It's been 27 years, it's time for me to go.

[JBM]

In 1988, I was 6 years old and I watched my first ever WWF event. It was the Royal Rumble, won by Hacksaw Jim Duggan if I remember correctly. I was hooked. I remember that match, I remember the characters of KoKo B. Ware, Demolition, The Rock n Roll express, Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, and Andre the Giant...the emergence of The Undertaker, the era of Brett Hart and Shawn Michaels. I remember the Monday night wars as a teenager and going to house party's with my friends to watch all the PPV's in the attitude era with the likes of SCSA, The Rock and Mick Foley.

Then the "ruthless agression" era with John Cena, Edge, Benoit and Eddie. I look back on the 27 years of professional wrestling/sports entertainment that has in one way or another, entertained me throughout many different phases of my life. It's been great, for the most part.

Even today, my 9 year old son enjoys tuning into see what John Cena is up too. It reminds me of when I was a kid. That look in his eye, the spark of excitement that he see's when his hero goes against a menacing advesary. But it's exactly that, a product for him. It is no longer a product for me.

I enjoyed last years Wrestlemania and the entire run up too it. Daniel Bryan vs the Authority was a great storyline. The Undertaker losing was a truly shocking moment. But I think that was about the beginning of the end for me. It was like that moment in a friendship when you smile at each other knowing the inevitable. The end has come. There's nothing else but to move on in our seperate directions.

I'm 33 years old now. When I'm not putting on my uniform and lacing up my boots for another day in the Air Force, I find myself doing more and more with my free time. Taking college classes, spending an extra hour in the gym to compensate for my deteriorating metabolism, knocking out some chores around the house. Bed time has to come sooner now. Responsibility grows.

I could make time to watch the product, but I no longer want too. I want to strive towards my own personal success and maximize my time more efficiently. There are other products that better capture my adult attention on TV. WWE no longer does it for me.

Much of it has to do with the current product. I'm tired of seeing the same rubbish over and over. I respect Cena and HHH, but I don't want to see the same thing every week. Sure, there are some great guys coming up that will one day make their own main event, but it's not for me. It's for my son, it's for another generation.

I don't post often on here, and I highly doubt any of you will recognize my username. Being a minor part of the IWC provided its own form of entertainment. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes I just shook my head. But it's been great, nonetheless. Most of you are probably just going to look past this with a "TLDR", or you'll comment with a "See you Monday night". No doubt, I've probably said the same from time to time.

There was a genuine attachment to watching WWE/WWF for over 25 years of my life. None of my friends or family watch it anymore. I simply wanted to say goodbye. And I feel this was my only outlet to do that. I'm sure I'll still get some updates from time to time from my son. I think when Cena is finished up, if ever, he'll probably be a Daniel Bryan fan, or a Roman Reigns fan if they give him the Cena push. I'll hear his updates and smile at him.

I do hope the product returns to what it used to be, something that makes people sit on the edge of their seats every Monday night. But I won't be there. I'll probably be studying for a class, or fast asleep to be ready for a morning briefing.

It's been an awesome ride!! But my road splits here. Safe travels, and don't teach my son anything that'll get him in trouble.

 

[Oldschoolersrule]

I don't post here too often as well, but after reading your post, I felt I had to. Maybe not to agree or disagree, but maybe to reflect.

I have 7 more years on you as a fan. I am 40 and have been watching wrestling since I was 7-8. Hence the screen name of OLDSCHOOLERSRULE.

I still remember it when it we the WWWF, then WWF, then WWE. I remember watching the debuts of now hall of famers such as Paul Orndoff, Mean Mark Callus (a.k.a The Undertaker), The Fabulous Freebirds, I watched Roddy Piper smash Jimmy Snuka over the head with the coconut on live tv. I watched and about passed out when Ivan Koloff slapped Pat Patterson which led Patterson to call Koloff a bald headed bastard on live tv. On Saturdays, it was the NWA televised from 11am till noon. I watched (and marked out) when the 4 horsemen attacked Dusty Rhodes, tied him to a truck and broke his hand. The Rock and Roll Express and their battles with the Midnight Express, Magnum TA,Tully Blanchard, Ronnie Garvin, I remember the AWA with Gregg Gange, Nick Bokwinkle, the Rockers. Lets not forget the Von Erichs, Gentleman Chris Adams, Iceman King Parsons and the whole World Class Championship Wrestling. Then there was Mid South, and the UWF as well. I could go on and on and on...

