The Future of Pro Wrestling

[goodlay]

Ya know, I've been thinking a lot lately about the state of pro wrestling. This thread isn't about if WWE or TNA is better, or how one sucks and one is good. This is about pro wrestling as a whole.

Many people say that modern pro wrestling sucks, but I don't really agree with that. That could be a topic of discussion here, but I feel it will just be taken over with nostalgic memories of how old wrestling is better. Which is completely possible, especially with most people's enhanced memories of stuff like the Attitude Era and such. But anyways, this is more concerned with main questions involving pro wrestling's popularity and if it will ever see the day of light in the mainstream again, the possible death of pro wrestling, and where you see the art of pro wrestling in 15-20 years.

Personally I don't think we will see pro wrestling as a mainstream hit ever again. Maybe im a cynical bastard and I have been reading too many of Tenta's posts but hear me out : Think about the two booms of pro wrestling - 1. The 80's Boom and 2. Attitude Era/Monday Night Wars.

The 80's were largely popular from guys like Hogan of course, but mainly because this was something the masses had never seen before. It was entertainment like nothing before it. Hell, Wrestlemania used to be one of the bigger mainstream entertainment events of the year, and the whole nation would cover it

Then think about the Attitude Era/Monday Night Wars. Once again, this was something that had never been seen before. It changed everything you knew and thought about pro wrestling. It brought in a whole new demographic and fan base. Like the 80's, it was popular due to stars like Austin and Rock, but it was shock TV, which was huge in the 90's but again, it was something new and innovative people hadn't seen.

Im kind of getting off topic here, but mainly what im trying to say is that I don't really think pro wrestling can have another revolution. I mean, what else can they do? The Attitude Era was really the last big bang for pro wrestling imo, but I hope im wrong. I don't really see it dieing anytime soon though, because the fanbase is too loyal. I think it will just slowly fade out eventually, kind of how boxing is doing right now due to UFC pretty much murdering it by itself.

So mainly what im asking here is : Where do you see pro wrestling in 15-20 years? And will pro wrestling ever be cool again? Will it ever die?

Probably not a very original thread idea, as im sure it's been done plenty before, but I've been thinking about it lately and im curious as to what you guys think.

 

[Hawkeye]

I don't want to say pro wrestling would die,because it won't.Despite it's fall in popularity since the Attitude Era,the WWE still has a devout fanbase that won't let it die,coupled with a casual audience(believe it or not). I think more than anything it's become a guilty pleasure to most and it'll probably stay that way.I believe that even though it's not in mainstream limelight,it's still a cornerstone in modern culture.Networks are willing to pay billions to pick these shows up year after year,and I don't think they would be doing that if they didn't believe it was worth it.

15-20 years down the line,I honestly can't see that far,because they do have a responsibilty to the kids(and us to a certain extent) to put on a respectable classy product.I would like to see some better trash talking,but as far as a the blood and everything goes,i think it's unnecessary. I think without the gory theatrics,it looks more like a sport than a sideshow,and that's what people tune in to see nowadays is the athleticism.So I think some minor tweaking might come about,but other than that,I think we'll be watching generally the same type of product,albeit with a whole new cast of characters.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Pro-wrestling works in waves – peaks and valleys, really – always has, and always will if history is to teach us anything.

I'd imagine despite the "respectable" audience they're pulling right now that most would consider this a valley compared to the massive numbers the industry was pulling back when the WCW and WWF were going head-to-head, and as a result of this valley, the only place to go is up. Hard to say if it'll be today, tomorrow or next year, but eventually things will up-swing again, just as they always do.

Pro-wrestling will never die.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

There's an interesting trend in wrestling today, and it's caused by sites like Wrestlezone in my opinion. The phrase "kayfab is dead" is pretty accurate from what I can tell. Sure there's a huge amount of kids who just watch because it's the WWE product, and those fans will always be around. But over the last couple of years the fans have gotten "smarter", people have become more critical, and indy wrestling is on a rise in popularity. I don't know where pro wrestling is going, but I agree that I don't think it's going to hit mainstream again. I mean, right now guys like Cena do a good job of pumping the product into the hands of younger kids and people who have never seen wrestling before. But people don't just sit back and watch the stories now. They're all of us who judge everything that goes on, analyzes up against real life, and make predictions of where things are going by mixing together a knowledge of the past and our hopes and dreams for the future. We just don't sit around and watch the show any more. I cannot just watch wrestling anymore. I have to analyze a the moves, the psychology, and the promos...and I'm not even a worker in the industry.

I really think that newer tendency comes from a few forms of media. We have sites and forums like this that allow us to communicate about every single angle imaginable. The WZ home site gives us all sorts of juicy behind the scenes information, and generally before a broadcast starts we know most of what to expect from the program. I also think media coverage and judgement about things like Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, etc. have lead to the awakening that there's a real world going on behind the scenes. I honestly don't know where pro wrestling is going, but I don't think we as the "smart" fans are going to slow down, and I don't see the WWE product getting any more adult oriented any time soon. They'll follow whatever market will get them the most money, as they should. And I see TNA slowly adapting to the WWE format. That's controversial, but I think when Hogan came in and said "I'm going to teach you how to be legit" that meant getting a four sided ring, getting rid of gimmicks, bringing in history, and...slowing down the action and working on psychology. TNA used to be pure spotfest action that was definitely exciting...but now it's starting to slow down to make way for character and match psychology. There's still great athletes like MCMG that do crazy shit, but it's few-and-far between from what it used to be. I see TNA slowly forming into what it wishes it could be...WWE. UNLESS they can get Heyman, which isn't going to happen. Then they'll go in the opposite direction and re-invent something unique. Now, ROH is getting a lot more popular. Just look at the recent ring set-up and recordings. It's a lot more polished, they are on a network...even if it's HDnet it's still something. The new-ish aprons and the small thigns that make it look professional are nice touches. WWE is starting to take note of ROH and other indy circuits, and is starting to actually use their talent. FCW will continue doing exactly what it's been doing since it started. It's WWE Jr.

