Let's discuss Pro. Wrestling...

[Guest Downhome]

Yes, I realize that I have started a rather broad topic, lol. I just want your thoughts on where you think the sport is at the current time, where you feel we are going, who you feel should be the "next big star", and other stuff like that.

 

For one, I feel the sport is basicly levaling off at this current time in terms of fans. Yes, we had a huge boom a few years ago, but it seems some of those fans who just jumped aboard because Pro. Wrestling became "cool" have now jumped off of that bandwagon, albeit there are STILL fans like that, but still, those will always be around.

 

I truly wish the WWF wouldn't put too much baring on the ratings. I hear that when they get a 4.0-4.5 rating in that they look at that in a bad light. I tend to belive that it is a rather good rating in this day and age. Sure, we'll see another boom sooner or later, it always happens, but for now we are levaled out at the moment.

 

It's going to take a few weeks for ratings to really rise after an angle is started, this being the nWo right now. We don't want a "spike", we want a rise, and if it happens gradual, then that's fine for me.

 

Then we have the up-coming split that is scheduled to take place the week after the week after WrestleMania. This could change Pro. Wrestling forever. The WWF, in two groups...

 

...who would have ever thought it?

 

The sport is in no danger of "ending", as many people feel could happen.The fact is, Pro. Wrestling will quite possible be around for good know. It has proven it's worth as a true source of entertainment, and I don't see it going anywhere for a VERY long time. But even if it WASN'T on TV, the Indy's will be around forever!

 

I do wish the WWF would get over this Austin/Rocky/Undertaker/HHH era however, I'm getting bored of it. I don't mean cast them away and move on TOTALLY from these superstars, I simply mean mix the card up a bit more...

 

...but with the up-coming split, it is going to leave room for the newer talent to TRULY develop. Two groups, is twice as nice if you ask me, and will open up many oppertunity's for many other guys who have yet to get their "shot".

 

The WWF also is in NO danger of "running out of talent". If the WWF never signed anyone else for the next decade, they do infact have enough talent in the WWF currently, AND enough talent in their "farm system" to carry them for years to come. Of course they will sign many guys in the future, but, I'm just saying.

 

There is one guy that just stands out in my mind that will be a huge superstar one day, and that guy is Sean O'Haire. I think he will be a #1 guy before too long, he has what it will take. Add what we have already seen from him, to the fact that the WWF is training him as we speak in their "farm system" and we just might have gold.

 

EZ-Money is another guy that I feel will be a HUGE superstar, I think Christian can go far as well, then there are many other guys who could be huge. I don't know much about the talent in the WWF "farm system" except for the guys that I saw in WCW, but I hear they have MANY guys who could become "the next big thing".

 

By the way, I still stand by the fact that I feel David Flair can become a contender. I've seen him since his NWA days, and he improves constantly. The WWF is doing the right thing with him, by keeping him in the "farm system" at this time allowing him to "grow" as a professional wrestler.

 

Anyhow, this thread is simply to discuss whatever is on your mind, bring up a topic you wish to discuss, talk about what I said above, etc...

 

...it's all fair game!

 

I simply want to begin a Pro. Wrestling discussion, is that too much to ask for? :-)

[Guest InigoMontoya]

How about Pro. Wrestling in Australia? When WCW was over here not too long ago, I think they nearly sold out every show... and that was WCW! I'm not sure how big the arenas were etc. but for a country that has virtually no real Pro. Wrestling influence in the way of indy feds etc. any number of tickets sold is good.

When the WWA came over they had a huge show aswell, big arena and a lot of tickets sold. Of course, they're smaller than WCW was when they were here, but would have made a lot of money. I'd like to see a serious Wrestling company in Australia, rather then a few guys wrestling weekends for an extra twenty bucks, and even those shows are hard to find. I really think that wrestling could take off in Australia, especially if they were on tele. The WWA had no tv time, besides the adds they paid for and they done really well.

