@smarkmouth
Friendly Neighborhood
I have been a wrestling fan as long as I can remember. While I won't tell you my exact age, I will hint by saying that I do own a baby picture of myself smiling at a camera, while Hulk Hogan is bodyslamming some poor jobber on the TV screen behind me (and yes, this is pre-WCW Hogan I refer too. That may be my ego clarifying the above statement).
I feel bold enough to say wrestling has been with me for a substantial part of my life, while admitting to drifting in and out fandom. I've left this fandom because of lack of interest in the product. It has been due to more entertaining alternatives. Even simpler, it's been just because I didn't live with my cable-paying parents anymore. I could have given up at any time with the entire 'genre'. Ultimately, though, I always came back to a genre I cared about. So, yes, that lead to some questions. Why did I care so much? Why did I want to come back to the fold of wrestling? I always came back for the one aspect that was present in it's founding days, present in the Golden Era, the Monday Night Wars, Attitude Era, Ruthless Agression Era, PG Era and will be present the much anticipated Groucho Marx Revival Era;
Storytelling. It's an aspect that is never overlooked, but I feel it is one not given near enough credit. It is present when we are entertained by a fantastic standalone match, but often it is a well told feud that carries into a match.
Much of what I read on this forum bothers me, because it subscribes to recycled ideas. I'd like to read them, but inevitably I glance through many posts, because most posts regard to some rehash of an angle, a heel-or-face turn or return to form of a previous era, and those just piss me off. Before I continue my stream of thought, let my just drop my rant on the above, tired IWC-based ideas.
-The nWo is gone. DX is gone. The Nation of Domination is done. Strike Force is done. Those stable/stories were great, but now they're done. Don't bring them back. Make new, well thought out entertaining ones.
-The Attitude era is gone, but the Attitude era is only a context for stories. The Attitude era was a context for stories to live in, just as a Zombie Apocalypse is a context for the stories of Walking Dead to live in. The Attitude Era is one of many infinite contexts in which a story can inhabit, and despite the commonplace bitching and moaning, you can create a wonderful, compelling story in the PG era.
-OMG guyz, turn Cena heels. Yeah, I agree. That could make a great story, if told right. Do you know what else would be great? A babyface John Cena defending the honor of WWE against an antihero threatening to take the WWE championship hostage... oh wait. While I fully admit creative has done little in making John Cena an interesting character, turning him heel is not the only option to making him interesting! Fuck!
I do get angry when I come on these forums (which is more often then my post count would suggest) and see fans complain about things like ratings. Perhaps I'm being too defensive of the product, but fuck, do you people own stock in WWE or TNA? I understanding wanting a genre to survive, but fans complaining about ratings doesn't resemble anything close to entertainment
I may be arguing a point, but all I want to do is share why I love wrestling. I am a writer (of fiction, and not of stream of thought, as may have been demonstrated) and I believe I found my love of storytelling through professional wrestling. I believe that we die hard fans are expendable at times, but I don't think that the genre should appeal to a lowest common denominator of cheap laughs and celebrity cameos. I believe that wrestling, in WWE, TNA, ROH and every other incarnation is can tell stories that are Better Than That.
I love wrestling for it's storytelling. Why do you?
I feel bold enough to say wrestling has been with me for a substantial part of my life, while admitting to drifting in and out fandom. I've left this fandom because of lack of interest in the product. It has been due to more entertaining alternatives. Even simpler, it's been just because I didn't live with my cable-paying parents anymore. I could have given up at any time with the entire 'genre'. Ultimately, though, I always came back to a genre I cared about. So, yes, that lead to some questions. Why did I care so much? Why did I want to come back to the fold of wrestling? I always came back for the one aspect that was present in it's founding days, present in the Golden Era, the Monday Night Wars, Attitude Era, Ruthless Agression Era, PG Era and will be present the much anticipated Groucho Marx Revival Era;
Storytelling. It's an aspect that is never overlooked, but I feel it is one not given near enough credit. It is present when we are entertained by a fantastic standalone match, but often it is a well told feud that carries into a match.
Much of what I read on this forum bothers me, because it subscribes to recycled ideas. I'd like to read them, but inevitably I glance through many posts, because most posts regard to some rehash of an angle, a heel-or-face turn or return to form of a previous era, and those just piss me off. Before I continue my stream of thought, let my just drop my rant on the above, tired IWC-based ideas.
-The nWo is gone. DX is gone. The Nation of Domination is done. Strike Force is done. Those stable/stories were great, but now they're done. Don't bring them back. Make new, well thought out entertaining ones.
-The Attitude era is gone, but the Attitude era is only a context for stories. The Attitude era was a context for stories to live in, just as a Zombie Apocalypse is a context for the stories of Walking Dead to live in. The Attitude Era is one of many infinite contexts in which a story can inhabit, and despite the commonplace bitching and moaning, you can create a wonderful, compelling story in the PG era.
-OMG guyz, turn Cena heels. Yeah, I agree. That could make a great story, if told right. Do you know what else would be great? A babyface John Cena defending the honor of WWE against an antihero threatening to take the WWE championship hostage... oh wait. While I fully admit creative has done little in making John Cena an interesting character, turning him heel is not the only option to making him interesting! Fuck!
I do get angry when I come on these forums (which is more often then my post count would suggest) and see fans complain about things like ratings. Perhaps I'm being too defensive of the product, but fuck, do you people own stock in WWE or TNA? I understanding wanting a genre to survive, but fans complaining about ratings doesn't resemble anything close to entertainment
I may be arguing a point, but all I want to do is share why I love wrestling. I am a writer (of fiction, and not of stream of thought, as may have been demonstrated) and I believe I found my love of storytelling through professional wrestling. I believe that we die hard fans are expendable at times, but I don't think that the genre should appeal to a lowest common denominator of cheap laughs and celebrity cameos. I believe that wrestling, in WWE, TNA, ROH and every other incarnation is can tell stories that are Better Than That.
I love wrestling for it's storytelling. Why do you?
