The Great TSM Wrestling Survey

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Greetings TSM!

 

It's your good pal Stephen here. Many of you know me best as my TSM persona "DrVenkman PhD" but today we're going to be prying deep (or not so deep) into what makes - or perhaps made - your wrestling clocks tick. This is basically kind of exactly like a survey Cheech already did in Site Feedback, but I am trying to put a larger focus on wrestling on this one. Traffic wise, it made sense to launch the survey in the WWE folder, but heck (HECK!) if you've never watched a minute of WWE television and want to talk about why Fedora Town Wrestling rocks the wrestling world, please do. I'm also interested in hearing from the ex-fans that populate the board, but that would require them to actually be in this area to read this, and honestly, almost all of the questions are skewed to current viewers (I'm planning on doing some "why are you LESS interested" type questions, but not many "Why aren't you interested at all?" questions). Either way, have some fun with it and if you hate this and think it's dumb... well, keep it to yourself. You'll hurt my feeling otherwise Or mention it in the appropriate NHB thread.

 

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Feel free to not answer this if you don't want to. Basically, if you wish, let us know what your deal is and how you came across TSM Forums.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

What year/era? Perhaps it was the Showa era? Maybe the Heisei era? 1993? Attitude era? (You get the idea). What angle, match, or wrestler/character do you vividly remember as your first wrestling experience?

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

 

Again, just have fun with it. If it comes off as lame, I apologize, but I'm hoping it brings the "wrestling sections" of the board closer together instead of further apart.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Came across the board back in the Scott Keith E-Z Board days, just before he changed it over to the Invision Board. My purpose here is to balance out the Santino love-fest.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

As a kid, I'm guessing mid-1980's. I remember my dad getting a Wrestlemania poster (might have been WM 1) from a guy he worked with for me to hang on my wall. Not sure exactly how I became a fan, but it was probably due to just seeing it on TV and thinking it looked cool.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWF/E, NWA/WCW, ECW. Beyond those, I pretty much watched any wrestling that was on free TV - TNA (I'll watch a show here & there), whatever ESPN showed (WCCW?), AWA (I know I've seen HBK/Jannetty matches where they were skinny kids still called The Midnight Rockers), GLOW (...), WOW (... x2). I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

NWA/WCA, ECW, WWF/E have been favorites. I stopped watching wrestling a bit in the late-80's and early 90's, then got back into it via WCW (just before the nWo angle started up) and ECW, so WCW became my favorite throughout the Attitude era until they closed the doors. Don't really have a least favorite.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

WWE - it's on free TV thrice a week, although I don't usually catch ECW.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Hogan, 4 Horsemen

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

Growing up? Don't remember.

Currently? Santino, HBK, HHH, Undertaker, Kennedy, Carlito, any McMahon, Jeff Hardy.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Jamie Noble, Cena, Kendrick, Miz/Morrison, Jericho, Regal, Finlay, Helms, Rey, Orton, Matt Hardy, Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Evan Bourne, Edge, Booker T (don't watch much TNA, though), Paul London, Chuck Palumbo

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

I don't watch PPV's, I pretty much consider them just another show (as opposed to a special event). I make an effort to watch Raw & SD live, but I have no problem FF'ing over stuff I'm not interested in if I'm watching on my DVR. I play basketball on Monday's, so I don't get to watching Raw until 9:30-9:45, so I'll usually FF over some stuff to get caught up live.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

Probably during the nWo's heyday.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

WCW going out of business. I miss the diversity in styles that WCW provided. I mentioned WCW getitng me back into wrestling, so them going down was a bit of a downer.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

I mentioned above gettting away from it in the late-80's/early90's (don't exactly know the years), only to get back into it via WCW and ECW.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

I guess technical. High-flying is fun when they hit their spots. When a match is done well, it really doesn't matter to me what style they use. Noble is my favorite guy, but I also like guys like Palumbo, Cena, so I'm not too picky.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

I'm pretty casual with my ProWres, so nothing really bothers me that greatly. I may point out some logic holes, but they don't really provide a drag on my entertainment. The whole "backstage camera/cameraman where there shouldn't logically be a camera" doesn't bother me in the least. At the end of the day, "it's just pro wrestling" pretty much covers it for me.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

I've been to 1 live event - the Rumble where Benoit won. None of my friends are fans (my friend who went kinda/sorta watches once in a while), and I'm not going by myself.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Eh, I'm not big on remembering stuff like that. Once it's done, it's done. The 2 Noble/London matches from Velocity were really fun, the Noble/Rey from Velocity was fun, Lesnar/Eddie for the title was great, and I'm sure there are a bunch of others I'm forgetting.