Imagine what they could have done with that show if they had been on tv for the last fifty years.

Probably just because I'm from Oz that I want a fed over here though, lol.

Oh, and the "what a wanker" chants were funny as hell. Anyone here see the WWA while they were in Australia?

[Guest Mark4steamboat]

I personally dont think that it is really wrestling in USA anymore. Here in the states(states meaning WWF and indies in USA) marks are getting their fix through promos and saying the word What? . Im a fan of promos but i want my wrestling. Most indies are either cruserwieght mini spotfests or crap(i.e hardcore wrestling) involving light bulbs and workers getting set on fire or thrown into various sharp objects.

Sports Entertainment vs. Crap(i.e Hardcore wrestling)

the battle continues... who will finally give in and ya know, wrestle?

[Guest Downhome]

I personally dont think that it is really wrestling in USA anymore. Here in the states(states meaning WWF and indies in USA) marks are getting their fix through promos and saying the word What? . Im a fan of promos but i want my wrestling. Most indies are either cruserwieght mini spotfests or crap(i.e hardcore wrestling) involving light bulbs and workers getting set on fire or thrown into various sharp objects.

Sports Entertainment vs. Crap(i.e Hardcore wrestling)

the battle continues... who will finally give in and ya know, wrestle?

NWA Wildside is a GREAT alternative to Sports Entertainment, if you have never seen it, I sugest that you check it out!

[Guest Mik at Cornell]

About wrestling in Australia, Meltzer had yesterday in his update that the WWF would be running a show 8/10 in Melbourne in a 60,000 seat dome, or something along those lines. I'm hoping that's true because today I got accepted to study abroad at the University of Melbourne next semester and I would love to see the WWF when I am on the other side of the world.

[Guest nwawildsidemark]

I think pro wrestling is going to enter a huge downturn within the next 6 months which will last 2-3 years or until someone can compete with Vince.  The reason for that is that with only 1 company paying comfortable salaries to workers in the USA, the options are few for young wrestlers who are trying to establish themselves are very few.  The indies will survive, but not prosper in the near future.  I feel Vince is not willing to push the younger/midcard talent and instead, brings in old established names hoping to pop the ratings without looking at the long term.  I can name dozens of wrestlers(AJ styles,Jason Cross,Caprice Coleman,Chris Harris,Low KI,Red,Joel and Jose Maximo,the briscoe bros,Christian york and joey matthews,Spanky,American Dragon,EZ money,Kid Kash,Shannon Moore,Sean O'Haire ...)that I feel COULD be BIG STARS in the future, but I don't think they will ever be given a fair shake in the USA.  Perhaps if they want to goto Japan,Mexico or The U.K. where smaller guys are appreciated, they could make a name for themselves and make a good living-but sadly, not in the U.S.

[Guest razazteca]

The current state of Pro Wrestling is in one of the low parts of the cycle of business.  I believe it peak with the Beniot push and then got stale just after the shock value and the long dragging of the WCW Invasion.  I thought it was about to rebound with Ric Flair vs Vince but hits heat was killed with the useless, boring, Passions style angle that was Stephanie "its all about me, me, ME, ME" wedding.  Now that the "Business" is in full Sports Entertainment mode with 1hour 50 minutes of Stephanie Me time and such.

 

Now I don't hate Sport Entertainment but this type of show has lead to nowhere.  SCSA and the Rock can only mock the nWo with inside jokes and kayfabe but the nWo are not keeping their end of the deal.  I remember Hall and Nash 1st invasion in WCW 6 years ago and it was golden, the stuff that makes legends and the high point of Sports Enterainment.  They had *IT* the charisma, the shock value, and Bishoff sold it perfectly as the "Outsiders" are ruining our company.

