Goldust responds to criticism.... In the worst way possible.

[Jack-Hammer]

This is a lot of words just to say “shut up and like what WWE gives you.” Which is completely the wrong line of thought. If you don’t like something, then you should do your best to change it before you give up on it. That’s what a fair number of fans are trying to do. They want to see change because the product isn’t to their liking.

But it's this never ending, ceaseless, constant barrage of criticism, complaints and flat out bitching over just about anything and everything that I think Goldust is responding to more than anything else. Even when fans SEEM to get what they want, it just goes on and on. Many fans and writers alike want Wrestler A to get a push, but start throwing their feces like chimps at the zoo if they don't agree with the mechanics of his push. Fans and writers alike say they want edgier content, yet take to social media to expand on their moral outrage if they get it. Many fans and writers praise stiffer shots and dangerous spots outside of WWE, but they'll rake WWE over the coals if they adopt it for not caring about the well being of the wrestlers. I'm a wrestling fan, have been for literally as long as I can remember, and even I get tired of the never ending negativity of fans who're never satisfied or even hold WWE to a completely different set of standards.

That's not to say that some complaints aren't valid, because they are, but I think sometimes people are just criticizing because it's the norm for posting online. For every positive I read, it's not unusual to see 10 or 20 negatives and if people genuinely do claim to dislike the product so much, yet continue to watch and keep up with what's going on, then the stupidity is astounding as there are so many other interests people can devote their time to. There are so many choices for entertainment available these days that I just don't buy into the argument of fans watching out of habit, I think it's meant more as a means of justifying why they watch it rather than admit that MAYBE, just MAYBE they don't dislike it as much as they put on. Why? Because being cynical, pointing out flaws, rebelling against what's popular and all that is always so much cooler.

But yeah, this will blow over quickly as people will brush it off because it's Goldust who said it. I mean, because he's not a main eventer it's easy to just brush off the nearly 30 years he's spent wrestling in front of crowds ranging from less than 100 to more than 20,000. Brush off the fact that he's literally grown up around and learned everything he knows about the goings on both in front of and behind the camera from some of the biggest names in the history of the industry, including his own father, so there's no way he can have the slightest idea what he's talking about. People wouldn't dismiss this so easily if beloveds like Foley, Austin or Taker said it and I'd be willing to be that, more or less, they probably feel the same way as they know what Goldust knows.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

But it's this never ending, ceaseless, constant barrage of criticism, complaints and flat out bitching over just about anything and everything that I think Goldust is responding to more than anything else. Even when fans SEEM to get what they want, it just goes on and on. Many fans and writers alike want Wrestler A to get a push, but start throwing their feces like chimps at the zoo if they don't agree with the mechanics of his push. Fans and writers alike say they want edgier content, yet take to social media to expand on their moral outrage if they get it. Many fans and writers praise stiffer shots and dangerous spots outside of WWE, but they'll rake WWE over the coals if they adopt it for not caring about the well being of the wrestlers. I'm a wrestling fan, have been for literally as long as I can remember, and even I get tired of the never ending negativity of fans who're never satisfied or even hold WWE to a completely different set of standards.

That's not to say that some complaints aren't valid, because they are, but I think sometimes people are just criticizing because it's the norm for posting online. For every positive I read, it's not unusual to see 10 or 20 negatives and if people genuinely do claim to dislike the product so much, yet continue to watch and keep up with what's going on, then the stupidity is astounding as there are so many other interests people can devote their time to. There are so many choices for entertainment available these days that I just don't buy into the argument of fans watching out of habit, I think it's meant more as a means of justifying why they watch it rather than admit that MAYBE, just MAYBE they don't dislike it as much as they put on. Why? Because being cynical, pointing out flaws, rebelling against what's popular and all that is always so much cooler.

But yeah, this will blow over quickly as people will brush it off because it's Goldust who said it. I mean, because he's not a main eventer it's easy to just brush off the nearly 30 years he's spent wrestling in front of crowds ranging from less than 100 to more than 20,000. Brush off the fact that he's literally grown up around and learned everything he knows about the goings on both in front of and behind the camera from some of the biggest names in the history of the industry, including his own father, so there's no way he can have the slightest idea what he's talking about. People wouldn't dismiss this so easily if beloveds like Foley, Austin or Taker said it and I'd be willing to be that, more or less, they probably feel the same way as they know what Goldust knows.

