We Are NOT Heading Into The Reality Era

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Since Punk's shoot promo I've seen people talking about a "Reality Era" and how everything will now be more realistic blah blah blah. Really? Really?? You want wrestling to be more realistic? Wrestling is kayfabe, it's a script. Just beacause of a shoot promo, everyone must start talking real? Breaking the fourth wall?
Yeah, wrestling's not 100% kayfabe anymore, but we shouldn't destroy that small percent of kayfability left.
If I wanted something real, I'd watch UFC, not WWE.
Being a generic type of guy and just trying to be realistic doesn't get you over. It makes you the same with the audience watching. Yes, Austin and Rock sounded realistic, didn't work as machines, but still, they had a kayfabe character.
Kayfabe is the word what describes wrestling, not reality.

Just my opinion. Open in listening yours.

 

[gwarren]

I don't have a problem with your opening post, because you sum up what were all thinking. However, your thread title is wrong. Unfortunately for you, things like Dolph Ziggler's #HEEL trunks and jacket and Punks shoot promo(s) will become more common as more IWC fans appear.

 

[Justin Satiable]

Personally, I detest shoots. At the time they seem all magical and brilliant, but then it starts to take it away from the product. Wrestling shouldn't be "real", because it isn't, it's a TV show. If Ed Norton suddenly burst out in the middle of Fight Club that the director was holding him down and that Brad Pitt was seen as the best and got all the best opportunities, it would have been interesting, but it would have killed the film.

Take a look at Russo in WCW. I don't even feel like I need to give an example, since every fucking thing with Russo was a worked shoot. Tailoring to the kind of fans that want a "reality era" isn't good for the product. Improving the product as what it SHOULD be would be good for the product.

 

[The Hardcore Kid]

If Ed Norton suddenly burst out in the middle of Fight Club that the director was holding him down and that Brad Pitt was seen as the best and got all the best opportunities, it would have been interesting, but it would have killed the film.

It also wouldn't make any sense. Movies are MUCH different from wrestling. One of the things that makes wrestling so different and fun is how much it blurs the line between reality and fiction. In a world where wrestling is known by just about everyone who watches it to be scripted, the best way to do this is with "shoots" and the like.

I agree it takes away from the product if done too much. But it can also tell a story, very well too might I add. Punk's shoot made PERFECT sense in the terms of the storyline. A disgruntled worker who was walking away and wanted to cause as much chaos as possible on his way out. What's wrong with that?

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Despite his famous shoot promo and the first few months after it ... a lot of Punk's promos are pretty "kayfabeish". Despite some lack luster feuds, Punk has done a good job with them. He had one great shoot promo and it was great and, while agree it should not happen often, its great once in a while for a promo to wink at the audience. Heck Triple H and Shawn Michaels have been doing it once in a while over the last few years. No one's complaining about that right?

 

[akrassikauda]

Heck Triple H and Shawn Michaels have been doing it once in a while over the last few years. No one's complaining about that right?

You mean the time DX was in the ring and HHH mentioned the run sheet.

I like this new era but I wouldn't call it reality because they are still in PG and the new leader of it CM Punk has said the PG rating is a good thing. The kayfabe talk is still good it's used for those not in the know about the business you know people who don't go read dirt sheets. Let's not always break it we need that line in our minds if what we have seen is real or completely staged like when someone gets injured. Unless we see someone throw up the X immediately do we honestly know if it's legit that's the element that's good not knowing. Look at what happened to Serena, she broke kayfabe she got fired. Look at Nexus they kept kayfabe going wearing the armband in public even for a guy like Otunga who had to wear that damn thing everywhere and everytime him and Jennifer Hudson were photo'd together during that storyline.

Staying in kayfabe is good because when you break it under the right circumstances it will come off good like the Punk promo.

 

[KAiN]

I agree with the OP, because imo the wrestling product should all be about good technical wrestling bouts wraped around good, intriguing storylines. I shouldn't care much about the "realness" or backstage involvment of storylines.
The wrestling TV product should be all about entertainment and good sport.

