Old School Wrestling In Today's Age

[Jeff]

Recently I rented The History of the WWE Championship box set off Netflix. Great DVD set if anyone is curious. Anyways, the first disk has all older wrestling matches from the 70's and 80's. Alot of the action was slow but I found myself on the edge of my seat watching it. One thing I noticed watching it was how older wrestling matches just seemed way more realistic. Most of us know what it feels like to get hit or take a big fall and it seems as if in the 70's they really played to that more. If someone was knocked down to the ground it took the a little time to get up. In today's modern age people are getting picked up, thrown on concrete and then get up 15 seconds later like it was nothing. My question to you all is do you think if there was a wrestling promotion that delivered 70's style wrestling, would people watch it or is the age of slower wrestling behind us?

I really don't know the answer to this, reason why I am asking but I know I would watch it personally. I think if they could combine a little of the modern with the little of the older style it would be amazing. What do you guys think?

 

[byrnside]

I myself have wondered this, more specifically in regards to the mid to late 80s style of wrestling.

Here's the thing, I think there's plenty of IWC marks [myself inclfuded] on this board alone that would love to watch a brand like that, if nothing else, then for the nostalgic feel. Whether or not said company would make money, is a tougher question.

I don't really think it would survive simply because wrestling has evolved too much over the last decade into the fast-paced, high-flying, devil may care industry that is today. We're spoiled, for the most part, when it comes to wrestling today. I'm sure most of us can recall the time when Jake the Snake hit the DDT, you knew the match was over. Now a days DDT's are standards in most wrestling matches. If someone with hall of fame potential were to debut next week on RAW and win a match with a DDT against someone who was even, at best, a lower mid-card jobber, we would be disgusted, and that guy would be written off as a failure.

In the same respect, the younger kids, who have grown accustomed to the WWE and even TNA, would be waiting for that fast-paced, hard hitting action. In the old days a chair shot meant someone wasn't on TV for a few weeks. Now, people take chair shots like they're drinking water. I just don't think it would keep the kids attention long enough for them to watch for more than a couple minutes, let alone buy a t-shirt or a pay per view.

Unfortunately, I think the age of slower age of wrestling is behind us.

 

[mayankeagle]

Old school wrestling is good but not many fans would be able to appreciate it today. The reason why wrestling now is not the same is broadly because gimmick has taken over athletic skill. Consider Hogan, for example. He was a good for nothing in wrestling skill but his American working-class hero gimmick was so over with the fans that all wrestlers had to job to him and he used to get up instantly no matter how much beating he took. Very few guys like Undertaker are able to maintain a more serious gimmick as well as show good athletic ability.

 

[joeberg]

The old school style can and does work today. The issue is that guys breaking into the business today don't know how to work that style. Everyone wants to hit 28 finishers, kick out on 2 and then the other guy does 33 finishers. That's what pops the crowd and that's what people look for is that immediate reaction.

Find Tracy Smothers at your local indy show. The guy doesn't do a damn thing for at least the first 5min. of the match but gets more heat from it than the guys that are doin all the highspots and whatnot. Today's workers just need to learn how to pace a match and use some psychology.