits and pieces of the show. But for the most part I find the show itself to be unbearable. The PPV's are much better to watch.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

I don't enjoy wrestling anymore. I haven't watched any full shows or PPVs in a long time. I watched the main event elimination match of the recent Survivor Series and was glad to see Sting finally make his WWE in-ring debut, but it wasn't as exciting as it would have been 10 years ago. I've only been checking the front page of this site to read the results and read some news about former wrestlers like CM Punk, but that's about it. I will always have good memories of following wrestling while growing up and becoming a big ECW fan, but I think this is where it stops for me. I don't think I have any reason to post on these forums anymore since I just don't follow wrestling like I used to.

 

[WimpyKid4Life]

There is no such thing as 'Internet fans" or "IWC"!!! Lots of Star Wars fans are talking about the new teaser trailer that came out few weeks ago on the internet. Some like it, others don't. Does that mean there are Star Wars fans and "internet fans"/"ISTC"?! Heck no! Sports-entertainment is the only entertainment that I know of that separates its audience into fans and "internet fans". You can talk about the latest superhero movies, the funniest tv shows, and etc. on the internet and that doesn't make you an "internet fan" of superhero movies, tv shows, etc. Why can't the same can be said for Sports-Entertainment? I've been to a WWE Live Event and I buy the merchandise. All of a sudden I'm a terrible example of a WWE Fan because I talk about WWE on the internet?! I'd like to consider myself a loyal and passionate WWE fan for life and that's why I like to talk about WWE on the internet. Like every other forms of entertainment, there are things you like and things you don't. And apparently if you like Cesaro or someone of his background, you are an "indy fan". Heck no! The only sports-entertainment promotion I watch is WWE!!! I am a Cesaro fan because he entertains me on tv and the WWE got me invested in him. And apparently guys like Dolph Ziggler are "internet darlings". Heck No!!! I am a proud Mizfit who is a part of the Cenation and I show my support for them on the internet like millions of others do, but the WWE doesn't make a big deal out of it and label them "internet darlings". Why can't I show my support for guys like Dolph Ziggler on the internet without feeling guilty as if I'm committing an unethical activity as a fan/ being rebellious. People think we WWE fans only root for people who constantly lose or are being misused. Heck No!! If Adam Rose was taken off tv or constantly lost I would not be bothered one bit!!! I cheer for WWE Superstars like Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler because they entertained me during their screen time and the WWE got me invested in them. WWE showcased Adam Rose and I didn't like it. So if he were to be treated like a "jobber" I wouldn't root for him like I did for Damien Sandow. I am a WWE fan who talks about it on the internet, but I don't complain about WWE. I like every Raw and Smackdown and the WWE is all I think about every week each day in terms of my interest. I also talk about WWE in non-WWE fan-websites such as ComicBookMovie.com and BulletsForever. I also talk about WWE in school (referencing it on essays, projects, etc). WWE is my PASSION!!!! I am not an "internet fan" who likes "indy guys" and roots for the "internet darlings"!!!! I am a loyal and passionate WWE fan who likes to talk about WWE in any platform! I guess all those WWE Network subscribers are "internet fans". NOPE, they are loyal and passionate WWE fans who watch WWE programming online because that is a platform where you can watch WWE! The internet is a platform where you can talk about WWE. WE all have our favorite WWE Superstars and feuds & whatnot and then there are things that don't entertain us and or are bothering us. There's no such thing as "indy guys" and "internet darlings" or "smarks" and "marks". Like is said,WE all have our favorite WWE Superstars and feuds & whatnot and then there are things that don't entertain us and or are bothering us. Simple as that! #WWEFan4Life

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

If you didn't like pro wrestling, you wouldn't spend time talking about it on a message board like this.

Those who are complaining just want the product to be better.

And let's face it, most of what occurs on message boards is "Complaining". It doesn't matter what the topic is or what the theme of the board is.

If you spent time on a "Metallica" board, I can guarantee you'd also feel the need to say, "wait a minute, do you people even LIKE Metallica?".

And I think this is a good comparison. A lot of people who identify themselves as Metallica fans, will complain about anything the group does that does not remind them of Metallica's heyday. Everything after Justice for All sucks to them..but they still follow Metallica and spend time talking about them.

Just like there are wrestling fans who WANT to enjoy the WWE again, but don't like a lot of what happens in the PG environment.

 

[sMark]

Yes, i do like wrestling. But i don't like the way McMahons operate it for the last decade.

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

I love pro wrestling and MMA, going back to when I was a kid. I grew up watching wrestling in the late 80's/early 90's. I used to rent UFC tapes right along with WWF tapes because they were categorized together at the video stores. Bret Hart is one of my favorite people ever, whether it's fighters or wrestlers or otherwise. I stopped watching WWF from 2001-2011(wasn't a fan of the Attitude Era years of late 98 to the Invasion), and I didn't watch much UFC in 2000-2001, I got into Pride FC, which was a combo of pro wrestling and MMA, I loved Pride and thought it was the best from 2000 until they went under in 2007.

