Do you think this makes sense?

[Safari.GFX]

I'm trying to write a serious thread here, so if you're going to reply to this with some bs post about butt sex and cigarettes, please don't waste your energy.

There's a lot of people out there who think that WWE going PG is a bad thing. They seem to think that them playing to kids is a horrid idea. I myself think/thought this, and have said so in many threads here. I've been thinking though, when I started watching wrestling, I may of been about 5-6. My uncle used to be big into wrestling as well, so I asked him "When did you start watching wrestling?" The answer? " I started watching Wrasslin' when I was about 8 years old." What I find interesting is that he was a kid when he started watching it, just like me. Does this mean that most people start watching wrestling when they're kids/teenagers? That's where the members of WZ forums come in?

Did you start watching wrestling as youth, or as an adult? (18+)

I'm thinking that most people start watching wrestling as kids, and a select few of them grow up, but wrestling does not age with them. I may sound extremely stupid right now, and I'm fine with that, because I'm asking a question with this topic, not really sharing an opinion. What I'm getting at here, is- Has wrestling always appealed to kids more then adults? I mean, have people always got into wrestling at an early age? All the people who complain that wrestling is to kiddie oriented, I think they have not been able to evolve with wrestling. I need your help with fulfilling this idea of mine, or dismissing it all together.

Discussion Points:
• When did you start watching wrestling?
• Do you like the PG WWE?
• Is the PG Era really that much different?

 

[Kidd]

I watched wrestling as a kid and then got away form it when I was a teen.

Years later I came back to it because my Satellite was taken down at my house and I only had one channel that would come in. That was UPN. It was then that I started watching Smackdown!

Once I got cable, I began watching Raw. I've been hooked ever since.

I like the PG era WWE but I admit that I found the Attitude era more entertaining.

The storylines seemed more aimed at my age group. It was a grown man's soap opera.

Now it seems to be about heroes vs villains which is fine with me as well because I'm also a fan of heroes such as Batman, Superman, etc.

If I want a soap opera now I go to TNA where it is for a more mature audience.

 

[The Doctor]

I started watching wrestling a year before the PG Era started, actually, and it never really changed except for the little block saying the rating. I love the PG Era. If I want sex, drugs, and swearing, I'll put on an R-rated movie. I get tired of it easily. The PG-era is something I can show my friends and have them enjoy it because it's an actual TV show isntead of shock-TV.

Kidd has a very good point in the soap opera stories vs. Good v. Evil. I love superhero stories, so this basic form of storytelling appeals to me. Sometimes I wish they were deeper and more emotional, but I still enjoy myself. The CeNexus story is exactly what I want in wrestling, an actual storyline that is also about good vs. evil. Good stuff.

 

[Safari.GFX]

I agree with you Doc. I think wrestling should be something that a family can sit down and watch together. Kind of like baseball or another sport. It has that competitive edge, and those moments where you want to jump of the couch and yell at the heel. But, a parent shouldn't have to explain to there kids the words that are coming out of the TV. I think the fact that WWE has went PG, allows for more exactly that- family viewing.

 

[CyDeez]

I agree with Doc also...

It has been cool because there isn't anything that I watch with my kids that makes me feel uncomfortable in the show. My son freakin' loves it, so it is cool that there isn't any content that he doesn't need to see.

Sure I would prefer overall a bit more older storylines... But it doesn't make it hard to watch or boring to me at all.

I have loved wresting my whole life, and that will never change. Rated PG, X, R, it doesn't matter to me.

 

[The Brain]

I started watching as a kid in the 80s. Hulkamania was running wild and guys like Junk Yard Dog and George The Animal Steele were favorites of mine. Kids were the target so naturally as a kid I was happy. As I grew up the WWF grew up with me. I reached adolescence and my opinion of wrestling was changing. The action became more important than the gimmicks and Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels kept me interested in wrestling. Once I got my driver’s license and some freedom wrestling was starting to take a backseat for the first time. It was always looked at as uncool and I was hanging with a new crowd and trying to get some girls so wrestling was slipping away. Then all of a sudden wrestling became cool in society. The attitude era had arrived and as a 17 year old kid I thought it was great. Thanks mainly to The Rock even the girls were getting into wrestling. A couple years later the attitude fad was wearing thin on me and I missed the good matches. Fortunately this coincided with the arrival of Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero. Two years later HBK would return. We had a period of good matches mixed with attitude. Now that I’m well into adulthood I’m happy to see the WWE is PG. I can still take enjoyment in watching the show but feel comfortable watching with my own kids. As they grow up WWE will probably grow with them and we will start all over again.

People say PG is only targeting kids. That’s not true. PG means the show is suitable for kids (with parental guidance hence the term PG) but it can be enjoyed by all. I think it was the attitude era that targeted a much smaller demographic. Attitude doesn’t really appeal to kids or mature adults. It seems attitude was made for teens and young adults who had not yet matured. I know that sounds insulting, but it’s not intended to be.

I do think the fans who think WWE should not be PG are extremely selfish. Most of us got into wrestling when we were kids. We got years of enjoyment out of it. If you’ve grown out of it move on. Don’t deny today’s kids their turn at the entertainment because of your selfishness.