I myself have kids, and my 6 year old son does know a little bit about it, but the product has changed so much through the years that I find myself wondering if he is old enough for me to let him watch. I try to sneak some viewing time of Raw or TNA Impact while the kids are going to bed, though my time and interest to watch is becoming less and less. Even before the Monday Night Wars I would find myself finding reasons to be home to watch wrestling. Now not so much. Now I find myself looking for something else to watch, or not thinking about it till after the show is over. Plus, now with the internet, I can get all the updates and scoop on whats going on whenever I want. When I started watching wrestling, if someone got hit with a chair, they were carried out on a stretcher. Now, you don't have a match without 2 or 3 chair shots. Blood was censored out with an X the size of the TV screen. Now, I wouldn't be surprised to see blood in a backstage promo, I won't even get started on the differences in today's promos and the ones from my generation...

For me, a number of factors have led to the demise of wrestling. From the loss of the smaller territories, to the loss of the bigger companies, to the expansion of promotions being on a nationally televised platform instead of a regional distribution, to the internet itself. Back in the day, big stars went from place to place and it kept things like stories and feuds fresh. Now its John Cena and his 5 moves of doom, or Big Show flopping between heel or face like a fish flopping around outta water, or the same 4 divas botching their same 4 moves. TNA provides a small distraction, but not too much.

I don't think the product has become hard to watch, so much as its hard to stay interested in it for any length of time. Feuds back then had meaning, or reason. They lasted for months. Today, your lucky a fued lasts from Monday to Thursday. I almost feel bad for kids watching todays product. They have no idea of what wrestling was.

As I said before, I could go on and on, but I'm going to stop now because I am just rambling on like a bad Jake Roberts promo, but hopefully you get my point, and hopefully I added to yours.

 

[ilapierre]

I quit watching full time in 2003. I am 33 too but I had my 'I'm too old for this shit' moment during an awful Nash vs Triple H segment. I did tune in part time and for a few months here and there since. There was some good stuff and great moments but too few and far between to waste precious hours of my life watching weekly like I had through the Monday Night Wars. I'll always tune in or youtube epic new moments with legends or up comers. Watch big ppvs or big bill Raws with buds. But yeah I hear ya. This poorly written, poorly delivered PG stuff is for our children.

 

[Prince Vee]

Well I'm not too old for this shit yet and yet I still don't know even the years roll off I would stop wrestling or not. Being honest I started watching fulltime wrestling from Summerslam 2003. It was a good time. Edge, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guererro. But I'm pretty sure the storylines had gone too thin over the years and there are lots of Bullshits like the Bunny, Gator and shits but I don't think these shits would stop me from watching wrestling when I'm 30 or 40 years old. I don't wanna look too beyond but as for now I just wanna see the guys I love would go after 10 or 20 years. I want to see Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt and their rise and fall over the years. so Let's see

 

[GoatfaceKiller]

Good thread.

I will turn 36 this April. I'm a throwback fan, just like you, JBM. I was all about the Hulkamania in the 80s, and will occasionally go back and watch some vintage Hogan/Savage/Andre/Warrior shinanegans from time to time. I have the Network. I love it. I refuse to get rid of it. It is going to provide me, my fiance, and very likely (if I have a son) my kid with years and years of enjoyment behind the screen.

I don't know about any of you guys, but I was also a HUGE ECW mark back in the mid-late 90s. I would sneak downstairs in my parents' old house, starting in October of '95, and turn on the MSG network. The earliest memory I have is of Mikey Whipwreck smashing The Sandman's face to pieces with a metal ladder. I was able to get a friend of mine hooked on the product as well, and the two of us would enjoy dozens of future pay-per-view events put on by Paul Heyman and crew. Taz was the man! Dreamer was the man! Sabu and RVD as well. Almost all the marquee talent they showcased were, as individuals, a man among boys...larger than life...almost too good to be true.

