I started watching wrestling when I was five years old. Last week I turned 42. Guess you could say I'm hooked.
When I was five it was fun to watch the good guys beat the bad guys. And it was fun to watch the larger than life characters on my TV screen each week. Guys like Andre The Giant, Bulldog Brower and Ox Baker.
Fast forward 37 years. Sure, with the rise of the internet we know the ins and outs, and kayfabe has long been dead. We've seen hundreds of wrestlers good and bad pass through WWF/E, WCW, ECW, ROH and TNA among others.
But it's still fun right? Sure, some of the creative writing is paper thin, and good V bad guys doesn't really work since the Attitude Era. But why tune in then? Why watch every week?
Because it's supposed to be fun. If you watch Raw, Smackdown, NXT, Superstars, Main Event, Vintage Collection, Impact and Xplosion every week, that's 12 hours per week. (That's what we get here in Australia). Sure I DVR all of that coz no 42yo has a spare 12 hours per week lol. But I have a spare maybe 3-4 hours per week. Why choose wrestling?
Coz Antonio Cesaro picking up Brodus Clay for the Neutralizer was amazing. Coz Team Hell No are laugh out loud funny. Coz Tyson Kidd, Trent Barreta, Christopher Daniels, Austin Aries are freaking amazing to watch.
Coz Sandow is a classic heel. And so is Wade Barrett. Coz I've been watching Big Show for 15 years and have emotional investment in him doing well (not storyline, just being a success). Coz I have emotional investment in the product - no matter how shitty it may be some weeks.
Coz of CM Punk. Coz of Kurt Angle. And coz I'd rather watch Kassius Ohno V Richie Steamboat than any AFL match here in Oz any day of the damn week.
Coz it's FUN.
I get that it's not always perfect. I get that some characters are developed badly. I get the Cena hate, but I get the Cena love. Same for Del Rio, Ziggler, Miz and Sheamus. I get that out of 12 hours per week, some of it is going to suck.
But out of that 12 hours, at the very least 3-4 hours is good. Sometimes very good.
If it's all crap, why the hell are we still watching?
After all, it's supposed to be fun, right?
When I was five it was fun to watch the good guys beat the bad guys. And it was fun to watch the larger than life characters on my TV screen each week. Guys like Andre The Giant, Bulldog Brower and Ox Baker.
Fast forward 37 years. Sure, with the rise of the internet we know the ins and outs, and kayfabe has long been dead. We've seen hundreds of wrestlers good and bad pass through WWF/E, WCW, ECW, ROH and TNA among others.
But it's still fun right? Sure, some of the creative writing is paper thin, and good V bad guys doesn't really work since the Attitude Era. But why tune in then? Why watch every week?
Because it's supposed to be fun. If you watch Raw, Smackdown, NXT, Superstars, Main Event, Vintage Collection, Impact and Xplosion every week, that's 12 hours per week. (That's what we get here in Australia). Sure I DVR all of that coz no 42yo has a spare 12 hours per week lol. But I have a spare maybe 3-4 hours per week. Why choose wrestling?
Coz Antonio Cesaro picking up Brodus Clay for the Neutralizer was amazing. Coz Team Hell No are laugh out loud funny. Coz Tyson Kidd, Trent Barreta, Christopher Daniels, Austin Aries are freaking amazing to watch.
Coz Sandow is a classic heel. And so is Wade Barrett. Coz I've been watching Big Show for 15 years and have emotional investment in him doing well (not storyline, just being a success). Coz I have emotional investment in the product - no matter how shitty it may be some weeks.
Coz of CM Punk. Coz of Kurt Angle. And coz I'd rather watch Kassius Ohno V Richie Steamboat than any AFL match here in Oz any day of the damn week.
Coz it's FUN.
I get that it's not always perfect. I get that some characters are developed badly. I get the Cena hate, but I get the Cena love. Same for Del Rio, Ziggler, Miz and Sheamus. I get that out of 12 hours per week, some of it is going to suck.
But out of that 12 hours, at the very least 3-4 hours is good. Sometimes very good.
If it's all crap, why the hell are we still watching?
After all, it's supposed to be fun, right?