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

[CanadianChris 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I've been here since the dying days of the EZBoard.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

1986, when I was 11 years old. First thing I remember watching was a recap of King Kong Bundy avalanching Hulk Hogan on a recent Saturday Night's Main Event.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

Let's see...WWF/E (of course), Mid-South/WCW, AWA, Stampede, ECW, and TNA (a bit). I think that covers it.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

The WWF has always been my favourite company, particularly during 1989, 1992, 1997 and 2000. I've really liked WCW at specific times and for specific people (Sting, Flair, the nWo at the start). Stampede was cool to watch when I started watching it, even though most of their top guys were in the WWF, because they had Owen, Pillman, and a young Benoit. I never got into ECW until near the end, and I never really enjoyed it a lot. TNA was pretty bush when I was watching, and the AWA was pretty bad except for Hennig (until he left too).

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

Don't really have one. I watch WWE on and off, but my interest in wrestling has really gone downhill, probably in part because I'm in my mid-30s now.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Hogan, Savage, Flair, Sting, Jake Roberts, Hart Foundation

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

Can't really remember.

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Jericho, CM Punk, Orton, Kendrick, Miz and Morrison

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

See 3c.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

Probably 2000, when I got digital cable and could or PPV on demand. I got every WWF PPV from WrestleMania 2000 to (I think) Summerslam 2001.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Eddy's death, along with a general decline in the product (and getting married) made me watch a lot less. The Benoit tragedy put me on a hiatus of over a year.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

See above. I said I'd stop watching after the Montreal Incident, too, but didn't (although I had a pass to the RAW here in Ottawa immediately afterward that I ripped up).

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Never really had a style I liked best. I'm just as entertained by a great technical match as I am a good brawl. If you were a fan of Hogan, you had to accept bad wrestling as part of the deal.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

If it sucks, I'll point it out, but I tend not to obsess over anything.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

I've been to two in my life -- a live RAW during the Invasion, and a Smackdown taping right after WrestleMania X-8.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

Noither show was particularly memorable, so I don't really have an answer here. Seeing Hogan live was pretty cool, though.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

If I had to narrow it down to 5, they'd be: Savage winning the title at WM4, Hart vs. Austin at WM13, the Haifax RAW in 1997 (really, the entire Hart Foundation angle), Savage/Steamboat at WM3, and Savage/Warrior at WM7. I've been watching so long, though, that there's tons more I could mention.

 

[tekcop 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Dames was the board's owner when I started. I'm not sure where I came from, but I'm here mostly to entertain myself.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

'95ish? It was really soon after my family first got satellite service. I specifically remember watching an episode of Nitro featuring a Lex Luger promo and a Giant/Loch Ness match. I started renting old PPV tapes from my local video store and became a huge fan really quickly.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

Actively? WWF/E, WCW, and TNA for a short while.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

I liked WCW better as a kid because they had all the old stars I watched on tape all the time. I generally enjoy the current WWE product quite a bit now, though.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

WWE. It's free and on TV all the time, so it's easy to follow. Plus, it's been much more wrestling-based in the past few years than it has in a long time. That helps a lot.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Savage, Hogan, Warrior, Flair, Malenko, Jarrett. If you had asked me at 12-13 years old who would be the one to finally take the WCW title back from Hogan and the NWO, I would have swore up and down Dean Malenko was the only man who could do it.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

I hated Jericho during the Malenko fued. I was also really upset when Hogan turned heel.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Cena, Morrison & Miz, Kozlov, Mark Henry, Bourne, both Hardys, Taker, Edge.

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I DVR and watch RAW and ECW every week. Was watching SmackDown until it moved to CW since there's no local affiliate here. I usually split the Rumble and WM with a buddy, and try to download or rent PPV's if they sound interesting enough.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

'97? I had a bunch of friends who watched, too. I went to my cousin's house every month to watch ever single WCW PPV. I have specific memories of watching the World War 3 with the Piper/Hogan contract signing.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Late 2000? I'm thinking we got ride of satellite sometime around there. I remember hearing random things here and there after that, but not paying much attention. I do remember hearing that David Arquette had won the WCW title, though. By then I was a bigger WWF fan anyways. For a short while, I watched Smackdown on UPN in 2002, but I usually had to work Thursday nights. More recently, the double shot of Eddie & Benoit hasn't helped.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

Stopped in late 2000, started back during the horrible RAW of '03 time period.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

I'm still a fan.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

I tend to like old-school Memphis style or high-end puro the most now.

 

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

I ran the gamut in tastes. I didn't know or care one way or the other when I was younger, then I discover Scott Keith and workrate, then I discovered psychology. Right now, I could watch a match that's nothing but punching and love it as long as it works within the story being told.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

I just sit back and enjoy it. Some stupid booking decisions get on my nerves, but I've been watching wrestling long enough not to care anymore.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

When I can. I've been to one WWE PPV, one TNA PPV, a handful of WWE houseshows and TV, a bunch of Memphis shows, and I'm hoping to see ROH in Nashville this weekend.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

WWE houseshows are the best. Unforgiven 2007 was the worst. It was a birthday present from my girlfriend, too.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

I love ton of the old NWO and DX stuff for nostalgic reasons. The Cena thing at the Rumble this year was pretty great.

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

I like wrestling, but I try not to take it too seriously.

