Seeing wrestling through a kid's eyes

[hardmick33]

First I'd like to provide some background. I'm 28 and I have been a WWE fan since I was 5. Today, I find myself not nearly as enthralled with the product as I have been in the past. Although I feel it's getting much better than it has been since Austin and Rock left, I still feel there is much improvement that needs to be made. Many in the IWC blame this trend on the PG rating of the shows and many blame the John Cena "superhero" status, and to a point I agree. We don't see the crazy things we did during the Attitude Era and at times I do miss it, but a very short segment on RAW tonight made me jump on the bandwagon and made me appreciate what is happening.

Did anyone see the backstage segment with Hatton, his son and Cena? It honestly gave me chills. That kid was so incredibly happy. Do you remember being that young and the heroes you had in wrestling? Whether it be Hogan, Warrior, Savage, Bret, Shawn, on and on and on... I saw the excitement in that kid's face when he got to meet his in ring hero and I couldn't help but think how cool it would have been to meet Hogan when I was his age. Back then it didn't matter to me that he was made out to be an "immortal". It didn't matter that other hard working and very deserving heels were not given the title reigns that they absolutely deserved. I wanted Hogan to win, and every time it happened I cheered.

We've all become so selfish in what we want out of wrestling, and to a point it makes complete sense. We've seen the Attitude Era, we know what can be done in the ring and the crazy/enjoyable things that can happen. However, if it were always like that we would have missed out on some of the greatest days in wrestling. What if Hogan had to lose his title to Dibiase or Piper? Would he have had that same "Immortal" feel to him had this happened? Children see this product differently and it seems to me like the WWE would be much more likely to try to make them happy being that they are not critical of every little move that is made.

What I'm trying to say is that maybe it's time to take a step back and enjoy wrestling for what we used to enjoy it for. We didn't care about someone losing and "looking weak" for the next show. It's just a fun show to watch and maybe children are the only ones left that really understand that.

Then again maybe I'm just being a naive crazy person, but I know from now on I'll be much happier watching wrestling all week, remembering what made me like it in the first place.

 

[The Gribbler]

I remember those days - but people grow and learn new things as they go along - I wish I could enjoy things the way I did when I was a kid and everything was still new but I can't do that. I can't make every Christmas really exciting because I know exactly whats coming, I get presents, eat too much chicken, and fall asleep.

Wrestling is much the same, I know whats coming, but its the nuances that make it still give you that little flutter in your belly while it is happening.

And there are no nuances in wrestling anymore...

Its all the same.

It sucks, but we aren't children anymore...

Just My Opinion

 

[johnbragg]

Well, I'm a huge nerd, but I didn't buy wrestling as a kid because I could tell it was fake. This was 1980's wrestling where most of the wrestlers didn't make the fighting look real at all--stomping the mat while obviously pulling punches and chops. The guys whose names I had heard looked real, but they were on the same show as nobodies who were clearly faking. I remember thinking, that must be why those guys are the stars--they make it look real.

But I turned it off and went to go play Star Wars outside and didn't look back until the Attitude Era. I started watching in 1998-99 when I was started substitute teaching--second grade boys were calling me Kane and I wanted to figure out if that was a good thing (like, say being Kane) or not (like, say, being Goldust). I was drawn in by the circus, by the cruiserweights, by the run-ins and the promos. When a match started I would flip channels.

But all that's kind of burned out. Maybe wrestling can only be really good for you for two or three or four years and then you've seen everything that's going to really get you excited but you stick around anyway just in case it comes back.

 

[Trill Co$by]

When I was very little, I used to love going to live events and hearing the sound of the other fans cheering for the good guys and screaming at the ref whenever a heel cheated. I used to love watching Jeff Jarret grab his guitar and crack it over someone's head, and the entire crowd going crazy with boos. I used to love watching the good guy get that three count and become a Heavyweight Champion. But it wasn't until I turned 5 when I gained my first two favorite wrestlers.

Bret and Owen Hart. I know, typical right? But you don't get it. What John Cena is today, Bret and Owen were to me. Every event, whether they were good or bad, I was there cheering them on. I don't know what it was that drew me, all I know is that something did. Maybe it was the way they locked in the sharpshooter. Maybe it was the diving elbow that Bret did before he started using the sharpshooter. Or maybe it was their cool shades.

Whatever it was, it was those two that made me realize that wrestling was in my life. And to top it all off, I still have the sunglasses that both Bret and Owen gave me, respectively. I have the Bret Hart DVDs. I have his book, I love it. I have near 50 VHS tapes that have Bret Hart or Owen Hart on there somewhere. I literally am the definition of a mark in terms of Bret and Owen. Hell, to this day, I still go and watch their countless one on one battles against each other... Simply because those two have always been my favorite wrestlers.

And you know, maybe that's why I can never bring myself to completely boo John Cena. Maybe it's the fact that there's still a kid inside me that has that hope to see a face become the champion. Maybe it's the fact that I just love the old story of "The triumphant face conquers the mountains once again!"

Or maybe, it's because I know exactly how those kids in the crowd feel. I know the excitement that the Make a Wish kids feel when they finally meet their favorite wrestler. It's one of those feelings that can't be duplicated, no matter who the others like.

So yeah, maybe hardmick33 has a valid point here. Maybe we shouldn't bash the WWE so much. Maybe we should enter our childhood and get taken in by the drama. I mean, yes we have the knowledge of it being fake now, but come on... 90% or more, of Television is fake, and we still watch it...

In fact, there's not a breathing male alive that doesn't like at least ONE comic book hero.



Holy cow that made me seem like a preacher, lol.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Watching wrestling through a child's eyes is the only way to watch wrestling. I'm 18 now, and I've been watching wrestling ever since I can remember, it's always been in my life. When you watch it critically, you're not going to enjoy it anywhere near as much. I still mark out like I'm 6 years old and my favourite wrestler has just become the WWE champion. Wrestling is for kids. And that's not a reference to the PG era, but rather the nature in which you should watch it to get optimum enjoyment. You can come on WZ and analysis everything you like, but when I'm watching the show that's not what's running through my head.

 

[Trouble in Paradise]

I'm only 14 and I judge wrestling but I also watch it not being serious but I look at people who watch it just to make bad points which when I talk to kids they agree with a lot of things I say when I talk to adults about it their like even bagging HBK for saying what and then saying what again by accident what I am saying here is watch it like your a child because we are lucky to have professional wrestling imagine if all wrestling stopped tomorrow and never came back wouldn't we all not care what it was like but just wanting to enjoy the main aspect of wrestling and that's entertainment for ALL AGES.

 

[Lancer]

I have to agree, kids have a whole different outlook on wrestling, and WWE is smart to realize this, whether we adults agree with it or not. After all, most of us were drawn in by the power of Hulkamania, as children today are fascinated by the Cenation.

I was watching Raw last week, and my friend's 7-year-old cousin was going bonkers for Kofi Kingston and DX, while I was rooting for Randy Orton and JeriShow. I kept it to a minimum though, as to avoid diminishing the effect of his childhood heroes.

In short, WWE markets towards kids, because kids see their heroes and want their merchandise and want to go to the live events. A parent is more inclined to give a small child what he or she wants, as opposed to a 17-year old or older who is supposed to have a job and can afford that stuff themselves...

Innocence and naivety are wonderful things...