 

[kokoBawesome]

you can say we aren't headed into the "reality era", but for the record, you're not a McMahon. Whatever this era might be remembered as by future generations isn't up to us. It doesn't have to mean wrestling is completely portrayed as real and every storyline is going to be some behind the scenes wink and nod, but if all we have is wrestlers using the first name/ last name format, people with actual skill are going to become champions, and the new big star in the game got where he his by speaking his mind all the time.... if there is going to be a reality era your watching it happen.

If this isn't going to be remembered as the reality era, than why do i come across someone referring to it as such every day?

 

[Best in the World 79]

I agree. Kayfabe is dying and it's terrible. What happened to the characters? It's all becoming "reality" first and last name bullshit. There's not many REAL gimmicks anymore. wrestling is just in a low part. it takes alot more than a big wrestlmania or a few big stars coming back for one match or a short time.

all in all. cena sucks

 

[Nada]

Well you are right but not in the way you think

The reality "era" lasted all about 3 weeks, before WWE pulled the stops on it, we are back to square one now, CM Punk is just a "character" he is no longer himself. Basically a fourth wall was introduced to Raw, somebody was actually saying things people in the crowd and at home were thinking. Its amazing that you get over so much by simply slanting Vince, WWE, Stephanie and Hunter, isent that saying something?

Would you get over if you slammed WWF, Vince, Austin in 1998? I doubt it, it kinda shows what the fans generally think, WWE knows we hate Cole, Cena, so sometimes they tease things but pull back.

WWE simply allowed Punk to go far enough for a short stint so that he would gain more fans and then pulled him back, and before you know it he was giggling on Raw begging Hunter if he could wear his Armani suit.

The only era we are in, is the "Same Old ****" era that fans are sick of, not even Cena kids care much these days when you look at the rating.

WWE is again doing a "bait and switch", with Cena "questioning himself" and they are teasing a heel turn which will not happen, they sometimes do this but immediatly pull back and it makes fans say "OMG NEW ERA!"

Nexus was pretty edgy comapred to the rest of WWE when it happened, and fans were quick to say that a new Era was about to begin, yet they simply pulled it back, same with Punk and same with this Kane Hate Cena bussiness.

Its like they know what fans want, but always chicken out of it, its not the old WWF that took risks, that sometimes failed, but when they succeeded it made them ton of money

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

It's simple. Wrestling is about telling a story. The stories will become more "real" since more people are tuned into behind the scenes stuff. There's an unprecedented level of access and information now. We won't see something like The Undertaker again in the WWE (at least anything new like that), but we will see more of the realistic stuff like Ziggler's #heel trunks mentioned above.

Real? No. Realistic? Yes.

 

[Cosmic Hate]

All the smarks love to drool over subtle backstage references and being pandered to, but this reality era crap is stupid.

I want kayfabe. I miss the Attitude Era and the 80s where kayfabe was NEVER TO BE BROKEN. It's pretty piss poor to have your audience rely on dirtsheets and news coming out of Wrestlezone concerning backstage politics to get the story.

Screw smarks, I'll always prefer the mark way of looking at things. I don't have to complain all the time and not give something the time to develop and play out.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I agree that I miss the kayfabe days. I remember I used to wonder how guys like Taker, Kane and Mankind were in real life. I just couldn't imagine them being normal people. I couldn't imagine someone like Kane buying groceries or Taker hanging out at home watching TV. They made their characters seem believable for the most part. I thought mankind was crazy and believed that he hung out in boiler rooms at arenas. Even when I knew wrestling was fake I couldn't imagine someone like Kane in real life and would have been scared of him, if I saw him. If some other wrestler called Kane Glenn, and talked about his personal life, it would take a lot away from his character IMO.
To me, using behind the scenes info and breaking Kayfabe is just a cheap way to get a pop. It's even cheaper when you have to announce that you're breaking the 4th wall.