I don’t think it’s so much that people are ignoring Goldust because he isn’t a main event guy or an all time great. They are ignoring him and being upset because this is the same drivel that always comes from a WWE employee when criticism is lobbied against the company. I understand that anyone who is under contract is going to screw themself over huge if they say “Yeah you know what, Roman Reigns is pushed too hard and Brock Lesnar is lazy and needs to go.” I get that it would basically be career suicide for someone in the company to say that on social media.

The anger comes because anytime someone raises a complaint, the wrestlers get overly defensive and basically either pull a Road Dogg and go on a huge blocking spree like his name was Trump, or they offer up what Goldie did and they basically come out and say “You better like it or else.”

People always say, well if you don’t like WWE, then there are alternatives but the truth is, WWE is the most easily accessible wrestling program, far and away easier than others. Impact is always on the verge of dying, Lucha Underground isn’t looking like season four is going to happen, New Japan in America requires you to pay or download illegally, most indies have some sort of subscription fee to access their taped events. WWE, for better or worse, is the wrestling company and fans just want to feel like their voice is heard, something that really hasn’t happened since Bryan.

And I agree man, sometimes the fans will complain no matter what, because that’s just what social media and the connected world has lead to, but wanting your voice heard and voicing your displeasure with a less than stellar product is fine with me.

 

[OYDK]

I think people get frustrated because they know WWE can be a much more entertaining product than what it currently is. Does that mean Raw and Smackdown completely suck? Of course not. For the most part, I enjoy watching. I rarely watch live and have the benefit of fast forwarding through the stuff that I don't really feel like sitting through, but even so, I generally end up spending about 2 hours on Raw and an hour and a half on Smackdown so it's not like I'm skipping three-quarters of the show. Still, I constantly find myself thinking that if Vince and Co. stopped playing it so damn safe 95% of the time, we could honestly get a pretty incredible 3-hour viewing experience. With the amount of talent WWE currently has, there's no excuse for the amount of dull crap that's put out there at times.

Fans have a right to voice their displeasure. There are some who will complain just to complain but thankfully, since I pretty much only frequent this site and nothing else, I'm not exposed to too much of that idiocy. From what I see on here, people have pretty justifiable complaints and constantly being told to "suck it up and enjoy the shit that you're being fed" is not only annoying, but for fans who have been through the good times and know how satisfying the WWE experience can be, it borders on insulting.

At the end of the day, people have different tastes, and, especially in the case of wrestling fans, there are always going to be a group of people who don't like the direction the company's going in. But if you're putting out an exciting and cutting edge product, that group would almost certainly be the minority. That the vast majority of internet fans can find so much to bitch about probably indicates that WWE can do a much better job, and the frustrating part is, it feels like they know it too but are content with simply putting out a passable show.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Goldust isn’t wrong, he also isn’t 100% on point either. Not all criticism is bitching and complaining, not all bitching and complaining is criticism. You could make the most thoughtful and well-constructed criticism of WWE – supported by real data and valid points – and someone would still roll along and tell you to shut up and stop whining.

Goldust’s first tweet is terse, but the sentiment he expresses is a valid argument. There are some fans who seem to exist only to crap all over anything WWE does. For each of those fans, there are people who want to critically discuss wrestling.
The fan Goldust is engaging with on Twitter is critical of Bray Wyatt. The same fan claims to have a chemistry PHD in his profile, he also claims to enjoy “smoking dope and drinking beer.”

The tone of “bitching” might not actually be there; Goldie is a biased WWE employee that may see any criticism of his beloved company being unwarranted.

The Bray Wyatt vs Finn Balor feud is now heading into its third PPV. Why are these two fighting anymore? There’s no belt, and there’s an obvious Wyatt Family vs Bullet Club feud that would be far more interesting, but that might require giving Balor more character than they want at this point.
There are genuine criticisms to be made here. Lesnar absconding with the title for most of 2017 has made these two feud in a vacuum. These are entertaining guys, but both should be after titles at this point. Balor hasn’t received his one on one rematch for the title he never lost, Bray started the year as WWE Champion. Now he just wants to stalk babyfaces in the midcard again?
Both guys took two steps forward in 2016, now they’re two steps back.

So, am I bitching or am I crafting a valid criticism of the product? The truth is that anyone reading this brings their own biases, like Goldust did. If you too are critical of the product or this feud, you might be incensed to start a dialogue with me. If you think I’m whining, you’ll tell me to shut up. Maybe you love this feud and you’ll present your counterargument.

Goldust is too close to this feud too as he’s been working with these two on TV recently. You know he’s kicking it with them backstage – planning their matches and where they can go next.

