Is Fan Impatience Ruining Wrestling?

[STFU Donnie]

As we enter week 3 of the Curtis Axel Experiment, the one thing I've been taken by is the polarizing nature of opinion on the first 2 weeks. Many are willing to reserve judgment until the initial story is complete, while others have determined that Axel has been buried and is already DOA. It's a battle of patience versus impatience.

I found this cool story in Ole Anderson's book that illustrates patient storytelling:

For those who don't know, Tommy Rich would become arguably the biggest star in wrestling in the early 80's thanks to Georgia Championship Wrestling and their reach on TBS. Tommy Rich was brought in by Jim Barnett with the idea that he could potentially be a star. Ole Anderson, as the booker, was in charge of the wrestling and he came up with the plan.

In week 1, Ole paired Rich with Abdullah the Butcher and he had Abby destroy him, treating him like a jobber. When the ref tried to help Tommy up, he shoved him away and as he slowly fought to get back to his feet, the crowd gave polite applause. Then Tommy cut an interview challenging Abby again, saying he wasn't a coward and that he couldn't go home and face his friends and family until he proved he was no quitter. Barnett found Ole backstage and accused him of burying Rich, suggesting they mine as well fire him, because he was finished. Ole, ever the politician, told Barnett to shut up and that he didn't know what he was talking about.

In week 2, Ole paired Abby with Rich again and again Abby destroyed him, only this time Abby had to go a little longer and be a little more vicious to finish the job. After the bell, Abby continued the beating and as he was ready to walk out, Tommy grabbed his leg, suggesting the fight wasn't done. So Abby commenced to beating him some more. And once again, Tommy struggled along the ropes to get to his feet and walk out of the ring. This time the fans applause were a little louder. Again, Barnett was up in arms backstage, saying Rich should be gone and they were wasting valuable time building up somebody who wasn't dead...and again Ole called him stupid.

In week 3, Tommy goes on TV to challenge Abby again. At this point Abby's manager, Rock Hunter comes out and refuses the match, saying Tommy is crazy and he's lucky Abby didn't cripple or kill him. Just then, the kayfabe promoter comes out and says Abby signed a blank contract and he would face Tommy the next week. Rock said fine, but he and Abby won't be held responsible for what happens. In the match, Tommy takes a good beating and then becomes Wildfire and he and Abby go back and forth until Rock pulled Abby out and Rich won by count out.

Ole then had Abby and Rock refuse a rematch and after a few weeks of teasing, Abby was forced to face Rich and Tommy got the big win. After that he was a made guy, becoming a huge star, all thanks to a patiently crafted story that took roughly a month and a half to complete.

If Ole had listened to the impatient Barnett, Tommy would never have seen week 2 or 3 and he would never have become a huge star or NWA champ or have the match that would inspire Hell in a Cell. And I can't help but think if WWE took an NXT guy and did the same thing with Mark Henry in Abby's role, the IWC would have Barnett's reaction, claiming the NXT guy had been buried after the very first week. To often fans either ignore the story being told or lack the patience to give it time to develop, reserving judgment until the final chapter is complete. Its this same shortsightedness and impatience that is causing so many to deride Axel's first two weeks.

And it's because of this collective rush to judgment that WWE and TNA are discouraged from taking any amount of time to tell a story. In today's world, creative could come up with a brilliant story that is meant to be told through chapters, week to week...but then the fans decide that the first chapter is the whole story and just dump all over it. It's like turning on Die Hard and deciding it sucks after 15 minutes because all it's about is some jet lagged cop trying to win back his old lady at an office Christmas party.

So who's to blame for modern attention deficit disorder wrestling. The impatient fans or creative whose task is to create stories that appeal to fans who demand everything right here and right now?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In my opinion, fan impatience does play a huge factor when you consider the numerous complaints & criticisms you hear about pro wrestling these days. More often than not, many of these complaints are made by internet fans. When it comes to simply enjoying pro wrestling, an internet fan can be his or her own worst enemy.