 

Today in the current WWF the Outsiders seem to have lost their SMILE.  What ever happen to Nash channel the great spirits of the dead pan comedians like Steven Wright?  Where is the ooooh scarely Hall sarcastic gimmick?  Hogan what cha gonna do, lol!?  Today it seems that the Terrible Trio had just decided to show up in the WWF just for a paycheck and nothing else.  Their performance is lacklusting, without any care they go through the motions as being cowards, without even putting up a good fight, its like whatever man just give me my check Vince.

 

The way that Vince and Ric Flair had built up the nWo as being killers of a company, a CANCER even!!!!!  When they shown the History of WWF hi-light reel, and Flair in tears telling Vince not to let the nWo in was breathtaking.  And what did the WWF follow up with on the next week just before No Way Out?  They did a stupid I'm pregnet and lets get remarried angle that took the focus of the nWo away from Flair vs Vince to Stephanie vs HHH.  So now the motive was for Vince to bring the nWo to get revenge on HHH but what happen?!  The nWo just did a run-in on Austin vs Jericho.  Which makes no sense, where is the continunity?

 

How am I suppose to care when the WWF have A.D.D.  Maybe I should be drinking a case of beer so the storylines would make sense to me!

 

Either way the WWF is in a fork in the road with it direction it can go the MTV sytle of showing cheap soft-core porn with Undressed type of writing.  Or it can go back to being a Wrestling show with at least 1 hour of actually wrestling by real techincal wizards like Beniot, Edge, Christian.  Or it can become a showcase for Stephanie trying out to become a Jerry Springer or Muary Povich regular guest.

 

Tabathia/Timmy would kill Stephanie

[Guest Flair5000]

Wrestling popularity goes in cycles. The next boom will happen naturally, the problem is that Vince is trying to force it - wcw, nWo. It will happen when a huge new star breaks out. As to who that will be, I agree on Sean O'Haire, and David Flair - the genes must help! I also think Jericho, if handled right, could become huge.

[Guest Downhome]

Wrestling popularity goes in cycles. The next boom will happen naturally, the problem is that Vince is trying to force it - wcw, nWo. It will happen when a huge new star breaks out. As to who that will be, I agree on Sean O'Haire, and David Flair - the genes must help! I also think Jericho, if handled right, could become huge.

I agree with you 100%! By the way, it's good to see that there are others out there who feel David Flair can be a HUGE star one day!

 

Or it can go back to being a Wrestling show with at least 1 hour of actually wrestling by real techincal wizards like Beniot, Edge, Christian.

 

Not to sound like a bitch, but when did Edge become a "technical wizard"? Are you sure you didn't mean to put Kurt Angle's name, or someone like that in his place?

[Guest Xstasy]

Heh heh heh...

 

I personally think the egoes have gotten too big for the people.  Everyone in wrestling nowadays is larger than life.  You'd think that with no competition, it would force everyone to put their overconfidence on hold and work hard to keep their jobs, but the opposite seems to have happened.  Everyone has some false sense of security and the superman complex.

 

I think what the business needs is a turn towards realism.  More new and experimental moves, and less instant wins.  The pace definately needs to be turned up, and of course there needs to be more WRESTLING!  As an anti-smart I never thought the day would come when I would say that, but I really am getting tired of the same old sluggish brawls and ten move matches.  I want to see some entertaining WRESTLING with brawling mixed in, not brawling with a few wrestling moves mixed in.

 

I think EVERYONE needs to re-establish their repertoire for starters.  EVERYONE needs to do some developmental work, just to reaffiliate themselves with WRESTLING as opposed to brawling.  I think Character needs to be developed more, especially in some of the low and mid carders.  Stray away from gimmicks and start building characters... and the stories will come.  Which brings me to my next point... angles need to be revamped, rehyped, and STUCK WITH!!!  I'm tired of the loss of continuity in angles.

 

Keep in mind that I am still a WWF fan, and think they still put on good matches.  But I'm not as excited about the product as I once was.  Whereas I used to sit glued to the tube, I will now channel surf when I know nothing specific is on.  I'm just not as interested as I used to be.