Being the company with the lowest quantity of $$ backing them, they would become the first casualty of the MNW. But can anyone honestly say that if it wasn't for the crappy little Philly promotion making the splash that they did, that the MNW would have even been half as exciting to watch? I mean, where do people think the WWE and WCW STOLE half their ideas/talent from?

/Ramble. Heh, so yah...those were the days, and sad to say, we'll never see 'em again. The current WWE (leadership, creative, booking) corporate faces don't have either the brains OR the balls to come remotely close to duplicating the awesomeness that was 1996-2001. I will admit to loving WM30, cuz they actually did RIGHT by someone (Danielson) for a change. I will admit to liking some of the stuff they laid out before us in 2002-2010, especially HBK/Taker at back to back Manias. I will even admit to liking John Cena. Not only is he a credit to the human race, but when a big match is upon him, he actually does step it up and pull off some great work (even reinventing his moveset partially to draw interest from a broader crowd).

What I absolutely hate, is exactly what ilapierre stated. This PG crap...oh my goodness...I'm so glad I work now when RAW and Smackdown are both on. Even my fiance is tiring of the BS. The WWE, as it is now, couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a base fiddle when it comes to putting out a good, interesting, well-rounded product. Yes, there are MOTY candidates on some of the PPV events...but then what? All the hard work the competitors put forth when preparing for, and then executing, their big payoff/blowoff match at the end of a month...where does it go? It either recycles poorly into something extra, which feels like watching the first 2 Halloween original movies, and then being forced to go watch "Season of the Witch"...or it just falls by the wayside completely and dies an indifferent death, much like some of our beloved TV shows have been doing of late (I hear True Blood ended with quite the whimper).

Either way, it's pathetic, and I'm glad I only watch big events (RR, Mania, SS) and NXT. THANK GOD for NXT...or I'd never watch a single live show on the Network. It'd be just ECW Hardcore TV, or their PPVs...or stuff like Michaels vs Hart from WM12, which, incidentally, was Pre-Attitude Era...but still was booked tremendously, and carried out in perfect harmony by both workers. This poorly written PG crap may be for our children, yes...but tbph, I'd even discourage my kid from watching the new/live stuff; not because it's too violent, or cuz it's fake. No...but because it is water-down and can only serve to lessen the brainpower of those who follow fanatically, like we used to in the good 'ol days.

 

[MrGameTime]

I started watching WWE around 1997 I stopped around 2004. As it got stale with the likes of SCSA and The Rock gone from full time action.

I returned back into WWE Full time in 2011 when The Rock returned to build towards his match with Cena.

I am what WWE and the IWC calls the "casual fan", there's plenty of me, and when lot's of me was invested in the product during the attitude era the company was at it's peak.

Today, I don't bother watching RAW/Smackdown/NXT etc it's just boring too much of the same old rubbish, dosen't interest me. WWE have lost the "IT" factor, never mind the talent having "IT" the company as a whole has lost it, they have lost there spot and audience to other television such as the UFC.

I only catch highlights of the PPV's when I have time, and to be very honest I'm only interested in WWE around rumble/mania time. I am 24 but have been bought up watching SCSA/ROCK/HOGAN/HHH/HBK/STING/TAKER when young so if RR/Build towards Mania is the only time they will showcase these talents once more this is the only area of time I will spend my time watching the event.

THE BIG QUESTION HERE IS: is this just a generation thing? why am I not at all interested in the Cena's Bryans Ortons Reigns etc To me they just don't have the same pulling power that make you watch like stars like SCSA did and The Rock.

Time's very precious, So I don't spend my time watching what I believe is mainly garbage with men in bunny costumes, repetitive storylines and dreadful acting, in my view the company has lost it's ambition because simply it doesn't need to have it, the loyal fans will watch no matter what they put on AND THEY KNOW THIS.

I mainly want to see Sting vs The Undertaker, as this re-kindles some of the excitement I had when I was young watching the product.
I feel partly sorry for the younger generation watching today as it is a shell of it's former self back in the day, how someone can sit there and watch full shows of Smackdown/NXT/Main Event etc is just beyond me. again time is precious invest it into something else.