So, TNA, WWE, FCW, ROH...that's pretty much, in my opinion, the large majority of relevant pro wrestling. Even in the next 2 or 3 years, look for ROH to grow, WWE to stay more or less the same, and TNA to start slowly evolving into the E.

 

[Ferbian]

I couldn't possibly tell where wrestling would be in 15-20 years. There's a lot of things that changes in 15-20 years. Let's remember that the Monday Night Wars is barely 15 years ago and a new promotion in TNA has surfaced.

Because of all these changes. And them happening rather quickly. I mean I believe the majority of people in the "World Cup" thread Lee made in the WWE section said even 4 years is a long time. And it's true. Therefore 15-20 years is a tough thing to predict.

However I don't believe wrestling will ever truly die. It will always be around because while some may argue that wrestling's popularity is slowly fading. There's still life in the fans. There's still money to be made in the business. And that will remain to be true in 10, 15, 20 maybe 50 years.

Like IDR so brilliantly said. Wrestling has it's ups and downs. in 91-92 wrestling were nowhere near it's high point. WWE remained like that until 97 where it peaked like nothing else. Then it died down a little bit again. And now it's doing pretty well again.

So it's all about changing with the times. Creating new talents to keep the product interesting. And then I seriously doubt there'll be anything stopping wrestling from living on.

 

[Next Jericho]

If you want to know where pro wrestling will be in 15-20 years then go look at FCW talent roster and anyone that is under 30s and indys shows where you will find the stars.
the link to fcw roster http://www.fcwwrestling.info/talent.html

Will pro wrestling ever be cool again depends what point of view you have of 'cool' where it could be a big bunch of kids wacth it and its cool or when wrestling heels finally take over. It totally depends what you think cool is.

Will pro wrestling ever die my answer comes from a famous quote it might be about boxing but its the same meaning 'As long as there is men betting there are men fighting and as long as there fighting Wrestling will always be around' if you don't understand the quote it means that wrestling will never die.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's ironic that many people dismiss pro wrestling from their entertainment choices because it's "fake," as if all the police shows, action series and westerns they watch aren't fake, too. Yet, despite it all, the wrestling industry marches on.

In the 1950's and 1960's, it was fat, out of shape men doing some effective mat wrestling. By today's standards it looked dull, yet wrestling had a solid fan base.

In the 1970's, weekly TV programming consisted of a star going up against a jobber......even in the main event. If you wanted to see stars fight each other, you had to go to the nearest arena and buy a ticket. It sounds boring as hell, yet they had an amazing following.

By the 1980's, we had the "entertainment" era with cartoon characters like Hogan and Savage and a new revolution that no one could have foreseen had sprung into being. Pay-per-views joined the arena shows as the chief source of revenue. Merchandising sprung into being.

In the 1990's and early into the new century came the Attitude Era. We talk about that period now as if it was inevitable, but it wasn't. It was Vince McMahon who revolutionized the industry. This time, he did it to defend his own empire from crumbling under the pressure of the free-spending WCW.

After each era, we read questions about whether wrestling will survive. Despite the ranting of bitter old men like Bruno Sammartino, it always does. He says he stays away from WWE because of "what it's done to wrestling." Well, I say that without Vince McMahon, Bruno might have seen his precious sport disappear from the face of the Earth by now.

It always amuses me to read forums like this one and see people asking; "Who's better......McMahon or Bischoff?".....or other silly questions like that. It's McMahon and has always been McMahon. Vince created....everyone else followed.

True, wrestling won't last forever in the same form it's in now, but the main power base of the sport is still located in Stamford, Connecticut. Whether it's Vince or his children, the future of wrestling will be determined from the Titan Towers.

You can credit Vince McMahon Jr. for all this. He took over a successful wrestling promotion from his Father and made it into an empire. Had he not done this, I seriously wonder what would have happened to pro wrestling. Maybe it would have died. But it has a devoted following that people might be able to appreciate (or marvel at) if they stop thinking of it as "fake." The matches are fake but the industry is very real. It's not going down.

We don't know what form the next revolution will take, any more than we could have foreseen the changes that went before. But it's coming and the McMahons' will see that it arrives.

 

[Remy LaCroix]

Who knows. There needs to be a wrestler who can break into the mainstream in order for it to be "cool" again -- depends who, really. Wrestling will definitely still be around, but it'll be difficult seeing as how the potential fan knows it's fake and already see it in a negative light. Not negative like the Benoit situation, but being staged.

Also, since WWE (even WWF) is seen as synonymous to wrestling, it'll be difficult for indy promotions to get a larger fanbase. That doesn't mean there won't be more promotions in the future, but who knows if people will even be interested in 'em or hear about 'em. Won't happen until people are informed. And it doesn't kill to get a small tv deal. I actually believe there is hope for regional territories to resurrect from the dead. How do you think a few indy promotions got their fans in the first place? Well, maybe it might flop, but it won't hurt to try.