Why do people care about what goes on backstage?

[G-Money]

Seriously its none of our business unless WWE makes a DVD about somthing that was happing backstage.

 

[d@r3]

cos if we know was goin on backstage then we know whether we'll see stars get pushes or if theyll fued etc... like wen this vkm crap started they publicised it so that the fans know wot to expect frm vkm...if they didnt then no1 would undastand y vkm are randomly starting on dx..

 

[theiceman]

I'm right there with you G-Money...as a matter of fact, i'm fascinated by the influence that the backstage stuff has on the ordinary wrestling fan because you never heard of ANY of that prior to like 1997....nobody really cared to be honest. Nobody knew that people hated the Ultimate Warrior backstage and that he was dangerous inside the ring, nobody really cared. People fuckin loved that guy, he ran out to the music and would blow the roof off of any arena he was in. When Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth got married at Summerslam 91, nobody knew that they were already married before that. People thought that they were watching like an actual wedding. Nobody bashed Hulk Hogan for not being the best wrestler.....nobody really cared. He was the hero, everybody loved that guy. People loved the faces and hated the heels, pretty much everybody got the crowd reactions that the WWF wanted them to get.

Nobody really cared about the backstage stuff until 1997 like I said. When the Montreal screwjob went on, I remember watching on PPV and being like "hey wait he didnt tap....why the hell is Vince McMahon and Sgt Slaughter outside the ring? And wait....why the hell did Bret Hart just get up and spit in Vince McMahon's face?" Then there was the Kliq's Curtain Call at MSG that happened a little before that....people were asking themselves why the hell Razor Ramon, Diesel, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H were out there hugging each other...especially being that some were faces and some were heels. Before that point also, the internet wasn't really around so you didn't really have a way of hearing about all of that backstage stuff. Like I said, nobody really cared....the storylines and the characters were what it was all about. Things were alot more simple back then.

Then, the world started to develop this fascination for "reality tv" and things of that nature...you started to see less shows on network television that you knew were scripted and you started to see more of this reality TV. Having the internet coming up big when there was this craze for reality....you started to hear more and more about the backstage politics and stuff. Things started to change....and now the ordinary wrestling fan in general has completely changed.

Wrestling fans are alot more rebellious then they used to be...alot more rowdy. You'll go to a wrestling show today and over 75 % of the people in the audience will swear that they know everything there is to know about wrestling and how the business works. It's actually pretty sickening to go and see how many of these smart asses there are today.

If a character like John Cena would have come up with a wrestling crowd prior to 1997.....people would cheer the hell out of him. You wouldn't hear him getting booed, you wouldn't hear this "mixed reaction" crap. You wouldn't hear people saying that John Cena can't wrestle. If it hadn't have been for this "reality craze" in wrestling, nobody would even know who Vince Russo was. Nobody would know that HHH is still married to the boss's daughter....and nobody would have been hating on him for years thinking he was being shown favoritism by the front office for that connection. Nobody would have known about the Edge/Lita/Matt Hardy love triangle backstage.....and if they made it an angle on TV, nobody would know that it was actually a real thing.

In closing, the reason that people care about what goes on backstage is really for their own image. They want to appear smart, they want to feel smart. It's an era in the business....people embrace it. Me, personally I think it ruins the business more then it helps it but it's something that people like me have to live with.

 

[ErkBono23]

I'm right there with you G-Money...as a matter of fact, i'm fascinated by the influence that the backstage stuff has on the ordinary wrestling fan because you never heard of ANY of that prior to like 1997....nobody really cared to be honest. Nobody knew that people hated the Ultimate Warrior backstage and that he was dangerous inside the ring, nobody really cared. People fuckin loved that guy, he ran out to the music and would blow the roof off of any arena he was in. When Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth got married at Summerslam 91, nobody knew that they were already married before that. People thought that they were watching like an actual wedding. Nobody bashed Hulk Hogan for not being the best wrestler.....nobody really cared. He was the hero, everybody loved that guy. People loved the faces and hated the heels, pretty much everybody got the crowd reactions that the WWF wanted them to get.

Nobody really cared about the backstage stuff until 1997 like I said. When the Montreal screwjob went on, I remember watching on PPV and being like "hey wait he didnt tap....why the hell is Vince McMahon and Sgt Slaughter outside the ring? And wait....why the hell did Bret Hart just get up and spit in Vince McMahon's face?" Then there was the Kliq's Curtain Call at MSG that happened a little before that....people were asking themselves why the hell Razor Ramon, Diesel, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H were out there hugging each other...especially being that some were faces and some were heels. Before that point also, the internet wasn't really around so you didn't really have a way of hearing about all of that backstage stuff. Like I said, nobody really cared....the storylines and the characters were what it was all about. Things were alot more simple back then.