Over and out, hopefully Mania 31 will be worthwhile, then I will be gone for another year.

 

[omariqy]

The first WM I remember is 8. I am 29 now and I do watch it now and again and keep up to date online. I remember getting a copy of tape for WM 8 from my cousin and being so excited to see Bret Hart fight. I was never that bothered about Hulk Hogan to be honest. I then only watched random PPVs till about 1996 as I didn't have Sky (where WWE is shown in the UK). I watched WCW quite a bit as it was shown on one of the channels here in the UK on Saturday afternoon. I think it was the programme that was shown from MGM studios. I got to know Sting, Steiner brothers, Z man, Hollywood blonds, Arn Anderson, Vader.

I went to Pakistan for 3 months in 1996 to see family and amazingly there was a channel called Star Sports which was showing Raw constantly and some of the older ones so I managed to catch up.

For the next few years during the attitude era up to about 1999 (when I eventually got Sky) I used to borrow a tape of Raw every week from my mate. The event I remember the most during that time was WM 14 with Tyson. That to me was the height of WWE.

I used to watch WCW on random occasions when I went to my cousins house. I think it was on TNT in the UK. However, I think it was quite far behind so I pretty much missed the whole NWO thing until WCW Thunder was shown in the UK.

I also loved the games during that time - WWF Attitude, WWF Smackdown, No Mercy etc.

I regularly watched the programming including the NWO coming to WWE, the brand extension, Brock Lesnar etc. I think the last event I saw was Royal Rumble with Brock winning it.

I then tuned off, it was getting a bit tedious and I started University so had other things on my mind. I started to get back in to it when CM Punk did his promo but then switched off again soon after. Again I got back into it with Daniel Bryans rise. However, lately I have found it hard to watch. Sting was great but it has been so boring ever since that. The stories never make sense, you can't get invested in anything, the promos are awful, everyone is so plain.

There are hardly any personalities or characters. Back in the day even wrestlers in the lower to mid card had charisma or something about them.

Now I've got WWE Network I just watch NXT and a lot of the old stuff. Yesterday I watched Survivor Series from 1993. The wrestlers knew how to be a heel or how to be a face. Promos were much better and the characters had something about them.

 

[wainy316]

The first WM I remember is 8. I am 29 now and I do watch it now and again and keep up to date online. I remember getting a copy of tape for WM 8 from my cousin and being so excited to see Bret Hart fight. I was never that bothered about Hulk Hogan to be honest. I then only watched random PPVs till about 1996 as I didn't have Sky (where WWE is shown in the UK). I watched WCW quite a bit as it was shown on one of the channels here in the UK on Saturday afternoon. I think it was the programme that was shown from MGM studios. I got to know Sting, Steiner brothers, Z man, Hollywood blonds, Arn Anderson, Vader.

I went to Pakistan for 3 months in 1996 to see family and amazingly there was a channel called Star Sports which was showing Raw constantly and some of the older ones so I managed to catch up.

For the next few years during the attitude era up to about 1999 (when I eventually got Sky) I used to borrow a tape of Raw every week from my mate. The event I remember the most during that time was WM 14 with Tyson. That to me was the height of WWE.

I used to watch WCW on random occasions when I went to my cousins house. I think it was on TNT in the UK. However, I think it was quite far behind so I pretty much missed the whole NWO thing until WCW Thunder was shown in the UK.

I also loved the games during that time - WWF Attitude, WWF Smackdown, No Mercy etc.

I regularly watched the programming including the NWO coming to WWE, the brand extension, Brock Lesnar etc. I think the last event I saw was Royal Rumble with Brock winning it.

I then tuned off, it was getting a bit tedious and I started University so had other things on my mind. I started to get back in to it when CM Punk did his promo but then switched off again soon after. Again I got back into it with Daniel Bryans rise. However, lately I have found it hard to watch. Sting was great but it has been so boring ever since that. The stories never make sense, you can't get invested in anything, the promos are awful, everyone is so plain.