[King Kamala 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

My name is King Kamala. I came here in late '01/early '02, sometime shortly after the InVasion ended but before the nWo's forgettable run in WWF started. I had just entered smarkdom about two years before thanks to DDTDigest.com and WrestleLine.com. I was directed here most likely by Scott Keith's rants.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

Well my older brother and his friends briefly went through a phase where they were big into wrestling back in '92(He and my Dad even attended the TV taping where the first ladder match in WWF took place- lucky jerkys) but I wasn't more than mildly curious about it. I do remember being extremely fascinated by "Macho Man" Randy Savage and even as a four year old, I realized his outfits were ridiculous(ly awesome).

 

About a year later, for reasons still unclear, my dad asked if I wanted to rent a wrestling video at the video store up the street. He liked the stuff as a kid (He would occasionally fondly recall seeing Bruno Sammartino, "Crazy" Luke Graham, and Professor Toru Tanaka wrestle in the late '60s at The Portland Expo) but would always complain when he had to take us to events. Anyways, not recognizing most of the guys on the covers, I picked Hulkamania 4 (I think I had seen Suburban Commando). After that, I rented all five or six of the wrestling videos the store had (With the exception of The WrestleMania: The Album one, even as a five year old I had some sense).

 

Shortly after, I started watching SuperStars on Saturday afternoons. Then one night, my dad let me and my brothers stay up to watch my old favorite "Macho Man" Randy Savage challenge Yokozuna for the WWF World title on Monday Night RAW and I have to say that's what hooked me. So the short answer is...shortly before WrestleMania X.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan? WWF, WCW, ECW, UPW (not the fed that gave us John Cena- really just a compendium of old USWA Dallas, IWCCW, and then-current indy matches that aired on the local UPN affliate in '99/'00), WWA (the Australian based federation that briefly tried to compete with WWE in '02/'03), EWA (local indy), and TNA.

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool). Favorite? I honestly have fond memories of every promotion I've watched. My all time favorite is a toss up between WWF around the time I started watching actively in '94 and WCW from '96 to '98. The beginning of the Attitude Era in late '97/early '98 was also a flat out awesome to be a mark. My least favorite company is probably '95 WWF and '00 WCW. The worst was probably UPW but that hardly counts since only about half of the show was original matches.

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why? I guess by default it's WWE. TNA just seems like '99/'00 WCW with better wrestling and I've never followed ROH or any of the other indies. The only other show on TV besides WWE and TNA is NWA On Fire (the local NWA affliate), which comes on after Smackdown! And even though I'm glad to see Koko B. Ware still getting work, the rest of the show is kind of amateurish. So yeah WWE by default.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling? I've always liked smaller guys as they were more easily relatable to me. Randy Savage was a favorite, 123 Kid, Marty Jannetty, Bret Hart. In WCW, my all time favorite from the time I started watching till the end of the promotion was Sting. I also got caught up in Goldberg mania back in '98.

After he turned face, Shawn Michaels was my #1 favorite up until a few years ago. Even after he turned heel and started DX, he was my favorite and I was the only kid in my third grade class rooting for him to beat Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV.

I even cried when he lost the WWF World title to Sid at Survivor Series '96. A traumatizing night in The KKC household)

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand? Basically the guys that the TV told me to dislike. Yokozuna, Bob Backlund, Owen Hart, Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair, Vader, Hollywood Hogan, the rest of the nWo. I didn't start rooting for heels (with the exception of Shawn Michaels) until well after i became a smark. Though I have to say, even as a mark I could recognize guys like Ludvig Borga and Giant Gonzalez were just flagarantly terrible workers and I just flat out hated Zeus when I rented Survivor Series '89.

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.) Finlay, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels (still- even though I now recognize that the guy's kind of a douche), CM Punk, Randy Orton.

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

It's hard to follow considering I don't have cable anymore. But even before I only watched occasionally. Basically, when I'm at home, I'll watch it if I remember it's on. If there's an interesting PPV that's gotten good reviews, I'll rent it on NetFlix. I still watch a lot of the old stuff on YouTube and DailyMotion.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

I would have to say it was either late '97/early '98 at the height of the Monday Night Wars or around the time I joined this board.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Well I started losing interest for the first time around the time of King of The Ring '95. Diesel and Sid were stinking up the main events in WWF and Hulk Hogan's act just seemed kind of stale and it was a bit goofy to see him dominate WCW.

 

I started losing interest in the current product pretty much for good (even though I do watch occasionally and will rent a PPV every now and then) around the time of WrestleMania XIX. I think Triple H's World title run is probably what did me in.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

No, I've gone years without watching the stuff. I think the longest period was about three years after WrestleMania XIX. Though even then, I would occasionally pop in the old wrestling tape for nostalgia sake.

