What exactly is a "mature" product?

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

For those who don't know what mature means:

1ma·ture
adj \mə-ˈtu̇r, -ˈtyu̇r also -ˈchu̇r\
ma·tur·er ma·tur·est
Definition of MATURE

1
: based on slow careful consideration <a mature judgment>
2
a (1) : having completed natural growth and development : ripe (2) : having undergone maturation b : having attained a final or desired state <mature wine> c : having achieved a low but stable growth rate <paper is a mature industry> d : of, relating to, or being an older adult : elderly <airline discounts for mature travelers>
3
a : of or relating to a condition of full development b : characteristic of or suitable to a mature individual <mature outlook> <a show with mature content>
4
: due for payment <a mature loan>
5
: belonging to the middle portion of a cycle of erosion

From Merriam-Webster


Ok. Not trying to be a joker or anything.. But alot keeps bringing up how Vince needs to go back to a "mature" product or that TNA is a "mature" product. But can someone please tell me what the hell is a "mature wrestling product" is?

The main storyline on Raw is:

Wade Barrett has been toying with Cena's emotions for months. The crowds have reacted very positively to this angle. Personally, I loved the "Never give up!" chants. When the crowd chanted that, it felt magical. From laughing in his face to telling him to step aside so Wade can get the spotlight, any dastardly thing Wade can do to Cena short of sodomy, Wade has done. Now, this Sunday, Cena is DONE taking orders from Wade Barrett and promises to give Wade a new face after the match. Now the real story is only beginning..

Umm.. How is does that not have adult themes to it? There's more to being a grown up than wanting to see tits and blood all the time. lol




I don't keep up with TNA. So, if someone wants to respond with what the main storyline is, I will add it to this post.

 

[Arkham Noir]

I think it's less the concepts themselves that people complain about but more the way it is carried out.Somethings about Cena are a little on the campy side as an example, but the storyline he is in isn't.

To be honest, I wouldn't mind if they could use some foul language just to add emphasis, but not what most people seem to want. IE; the attitude era. But you are absolutly on point about the storylines in WWE. They are all mature stories with depth that garner unfair criticism from many.With the obvious exception of hornswoggle

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm glad this thread was made. I'd been planning on starting it but it just always slipped my mind.

I keep hearing garbage on how TNA has a more "mature" product than the WWE. When you look at TNA, some of the stuff that they have going on is every bit as "immature" as some stuff in WWE. Do I really need to mention all the stuff that went on and still goes in with Abyss? How about Robbie E & Cookie? A gimmick based on arguably the worst television show on the air filled with some of the biggest tools you can imagine?

When you say "mature", the idea that most of the IWC has is simply cursing and having blood in your matches. That's it. That's what the IWC views as being a mature product. Nevermind whether or not either of those would add anything to the product, they just wanna hear grown ups swearing and see blood. To hear the IWC, you'd think that blood is supposed to be shed in every other match and it's NEVER been the case in WCW, WWE, NWA, TNA, ROH and so on and so forth. We had that a lot in the Attitude Era and it was fun sometimes, but they ignore some of the other stuff. For instance, what's so "mature" about Steve Austin driving a zamboni or a beer truck to the ring? Sure, it was a helluva lot of fun to watch, but that didn't necessarily make it "mature".

 

[DangerousDave]

I don't consider TNA a mature product, rather it is an adult product. I don't think you can call any wrestling organization mature. TNA isn't aimed at kids, they are going for the coveted 18-34 year old demographic. WWE on the other hand likes to appeal to all ages because they are smart enough to know that they will suck the parents into watching with the kids. They also sell a hell of a lot of merchandise to the kiddies. It is just two different approaches to wrestling entertainment.

I like it when Anderson comes to the ring and everyone chants "asshole", I love it when the Knockouts call each other ****s, or when Flair tells someone to grow a pair of balls. Wrestling, which is essentially fighting, is a dirty business and is more realistic and entertaining when some cussing is going on. I don't need to see blood, but on occasion it can add some drama to the match. TNA does go a bit overboard with the blood, if there were less of it it would be more effective when someone does bleed. If you like PG wrestling, have fun, there's nothing wrong with it, its just not for me. I'll stick with TNA.

 

[Calderownz]

Like many words, the meaning has a lot to do with how the word is used.

