Old School

[Guest thebigjig]

I was just browsing through the wrestlecrap.com mailbag updated every friday when I came across, in my opinion, the best mailbag entry ever written from that particular site... Just thought I would post it here since it's pretty interesting and supplies a good argument

 

 

"Supernatural" Brute Shooter

 

http://www.supernaturalbruteshooter.com/

 

Old School

 

I grew up watching nothing but NWA, AWA, UWF, WCCW and WWF. IMHO, the NWA era of wrestling, was by far the greatest. I miss the days of old, back when: A pile driver put a guy out for months - A chair shot was THE END of a match - Throwing your opponent over the top was an automatic DQ - Angles lasted for months and REALLY meant something - Titles didn't change hands every freaking week - There were 2 PPVs a year: WrestleMania and Starrcade - Before the God-Awful diva's invaded the "Sport Of Kings" - And I truly miss...hearing Bob Caudle or David Crockett screaming "Fans...we're out of

time this week...but we'll keep the cameras rolling". David was a little bitch, but I still miss his insight: "LOOKATTHAT!!!"

 

Oh my...what to do. I have considered quitting watching wrestling altogether, but it's in my blood, and God knows I have shed some serious blood for the business in my indy days. I guess I'm just not ready to give up hope yet. All of the old timers I've worked with (Ivan, Jimmy, Ricky Morton, Nikita, Tim Horner, George South, etc) are predicting the business will implode and basically have to start all over. How I HOPE they are right.

 

Will the days of old return? 30 minute matches with real heat? Managers (Heenan & Paul Jones) and female valets (Precious, Woman & Baby Doll) that actually have a purpose other than showing their ass and plastic boobs? Or are we doomed to watch the death of the last few legit Pro-Wrestlers (Guerrero, Benoit, Storm, Angle to name a few) as they and their talents are lost in the WWE Athletic Soap Opera "As World Wrestling Entertainment Turns"?

 

I'm gonna step on some toes with these next few paragraphs, but I want you to weight in on my thoughts RD. I contribute a large part of the current state of pro-wrestling to ECW and other like promotions. Promotions that began "The Hardcore Revolution" and began making pro-wrestlers seem inhuman. Promotions that pushed the envelope of brutality and sexuality to the point where anything goes, no DQ and no penalty for breaking the rules.

 

Quite honestly, I don't understand why ECW even kept the referee around or why they kept the word "Wrestling" in the companies name. They should have just ditched the referee idea and went with the last man standing rule, removed "Wrestling" from ECW and called it "Extreme Championship Fighting", or something of the sort. ECW was nothing more than a stunt man convention. I never liked it, I never watched it, I never supported it. I seen some of the insane stunts and clips here and there, but never watched a full broadcast of any type.

 

I know that some of the guys have talent, just like in WWE now. As a whole, I totally disagree with what ECW did to wrestling. Not because I am conservative or anything of that nature. I just feel that it really brought the business down and made it much harder to entertain the crowd. I mean, who in their right mind would want to see a choke slam as a finish, when the guys on ECW are choke slamming off balconies through burning tables?

 

The basis of old school wrestling, wrestlers, matches and angles that made sense, were based on Good vs. Evil, so to speak. ECW was one of the first promotions to throw the rule book out the window, thus erasing the line between "fan favorites" and "villains" (as I still like to refer to them). Once that line was gone, the "tweener" was born and it has been down hill

from there. Cheering for your favorite wrestler, and against the wrestler you hate the most is replaced with cheering for the craziest guy willing to jump off the highest balcony, get hit by a car, get stabbed, burned or blown up.

 

From a fans standpoint, it would seem to me, that if there is no clear line to define what's allowed and not allowed in the ring, why not just grab a knife and bring it to the ring to use on your opponent! Wait a minute, that's right...New Jack did. Okay, I got it! How about a sledge hammer? Oh yeah, HHH is the sledge hammer king. Okay, okay...I got it...get a TASER and shock your opponent!! Oh wait...Scott Hall vs. Goldberg. How about a sword? Whoops, already been done with Val Venis (let us not forget the Viking / Beserker trying to impale the Undertaker with his sword in the middle of the ring). You could always threaten your opponent with a gun, like Austin did to Pillman. Things just get crazier and crazier...where will it end?