Then, the world started to develop this fascination for "reality tv" and things of that nature...you started to see less shows on network television that you knew were scripted and you started to see more of this reality TV. Having the internet coming up big when there was this craze for reality....you started to hear more and more about the backstage politics and stuff. Things started to change....and now the ordinary wrestling fan in general has completely changed.

Wrestling fans are alot more rebellious then they used to be...alot more rowdy. You'll go to a wrestling show today and over 75 % of the people in the audience will swear that they know everything there is to know about wrestling and how the business works. It's actually pretty sickening to go and see how many of these smart asses there are today.

If a character like John Cena would have come up with a wrestling crowd prior to 1997.....people would cheer the hell out of him. You wouldn't hear him getting booed, you wouldn't hear this "mixed reaction" crap. You wouldn't hear people saying that John Cena can't wrestle. If it hadn't have been for this "reality craze" in wrestling, nobody would even know who Vince Russo was. Nobody would know that HHH is still married to the boss's daughter....and nobody would have been hating on him for years thinking he was being shown favoritism by the front office for that connection. Nobody would have known about the Edge/Lita/Matt Hardy love triangle backstage.....and if they made it an angle on TV, nobody would know that it was actually a real thing.

In closing, the reason that people care about what goes on backstage is really for their own image. They want to appear smart, they want to feel smart. It's an era in the business....people embrace it. Me, personally I think it ruins the business more then it helps it but it's something that people like me have to live with.

so basically what your saying is youd rather live a lie then kno the actual truth...i think its good to know whats happening backstage...asking y do people care what goes on backstage is like askin y do we care what is going on out in the world....its for piece of mind and cuz it adds more to what is already their...i mean we all reach a certain age where we start to question things so y not find out the answers to them? i dnt c a problem in knowin what is goin on backstage...atleast it lets us kno tat that people we c on tv arent as immortal as they potray themselves to b and it shows a more vulnerable humanistic side to them....i like to watch it more because of it...knowing that hhh in reality doesnt act like he does on tv is a good thing...so i dnt c y u shuld care that people care about what goes on backstage...if we want to kno we have a right to know...if u dnt want to kno then jus simply stay away from websites or information that will inform u of what is goin on backstage its that simple

 

[jefferson411]

In closing, the reason that people care about what goes on backstage is really for their own image. They want to appear smart, they want to feel smart. It's an era in the business....people embrace it. Me, personally I think it ruins the business more then it helps it but it's something that people like me have to live with.

I agree with you. That is for the most part why I like knowing this backstage stuff. It makes me feel like I am in on something, like I know something I'm not supposed to.

I don't think it ruins the business. Actually, it has very limited impact because their product still sells even if they go against what the internet wants. John Cena moves more mechandise than anyone else, even though a lot of, if not most of, the IWC hates him.

If you are a Matt Hardy mark (which I am most definately not), then you can thank this new trend for insiders information for him having a job. I thank it for helping Edge get more TV time, and escelating him up the ladder.

In short, this insiders knowledge stuff has a very, very limited effect on the business, and the company, because someone somewhere is still buying their stuff.

 

[thepoo62]

Man, you have some courage to come on a forum such as this and ask why the people viewing it do what they do. I hope there isn't too much lame flaming. I'm not upset, it is a provocative question but it comes down to this: I don't want to be told what to think and knowing the inticasies of this entertainment medium allow us to justify liking it against the regular arguments that it is phony and poorly acted (which is true). Therfor I like knowing what is really happening so I feel like I know somehting the critics don't and if they knew what I know, they wouldn't have such a problem. I don't like wrestling for the acting or the storylines or marketing...I like it as a form of entertaining and I like supporting individuals because of their hard work and talent.

Good topic though...

 

[tha420dgnr8]

To clear up one thing iceman said, it was common knowledge, even back in the day that Savage and Elizabeth were married before SS 91. Also, I happen to have a news article from the late 80's which told of Hacksaw and the Iron Shiek, who were facing eachother that night, being pulled over in the same car and busted for possession. So, actually, that is waht sparked the backstage shit, as from that point on, people wanted to find out what was really going on, since thes two "sworn enemies" were actually friends. So the wanting of knowledge on everything backstage isn't new, and it doesn't take away from the buisiness. It helps it a lot.