There are hardly any personalities or characters. Back in the day even wrestlers in the lower to mid card had charisma or something about them.

Now I've got WWE Network I just watch NXT and a lot of the old stuff. Yesterday I watched Survivor Series from 1993. The wrestlers knew how to be a heel or how to be a face. Promos were much better and the characters had something about them.

Firstly, Omariqy, Up the Villa!

As a 30 year old my time frames are pretty similar to yours. The first event I saw was the 89 Royal Rumble (on my cousins video, circa 1991), but WM 8 was the first one I remember watching as it happened. I was all about the Hulkster and later the Hitman. I didn't have access to Sky but used to sporadically watch videos from the late 80's and early 90's and also borrowed videos from my cousin.

I was pretty obsessed in 92/93 and had all the Hasbro figures (still do somewhere at my parents house). After Wrestlemania 10 which was one of my favourite events at the time I kind of drifted a bit due to not having Sky and general interest declining somewhat in the UK circa 1994.

I think the event that got me back into it was the release of WWF Warzone in 1998. By this time we had Sky TV so I thought I'd check out the characters from the game. I had no idea how hooked I'd get, the product was absolutely gripping. My first Pay per view back in full viewership was Breakdown in your house 1998 (Austin v Taker v Kane), I was in awe of the Austin v McMahon angle and the battle for the vacant WWF title, culminating in The Rock's heel turn at Survivor Series. I then also bought a lot of the previous ppv's from 97/98 on video to catch up on what I'd missed. I was the perfect age (14) for the edgier product which in a way removed some of the stigma associated with wrestling. I also got an interest in WCW from WCW/NWO Revenge on the N64.

At the time in the UK the previous Monday's Nitro was shown on TNT from 9:00-12:00 and Raw was on Sky Sports from 10:00-12:00, so I'd always watch the first hour of Nitro before switching over. Great times.
I was and still am a huge Stone Cold Steve Austin mark and 98/99, with an honourable mention to 2000 are the greatest years in wrestling for me. I remained completely hooked until after the Invasion but ever since then it has been a slow decline. It's like pro wrestling built to a crescendo and burst late in 2001. I've always maintained an active interest (sometimes more so than at others), but since bout 2007 I have never liked the product consistently. Still I can't seem to pull myself away. Although I'd never find the time to watch all programming these days I don't think I'll ever fully be able to detach myself from wrestling, I'm always hopeful that something great will happen and there have been a number of false dawns for us fans.

Anyway I'll be tuning into the Royal Rumble and probably watch the Road to Wrestlemania with more regularity than usual. I also have tickets to Raw in London in April.

WWE is odd, although I largely don't like the product they offer me these days, it will always be a part of me and I'll never fully be able to turn it off.

 

[TDFG]

WrestleMania 9 was my first, before that I had WCW Worldwide or whatever was shown on a Thursday Night/Saturday afternoon repeat on ITV.

I'm still a wrestling fan, always will be a wrestling fan, I'd imagine even 10 years from now when I hit 50 I'll still be on youtube watching WCW & WWF classics.

I haven't been a full-time fan for near 8 years now, but something just keeps drawing me back in to watching the big ppv's. I watch wrestling programming with the fast-forward ready or the channel turner button ready and waiting, but it's something that I'll probably never turn my back on, and I don't care what anyone thinks of wrestling or wrestling fans.

It's been a big part of my life and I will always be a pro-wrestling supporter.

 

[BattleCat]

Great thread!

I am now 36 and have been a fan since 1986. WWF was the world to me. I don't remember how I was introduced to it. I liked He-Man back then and maybe that was ending and WWF was the next line of toys in the Sears catalog, haha I'm not sure. But I collected all of the LJN wrestlers, had the WWF board game and I watched every Saturday morning. My mom got me the WWF Magazine on my first ever sick day from school--Miss Elizabeth was on the cover (Oct/Nov 1986 I believe--they were bi-monthly back then)--and had the WWF Magazine subscription for years afterward. It was a great time to be a fan, as all of the PPVs debuted back then. I went to live events at the Meadowlands, including SummerSlam 89, and remember being so exicted when videotapes would come out to be rented. I remember renting Survivor Series 87, returning it and renting the Piledriver Music Video tape. I also had Piledriver and the original Wrestling Album on vinyl...still do! Actually, I just won a $25 Amazon gift card at work. I used it to buy Survivor Series 87-91 on DVD. I'll enjoy that walk down memory lane!