 

Up to this point, the athletes have seemingly become immortal. The crowd has no reason to fear for the well being of the baby face, thus the face can't gain sympathy. This results in little or no pops for his comebacks. Having no possible way to generate heat because anything goes (nutshots, holding the ropes for leverage, no need to make a "legal tag", choking, multiple eye rakes per match) how can a heel provoke a crowd reaction and keep the crowd interested?

 

I hope the WWE crashes, burns and is never heard from again taking all traces of "hardcore" with it. If TNA is going to follow in the same foots steps as WWE, I hope it crashes and burns also. Bring back the territories. Down with the monopoly surrounding the over exaggerated and exploited world of pro-wrestling.

[Guest Vitamin X]

That... was the most beautiful article ever written...

 

*cries softly*

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

As an ECW Mutant, I'd like to give a big ol' FUCK YOU to this dude for trying to tell us that ECW was JUST 2 guys brawling and killing each other. That's what made ECW popular, true, but it's the actual wrestling aspects (spotfests, but still wrestling) and the 3-dimensional characters (hmm...what's a better character, Hulk Hogan or Raven?) that kept people coming back.

 

Other than that, I agree with many of the points made. We need the rules to be brought back in, the moves made to look credible, and feuds to have meaning.

[Guest jester]

I remember seeing a Zeus/Hogan encounter where Zeus no-sold a Hogan chairshot. That was a big deal, because back then, contact from any foreign object (a chair, Jimmy Hart's megaphone, the ring steps, a slice of cheese), put you down for the night.

 

Of course, the whole thing sucked, because it was Zeus/Hogan, but the point is there.

 

Here's another area where I wish JR and Lawler would either improve or retire and make way for some new guys. Commentators used to explain why the wrestlers did what they did. Why is the ref counting while a heel was choking a face on the ropes? What's this about a legal man during a tag match.

 

Obviously you can't explain everything all the time, but once in awhile it's not a bad idea so newbies can catch on to the rules.

 

What few rules are left, anyway.

[Guest Nevermortal]

I wish the idea of territories would come back. Then a true World Champion could once again be crowned.

[Guest Ram]

Wrestling begins and should end with the NWA.

 

I do miss these things it mentions, and the article hits a lot of points that, until now for me, was near impossible to put my finger on. Pro-wrestling was about immortal legends of mortal men who battled each other for a belt that meant something. The WWF heaviweight belt has no meaning anymore.

 

If I do decide to go into prowrestling, I don't want things to be like they are now. Until Vince is gone, things won't change. And I'm not sure how much we can depend on Linda or Shane or Stephanie to run things right.

[Guest deadbeater]

If we are going back to old school then I have one request: No more slop buckets!!

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

As a fellow mutant, it's silly to say that there was no wrestling in ECW. However, this guy is right in that ECW was presented far differently than something like NWA. Chairshots and weapons were common, every match was no DQ, one finisher was never enough. And of course, titty everywhere. Plus, while there were still faces and heels, the crowd basically went batshit for everyone. The only way to get true heel heat was to turn on a good guys or talk shit to either the crowd *coughdudleyscough* or the other guy.

 

The problem was that the only big wrestling company there is picked up ECW's style. Which means that ECW's style is now the only style. So there will always be no rules, weapons, run-ins, girls and tweeeners. That's just how it is and will be, untill someone actually goes out of thier way to use the old-school style. I would say NWA failed, except they didn't even try.

[Guest DJ Jeff]

I agree with him when he says that the WWE should crash and burn. However, I hope the NWA-TNA runs them out of business. Vince McMahon would get a taste of his own medcine after killing off WCW, instead of trying to get it up and running again.

[Guest Kid Kablam]