Mature, in the way that most wrestling insiders/fans use it, has more to do with the target audience the actions that are taking place in the ring.

It's far less defined by a dictionary in that sense. It means a subject matter and programming that targets mature audiences. That's all.

I get that by definition, mature would only mean well though out and what have you. But, that's not what they are addressing.

 

[Eyebrows]

It's all to do with the presentation of the storyline. The Nexus might have been playing with Cena's emotions but the overall presentation and production of that or the show hasn't made it seem mature at least up until Roddy Piper showed up.

Seven Samurai and A Bug's Life have the same storylines/themes but Seven Samurai is presented more maturely than A Bug's Life (even though A Bug's Life is still fantastic!).

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I think a mature product is one in which the booking is watertight. Like WWE. Sure some of the jokes that Cena may crack may be corny and their may be stuff like tea parties instead of beer bashes but what matters is that it makes sense most of the time. Mature is just another term for intelligent.

Now TNA is an adult product. Which means that some of the things they show on their show are not meant for children and parental discretion is required for it.

To sum it up I'm sure you do not call porn a mature product do you? Its a product that is only suitable for adult viewing.

 

[Dagger Dias]

A "mature" product in wrestling generally means violence and vulagarity. Something is called mature when they do not want parents or guardians of minors letting their kids watch it. A storyline can be too complicated for a younger fan to fully understand, but that does not make it "mature". There are different meanings of mature and the one associated with mature wrestling products is the definition that means the product is not meant for minors due to sexual or violent content. The word can cause some confusion though because it also has many other definitions that have nothing to do with content meant for adults.

 

[Coco]

I think mature wrestling, just like mature pornography, employs use of older, seasoned talents. Going by this definition of a mature product, TNA definitely has the more mature product. Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Eric Bischoff are the focal point of the show and Sting, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall have all been booked in a prominent role there this year. Couple that with men who are getting up there like Jeff Jarrett, 2 Cold Scorpio, and so on and it becomes clear that TNA is as mature as it gets in professional wrestling. WWE's main storyline, the one described in the OP, doesn't come close to that kind of maturity.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

What I would think of as "mature" is booking that makes sence, is a little over the top, yet logical (in real life you can't really beat up your boss and his family, but in wrestlings it's all cool), and doesn't insult the intelligence of anyone over the age of ten.

Blood is not a bad thing, if used correctly and in the right setting (Ric, this means you, buddy. You really don't need to bleed during your promos. You can cut a promo without cutting yourself, I've seen it done, it can happen). Hell in a Cell is the perfect example. The only reason you should ever need to have a Cell match is when the heel has been running and having his friends help him win against the the face, so you check under the ring (watch the first cell match, they actually did that), put the two guys in the ring and lower the cell. The heel can run, he shouldn't be able to have help, and the babyface finally gets to extract his bloody revenge to end the feud.
And blood, if used right actually reinforces the PG idea of targeting kids. If you have a very brutal fight there will be blood, and people will get hurt. If you sanitize it and never have blood, and no one ever shows that they are hurt than kids will think that's how real life is.
Have feuds that are realistic. "Oh, you took my title, so I'm gonna... Take it back?" that gets boring, real quick. How about this, "You took something that means more to me than anything in my life and for that I am going to hurt you. But I'm not going to beat you up because physical pain goes away. I'm going to target the people and things you care about the most, and take them out, one by one. I will make them suffer to make you suffer. And when you have nothing left, are beg me to stop. Beg me to put you out of your misery I will slowly, and calmly answer; No." Now, you can do that whole storylife within the PG guidelines, you can even do it without any blood until the final showdown... But when the babyface finally gets his revenge, make it brutal, make it bloody, and make it final... The heel is vanquished for a few months to "heal," the babyface has gotten his revenge at last, the people were entertained, the kids learned a lesson about what happens to bad people and the consequences of violence and the promoter make a lot of money... Isn't that the whole point of the business?

 

[MMSoldier]

I look at this in two ways. One, that people want wwe to return to the attitude era,which tna is trying to copy. If we're looking like this, then people need to shut up. What wwe was doing was to make it more kid-friendly, which will stop soon since the kids will stop watching because cena's gone.
The second way is that people are complaining of the young gun push. i agree with this. The older vets need more time that the young people.