When Did It Stop being Fun To Be A Wrestling Fan?

[Schizophrenic]

I read these boards and all I read is "ratings this" and "money" that. When did it stop being fun to be a wrestling fan? When did the time come when we had to stop enjoying ourselves and be more concerned with "who is who's friend" and "how much rating (flawed system at best anyway, I've already explained that), "how much money this guy is making" and all the bullshit that shouldn't have to come with being a fan. Is it so hard to just enjoy the shows on tv. You have an issue with something or someone, fine, air it. But to come on forums and bitch about someone because "they are sleeping with that person" or "they are friends with whomever" is ridiculous. Sometimes it makes me sick to be a wrestling fan when I see how totally obsessed with backstage bullshit and drama alot have become. Soon we are going to have 6 year old kids in the front row of a wrestling show saying to his buddies, "You know I don't think wrestler X should be making as much as Wrester Y because, Y has been all around the world and has wrestled many different styles of opponets and X is only around because he is banging the bosses daughter or is just friends with him." It takes the enjoyment totally out of the show. I understand we have to be adults sometimes but Pro Wrestling is NOT one of those times when everything has to be real life logic. It's a damn show people.

I see this the most in WWE & TNA section. In WWE it's all about who knows who and who makes what money and who's doing what to whose dog behind whomever's woodshed. In TNA's thread I see it's all ratings. My questions is. Should we (as wrestling fans and not eomplyees) really give a damn about money or ratings or personal relationships? Is it impossible to just sit and enjoy the show with our smark cap tucked firmly in another closet?

 

[HBK-aholic]

I agree completely, I've always been for not giving a damn about who draws the most etc. I watch the WWE to be entertained, and it's definitely still fun for me to watch. That being said, I think some threads on here warrant that discussion. You can't really discuss WWE vs. TNA without bringing ratings into it, and then bringing Hogan into that etc. I think a lot of the time, what we say on the forum about the business aspect is completely different to what we think in our heads when watching a show at home.

 

[X]

And here comes the shocker of the year....I also completely agree with you Schizophrenic. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do my fair share of bashing of both WWE and TNA when I think they make stupid decisions, but through it all I wouldn't be watching these shows and buying these DVDs if I wasn't having a good time watching it all. First and foremost for me has always been the in-ring action, great angles and storylines are second priority to me. Even though I've been bashing the WWE probably all month long for the most part, I've enjoyed quite a bit of their programming because of the solid in-ring action. I know everyone seems to hate Carlito these days but a week ago on Superstars he and Evan Bourne had a good 20 or so minute match that was quite damn good. When your 4th most important television show is able to put on solid wrestling, you can't really complain. Raw is the one weak link here as it typically features the worst wrestling of any of the four main shows.

I love being a wrestling fan right now though. People bitch and bitch, but holy fuck we have access to SO MUCH awesome shit that is going on right now in the world! WWE, TNA, ROH, Dragon Gate USA, CHIKARA, PWG, NOAH, NJPW, and Dragon Gate are all alive and kicking and putting on some great wrestling at almost every show. I love the fact that I've got a pile of DVDs next to me of new wrestling (mostly puro) over the last few months and that I get to watch all the awesome goings-ons in the world right now.

As long as the in-ring product delivers, I will remain a happy wrestling fan at the present. I may do my fair share of complaining, but I love being a wrestling fan right now. The only place that isn't excelling in great wrestling right now would be Mexico, but that's a whole other story.

 

[klunderbunker]

Yeah I don't get why there's such an emphasis on the technical side of things. I'm here a LOT. I post a LOT. I review like crazy and I do it for one reason: I LOVE wrestling. People ask why I watch such terrible shows and the answer is simple: I am far more interested and enjoy the worst of wrestling more than I do most other forms of entertainment. Wrestling is something that is just flat out fun. As the tag line of the Attitude Era went: where else does an employee drink a beer and then punch his boss and knock him out cold while tens of thousands of people cheer? That's something you get nowhere else and it makes things fun. Wrestling is an escape from reality and it's just flat out fun. Don't think too hard or it fails. Just have fun with it.