You know I read this, and while I agree that Old School wrestling in many respects was better, things are not as bad now as they've been before. Think about it, when did ECW really begin it's influence? Not until about 96. By then, WWF had already had it's worst year. And WCW? Well I think most people can agree that 1990 was just an abomination. Nad as far as his little rant on ECW, I agree with the mutant when I say fuck you. there was, contrary to popular belief some actual wrestling in ECW. Look at some of the names that have honed their craft in ECW: Benoit, Malenko, Guerrero, Lynn, Cactus Jack, Steve Austin, Tajiri, Pillman and many others. And let me ask you this, as far as wrestling goes, on one hand you have Sabu, on the other hand you have Hulk Hogan. Barring backstage attitude, which do you choose? Hmph. Old school indeed. I will agree on the foreign objects argument. I mean, as much as it's horrific to see Foley take 11 chairshots, well.... it's just a bit far fetched. But at least we don't have anyone paralyzed by whatever the hell Mr Fuji threw at them. And the thirty minute argument? Chi-Town Rumble: about 20-25. Flair vs Funk: Less than 20 (although the Muta thing at the end was cool) mins. Guerrero vs Malenko (IN ECW I might add) 27 mins. What fucking 30 minute matches? You mean like that 96 match between Benoit and malenko? Or maybe that 2/3 falls match between Stone Cold and HHH. Or that 30 minute submission match between Angle and Benoit.

 

Look, I mourn the death of Old School too. I mean, seein Benoit and Regal go Old School at Pillman Memorial was sweet. But lets attempt a little perspetive here. 1) Vince didn't invent bad wrestling. Look at some of Scott Keith's old rants (I know many hate him, but he is pretty good at rating matches) you'll see duds in during the 80s. 2) Jim Ross didn't invent hosses. Big Men have always populated wrestling. 3) Can you say Ding Dongs? 4)As for your pile driver argument bullshit. Flair and Funk hit each other with several pile drivers during their 89 GAB match. Also when Funk hit Flair with the branding iron, did that end the match? No. Hey, I love old school. Ireally do. I love actual wrestling and in some wayss I hate what has happened to our sport/tv show. But I also understand that Old School isn't some Nirvana.

[Guest jester]

Also, there are somethings that are definitely better today than way back when.

 

WWE shows, as sucky as some of them have been lately, are at least trying to be meaningful. Some of the old shows (particularly the ones that ran Saturday morning) were the same, show after show. Name Face beats no-name jobber. Name Heel beats no-name jobber. Occasional run-in to advance a feud. Taped segments where wrestlers bitched at each other and every one of them, I REPEAT, EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM, contained the phrase "Well, let me tell you something..."

 

Even when Raw and Smackdown blow, they're at least trying to go some place.

 

Also, today we have fewer cartoon gimmicks, no wrestling garbagemen. And I think I've seen Hogan wrestle more in the last month than I have during his original WWF run.

 

Not sure whether that last one is a good thing or a bad thing.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

I agree with him when he says that the WWE should crash and burn. However, I hope the NWA-TNA runs them out of business. Vince McMahon would get a taste of his own medcine after killing off WCW, instead of trying to get it up and running again.

Hate to break it to you, but WWE "crashing & burning" would kill wrestling in the US. Who's going to put a wrestling program on TV if they see the WWE go under?

 

Oh, sure, you'd still have indy feds, but it would be a long time before you would see a fed on TV.

[Guest dilk bathoon]

hardcore was a big part of ecw, but it wasn't the only part. lets not forget that this was the first company to expose the US to benoit, malenko, eddie guerrero, jericho, rey misterio jr, juvi, and psychosis. guys who would probably be in japan or mexico right now if not for that company.

 

there were classic WRESTLING matches put on by RVD and jerry lynn, tajiri and super crazy, and the 2/3 falls malenko vs. guerrero classic, which is THE greastest wrestling match of the 90's.

 

so i don't really give a shit what this guy is saying, considering he's critisizing a program he admitted he never even watched. wrestling is a business, and it would be retarded to go back to the way things were 20 years ago just bring credibility back to the chokeslam.

 

ecw saved the wrestling business. the nwa is were they are because they refused to change with the times.

[Guest ShooterJay]

the nwa is were they are because they refused to change with the times.

The NWA is where they are because Mid-Atlantic (WCW) got big enough to take all of the good talent from the other territories, and eventually became bigger than the NWA, big enough that they could push them around and kick them to the curb.

 

After that, NWA booking decisions regarding the World title bumped them from the big picture of wrestling and cost them credibility (multiple months-long vacancies, Candido, Severn, Ogawa, Mike Rapada as champs.)

 

Old school does still exist today, in the form of Ring of Honor and facets of the NWA-TNA program. The fact that these companies (according to Meltzer) are turning a profit lately means there is SOME market for it. If Feinstein didn't price himself out of competition by charging ridiculous amounts for his tapes and tickets, RoH would be a much bigger force in the indys, probably almost ECW-level, definitely bigger than CZW and XPW