I got so bored with MMA after Pride died, then all of the other fringe promotions died in MMA and it was just UFC, much like WWF in 2001. It got really boring by 2012 to me and I returned to my pro wrestling roots. The internet is an amazing thing just for the old wrestling stuff we have access to now. I've learned a lot about pro wrestling. It's a beautiful thing.

Then 2013 happened. Easily the greatest calender year in UFC history inside the Octagon from bell to bell. I was hooked back into the UFC for sure, and now I really enjoy watching and following along with both. This CM Punk saga was my reward for that. I shit my pants last night watching the UFC. I keep a subscription to the WWE Network and enjoy NXT from time to time. I only watch Raw every now and then but Lucha Underground is my favorite thing on TV right now, be it MMA or Pro Wrestling.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

I bitch about my job all the time, yet I still like working there. Yes, at times I bitch about the current product, but I will continue to watch. Yes, I still like wrestling, just maybe not as much as I used to

 

[FromGlasgow]

I don't get it, If something bothers someone so much don't watch it, I don't particuarly enjoy cricket for example so I don't spend all day on cricket forums bad mouthing the sport, Especially annoying with the recent talk of TNA of how much the IWC seem to hope it closed down which I heard several times, If you only like WWE only then watch WWE which is fine but to make a point of bashing it reguarly and hope they close down I really can't understand, Do fans really want a WWE with no competion no place to create future stars? Don't like don't watch. Part of why its kind of got an embaressing stigma attached to admit to be a wrestling fan.

 

[HurriKane]

Yea I still love wrestling, though I don't enjoy every aspect of it nowadays. But I enjoy it enough that its hard for me to go a day without watching something wrestling related. Whether it be WWE, or something else from around the world.

 

[SmattyG]

Thanks for all the considered responses. It seems we all just want the product to be the very best it can be. And that of course, is how it should be.

 

[CyberPunk]

I don't think this topic belongs in WWE section, but that's not for me to decide.

On topic, yes, I think most here like pro wrestling. That's what brought us here in the first place. You'll find detractors everywhere. From WWE to TNA, from ROH to PWG, all have their fair share of critics. However, I can understand where you're coming from. It's more to do with how pro wrestling has changed over time. As a kid, I had zero knowledge of how pro-wrestling worked. I just sat in front of my television in awe of all the things pro-wrestling. Granted, most of my life I've followed only WWE. Every now and then I'd see some ROH vidoes or TNA shows, but mostly it has been WWE for me. I enjoy what they put in front of me. I'd enjoy one thing more than other but I still enjoy it.

Another thing about pro-wrestling is its open secret nature. Ever since Internet and dirt sheets infiltrated the pro-wrestling business, almost everyone has an opinion on how it should work. It has taken away the 'anything can happen' aura of wrestling storylines. For a wrestling fan, playing an armchair booker has become a great way of passing time. And when something doesn't happen what they have in their mind, there are complaints. I am not saying the product out there is perfect because it can't be. No one can please everyone. But 'everything is bad because I don't like it' is a common mentality among the current fans. Fans often see WWE (or pro-wrestling in general) from their rosy glasses of nostalgia.

So I do like pro wrestling and I think a lot of people here as well like pro-wrestling, though their perspectives might have changed on the product.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I love it. The thing is to set your expectations. WWE is a summer blockbuster but people expect it to be There Will Be Blood and then bitch about it and it sounds stupid.

I also think there is a culture for it to be "cool" to bitch. As if you're smart. Because 99% of the people don't understand how business works, saying things like "push my favorite guy and give him a long title reign to build credibility" really makes them sound stupid.

 

[Navi]

There is no such thing as 'Internet fans" or "IWC"!!! Lots of Star Wars fans are talking about the new teaser trailer that came out few weeks ago on the internet. Some like it, others don't. Does that mean there are Star Wars fans and "internet fans"/"ISTC"?! Heck no!

Actually I think you might be wrong about the Star Wars fans. There are a lot of forums and internet sites just for people to get their Star Wars fix on. A friend of mine is right into it, and he belongs to a lot of them. These are guys that dissect every line from every Star Wars movie, and they belong to clubs where they dress up like their favourite Star Wars characters. Now I enjoyed Star Wars but never would think of joining one of those boards, because I'm just not into the movies that much. They aren't a huge part of my life.

The IWC is the same as those Star Wars forums. People like you and I who post on this site are members of it. We like to discuss wrestling and the various things that happen in the WWE. Does every wrestling fan at every show belong to the IWC, no they don't, half of them probably don't even know it exists. They just don't think of wrestling as anything more than I think of Star Wars movies. It's entertaining for a few hours, and then real life takes over.