 

[Барбоса]

Personally, I like to think that I am still an old school fan. I don't paticularly care about ratings or backstage politics except when they interfere with my enjoyment of a show such an unwarranted title change or clusterfuck finish that takes away from an otherwise exciting contest.

That said, I agree with HBK-aholic. There are some subjects that require discussion outside of kayfabe or sheer entertainment but I feel that at times some people forget that it is an entertainment business and apply the ratings and politicking argument far too readily

 

[Schizophrenic]

That said, I agree with HBK-aholic. There are some subjects that require discussion outside of kayfabe or sheer entertainment but I feel that at times some people forget that it is an entertainment business and apply the ratings and politicking argument far too readily

Exactly. Allow me to clarify that I understand when people want to talk about the outside aspects of the buisness but when it effects your ability to enjoy the show it goes overboard. That and alot of people seem to think that when you are talking to someone about a wrestler and they can't come up witha valid argument against you it suddenly becomes "well they don't draw as much ratings". As if that has anything to do with my enjoyment of a certain wrestler.

 

[The Phenomenal One]

I watched a shoot interview that featured Taker. The interview was from around 2002-2003. In that interview he made a comment that stuck out to me. He said that he wished that people would go back to being fans, instead of critics. Personally, I loved that quote.

Now, you can discuss WWE and TNA. That's good. But then you have those fans, who think they know more than the likes of McMahon. You have certain fans, who think they are "smarter" b/c they've been watching wrestling longer. The Undertaker, who easily pwns the hell out of all us when it comes to wrestling knowledge, said that we need to go back to being fans instead of constant critics.

The Phenom has a point. I mean, it would be awesome to watch wrestling with out all the nit picking of every single little thing. It would be awesome to watch wrestling, without bringing up ratings in every single discussion that involves TNA.


It would awesome to not judge a segment, match, or PPV weeks before it even happens. Then turn around and watch said segment, match, or PPV with a closed mind. Then, bash the hell out of it over insignificant things.

Something else...I remember the CM Punk/Taker situation. You had people, who actually had the nerve to say that CM Punk lost to Taker b/c Taker played the political game. I mean, come on. Then people were saying that CM Punk was burried at Hell in a Cell, even though CM Punk got alot of offence in. People said all of this, based on some bullshit that was posted on the net. That's crazy.

I love wrestling. I love to watch it. I still remember the first segment that I watched, and it was the infamous NWO beat down on WCW back in the Summer of 96. I watched that, and I was immediately hooked. I just loved it. In WWE, the very first match I watched was HBK/Taker (Hell in a Cell) from Badd Blood 97. I watched that, and I was hooked. In 98, I got hooked on ECW. In 2003, I got hooked on TNA. I just love wrestling. I think it's entertaining. I also watch ROH, and other independent promotions. I just love wrestling. I love the fact, that I can escape reality for just a little while. Hell, everytime Taker comes to the ring (especially during WM) I STILL get goosebumps, just like I did 13yrs ago. Watching HBK/Taker at WM25 LIVE, is something and I swear to God, I will never forget. But I remember how some were bashing the match, b/c it had too many false finishes. Some said it had botches. Some were saying that the psychology was off. Personally, I didn't care about false finishes, botches, and things like that. I watched the match, as a fan not a critic. And after that match, I and damn near everybody in Reliant Stadium that night, gave both men a standing ovation.

It would be awesome if we all went back to being fans, instead of critics. But, and I'm pretty sure Mark knows this...especially since this interview was several years ago, that will never happen

 

[GenMe]

I am a True Fan of Wrestling.And i agree with you Schizophrenic Now its all about the Money and the Ratings.Honestly i really dont care how much money such and such make,Or if WWE beat TNA on ratings.

Seriously im tired about all the back stage Drama and all the I make more money then you do because we are the best wrestling bussines.

