The Loyalty of the Wrestling Fan

[IrishCanadian25]

Let's get one thing out in the open before anything else. Fans of professional wrestling are loyal to a fault, almost to the point of stupidity. I don't expect people to get all offended by that, since I include myself in that category as well. The fact is, Professional Wrestling has kicked its fans in the face more times that can be counted, and we still come back for more each and every week. Every Monday Night, the RAW bell gets rung and like Pavlov's Dogs we come to the table, salivating.

Here's a partial list of the egregious sins pro wrestling has committed in recent memory: Mae Young gives birth to a hand, Vince McMahon pulls Jim Rosses "head out of his ass," HHH rapes a corpse, The "Kiss My Ass Club," David Arquette holding the championship Ric Flair made famous, Hogan vs Warrior @ Halloween Havoc, The Montreal Screwjob, Wrestlemania 13 (Austin / Hart aside), Mae Young flashing her chest on PPV, Steve Austin no-shows a pay-per-view, "The Condemned," the XFL, and of course, "The Wellness Policy."

If many of the other professional sports had pimp slapped its fans the way wrestling does its fans on a weekly basis, there'd be little left to manage. Pro Wrestling gets away with it. Now we learn that, after telling us about drug testing and wellness, WWE is better at turning a blind eye to illegality than Bud Selig is. Putting over Bobby Lashley and Batista a few days after Chris Benoit's home is raided for ridiculous amounts of steroids.

So what I want to know is, what makes you loyal to professional wrestling? Why do you put up with the kicks in the face? What would it take to make you turn off the TV and just say "enough?"

 

[RVDgurl]

This is a crazy question and I don't know if I can clearly explain my answer to it. I think you make a very valid point and I admit to being loyal to the shady business of profession wrestling as much as the next person. I am going to single out the WWE here for my reasons simply because they are the the most widely known wrestling company.
I have been telling myself that as soon as RVD and Sabu were gone from WWECW I would never watch it again. Of course, I have still tuned in at 10pm on Tuesday nights simply because of the "what if" factor.
I think as a fan it's difficult to say "enough is enough" because of the stupid shit that Vince McMahon pulls. For all the storyline failures, lies and farces (Wellness policy?) that the WWE has, there are some really great moments. I am always afraid of what I might miss if I turn the channel. In the midst of Mae Young on all fours barking like a dog, limousines blowing up and guys blown out on steroids there still is a chance that I could witness a truly great wrestling match. And that's why I continue to watch.

 

[LipstickAndBruises]

I have very low expectations for entertainment in general. I guess thats the simple answer.

Nothing so large is good 100% of the time, especially an industry / show...The WWE pushed the envolope in the late 90's and it turned into the Attitude era, a huge sucsess...they gambled and it payed, every storyline is a gamble. I respect the business enough to allow them to push things that dont always work out. Not to mention...people who run this shit are not generally stupid; they set angles / matches / storylines up and they GET a reaction, it may not be a good reaction but look....it gets up talking. Its gets the WWE name on peoples lips. The "omg wtf!!!!" factor is what they feed on sometimes I believe. So in that way it does work. Its also a matter of preference; I thought the Katie Vick thing was funny. The Kiss my ass club was a good way to go for a super hated heel in my opinion. I love the divas who are eye candy and are not great wrestlers.

As far as turning off the TV; I did...near end of the Attitude Era for no real reason and started watching religiously again about a year and a half ago.

GREAT post, interesting questions poised.

 

[Dj Martyn]

To be fair i was very loyal to watching every piece of WWE, WCW and ECW programming i could get my hands on post 1999 and then when it all wents tits up and ECW and WCW folded i lost a bit of interest but still watched WWE, then sometime in mid 2004 i just watched an episode of raw for about an hour and a half and said you know what ....fuck this...this is shit. I only recently started to watch any type of wrestling again about a year and a half ago, i now Religiously check out TNA and ROH events.

I still cant watch any WWE....i read the results and if there is a good review or i see some good booking for a change....i seek the match out on youtube or whatever....but i am gonna be honest....right now i am starting to wonder if WWE will ever gain my interest again, it seems hell bent on screwing its self into the ground.

