Wanting others opinion (wrestling topic)

[wrestlingfan1]

I recall hearing vince in one of the many DVD's where it was more "behind the scenes" than wrestling (monday night wars, etc...) He made a statement about how wrestling has changed to fit the fans that watch it. So is he blaming us for the sad state that wrestling is in? Don't get me wrong i still watch wrestling, I still consider myself to be the biggest wrestling fan I know but wrestling has gone seriously downhill. I don't want this to be a flamed topic thats why i'm posting here, for the most part i find the posters articulate and more about posting, more serious rather than the first thing that comes to mind, comments. Now i'm sure i'm not the oldest wrestling fan here but i grew up watching wrestling during its "glory days" more commonly know as "the golden era." I grew up where they had a 24 hour wrestling channel, AWA, USWA, NWA, WWF, GLOW, and many more. Wrestlers were given the top spot based on performance and skill in the ring, not how well they could act. For those that don't know what i mean by glory days, interviews were only done right before and sometimes right after a match. 8/10 times the interviews before the match were shown in a pop up as the wrestler was walking to the ring. If they wanted feuds they were started by run ins and sneak attacks. Not by "I'm better than you" , "No I'm better than YOU." The matches were entertaining, energetic and lasted longer than 5 minute main events. Not to say wrestlers today need to wrestle 20 minute plus matches, 99% of the "big 2" rosters would be repeating taunts and using the same moves over and over. Now during a two hour wrestling show we have to suffer through 30 minutes of commercials, 1 hour and 10 minutes of blah blah blah and recapping "what just happened, lets look at the footage." I became a big fan of TNA when it first came out mainly due to the fact that there was minimal talk and a lot more WRESTLING, Hence the name Total Nonstop Action. Now with their new and improved time slot it might as well be WWF jr. Whats worse is "modern day" Us fans of old no matter how few and far between we are are left to sit through repeat storylines: ex, "jay lethal in tna the whole thing with sonjay dutt and socal val(i think if thats not her name the red head), austin and the beer truck and kurt with the milk truck, but we also have to deal with repeat names: "the rock" ole anderson, "the rock" don murrac, and the worst of them all "the rock" dwayne johnson. Let me cut this short before i carry on too long, and sorry if it sounds like i'm just venting to here myself talk, so to speak. Am i alone in this have the other "glory day" fans abandoned wrestling on tv? What are others thoughts, opinions, comments. About the topic not about me for any trolls out there.

[ThriceP86]