Around 1992, Hogan was pretty much out of the picture and although he was never my favorite wrestler (I preferred Hillbilly Jim or Junkyard Dog--much like I preferred other heroes instead of He-Man--because I never wanted to like who EVERYONE else liked. Big Jake the Snake Roberts fan too...and I may have been the only person to order a Hercules t-shirt from the catalog in the magazine. haha!) Anyway, at that point, wrestling became more of a habit than a passion. Almost immediately after that, the New Generation came along and I couldn't care less--I was gone. I'd maybe watch Raw, but only if nothing else was on. I then started to watch Nitro in high school. This was before the Monday Night Wars, but once those wars started, I was back to watching both and, due to my cherished childhood memories, found myself rooting for WWF--even though Nitro was the superior program at the time. Eventually, WWF won the "wars"...

...and wrestling fans lost the war. Without competition, WWE (ugh, it will always be WWF to me) let their product deteriorate. Granted, I am not a big fan now. And honestly, I don't want to be a fan again--I had my time. But, I would love WWE to either commit to PG and kids, or pander to the IWC...not both!

I don't mind PG. Yes, I loved the Attitude Era. I loved the violence, I loved the women...I loved it all. But, it in no way compares to how I LOVED my childhood watching family-friendly superstars like Koko B. Ware, the Killer Bees, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and the Bushwhackers. They had a firm place in that era and they were beloved. No, they didn't win titles--but that was ok. Because they didn't need them.

I can go on another rant on how belts are ornaments these days and not valuable titles. But, this is about us former fans. I absolutely love and cherish my memories as a kid being a WWF fan. I would love kids today to have a chance to love it the way I did.

Maybe "WWE" crumbling and other new federations starting would allow that to happen. Until then, it will be the same matches over and over, forgotten angles (the Bellas just suddenly stop hating each other, the anonymous GM is just gone....yep, I keep an eye on the current product, but it is dreadful.)

Thank you, WWF! Now drop dead, WWE..

 

[Alabama Slam]

I can understand the sentiment, as I have been a wrestling fan for over 40 years. I remember Bruno Sammartino, Black Jack Mulligan, Ken Patera, Mil Mascaras, Victor Rivera and others, such as Paul Jones, Wahoo McDaniel and Greg Valentine and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, and I must sadly say that the product is not as good now. I guess I am a product of a different time. Whereas I have the greatest respect for today's performers, such as John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler and others, the product, as the time in which we live, has changed. I, too, have become bogged down in the seemingly same storylines being played out week after week, and do not let me start on the value of the championship belts!! A long time ago (smile) having a belt meant something, as the characters, heel or face, were developed with time and meant something; fans more easily identified with them, but now, they are more performers who could switch sides at a moment's notice, with no buildup or reason. Yes, the product has indeed changed, but what has not? I guess for us "old school" fans, the time does come to move on, and sadly, I am one of them. I do not watch wrestling that often anymore; I just read the spoilers mostly, just to keep up with some of my current favorites, but that one hero against the evil machine story has simply played out for me.

 

[baufan2025]

I am 30 years old and started watching when I was 5. I loved the gimmicks back then as a small child and the larger than life characters sucked me in. As I grew the product grew with me and by the time I was a teenager I was enjoying the amazing NWO, DX, and Stonecold Steve Austin vs the boss. I would watch Nitro religiously and tape Raw. I couldn't get enough of wrestling and I still love playing the TEW games and booking my own shows. But about 6 years ago something happened. The product became boring, the characters became forced, and the booking became sitcom tv terrible. I might watch two or three Raws a year now and I mainly just read the results to keep up on whats happening. WWE just doesn't do anything for me anymore and I find more joy out of going to local high schools and community centers and watching the old guys wrestle. Awesome Mike Jackson, Bullet Bob Armstrong and his boys, and even Buff Bagwell shows up every once in awhile. Those shows are far more entertaining to me than the last Raw I went to which was the Ultimate Warrior Remembrance show. WWE is just too corporate now and they have an attitude of "You're going to like what we want you to and we don't care if you don't" They just don't care about the fans anymore.

