What is up with all of these old guys still main eventing!?

[Crush1]

Really it has come to the point where it starts to get anoying. There are way too many old guys still main eventing. (Time to start my rant) What the hell is up with Shawn Michaels and JBL STILL being in the main event with Cena. What the hell is up with Kane STILL having some sort of push or whatever. What the hell is up with HHH and Taker STILL being involved with major storylines on smackdown!!!

Just take a look at these men. They are over 40 and Vince STILL puts them on top of the card. These guys had their time in the 90's and 80's they should be putting younger guys over not being in the main event themselves. I blame all of the old wrestlers who refuse to take down their position for a younger wrestler. Ok i know that the fans go crazy for Taker and HHH but they should be going crazy about a younger superstar and not some old guy.

Wrestling has become stagnant over the last couple of years. and why is that? because Cena has yet again to feud with some old fart. Edge is being neglected because of HHH and although there is fresh meat it's not enough!!

Ahhhh it's driving me crazy to see Triple H and the Undertaker STILL being on EVERY pay per view. If you want proof, just ask some 10 year old kid who his favorite wrestler is. He'll either say Cena or The Undertaker. Ugh if these old farts would just retire or PUT A YOUNG GUY OVER things wouldnt be this bad right?

Anyways what do you guys think of all of this??

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I respond by asking you to look to the left, and look to the right. Have a gander at the two other major pugilistic PPV events - Professional Boxing and UFC.

These "old guys" as you put it, still draw money, which in the end is the important thing. They are familiar to people, and many folks are more likely to shell out their cash with a proven commodity that they are familiar with.

Pro Boxing still exists thanks in part to Roy Jones, Oscar de la Hoya, and Bernard Hopkins. Aren't all of those guys over 40? Didn't Foreman win the title in his 50's?

UFC's top drawing fight in history was 40-something Randy Couture vs Brock Lesnar. Sure, Brock had a bit to do with that, but Couture was the champ, and Dana White pursued signing him because he is a proven draw.

Just as WrestleMania would BLOW UP if the Hogan vs Austin Main Event occured.

Face it, wrestling fans enjoy storylines involving guys with a long history. Taker's streak. Michaels' injuries and triumphs. Flair's wars. We're a nostalgic group. And who has the money to spend on the events and the PPV's? The 17-40 year olds who grew up watching Flair, Hogan, Michaels, Austin, etc.

Even in baseball. John Smoltz signed with Boston yesterday, despite the fact that Smoltz is WELL into his 40's. But since he's a legend in the sport, people care.

Ken Griffey Jr. doesn't have a fraction of his old production, but when he signs somewhere, it makes ESPN.

People care about these older guys, and I don't see that ending any time soon. As long as they can still make money. And there aren't a myriad of broadcasting, coaching, or analysis jobs out there waiting for the 42-year-olds to retire. If they don't wrestle or fight, it's hard to make a living. And a 2nd career is tough for someone in their 40's who have made their bones off of violence for 22 years.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Three reasons why a lot of these guys are still main eventing:

1) Popularity - Who in wrestling can say they don't know who the Undertaker, HBK, HHH, Kane, and so forth are? And as long as the fans still care, why not keep putting them in those positions?

2) Performance - Undertaker if I remember is the oldest guy on the roster outside of maybe JBL, and he puts on one of the best shows out of everybody in the entire WWE. HBK, though he's more limited due to his knees, rarely has a bad match. HHH, although he phones in his performances a lot and isn't remotely admirable in his backstage role, is still a consistent entertainer. Kane is a shell of his former self, but would you really rather see Kane get replaced by Kizarny just because he's younger?

3) Time - These guys only have a few years left. Make the best of it. HBK and Undertaker are going to be retiring in the next 2-5 years without a doubt, so you're not going to get many more chances at it. 10 years from now, we'll be looking back and thinking "man, I miss _____" because they simply won't be able to get in the ring again.

Now, I'm all for allowing some of the younger guys to move up once in a while. Do I want to see every ppv be HHH vs Kane and HBK versus JBL? No. But does that mean that when you hit the age of 35, you have to start just losing to everybody and you can't be used in a championship capacity? That's just foolish. You can complain and say Undertaker dominated the championship scene on Smackdown for a good two year period, but then you have to remember that the person he was feuding with was Edge, who was helped out tenfold by the feud and is now one of the two top heels of the company, so the feud DID help the younger guy out. HHH was feuding with Hardy, and even though he didn't put him over at all and remained selfish about his own standing the entire time, it was one of the younger guys that HHH was feuding with, not a drawn out title chase between himself and Big Show.

So why rush the younger guys and waste the older guys when you can use them and they still draw and entertain?