 

[Shocky]

I read the results for WWE, but never watch it. I've watched two episodes of Raw live in the last two years, and that was just recently. The Draft and the Chris Benoit Memorial, which the latter I kinda wish I could take back. Other then that, I've had enough. I used to buy every pay per view, but this year, I only rent them. The product is so bad I throw 3 dollars a month at it, just to keep up, and to see if I've missed anything.

The WWE is just shit right now, and I've lost my interest in it. All of those bad storylines, plus the fact that they have no actual wrestling anymore has kept me away from the product. I blame the McMahons. As much good as they have done for the business, they are also the cause of many of it's cancers. Steroids, bad story telling, over the top pyro, and shitty wrestling, it's all synonamous with the WWE.

Despite all this, I have found my new outlet. ROH and TNA have provided me with my wrestling fix. ROH has pretty much eliminated all of the bullshit out of wrestling and focuses on the actual wrestlers, shocking I know. And TNA, I've bought everyone one of their pay per views released on DVD this year. Their product is immensely better then the WWE's has been this year. TNA has it's fair share of problems, but then again, they aren't the number one company in the world, so the problems are minimal and fall into the growing pains category.

So for me, I'm done with WWE Live. I peak my head in every once in a while, because despite how bad it is, there is a shit load of young talent that even the WWE can't hold back forever. I know I'll be watching again when some of these young guys step up.

The thing that broke my back this most recent time was the way they treated Christian like Utter-shit. He was out popping Cena on Raw, then he gets fed to him and shipped to Smackdown. With the exception of two Raws in the last month, I haven't watched it. I can't bring myself to watch the show.

 

[wanda jester]

I have watch wrestling sence i was 5yr. that was many years ago. I have been hooked for a long time i watched and never missed a show. Now that they have screwed another great wrestler like Chris Benoit , I just can not sit and watch anymore. I really think the McMahons have really let alot of loyal fans down I know I am one of them.Maybe in time I may check in and see if things have change but i really dont think anything will change. I feel so sad that werstling has gone to hell. Only time will tell!

 

[TheShowzOver]

I just love Wrestling, it's in my blood i guess, i've been a WWE fan for 15 years and i've enjoyed every year. It's basically the only cable show i really watch, other then just sports. I like the wrestling aspect and the entertainment, TNA can't offer both. I'll always stay loyal no matter how many times they kick me in the face, whenever i turn on Raw there is always that what if feeling for me, what if this happens tonight. You don't get that experience anywhere else really

 

[hatehabsforever]

I think RVSGURL said it the best, it's the "what if" factor. Raw could be terrible for weeks on end, and then all of a sudden something happens, and I'd be kicking myself in the ass if I missed it.

For example, I rent most WWE PPV's, or at least I go somewhere and watch them. Then one time back in 1997 I decided to skip the Survivor Series, and lo and behold I missed the infamous Montreal screwjob. I have since seen it many times on video or online or whatever, but that doesn't compare to the shock value of seeing it live.

Likewise, on the risk of sounding a little morbid, I was watching the PPV where Owen Hart tragically died, but before it happened the satellite feed went awry and I missed the accident and subsequent follow-up. Not to say I had any perverse interest in watching the man plunge to his unfortunate death, but still it was a moment in the history of WWE that shouldn't have been missed. Not so much the accident itself, but the decision to continue the show.

In the days before internet spoilers, this was even more the case. Returning wrestlers, debuting (sp?) new wrestlers, etc., was exciting to watch. I remember when Jericho debuted on WWF, even though this was rumoured, I loved watching it live.

When Benoit, Saturn, Guerrero, and Malenko showed up at Raw one night "unexpectedly," would be tremendous if not spoiled. nWo, same thing. Even the limo explosion a few weeks ago, whether you liked this storyline or not, it had some shock value to it, even though everyone over the age of 5 knew it wasn't real. Where would they go with this story?

That's why I watch. Because of what I may miss if I don't. A returning Jericho or RVD, for example. Or something else so unexpected that I can't even think of it to write it in this post.