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Changes over time really. But I think good wrestling is good wrestling as CanadianChris said. I like a good technical match as much as I do a good garbage match.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

I hate to sound like an old timer but it's wrestling, not Passions. If something's extremely absurd or just flat out doesn't make sense, I'll point it out. Again, even as a mark, I didn't care too much for stuff like Zombie Taker or The Dungeon of Doom trying to kill Hulkamania.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

Oh yeah, I love going to live events. I'd say I've been to about twenty. About a dozen were local indy shows and I've been to five WWF/E shows (a SuperStars taping in August '94, house shows in July '96, November '01, July '02, and June '06) and one WCW show (a Saturday Night taping in May '98). Would have gone to a lot more if I knew how to drive at the peak of my markdom and my dad didn't hate taking me and my brothers. I'm planning to go to another WWE house show on the '30th.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

I've always said a bad night at a wrestling show is better than a good night almost anywhere else. Even if the in-ring action is terrible, it's always fun people watching. I've had some fun at every show I've been to. The best was probably either the WWF house show I went to in '96 where I saw my then-hero Shawn Michaels beat Vader or the WCW Saturday Night taping I went to. A lot of people rag on those tapings but I liked 'em. I got to see one of the matches in the Roots Genoa-Booker T Best of 7 series and a nifty Chavo Guerrero Jr-Dean Malenko bout.

 

Worst was probably the WWE house show I went to in '02. Not for the in-ring action (which was half-decent) but for the fact that my older brother, who was going to drive me and the younger brother there, backed out at the last minute and my dad was forced to accompany us. He had a miserable time and wasn't going to go five minutes without us hearing about it.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Narrowing it down to five. Goldberg beating Hollywood Hogan on Nitro in The Georgia Dome, Bret Hart winning the title at WrestleMania X and all of the babyfaces coming out to congratulate him, Shawn Michaels Vs Diesel at Good Friends, Better Enemies, Steve Austin beating Kane (who I thought was unbeatable- except maybe by The Undertaker) the night after King of the Ring '98, Mankind winning the WWF World title for the first time.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I'm Twisted Intestine and I came here because I saw a friend on it back in the day and wanted to read PWI notes.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

I watched wrestling a little when I was younger, but only a show or two here and there. I started watching it consistantly during the invasion angle, because I watched my first PPV and then started watching it on TV.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWE, TNA

B. What have some of your favourite companies been?

WWE, TNA

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

WWE... It was TNA back when they were newer, but now I just enjoy watching a WWE show more than Impact. I don't know if they got worse, or I just got sick of it.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Hardy boys, Stone Cold, Kurt Angle, DDP

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Jeff Hardy, R-Truth, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Christian

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I watch WWE shows if I'm at home when they are on, I don't order any PPVs but like to watch streams. It's not the coolest thing in the world to me, but one of the things I'll watch on TV.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

Never, I've always been about the same.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Always been the same.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

Maybe, but not for any reason. Maybe if I didn't have a TV.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

N/A

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

High flying/Extreme. Always been.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Never. I figure it's supposed to be fake, they aren't passing it off as real, it's just like watching a movie. I'm not going to watch a movie and be like "That explosion was fake!"

 

12. Do you attend live events?

I've attended indy events 2 times when a company ran by the virus used to come here and would still be attending to this day, but they've stopped coming or shut down. Johnny Devine was their best wrestler. I also got to see Raven who came with them the second time. I've attended 1 WWE Smackdown taping. Indy show 100% better... I got a fircken wrestler thrown on my lap, you can't get any closer to the action than that.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

The SD taping kind of sucked. I didn't have much fun there at all. Meeting Raven/interacting with the wrestlers at the indy show were the best times.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

15. Freestyle

I'm the hiphopapotimus, my rhymes are bottomless

 

...

 

[Toxxic 0]

 

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I have no idea how I ended up at the site, but I was reading articles for a fair while before I joined the forums. These days my main role is as co-fedhead of the SWF, but I still talk nonsense in some of the other folders.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

The late 80s, obviously Hogan era.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

I watched WCW from about '90 onwards because we got a programme late at night on Saturdays and I didn't have Sky so couldn't watch the WWF. But it was the WWF that I was interested in, I just watched WCW because hey, it was wrestling, even if it wasn't the wrestling I wanted to watch. I've watched TNA since I found it on British TV, but my interest is waning. I bought a load of ROH DVDs for a while, and I'm currently into SHIMMER.

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

WWF was my favourite as a kid. I stopped watching about '93 and tuned back in during 2000, when WCW was on TV with its ludicrous Batman-style 'POW!' exclamations over weapon shots because it was on at 5pm. WWF was still better, but WCW was hilarious because of that. TNA was good for a while but is really going down the shitter now. ROH was good. SHIMMER is great.

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

Probably SHIMMER

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Hogan, because I was a total mark. Bulldog, because he was British. But basically, I liked who I was told to like.

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

As above, only I hated who I was told to hate.

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Joe was, until he got demotivated in TNA. Alex Shelley. AJ Styles. I enjoy Jack Evans' ludicrous aerial stuff. Christopher Daniels/Curry Man. Cheerleader Melissa, MsChif and Amazing Kong. And The Experience do heel tag team great.