The primary reason why is the internet in and of itself in my opinion. I've read a few articles written by staff members of various wrestling websites & publications in which they're laying the lame on social media for destroying the mystique of wrestling. The mystique of wrestling was destroyed long before social media was a glint in some software designer's eye. Wrestling fans can now go to any number of websites and read non-kayfabe stories containing information that wrestling fans as a whole simply didn't have access to 25 years ago. I don't see how wrestling's mystique could survive when fans can log onto the net and surf for spoilers for upcoming feuds, results of taped wrestling programs, reports on who is getting a push, who has heat, who is getting a title run, when & where said title run will begin, etc. Ironically, many of these same fans will then start to complain about the lack of unpredictability in pro wrestling after they do their best to find out what's going to happen days, weeks or even months ahead of time.

Impatience is a problem but, in my eyes, one that's just as big when it comes to fans enjoying wrestling is when so many are focused on trying to playing armchair booker. Some do manage to convince themselves that they know more than men & women who have worked in the wrestling business for decades when they themselves, the VAST majority at least, have no experience whatsoever. These fans frequently dream up fantasy booking scenarios that they believe are downright epic and if the wrestling companies don't manage to do everything they want & exactly the way they want it, they'll hit the forums to bitch about it.

Don't get me wrong though. I've got no problem at all with someone criticizing something if they're simply not what they're watching. Not every match is going to be an all time classic, not every feud is going to be an epic clash, not every promo is going to be something people talk about for years to come, not every angle is going to keep riveted and not every is going to be a mega star like The Rock. In spite of what you might hear from some, that's ALWAYS how it's been and that's ALWAYS how it will be. You can't please everyone, after all.There were crappy feuds, storylines, matches, promos and wrestlers during the oh so grand 80s through the beloved Attitude Era right on up through the IWC reviled PG Era. For every Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sting, Stone Cold & The Rock; there were FAR more guys on the level of Don Muraco, Dino Bravo, Paul Roma, Doink The Clown, Al Snow, Big Boss Man, Bull Buchanan, Steve Blackman, Eugene & Big Daddy V.

 

[STFU Donnie]

In my opinion, fan impatience does play a huge factor when you consider the numerous complaints & criticisms you hear about pro wrestling these days. More often than not, many of these complaints are made by internet fans. When it comes to simply enjoying pro wrestling, an internet fan can be his or her own worst enemy.

The primary reason why is the internet in and of itself in my opinion. I've read a few articles written by staff members of various wrestling websites & publications in which they're laying the lame on social media for destroying the mystique of wrestling. The mystique of wrestling was destroyed long before social media was a glint in some software designer's eye. Wrestling fans can now go to any number of websites and read non-kayfabe stories containing information that wrestling fans as a whole simply didn't have access to 25 years ago. I don't see how wrestling's mystique could survive when fans can log onto the net and surf for spoilers for upcoming feuds, results of taped wrestling programs, reports on who is getting a push, who has heat, who is getting a title run, when & where said title run will begin, etc. Ironically, many of these same fans will then start to complain about the lack of unpredictability in pro wrestling after they do their best to find out what's going to happen days, weeks or even months ahead of time.

Impatience is a problem but, in my eyes, one that's just as big when it comes to fans enjoying wrestling is when so many are focused on trying to playing armchair booker. Some do manage to convince themselves that they know more than men & women who have worked in the wrestling business for decades when they themselves, the VAST majority at least, have no experience whatsoever. These fans frequently dream up fantasy booking scenarios that they believe are downright epic and if the wrestling companies don't manage to do everything they want & exactly the way they want it, they'll hit the forums to bitch about it.

Don't get me wrong though. I've got no problem at all with someone criticizing something if they're simply not what they're watching. Not every match is going to be an all time classic, not every feud is going to be an epic clash, not every promo is going to be something people talk about for years to come, not every angle is going to keep riveted and not every is going to be a mega star like The Rock. In spite of what you might hear from some, that's ALWAYS how it's been and that's ALWAYS how it will be. You can't please everyone, after all.There were crappy feuds, storylines, matches, promos and wrestlers during the oh so grand 80s through the beloved Attitude Era right on up through the IWC reviled PG Era. For every Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sting, Stone Cold & The Rock; there were FAR more guys on the level of Don Muraco, Dino Bravo, Paul Roma, Doink The Clown, Al Snow, Big Boss Man, Bull Buchanan, Steve Blackman, Eugene & Big Daddy V.