 

[theiceman]

so basically what your saying is youd rather live a lie then kno the actual truth...i think its good to know whats happening backstage...asking y do people care what goes on backstage is like askin y do we care what is going on out in the world....its for piece of mind and cuz it adds more to what is already their...i mean we all reach a certain age where we start to question things so y not find out the answers to them? i dnt c a problem in knowin what is goin on backstage...atleast it lets us kno tat that people we c on tv arent as immortal as they potray themselves to b and it shows a more vulnerable humanistic side to them....i like to watch it more because of it...knowing that hhh in reality doesnt act like he does on tv is a good thing...so i dnt c y u shuld care that people care about what goes on backstage...if we want to kno we have a right to know...if u dnt want to kno then jus simply stay away from websites or information that will inform u of what is goin on backstage its that simple

I wouldn't call that living a lie. The fact that these people aren't immortal is kind of common sense....but the fact of the matter is that it has such a huge influence for so many people now a days. Like for example, if I watch a TV sitcom and I love a certain character in the show, I love the character on the show.....I may not know what the actor/actress is like when the cameras aren't rolling but honestly, I don't really care. If the person is a douchebag off camera, i'd still like the character. Alot of people would let that influence how they like the character...they wouldn't like the character anymore just because of something they heard about their personal life.

This point has to do with something that's been on the media in sports for the past couple of years...and as a matter of fact, I heard it on ESPN radio today. Bringing up the whole Pete Rose/Hall of Fame thing could help prove this point. Pete Rose was a hall of fame player during his playing career that put up Hall of Fame numbers. That's like a good character in wrestling....but Pete Rose bet on baseball AFTER his career was over(ala when the cameras aren't rolling in wrestling or on TV/a personal life thing) and now his spot in the hall of fame was put into serious jeopardy. That's exactly like when a person starts to hate a wrestler just because of something people say about the guy personally. That's like me saying that Pete Rose the player doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame when I and everybody else knows that he does.

The fact of the matter is that I don't like stuff like that, I don't like the influence it has on the wrestling business.....guys like John Cena are still selling alot of merchandise and stuff, sure....but you hear the crowd reactions and stuff. Crowds today have just as many people hating guys like John Cena and Batista as they do loving them....some people even call them the "worst wrestlers ever". For those of you that don't believe me, go back several pages to the "worst wrestlers ever" thread and you'll see both of their names were mentioned by at least one person. Their names shouldn't even be coming up in that discussion because they really aren't that bad.....and as far as backstage stuff goes, it shouldn't mean as much as it does especially since 95 % of the stories that appear on websites like these are skewed versions of the truth. People have said in the past that people like HHH stopped the pushes of Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy....I never saw anybody from the WWE go on record and directly say that. I've never seen HHH, Chris Jericho, or Matt Hardy say that themselves....but alot of people believe it because they read it on the internet and sadly enough, some people base their liking of the person based on shit like that.

I just don't like to see that this is how the wrestling business became.....you may be a father that'll take his kid to a wrestling show these days that's a diehard John Cena fan and you'll hear the little kid's cheers drowned out by the older internet smarks chanting "Fuck you Cena". I'm still a wrestling fan and everything, i'm just as "aware" of what goes on backstage as anybody...but i'm one of those people that preferred the wrestling business to be more like what it was before.

 

[G-Money]

I wouldn't call that living a lie. The fact that these people aren't immortal is kind of common sense....but the fact of the matter is that it has such a huge influence for so many people now a days. Like for example, if I watch a TV sitcom and I love a certain character in the show, I love the character on the show.....I may not know what the actor/actress is like when the cameras aren't rolling but honestly, I don't really care. If the person is a douchebag off camera, i'd still like the character. Alot of people would let that influence how they like the character...they wouldn't like the character anymore just because of something they heard about their personal life.

This point has to do with something that's been on the media in sports for the past couple of years...and as a matter of fact, I heard it on ESPN radio today. Bringing up the whole Pete Rose/Hall of Fame thing could help prove this point. Pete Rose was a hall of fame player during his playing career that put up Hall of Fame numbers. That's like a good character in wrestling....but Pete Rose bet on baseball AFTER his career was over(ala when the cameras aren't rolling in wrestling or on TV/a personal life thing) and now his spot in the hall of fame was put into serious jeopardy. That's exactly like when a person starts to hate a wrestler just because of something people say about the guy personally. That's like me saying that Pete Rose the player doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame when I and everybody else knows that he does.