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I hardly ever watch WWE now, maybe once in the past year. I record TNA and fast forward through all the talking except the Dudleys (who tend to amuse me) and the MCMGs (ditto, plus my wife fancies Shelley). I have found that matches featuring the Main Event Mafia go at about the right pace on x2 fast forward. I get the PPVs for free anyway. I would love to watch wrestling, if only I could find some worth watching.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

I was obsessed as a child, but my parents did not really indulge this past getting me action figures. I watched a LOT in the early Noughties, which was probably when my interest was at its peak.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

WWE got old when Triple H was squashing everyone and it was clear that no-one new was going anywhere. Also, Rock leaving hurt it in my eyes. I think when Lesnar left may have been a death-knell, as he was new and interesting to me, and had broken through the ranks. I've been impressed that they've pushed Jericho again (properly this time) and CM Punk as well, but it hasn't been enough to get me back into it.

TNA was awesome around the time of Daniels/Joe/Styles in the X-Division. They went downhill when they got the two-hour Spike programming and became obsessed with collecting the same wrestlers that were boring me shitless before in the WWE. The focus on the Knockouts has been great, but the MEM is killing it and making me less interested with every week.

ROH started to lose me with the Danielson/Aries 45 minute match on Testing The Limit, when it became clear that they were more about doing things for the sake of doing things than because it made good wrestling.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

No, between about '93 and 2000 I paid it no attention whatsoever.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

Not sure. WCW had disappeared from TV in Britain, and the last WWF PPV I borrowed off a friend was the first King Of The Ring, I think.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

Since I've been watching again, high-flying always does it for me. I like technical too, but cruiserweight action is great.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

My disbelief is suspended enough by hurricanranas and the goddamn Canadian Destroyer. I DEMAND logic from my storylines, which my explain why I'm always left disappointed.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

No. The big companies only come here once in a blue moon and because they're in the UK they're not going to do anything important. Local British wrestling doesn't interest me - I've seen some of the smaller companies on TV and they're pretty awful.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles for the X-Division Title. Not sure exactly when it was but it was while Joe was carrying around the towel with Daniels' blood on it. That is what wrestling should be about. Also, MsChif vs Amazing Kong from SHIMMER Vol.9, which shits over any match Gail Kim put on with Kong. And Benoit making Triple H tap to the Crossface.

 

15. Freestyle

Why is it that I know more move names than Mike Freakin' Tenay, and why don't TNA hire me to sit in Orlando and shout them for a few hours a month for a decent wage?

[Aero 0]

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I don't remember exactly how I found the site. I want to say I found it linked from either the Rantsylvania or Cheap Pops (I think that was its name...) site back in 2002. Shockingly, I decided to join the forum based on the articles written on the now-nonexistant main page.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

It would have been in 1991-1992. It's tough to say for sure since I can't remember ever going out of my way to watch the weekly shows immediately. I remember immediately taking a liking to Bret Hart, LOD, Mr. Perfect, and The Rockers among others. My brothers and I always seemed to watch on and off around this time, but when it was on, we were pretty into it. I definitely remember watching the last SNME on TV, and I was pretty excited going into it.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWF/E, WCW from about 1997-the end, ECW 2000-the end. I started watching WCW based on a friend kind of getting me into it based on the initial nWo/Sting angle, plus I needed something to watch from 8:00-9:00 before Raw started. I watched Thunder when that was on, too, but I never was into WCW enough to order their PPVs. I finally managed to find ECW on some random channel in 1999 and started watching it when I could, and then I usually watched it when it was on TNN as well. I did end up ordering a few of their PPVs. I did start watching TNA in the summer of 2006, and I was really into it until about early 2007, when I just kind of gave up on it. I was mainly drawn into it when I saw the Samoa Joe/Chris Sabin match from one of their PPVs on Comcast's free onDemand service.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? WWF all the way. WCW and ECW never compared to me. I also never watched the other two until the late-90's, though. I was aware of WCW's existance in the early/mid-90's, but I just never watched it. In fact, I remember one night, my mom called me into the room saying that wrestling was on, but I ended up being disappointed to find WCW Saturday Night and refusing to watch it. Weird.

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why? WWE. Usual reason since it's on free TV, and it's not as goofy as TNA is.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?Bret Hart, LOD, Undertaker, Randy Savage, Big Boss Man, Rockers, Mr. Perfect, Ultimate Warrior

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?I wouldn't say that I didn't like him, but I never really cared for Hulk Hogan when I saw him here and there. I was pretty scared of Papa Shango... setting people on fire via voodoo was serious shit back then. Otherwise, guys I couldn't stand: Ric Flair, Nasty Boys, Mountie, Shawn Michaels when he turned on Jannetty

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, William Regal, Jamie Noble, CM Punk, and I'm actually starting to like Randy Orton for the first time since his IC Title run.