I think you touched on what I believe is a huge problem, which is the idea that so many fans believe themselves to be experts. I can't tell you how often I read stuff with guys misusing "smart" terminology. I think if you created a poll here and got every reader to respond to the question "Do you think you could do a better job booking WWE" that at least 90% would say yes...despite never having written anything of substance anywhere. But what I find most amusing/annoying is that anytime they don't like the smallest thing, it's always "creative are morons", ignoring that A) it's not so easy to do five hours of programming, with dozens of characters, 52 weeks a year and B) writers write...but Vince decides what goes on TV and how, so who knows what gets cut or how often they are writing to Vince's tastes, since he is the final arbiter of what gets on TV.

What I do believe the internet has done is to connect more fans than ever before. Before the internet, other than friends in your neighborhood or at school/work, the only way to talk wrestling was if you picked a pen pal out of the back of wrestling mags. Communication has only become easier and with the advent of so much wrestling "news" online, opinions tend to harden. That's not even mentioning people's tendency towards group think. People on the fence tend to read the first opinion that plays on an emotion they already feel and adopt it as their own. The same dynamic happens in politics.

One other trend I see forming in opinion crafting is this odd mix of mark and smart opinion. To me, thinking about wrestling from a "smart" critical standpoint requires one to be dispassionate. You can't deride stuff based on your own personal tastes or be critical solely based on wrestlers you enjoy. As an example, you can't pretend the audience hates a John Cena when he sells the most merchandise and a great match is still a great match even if your favorite loses. So many people on the internet criticize things based on a fans emotion...but use smart jargon to craft a critique.

And a side note: I take offense to your inclusion of Don Muraco in the list of lesser names...All kidding aside, Muraco worked on top in New York and Georgia and was a key player in other territories as well. It's before my time, but I think he would have been near the top of the heel list alongside Ken Patera as a potential candidate to take the WWE title from Backlund.

 

[LascoX]

Impatience is certainly an issue these days. Not only do you have the internet smarks tearing into every angle as soon as it appears we also have a vast issue with ADD plaguing society. These days impatience seems to be the norm at times and people have little interest in the slow sell. I give credit to Vince for doing one of the most successful slow sells of recent memory with Fandango. I have to admit I was even getting impatient for him to finally get in the ring. His tactic worked though and he was able to break his new character in classic slow sell form. Part of it is in the writing as well , but I do think fan ADD is a big factor. We live in a fast food generation that gets impatient if you can't get your burger in less than a minute, life's complex issues are solved in a half hour sitcom and everything just moves quicker and quicker. Fan ADD is just an extension of society at large so its not surprising it exists.

 

[Brahma_Bull9]

When wrestling fans start pointing the finger at other fans for being the problem, it's a joke.

Wrestling was built upon being polarizing, you don't want to come out to no reaction. If anybody buried Axel it was Axel and I don't think he has been buried at all.

I mean your post is so illogical

I mean the guy above me is criticizing internet smarks, really? I hate that term but you and me and everyone on here is one. It's such a stupid term, but then again the IQ I see from wrestling fans, in person or on the internet is terrible I don't know why I'm even surprised.

In NY I don't meet, know, or see wrestling fans. I'm the douche lol, in Texas I met a lot of wrestling fans, none of them looked at it on the internet. They are not the problem, it's just how people are. People, especially, Americans, and us in the northeast are impatient. Wrestling has always thrived on that because we give good reactions and are so easily baited into reacting to dumb stuff because we feel so compelled to deep down.

I mean this thread makes no sense at all completely illogical.

I don't like Punk, but how did he get pushed?

What about when Bryan won the title or ziggler? They were pushed too quickly. We complain about things that are different out of the norm, then want the same cookie cutter approach to be applied since the 50's. Wrestling would have vanished if you guys had any influence.