[B]Is Vince blaming us?[/B] Hmmm... Yes and No. I say yes mainly because it seems the internet trashed any credibility that pro wrestling had in the 90s. Then again, I also say no because Vince has also stated, "you have to change with the times." So in a sense, I think Vince as a businessman knew something was happening in the late 80s and even into the 90s that the world was changing and that the wrestling scene had to change its direction. When you really stop to think about it, would we have the Stone Colds, Rocks, Undertakers, and Hulk Hogans if wrestling was still just in "the glory days?" And if I remember correctly, wasn't Hogan a BIG part of the transition from the glory days into the sports entertainment we know now? And about [B]the 20 plus minute matches[/B], WWE books all three brands to have at least one longer match that goes about 15 to 20 minutes nowadays. And those little pop ups that come up while the wrestlers come to the ring is still done today. As a matter of fact, I just remember not too long ago watching Scotty Goldman's pop up promo before one of his Smackdown matches. So in a way, [B]WWE still does a lot of things that throw back to the 80s[/B] and what wrestling meant in the US and the world at that time. And I may be wrong about this but whenever I see John Cena, I get that sense of nostalgia that I see with Hogan. But Cena is even better because he has a better attitude and he lives and breathes WWE. That is something I cannot hold against the guy. It is incredibly smart for WWE to make Cena one of their top draws. And frankly, I'm already beginning to miss him. I love booing him but I miss him! It's crazy... [B][U]Sidenote:[/U][/B] There was crowd silence at Judgement Day 2005 right before Cena & JBL locked up and I screamed "FU EQUALS WORST FINISHER EVEEERRRR!!!!!" My greatest WWE live event achievement. :D:cool: [B]In my belief, I think wrestling is getting better.[/B] The WWE has always shown a lot of psychology and planning in their storylines. Granted, they do push the envelope sometimes but it does not happen all the time anymore. And sure there are things that can be improved upon but WWE is never going to change their "sports-entertainment" package, TNA is never going to change their overbooking in-your-face style, and ROH is still going to have arguably THE greatest wrestler alive today, "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson! *gasp* Seriously, I think wrestling is hot and you can even see the evidence when watching RAW. You ever see those quick facts about RAW being the most watched cable television program, the longest running, and even beating out Monday Night Football (although, those were exhibition games :rolleyes:) but I guess that's just the optimistic in me. I guess that's just the 14 year old kid in me when I watched my first match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. HBK Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 14. And maybe I just love thinking what more pro wrestling will deliver in the future... because when you stop and think about it, WWE has incorporated a lot of new things to their product especially now with toning down some of the T&A and creating a better women's division. And even having quite a good roster nowadays. However, I am not saying to forget the past or to forget whatever happened in the glory days. And that is one thing that actually makes me mad in the WWE, when the say that "Wrestler X has never been decimated like this before!" I mean, just put that with the feud between Taker and Show right now and how they're trying to make Big Show look dominant. Although, don't get me wrong: I absolutely love both Show and Taker but it just makes me mad when they do some dumb booking decisions. They try to fool the fans and there is no way to do that. So I guess there are some things that get a little much... but that does not take away the fun I have with watching the wrestling and watching a story unfold in the ring. So this long-winded post might be a little much but that's just how I feel about the state of pro wrestling. And like I said, I'm not knocking the old school wrestlers like King Kong Bundy, Andre the Giant, or even Bob Backlund. I don't know why those guys came to mind but I just love pro wrestling in its entirety and to me, the only thing I reject in the wrestling business is 1) when something does not make sense 2) there is absolutely no psychology involved 3) and when it disrespects the business either by insulting a highly respected worker, or by insulting the very basis of the pro wrestling industry (which I do believe is to entertain the fans and to not mock them or other promotions while doing so). I will admit that my wrestling knowledge is limited and some of my claims I did not really back up but if you ask me to expand upon some of these ideas I will gladly do so. My mind kind of wanders sometimes... So that is just how I feel about wrestling in the past, present, and the hopeful future. In a sense, I have not abandoned wrestling on TV but I do understand that some things do not work well while others do. Then again, when you look at WWE as a business, there is a reason why they book the way they do.

[Condors]

[QUOTE=wrestlingfan#1;508507] Am i alone in this have the other "glory day" fans abandoned wrestling on tv? What are others thoughts, opinions, comments. [/QUOTE] I first got into wrestling when Superstar Billy Graham beat Bruno Samartino. I used to be a total fan when ECW was going (I am a Philly guy). Myself and 3 other guys I worked with used to make a night out of it when ECW was having a show. Have you ever gone back and watched a taped wrestling show from 1980 something? It holds up better in my memory than it does when you actually watch it. The point i am struggling to make here is I remember "the superstar" as some larger than life guy while Jesse Ventura and Hulk Hogan are just want to be's. To me that was wrestling's golden era. To me the 80's was alot of idiots in tights (although not all of them). ECW made wrestling awsome again for me. Anyways TEW2008 has gotten me back into watching and taping wrestling again much to my wife's displeasure. While i may not think its awsome, it is still better than unscripted reality tv. I will keep watching and following and maybe it can have a 3rd time of awsomeness for me.

[Antithesis]

[QUOTE]I say yes mainly because it seems the internet trashed any credibility that pro wrestling had in the 90s. [/QUOTE] If credibility means Kayfabe, Vince killed that when he went to State Athletic Commissions and admitted wrestling was fake.

[CQI13]

Condors, you mean "scripted" reality TV. Producers are looking for ratings, so they will keep undeserving people in for ratings (i.e. that freak on American Idol, Omarosa on Apprentice, etc...)