 

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I'd say from about 2005 onward was the point where I started losing a little interest. Watching wrestling for me is more habit than anything right now. I still enjoy it a lot at points, but it's never a big deal if I miss a show anymore. I watch Raw basically every week, but the others are on and off. To be honest, I usually forget about ECW, although it is usually pretty decent. When SD moved to Friday nights, I was only usually able to watch it once or twice a month. This past year, I've watched it probably less than 12 times. The availability of spoilers (now for two weeks) doesn't encourage me to watch it, either.

 

I do still get excited for PPVs and other stuff here and there, it's just rare. WM this past year, for instance, looked really appealing, and I was really looking forward to it. The majority of PPVs these days don't really do it for me, though.

 

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

This would be 1997-mid-1999 for me. Most of 1997 was the height of markdom for me, and once everyone and their mothers started getting into wrestling in 1998, it was easier to have the TV/PPV parties. I think it was in mid to late 1999 that I realized that some PPVs really did suck, and I wasn't as compelled to shell out the money.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

 

It's hard to pinpoint an exact moment or incident that triggered my disinterest. A few things that come to mind that really did annoy me at the time: JBL's ascension and title reign was boring as hell at times (funny now, because I liked JBL once he lost the World title), Shelton Benjamin's lack of push after he lost the IC Title (how do you not push this guy further after his match with HBK??), ECW's revival in 2006 turned to shit, WWE's refusal to seriously push Christian in 2005.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?Always. Interest dipped, but I've always watched.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

I like a little bit of everything. I love technical wrestling, spotty matches like the TLC/Ultimate X matches, hardcore matches, etc. I'm up for soap opera-ish stuff, too, just so long as it's not THAT farfetched (ie, Katie Vick). For the most part, it's always been this way, but I've been able to appreciate technical wrestling more since getting on internet and "becoming a smark". The first time I watched Benoit-Regal from the Pillman show, I thought it was boring as hell. After a few more viewings over the years, I've appreciated it a bit more.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

I'm at the point where I'll just groan about stupid stuff like the TV viewers getting the view from the inside of Steph's baby carriage at WM 22 or Hornswaggle's magic door in the wall, and then I'll continue watching. If a non-fan is watching something as stupid with me, I'll make fun of it with them and move on. It's such a commonplace now that it hardly bothers me. If something happens in WWE that is beyond the level of stupidity on a major level (like a main event storyline), then I'll be on here complaining and picking it apart.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

 

I go to live events whenever I can. I was just at Survivor Series last week, and I paid the money to get a good floor seat. I've always had a good time at whatever live show I've been to. The only 'intimate' small arena show I've ever been to was an ECW TV taping in early 2000, so it's hard to judge that against all the WWE shows I've been to. Anytime I go to an event, no matter how much of a smart fan I am from the internet now, I always find myself becoming a mark again at the arena because it's just too much fun not to get into everything.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

My first event was Summerslam 97, and the entire event was just great as a mark. At the time, seeing Benoit win the Rumble in 2004 was amazing, especially since the Rumble match itself was one of the best. For the first Raw of 2006, me, my two brothers, and about 5 other friends went, with Cena vs. Angle in a First Blood match as the main event. Despite crappy seats, cheering for Angle against the Cena fans was way too much fun. This was at the height of the Cena hate at the live events. And I had a great time at the PPV last Sunday, as well.

 

I really can't think of any bad experiences. I've always had fun.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

Matches: Austin vs. Bret (WM 13), Taker vs. HBK (HIAC), Austin vs. Bret (Survivor Series), Austin vs. Rock (WM 17), among others

 

Moments: Eddie winning the World Title, the end of Bret/Austin submission match, Hart family celebration at Canadian Stampede, Owen pinning Bret at WM X, Post-match of Warrior vs. Savage from WM VII, among others.

 

Events: WM 17 (has the best variety of matches of any PPV ever), Canadian Stampede, Vengeance 2003, WM VIII, Summerslam 97 and 98.

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

Wrestling isn't nearly as good as it was during its peak, but it could be worse, like 1995 levels of suck. I'll likely never stop watching, no matter what the quality. It's taken up such a large portion of my life that it'd feel really weird not to be watching.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

My name is Adam and I read Scott Keith's website. I think he was apart of this website and I just joined it.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

After WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game came out. There was an article in Gamepro magazine that peaked my interest in wrestling. When I was younger than that, only on occasion I might watch a little bit of WWF Superstars.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWF/WWE mostly. I would have watched WCW more except I didn't get TNT from my cable company. I watched ECW on TNN.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

 

Favorite and I guess least favorite is WWF/WWE. It just depend on the month I guess.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

WWE because I don't watch TNA or ROH.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Undertaker, Mankind, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, Dean Malenko, and Razor Ramon.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

Not really sure. There wasn't anyone that would make me change the channel. I suppose looking back uh... I hate Faarooq and the Nation of Domination. I also didn't like Hollywood Hogan whenever I would watch WCW highlights and he would be DQ'ed just to keep his ugly belt.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Miz and Morrison, merchandise shilling DX, JBL on occasion, Randy Orton, Edge