I watch WWE or TNA for fun i dont watch WWE just to help then with the ratings.Hell motherfucken NO.I watch it for fun cause im a fan.And now that TNA is moving to Monday i will try to Watch them both But i aint going to watch WWE Or TNA to help them with ratings, Im going to watch either show for my enjoyment...

 

[Барбоса]

I agree with much of what you say, TPO particularly with "fans instead of critics."

However, your example of the Punk/Taker feud to my mind fits into "backstage machinations" interfering with the story. Punk was the hottest property in the business at the time (not too much as changed IMO) and I was anticipating Straight Edge challenging Taker for the rest of the year but in the end the feud just seemed overly rushed.

Now I am not accusing Taker of playing politics as I do not think that he is the type to do so but to my mind something behind the scenes interfered with the feud's development. Perhaps Punk shot himself in the foot with his backstage attitude; perhaps as I have argued before the calendar forced gimmick matches such as the submission match and HIAC before the feud had time to fully develop or maybe Creative dropped the ball.

Whatever the reason, Punk vs. Taker was definitely one of those occasions where I did question backstage involvement as something had undermined my entertainment.

 

[GSM]

It stopped being fun as soon as I was the only one left who still watches wrestling, oh back in the day me and all of my friends watched wrestling, when WCW and WWF were on fire and when both companies put out the best they could.

But today we have to suffer through Jerry Springer hosting a show and ridicolous inside jokes about Kelly Kelly and stupid references that nobody finds funny but Vince McMahon.

If I showed some of my buddies or colleagues RAW or TNA they would think that I am a total moron, the current wrestling product is nothing but insulting to our intelligence, yes Bret Hart´s return was decent and the promos and angles were good until ... yes the parking lot angle.

I still watch it yes, and I´m not giving up on wrestling yet. But at the moment it´s just not as fun as it used to be and that simply because of the insulting storylines and stupid booking decisions.

 

[Big Time]

Its the same problem as with any other fanbase in this age of the Internet, and that is the annoying sense of entitlement we seem to have developed. Yeah, I agree that there is a lot of annoying or boring storylines popping up, but the fact is, and has always been, they are the performers, we are the audience, they decide what they will show us. Our right is to dislike it, and to stop watching it, but at some point, the fans seemed to have picked up the idea that they were in their rights to decide what the show should be. Thus, here we are ,obsessing over ratings, money and backstage politics.

Yeah, there's a lot of stuff in wrestling that annoys me currently, like the PG Era, but its not up to me to decide how the WWE should be run, and I still enjoy watching the actual wrestling.

 

[Freddy4190]

I hate it too. It's so bothersome, people complain constantly about the product and just break it down, not shining light on the good parts of it. There's always a good part. I don't get it at all, whatever happened to just having a good time and enjoying the show?

 

[Slyfox696]

I find your criticism of people who nitpick on ratings, drawing, etc. to be completely short-sighted, and lacking in scope. I realize you have already said you are not talking about the people who discuss those things because they enjoy it, but you seem to be forgetting a VERY important point, one I have made time and again on this forum.

If we're discussing the quality of a wrestler, and wish to do so in an objective manner, as many times we do, then what else can we use, aside from drawing ability? If we're talking about how good a show is, what do we use aside from ratings? The reason the business aspects are brought up is because it is the only objective and fair measure of quality.

If you and I were to disagree about how good Shawn Michaels was, and both of our arguments solely existed upon "I like him" or "I don't like him", then what a waste of time that argument is. Quality is an objective term, and using subjective criteria to discuss quality makes about as much as sense as pouring kerosene to put out a fire. It's pointless.

If you want to start a thread and call it "Who is your favorite wrestler", then fine, we can keep the business aspect out of it. But if we're going to have a discussion regarding an objective issue, then you HAVE to use the "backstage" stuff.

Just because I tell you that HBK sucks because he's always been a mediocre draw, doesn't mean I don't like HBK, or I don't enjoy wrestling. It just means that HBK is a mediocre draw and he's not very good, when pitted against the all-time greats in wrestling.