 

[MERPER]

I don't love pro wrestling. I like pro wrestling but want to love it again.

I loved it as a kid (1990-1997) then again from 2001-2007... I just came back to it again last year.

I want to live it but can't. So I come here and bitch and moan because I get mad when I spend 5+ hours a week watching programming hoping for some cool stuff and don't get it.

Sorry but the poor writing, stories and execution doesn't deserve to just be ignored. Why is it so hard to write compelling stuff for characters outside the top-10? Why can't the mid card have some decent stuff?

Why have they let the tag team division go to crap? Why can't they figure out how to do anything with the women's division?

They pay their writers a lot, they charge a lot for tickets to events, they have a good TV contract. Why is it so hard to give people a decent product?

 

[WimpyKid4Life]

Actually I think you might be wrong about the Star Wars fans. There are a lot of forums and internet sites just for people to get their Star Wars fix on. A friend of mine is right into it, and he belongs to a lot of them. These are guys that dissect every line from every Star Wars movie, and they belong to clubs where they dress up like their favourite Star Wars characters. Now I enjoyed Star Wars but never would think of joining one of those boards, because I'm just not into the movies that much. They aren't a huge part of my life.

The IWC is the same as those Star Wars forums. People like you and I who post on this site are members of it. We like to discuss wrestling and the various things that happen in the WWE. Does every wrestling fan at every show belong to the IWC, no they don't, half of them probably don't even know it exists. They just don't think of wrestling as anything more than I think of Star Wars movies. It's entertaining for a few hours, and then real life takes over.

LucasArts/Disney doesn't classify those people as "internet fans" or the "ISTC". That was my point. There is no such thing as "internet fans". WE are WWE fans/ wrestling fans just like they are only classified as Star Wars fans. Talking about all things WWE online just showcases our passion just like it showcases Star Wars fans' passion. Its not a bad thing to talk about WWE on the internet and the people who use the internet to talk about WWE should not be ashamed of themselves.

 

[jrf328]

I am 35 years old been watching since i was 7. I love professional wrestling. Since raw has debuted every monday night, myself and a group of friends have gotten together and watched. Now when some of us are married, have kids, we still get together.
However, WWE and Raw are not just entertaining as much anymore. We now watch Gotham for the first hour then watch the rest of raw. Its not because of lack of blood, or sexual themes. Its the lack of funny, entertaining segments.
Everyone will agree that they have all the talent in the world between NXT and WWE. The problem is they never use it properly. Remember this, the fans basically had to FIGHT them to get Daniel Bryan in the Main event at Wrestlemania. We have to fight them for ziggler to come back into something. Lets be honest, Mizdow was there idea to make a heel team, we basically made him face, when they break them up we will lose mizdow and he will be back to copying other people ala big show. Its like they have people on hot streaks them dump(see Miz, see Ryder) them because the WWE feels they arent worthy, then we have to fight for them again.
We want fresh ideas, fresh storylines, not rehashed stuff.
Every single one of us who watch and NXT and see the talent there have the exact same thing in the back of their minds, " God they have all this talent but how much of it is going to get lost when they get brought up".
The WWE Attitude Era wasnt just about the hardcore matches, T and A, the WWE was in survival mode and let their talent basically do what they want.
Now they are the only game in town, and want to have nothing but great PR so they take that away from the talent. Which hurts the product.
To answer the question again,
Do I even like prof wrestling? No I love it, I just wish they cared about us.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Yes, I still like pro-wrestling. If I didn't then I wouldn't waste my time on an internet forum. I genuinely care about the business and the quality of the product and I like sharing my thoughts with others who feel the same way.

However, I don't watch as much as I used to. I don't enoy the current "watered-down" product as much as I loved the late 90s- early 2000's WWE product. Maybe I was spoiled by there being a roster with a main event scene with the likes of Austin, The Rock, Angle, Foley, Kane, Undertaker, Triple H and then later Lesnar, the returning HBK, Guerrero, Benoit and others. I don't feel the same connection with the wrestlers as I did as a kid, but that's probably just due to growing up and not seeing them as "heroes" any more.

I do still enjoy watching wrestling, and there are still some moments that I get excited over- Sting's debut being the most recent, but I just don't think the product is as good as it used to be- which is down to the storyline writers/creative team and the limitations placed on the roster- the wrestlers themselves are extremely talented. I hope to see the likes of Itami, Balor and Neville on the main roster soon, hopefully they'll help to shake it up a bit.

 

[laodaron]

I think it's better now than at just about any time. It's better than the dark years of WWE, from about 2002-2009, and it's better than the "Golden Years." Nothing will ever hit AE pro-wrestling, but all in all, I think that it's a phenomenal product. I've never been this excited about it.