Does personal = Exciting matches

[WWE4EVA!]

WrestleMania XXVIIII is just around the corner and there are four big matches set, and they all have a personal aspect to them.

John Cena vs The Rock II for the Wwe Championship

John Cena says after losing to The Rock last year his life has been on a downward spiral, and he has to win.

Triple H vs Brock Lesnar No Holds Barred Match

Triple H needs revenge for what Lesnar has done to his family and friends.

The Undertaker vs Cm Punk Streak Match

Undertaker needs to defend his undefeated streak.

Cm Punk has mocked Paul Barear`s death.

Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger World Championship Match

Jack Swagger taking the micky out of Del Rio because he is Mexican

so I have a question

Because all of these matches has a personal side to them, does that mean they will be more exciting?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Not automatically. However, it can be an important factor in everything that goes on.

In order to really get interested, fans have to have some sort of connection to the wrestlers. They have to have reasons to like or dislike someone and making feuds between the wrestlers personal is often the way to go. In the case of Cena & Rock, you have two guys from two different eras who seem to genuinely not like each other. Both guys have their strengths & weaknesses. The Rock is someone who has nostalgia on his side, though he's also criticized for being a part timer by both wrestlers & fans. Last year, their feud seemed to be more about one-upping each other, but it genuinely feels more personal because it has a much more serious overall tone.

In the case of Del Rio vs. Swagger, they've used legitimate real world controversy to fuel aspects of this feud. Does Zeb Coulter's totalitarian approach rub people the wrong way? Sure it does. That's part of the point. Even though many fans tend to ignore this, the bottom line is that people are generally supposed to see dislikeable people get what's coming to them. It's pretty simplistic in this day and age where everything exists in shades of gray, but Coulter & Swagger are basically saying that you believe in what we believe EXACTLY how we believe it or you're an enemy. It alienates people, gets their dander up and makes it all the more easier to want to see them lose. Hurting Ricardo to add more fuel to the fire is odd in this sense. Del Rio is trying to be more of an "every man" kind of wrestler but how many "every man" wrestlers have their own personal ring announcer that they used to treat as a slave?

Taker vs. Punk is just about good old fashioned hate in some ways. Punk has "desecrated" the memory and the earthly "remains" of Paul Bearer, someone very close to Taker both in the business and in real life. The storyline of Punk insulting the man, his memory, his remains & using them to insult Taker at the same time works. It's made people uncomfortable, downright pissed some people off. Again, heels are supposed to be dislikeable people. It makes it all that much more satisfying to see said heel, eventually, get what's coming to him.

If there's no real reason to care about a feud or a match, then it's just filler. The use of championships is enough much of the time but, eventually, title feuds have to incorporate a feeling of that it's got to incorporate something more common than championship wealth & glory.