 

[The Warlord]

That post by the OP put me in the twilight zone. Very weird shit. (In a good way)

Im 34, also have a son...and have been phasing out slowly from the product. But the really weird part was him saying his first event was the 1988 Royal Rumble. My first event that got me hooked was a year later, 1989 Rumble.

So much of what he said is exactly how Ive been feeling for years.

I think pro wrestling for people who are in their mid 30's today, well it was extra special for us. During the cartoon era in the late 80s we were kids. The attitude era during our high school years...we could relate to it all. We grew up with the product but now it had come full circle...to pass on to our kids.

Best post Ive read all year. To say I agree 100% would be a huge understatement.

Cheers...I may be following you soon as My interest is hanging on by a thread. But I cant leave yet...not at the start of Mania season..

 

[Celtic Tiger]

Man such a crazy statement that makes me look at my own wrestling life span..it's crazy but I kind of agree in little ways...
My 1st wrestling experience,was the '92 royal rumble and in my mind the best there ever was,and way great as a kid and stoped watching '96..but by late '97 I started again and that was it,HOOKED on it,and stayed hooked up till wrestlemania 22,and since then I have been a coward fan,a fan that still watches and gives out and will still come crazy from Dec-April every year for wrestlemania season,afterwards just drift off keeping in touch with the programming just to keep up to date..


I am not the only one,and at 29yrs old it's tough cause we lived through the golden era,the attitude ere,the god dam MONDAY NIGHT WARS....I understand that aloy of us long for the good times to come back,but the transition will see better time to come..us fans that have been through it all should never turn out backs on this crazy business of wrestling but wait and see wats next in store for us..

 

[wrestler36]

I am 33 too and totally understand how you feel; however, if you happen to see this, you can still be a part of 'the wrestling family' without committing as much time as you think you have to. I too don't watch all that much, but every week I do skim through results of the matches, which takes all but two minutes. From there, you can decipher which storylines are interesting and timeworthy. If something catches your attention, for example, youtube that storyline on the WWE page because they do a good job of cutting down the videos into 3-4 minute chunks.

I also feel that people tend to focus on the negative that WWE has to offer. There is so much cool stuff that does happen though. For example, just the last year alone:

1) Batista returns to what was expected to be a huge ovation, only to be trolled by fans because they want to see Daniel Bryan at the top

2) Reigns having a huge push at the Royal Rumble and now probably being pushed to main event status. Granted a lot of people don't think he's ready, but WWE is making a huge effort to push newer, younger talent.

3) The Shield breaking up and creating 3 main event caliber stars. We saw Ambrose and Rollins main event HIAC and like I said, it looks like Reigns is on his way up.

4) Ziggler wins Survivor Series Main Event with the help from Sting. Fans love Ziggler and finally, WWE is taking notice and doing something about it.

I can go on and on. Cena getting destroyed at Summerslam, etc. But the fact is, there is alot of cool stuff going on and you just have to find a way to pick and choose what you like to watch

 

[Gotahn]

Wow... I can't believe I'm posting on this as well. I am 30 and I believe I am in the minority here. I have been watching since as long as I can remember. I remember Undertaker putting an announcer in a body bag after tombstoning him. ( Can't remember his name, though). But The product has taken a down turn after the AE. Sure we don't have The Jabroni beating, pie eating.... you know the rest. Or the scenes when Catcus Jack, Mankind, and Dude Love all showed up on the Titontron at the same time.. Still have chills from that one. But this is a new generation we have and i find myself wanting to turn it off so badly and move on with my life... but i can't. I have to admit it, I am a die hard, never leave, WWE fan. I have been all my life I think the WWE Network was a great idea because I can live those moments I did before.