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Almost apathetic. Watching wrestling on Mondays is tradition like watching the Lions on Thanksgiving. I have bought the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania for the last decade.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

The correct answer to this is the Attitude era. Looking back to it, it seems really awful but I loved it.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

 

I supposed being tired of Cena/Batista being champions and the fact that Guerrero/Benoit are gone.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

 

I stopped watching wrestling for about two weeks after Chris Benoit's tribute show and then I came back.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

N/A

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Technical and high flying styles.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

 

I don't think about the cameras backstage or authority angles or that the Undertaker and Kane can light people on fire but never do it to their opponents.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

 

The last event I attended was Wrestlemania 21. I've never been to an indy show. I've been to 4 WWF/WWE events. 1 house show, 2 Raws, and WM 21.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

Wrestlemania 21 was probably the best event I've been to. I don't think I'd had a bad experience at a show.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

Austin breaking Brian Pillman's ankle. I swore up and down that it was true. Dean Malenko winning the Cruiserweight Battle Royal and winning the belt. The Big Show winning the WWF title at Survivor Series 2000 (Yes, I'm serious).

 

15. Freestyle

I don't think I can stop watching it. The truth is that after Eddie and Chris died, I started thinking about how much responsibility I should take for their demises. I paid 400 dollars for WM tickets and some of it went towards their self destruction. I feel conflicted about this but I know if there is a PPV in a 50 mile radius, I know I'll go. The cycle will always continue and it will be partially because of me.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I'm mellow, and I thought this was a trading site. I like the discussion here, though.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

I remember, very clearly, how I became a fan. It was Memorial Day weekend, 1991, and my cousins brought a tape of the 1991 Royal Rumble. They prefaced the viewing by stating that the matches were predetermined, but that the guys in the ring worked very hard. By the time that the Rockers/Orient Express opener was finished I was hooked. That summer I rented every tape I could get my hands on, started my wrestling figure collection and even bought WWF trading cards. It's been a part of my life ever since. Both of my cousins grew bored and stopped watching within a couple of years of recruiting me.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. I have followed every company that I can. WWF/E and WCW and ECW and TNA mostly, but I like the indies. Ironically, now that wrestling footage is more accessible than ever for me, I don't really have the time to enjoy it as much.

B. I liked the big three during the nineties boom. I don't really dislike any company, except for maybe XPW.

C. Right now, I only catch what I can, so I couldn't accurately tell you which I think is the "best" company.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. My favorites when I first started were Bret Hart, The Rockers, Virgil (!) and the Z-Man were favorites of mine.

B. I couldn't stand The Mountie. He shocked the Big Bossman and Bret Hart with his cattle prod. That fucker.

C. Currently, I am really into Edge, CM Punk, Miz & Morrison, HBK, Evan Bourne, Jericho and Santino Marella all come to mind.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I think that most of what happens is missable, but there are still many great things that have happened recently. Flair's sendoff, CM Punk cashing in his MITB for the World Heavyweight Championship and Edge returning were three of my favorite moments this year.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

The only year that I bought every single PPV was 1996, though my interest was very high from 1991-1997.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Things that directly lead to a genuine disinterest in the product (as opposed to work, school or social obligations) would be everything that happened during the year of 2004 after WrestleMania XX, Jillian Hall's mole and the Eddy Guerrero exploitation.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

I never completely stopped watching at any point, though I missed almost all of the episodes of RAW/SD in 2004.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

N/A

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

American high flyers/technicians. Guys like Benoit, Jericho, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Michaels and Eddy Guerrero.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

So long as they don't dream up retarded scenarios, a la Mickie James kidnapping Trish Stratus' boyfriend and unveiling him in a giant gift box in the middle of the ring. That stuff is really embarrassing.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

I have attended a handful of different shows (live TV, house, indie). I must say that the live television presentations are pretty fun, even when there's more soap than rope.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

My best experience was an ROH show with Storm vs. Danielson, Homicide vs. Cabana and a bunch of Dragon Gate wrestlers. It was a blast. I've never had a been experience, but, then again, I've never attended a wrestling convention.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

This is difficult. Bret Hart and Curt Hennig at SummerSlam '91 is really up there for me. The conclusion of WrestleMania XX was, at the time, my favorite shit ever, but has soured on me for obvious reasons.

 

15. Freestyle

We're Men.. Men on a Mission (yea yea)

Are You Readyyyyyyyyy??

We're Men.. Men on a Mission

(here we go we in the house)

Men Men Men Men are on a Mission

Bam Bang Boom here we go

do it like this you got to all know

Oscar Mable and Moe

Yo were in the house we're ready soo

Men on a Mission over heree

treating like this oppposition

you better have fear

Do it like this we got your ignition

whos in the house its Men on a Mission!!

[gWIL 0]

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Feel free to not answer this if you don't want to. Basically, if you wish, let us know what your deal is and how you came across TSM Forums.

