After the rousing reception I got for my first ever piece the other week about ECW, I’ve been buoyed into going at it again and once again, I’ve gleaned my inspiration whilst listening to those fine fellows on SLTD Radio.
The subject matter of one of their most recent shows was the Attitude Era and while listening to this wonderful belt of nostalgia, I was awoken to a sudden, dramatic realisation – I’M FALLING OUT OF LOVE WITH WRESTLING!!!
I’ve been watching various promotions for the better part of 20 years and I’ve never wavered in my enjoyment…until quite recently.
As I stated in my first article, I have a fondness for the olden, golden days of wrestling and I suppose anyone who, like me, grew up watching the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Bret “Hitman” Hart, Macho Man Randy Savage etc would understand that.
Then came the Attitude Era in the late 90s and the Monday Night Wars. It was an embarrassment of riches and I suppose I’ve been spoiled by the quality I was offered back then because I try to watch Raw, SmackDown and even Impact, and I’m just not fussed. I don’t get the same excitement that I got all those years ago, and it’s slightly depressing.
I’ve been slightly pulled out of this mire by the emergence of one Bray Wyatt and, of course, The Shield.
The minute Wyatt and his two brothers-in-arms show up on-screen and that lantern gets blown out, I know something interesting is about to happen. Something worth taking notice of.
The same goes for The Shield. Anything they seem to do just pumps everyone up. This feud with Evolution is great, but I cannot – and will not – invest in three hours of mediocre content on the off-chance that I’ll get to see a couple of segments of maniacal chicanery from the Wyatts or a triple powerbomb from The Shield.
I’m even growing slightly worried for Daniel Bryan. He’s overcome The Authority and managed to get the WWE World Heavyweight Championship around his waist (and shoulder), and the world rejoiced with him, but now…it’s just like “so what are we doing with him?” Didn’t they realise they had to come up with a storyline for him once he triumphed over evil? “Shit, he’s won now…what will we do? Just throw Kane at him for a while ’til we can free up a real challenger?” – BORING.
Now reading back what I’ve written so far, I realise that I sound like a whiny bitch, but d’ya know what? I’m not arsed! I’m allowed to complain about it, because everyone has an opinion.
I came to realise that that, in a nutshell, is my problem. EVERYONE has an opinion and they’re giving them in an abundance. Nowadays, everyone has a Twitter account or a Facebook page and it’s so easy to put your opinion out there – to barrage the world with your idea of what you feel should be going on, what you feel will make the shows better. I’ve started to think that maybe that’s the reason why things have gone down the crapper.
Back when I was a kid, we didn’t have social media. I watched wrestling, then went to school and talked to my mates about what I’d seen. Occasionally, I’d grab one of them and demonstrate. We couldn’t text or e-mail each other because the technology just wasn’t there, or if it was, it wasn’t that great, although I did have a quality Amstrad!
Storylines were allowed to build and build until you got to the big PPV and you got the payoff. More often than not, it was well worth the wait. Bryan’s WrestleMania moment is the perfect example of that in recent times.
Throughout the whole of the Attitude Era, we had the ultimate battle of good vs evil in Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon.
No matter what came and went in that period, there was always Vince’s hate for Austin and all he stood for, and in return, we had Austin’s shenanigans – be that tossing the belt into the river, driving a Zamboni down to the ring – past security – just to get at Vince, driving the beer truck to the ring to douse the McMahons in Bud Light. Haha…I’m smiling as I remember all of that!
Then there was The Rock, Mick Foley and, of course, Degeneration X. All these wonderfully vibrant characters were allowed to go mental and do pretty much whatever they liked, and it was magical. These days, the company has to entertain the little ones, so you really couldn’t have that kind of loud, brash and lewd behaviour on Raw. When those characters come back, they’re massively watered-down, PG versions of who they were.
Now back to social media, ha.
I just feel that too much focus is placed on it. I know that can be a good thing, but take a minute to think what it’s doing to the final product we get.
For example, people loved Zack Ryder’s original YouTube show a couple of years ago, so they battered the social networks. Eventually, the WWE hierarchy took notice of it and, because it’s what the people wanted, they decided to throw Zack Ryder into the spotlight.
A month later, nobody was really bothered with what Zack was doing, so they dropped him and picked another hero to champion online and BAM – Zack’s back on Superstars, and any feud he was involved with disappears. The new fan favourite is tossed a bone until he’s no longer keeping us entertained, and the cycle begins again.
It’s because of this ability to vent your anger, frustration and ideas that storylines are slapdash and thrown together (or torn apart) so quickly. By the time a PPV rolls around, most feuds have only been going on since the Raw before and it’s tedious.
I’ve probably got more that I can throw at you, but I’m probably doing your head in, so I’ll leave it there. However, I’ll leave you on a positive note.
From the very late 80s up to this point, it’s been my absolute pleasure to have been a wrestling fan, and I’m happier than a pig in shit to have been able to watch the Undertaker and his path of obstruction. From his 1st Tombstone piledriver to Koko B Ware, right up to that shocking moment at WrestleMania 30. No-one’s really sure what’s next for the Deadman, so I just wanted to take a brief second to pay homage to a hero of mine.
Take it easy and please feel free to send in your criticisms and witicisms. I love them all!
– Sparky Plug
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