The fact of the matter is that I don't like stuff like that, I don't like the influence it has on the wrestling business.....guys like John Cena are still selling alot of merchandise and stuff, sure....but you hear the crowd reactions and stuff. Crowds today have just as many people hating guys like John Cena and Batista as they do loving them....some people even call them the "worst wrestlers ever". For those of you that don't believe me, go back several pages to the "worst wrestlers ever" thread and you'll see both of their names were mentioned by at least one person. Their names shouldn't even be coming up in that discussion because they really aren't that bad.....and as far as backstage stuff goes, it shouldn't mean as much as it does especially since 95 % of the stories that appear on websites like these are skewed versions of the truth. People have said in the past that people like HHH stopped the pushes of Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy....I never saw anybody from the WWE go on record and directly say that. I've never seen HHH, Chris Jericho, or Matt Hardy say that themselves....but alot of people believe it because they read it on the internet and sadly enough, some people base their liking of the person based on shit like that.

I just don't like to see that this is how the wrestling business became.....you may be a father that'll take his kid to a wrestling show these days that's a diehard John Cena fan and you'll hear the little kid's cheers drowned out by the older internet smarks chanting "Fuck you Cena". I'm still a wrestling fan and everything, i'm just as "aware" of what goes on backstage as anybody...but i'm one of those people that preferred the wrestling business to be more like what it was before.

Good post. When you brought up the websites leaking out storylines, I agree with that.

 

[Kasey]

Ignorance is bliss for some. I've been "smart" since about 1995, and I wouldn't have it any other way. When you understand a thing more, you can appreciate (or loathe) things that others may take for granted. I, for one, started to understand the reasons behind the success (and failure) of things. I'm an inquisitive person who doesn't like to be uninformed and in the dark. If you don't remotely understand a thing, your opinion holds zero merit in the end with regards to discussing that thing. Anybody who doesn't want to know about the backstage happenings or wants to be completely surprised needs to stop wasting bandwidth pissing and moaning about it on here as that is the purpose of Wrestlezone and other sites like it and has been since their respective inceptions. Don't wanna be clued in? Fine. Get off the internet. As for the statements about Cena and Batista (many of which I've made myself and I still stand by), merchandise sales don't always equal wrestling talent. These two guys are prime examples of this.

 

[v14ever]

It is actually none of our business, but at the same time, if we were cut off from what's happening back there, then websites like this wouldn't exist...

 

[Kasey]

^In the same vein, if it wasn't for wrestling fans...then the wrestling industry wouldn't exist. Even in the business recessions the industry goes through (right now being one of those times) the kind of people who frequent these boards are also the ones who keep TV ratings from going completely nonexistent and buy the PPVs.

 

[CRUSH316]

What we know about backstage stuff dictates really who we like...People hated HHH for years because he was dating Steph so they accused him of using politics to get ahead...They say Jeff Jarrett uses Politics..But noone mentions Kurt Angle or The Undertaker and the Politics they use to get ahead..Simply because they're "well respected" legends in this business...Same with Sting.The fact is, everyone who is of any stature in a company, tries to use Politics to get ahead..Everyone with the exception of probably Rookies and the lower card guys, use politics...Even guys like Matt Hardy, Christian Cage, Edge, and AJ Styles politic themselves in to certain storylines or angles...Even Bobby Lashley, a guy who's been in WWE just over a year,was able to move himself over to ECW because he clashed with Michael Hayes.We wouldn't even know why he joined ECW had it not been for our knowledge of backstage happenings..We wouldn't even know why ECW was resurrected..Or why WCW was bought by WWE..Or the reasoning behind VKM's invasion of WWE.It's also a double edged sword because of Spoilers...Smackdown barely gets 2.5 ratings....But can you imagine what they'd get if they went live?ECW, from what I know and I could be wrong, generally gets better Ratings when they're live.If TNA adopted that philosephy, they may get in to the 1.0 consistently going Primetime....So, the Backstage insight is good for knowing what's going on and not being dumb to the realities of the business, but at the same time, People say Wrestling is too Predictable but yet they enjoy knowing what goes on..The REASON WWE,TNA in general is so predictable is because we know whats going on..We know a certain guy isn't gonna lose because he's being Pushed too hard.So..It has alot of good points but alot of bad aswell.