Having said that, some of the things that are happening now that get ion people's nerves ( Stars only having 5 moves, A lot of talk and No Wrestling ) happened back then as well. I don't think the WWE will ever get back to what it was before. I do think us Old schoolers need to evolve and understand that times are changing. WWE is like technology in my mind. I remember my Grandfather saying he will never buy an IPhone because back in his day people talked to each other face to face and didn't need text messaging or Facebook. After all of that fighting, he finally bought one and can't pout it down. I know it is tough guys, but our kids enjoy it and that is what matters, and if they are smiling, then we should too. I am sure my parents hated the AE but they saw I loved it so they smiled and enjoyed it with me. Now is our time to sit back and let the new generation enjoy.

Hope this makes sense, sorry I'm in the Air Force too and I'm trying to get this in before work starts!

 

[BaconBits]

I'm 37, and have been watching since I discovered AWA on ESPN sometime in the early to mid eighties. Within a couple months of that, I also found NWA, which turned into WCW on TBS Saturday mornings. I knew WWF existed, and occasionally watched the Saturday morning programs and always caught SNME, but I wasn't really a WWF fan, per se.

I always paid more attention to WCW and ECW on public access at three o'clock in the morning, but kept up on what was going on over in WWF when I could. I was a little turned off when Hogan turned up in WCW and took a little break from wrestling. I happened to be flipping through channels on a random Monday night a little while later and noticed the NWO on WCW, and I found it interesting, so I continued watching. Goldberg happened a little while later, and I was a huge fan. When the streak was over and the programming became ridiculously stupid I took another little break from wrestling.

Some time later, I started watching again and within a month or so, Shane McMahon showed up on Nitro, and the end of WCW happened.

I was bummed, but I switched over to WWE and started watching RAW, I lasted a year or two, and became very bored by Evolution, so I took another break, but this one was longer. Much longer. I didn't watch another wrestling program until 2006 or so. I stuck around till 08ish and got bored by it again, so I took another break.

I came back in 2011 when The Rock came back, and have been watching since. I actually like the current product. If I start not liking it any more, I will probably take another break.

 

[realoldskoolfan]

I'm a lot like the OP. Rarely if ever post here but enjoying reading others. I am 40 and have been watching wrestling since I was 4 or 5. Grew up on the AWA, then moved onto World Class from Texas, the NWA, Mid South/UWF, Memphis etc etc.
I completely get where you are coming from. I think us older fans who have been around the block with wrestling just don't connect to todays product or find it unwatchable for whatever reason. Its just the same recycled things over and over IMO. Authority figure keeps the heroes down, heroes fight back, the token superman of the era who fights all evil blah blah blah blah
As somebody else stated earlier, putting all the competition out of business might have been a good thing for Vince, but turned into a real awful thing for the fans and the industry as a whole.

 

[JBM]

I don't have a problem with the product as a whole, it's just not for me anymore. Someone made mention of the product coming full circle. That's exactly how I see it. I kinda look at Cena as the new Hogan, maybe Punk or Bryan as the new Macho Man. Wyatt as the new Undertaker. Ziggler as the new Brett Hart/Shawn Michaels. How ever you want to make the comparisons. I just choose this as my exit.

 

[JBM]

I agree with you...I don't feel that same kind of connection I used to. The product is adapting to a younger generation. I don't have the desire to adapt with it.

 

[JBM]

I'm a lot like the OP. Rarely if ever post here but enjoying reading others. I am 40 and have been watching wrestling since I was 4 or 5. Grew up on the AWA, then moved onto World Class from Texas, the NWA, Mid South/UWF, Memphis etc etc.
I completely get where you are coming from. I think us older fans who have been around the block with wrestling just don't connect to todays product or find it unwatchable for whatever reason. Its just the same recycled things over and over IMO. Authority figure keeps the heroes down, heroes fight back, the token superman of the era who fights all evil blah blah blah blah
As somebody else stated earlier, putting all the competition out of business might have been a good thing for Vince, but turned into a real awful thing for the fans and the industry as a whole.

I agree with you...I don't feel that same kind of connection I used to. The product is adapting to a younger generation. I don't have the desire to adapt with it.