There are awful trolls out there who crawl out of their caves just to dump on the WWE product regardless of quality. There are those of us who like to discuss. Dropping a blanket statement to get people to “quit bitching” is fundamentally flawed as online discussion is paramount to fan engagement.

 

[ShinChan]

The day I don't like anything in WWE, I will stop complaining and just leave watching. However, until I like some of the segments and matches, I will notify my displeasure when I don't like something. WWE can listen it and improve or ignore it and continue. But anyone who watches WWE should give some amount of feedback to improve the product. Feedback should be constructive. Be it praise or criticism. "Stop Watching" mentally never helps though. If someone hates on everything WWE does, I agree that he should rather stop watching. For his own good. However, if someone feels that something is bad but something is good as well and you're encouraging him to stop giving feedback then you're wrong.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

This funny thing is that I did stop watching in 2015. I think it was after The Rumble with Reigns winning the Rumble. Even if the WWE tried to rectify the fan backlash with Rollins winning the title at Wrestlemania the feuds and rivalries after that didn't feel compelling. Add that with Sting/Triple H match being a debacle, Orton being the first challenger for Rollin's title, Sheamus winning the MITB for no apparent reason, and other poor booking decisions. I kind of stopped watching around this period.

In fact, the only Network Special or PPV shows I saw were the NXT Takeovers.

I did start to watch in 2016 though epecially after WM32. WM32 for me was bad but I was pleasantly surprised with the Women's Match and the Undercard talent in the event and the Takeover before WM did show a ton of promise moving forward.

The shows right after WM32 to Summer Slam that year was actually great. You had a main roster Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Cesaro, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Sami Zayn, and a promising tag team division at the time.

You had a great rivalry in Zayn vs. Owens, Seth Rollins being on top of his game when returned, Styles vs. Reigns tearing the house down in two consecutive PPV's, the Women's revolution, the Cena and Styles rivalry, and so many things going. Add to the fact that NXT was still a very solid show.

There was a drop off after Summer Slam but I suppose it has a lot to do with the brand split and how thin both rosters have become especially Smackdown!

2017 was just weird in terms of their booking decisions nothing really make sense. And while it doesn't turn me off from the product like what happened in 2015, it pales in comparison from that amazing 5 to 6 month period in 2016.

 

[Just Do It]

To be honest, I thought Goldust talked sense here. I didn't have a problem in what he said, although I do see where the OP is coming from.

 

[neildittmar]

I've always liked Dustin / Goldust. Can't say I'm a fan of the shut up and like it argument though, especially when it comes to entertainment based programming.

I understand where he's coming from though. Overly critical fans in wrestling are tantamount to overly critical fans of any entertainment medium. However, there are so many choices on TV nowadays (both in channels and programming) that effectively telling viewers to take a hike just isn't a smart business strategy, unless you own a camping supplies company.

This isn't the mid-late 90's or even the Hogan-era 80's anymore. While still entertaining, WWE hasn't been consistent must see TV for quite awhile now. Back when the audience was fairly captive, performers could get away with blowing off the overly negative fans. Today the stakes are greater and the options (on-air and off) are much more plentiful.

Ultimately, Dustin's (as well as any other WWE Superstar's) job is to entertain to the best of his/her abilities. If the "kids" as he put it are getting overly criticized, present facts about the performers in question that not only refute the unfair critiques, but put those same "kids" over. Sure, you're probably not going to win with the person being pessimistic just for the sake of being so. With so many eyes on social media though, you may just establish / reinforce what you're saying in others and build the base, replacing negative fans with positive ones in kind.

 

[BIFFtheJEW]

Hello Everyone,

I think a few people misinterpreted what Dustin said. He said people aren't trying to purposely dislike the product that they are given, that people aren't going to watch something that they don't like. If people are watching wrestling and they aren't being entertained, they are not going to buy the product or turn the channel. I think you guys are just reading into to much. (If you don't like a TV program, do you watch or do you turn the channel? If you don't like a product, do you stop buying it or do you pretend to like it and continue to buy it?) Those are the questions he just asked.

 

[FromGlasgow]

It would be impossible for the WWE to please everyone all of the time, They need to keep both their current and older long term fans on side as well as trying to draw in new fans. Over a whole age range and various demographics who all have different favourites and tastes which I can't imagine being an easy task and some people are never pleased and can't be pleased so I do agree with Goldust as certain wrestling fans do seem quite negative and critical all the time, Only 5 minutes ago I read loads of complaints about part timers and legends competing at Wrestlemania 34. Also how many anti TNA comments have we heard over the years? If you don't like it don't watch it instead of incessantly putting it down and wishing they would close down.