 

I believe I found TSM via a link at the old Friday the 13th forums.

 

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

What year/era? Perhaps it was the Showa era? Maybe the Heisei era? 1993? Attitude era? (You get the idea). What angle, match, or wrestler/character do you vividly remember as your first wrestling experience?

 

As long as I can remember I've liked wrestling. My earliest memory is Taker beating Hogan for the WWF title back in I believe '92. After that it was WCW '96. NWO storyline and then later Sting vs NWO storyline is what got me hooked. I was a huge Sting mark back in the day

 

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

 

WCW from 1996 till their death. Latter-day ECW, like 98 to their death. WWF/E on and off since I've been alive. I also followed the WWA PPVs, and the FSN era of TNA. I now follow CCW, a local (Evansville) indy.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

 

WCW was always my favorite execpt for a short while in '99. Least favorite would be post death of WCW era until 2004 or so.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

 

My local indy, CCW, their product is more entertaining than the crap on tv.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

 

Sting, old-school Undertaker, The Giant, Ultimo Dragon and Lex Luger. (Why? I don't know)

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

 

Never cared for Hogan.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

 

Santino, Orton, and MVP.

 

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

 

I go to more live events than ever (thanks to having more money and a car) but never watch it on TV. Last PPV I got was the one, is it Unforgiven (?), that had all the scramble matches. It pissed me off and I stopped watching.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

WCW (just about always) and 2004 era WWE.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease? Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

 

I stopped watching for about a year after WCW died. I just did not care for the WWF. It was probably Scott Steiner that brought me back, actually. I guess I was hoping he was still in late WCW form. He wasn't.

 

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

 

No, mentioned above. Also, currently.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

Shitty booking of the scramble matches.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

 

I used to enjoy garbage wrestling, now I prefer a more speed based style or a good brawl. Chain wrestling bores the shit out of me.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

I don't know. It varies.

 

 

[Diamonddust 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

-The name's David... found this board through word of mouth on other sites, if memory serves me correctly.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

-The start of 1990. I was aware of wrestling before then, but I didn't start watching until about mid-January 1990. The first things I remember watching as a fan are WCW episodes where Cactus Jack was beating up his tag-team partner, and the Clash of Champions that built up WrestleWar '90.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

-WWE, WCW/NWA, and ECW.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

-I didn't have a favorite as a kid, but when the Attitude/Monday Night War era hit and I got exposed to the IWC, the WWE and ECW were my favorites. I liked WCW because of Flair, the Horsemen, and people like Benoit, Malenko, Eddie, and Jericho.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

-The WWE. Not much else to pick from as I really can't get into TNA. Call me old fashioned, but I can't stand the six-sided ring.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

-As a child? Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. I really can't give a good reason why.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

-General hatred for all heels, but Mr. Perfect got under my skin especially.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

-Currently, Chris Jericho would be at the top of the list.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

-I'm not a hardcore fan like I used to be. I credit this a lot to do with the fact there isn't the competition on Monday Nights anymore. During the Monday Night Wars, I was glued to the television, flipping between Nitro and Raw. Now, I'll watch Raw on a regular basis, but I usually skip Smackdown because I read the taping results. I'll watch ECW if nothing else is on. As for PPV's, the only one I buy each year is Wrestlemania.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

-Easily the Monday Night Wars/Attitude Era. I was in high school at the time, so I was definitely their target audience.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

-The death of WCW and stable competition for the WWE. ECW folding also hurt it as well.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

-I've been a consistent fan in some form or fashion since 1990.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

-I've always liked the technical/cruiserweight style, but now I can appreciate the heavyweights or superheavyweights, if the match is done properly.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

-Because I majored in Film and Television Studies in college, I have a habit of pointing out gaping whole in logic when it comes to a production of any sorts. Still, if the angle is effective, I'll be entertained.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

-I'll attend the local indy promotion that runs a few miles down the house from my parents' place, but the last big live WWE event I attended was July 2001 (The night after ECW joined the Invasion).

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

-Best experiences were a Smackdown in October of 1999. I was a senior in high school, and I had third row seats right where the camera picked up. The first ECW show in Birmingham, Alabama was also fun as I was the only one cheering Bam Bam Bigelow during a match, and he told me "I don't need you!". The worst experience probably was ECW's Guilty as Charged 2000, also held in Birmingham. The seats were bad, and The Sandman (Who a lot of my friends wanted to see) no showed the event, and the live audience wasn't told.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

-I got to see a World Title change (The Rock vs. Mankind, Feb. 1999 on Raw - Day after St. Valentine's Day Massacre) and a Hell in the Cell (Armageddon 2000)

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

-Not really, although I understand the business aspect of wrestling far better than I did back during the '90s.

[King Cucaracha 0]

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Well I don't remember a whole lot about when and I why I showed up here. Probably stumbled across the board from reading Dames reviews, that old story. All I know is, I'm now Modding both the SWF and the OAOAST. So, serious business.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

Man oh man... my earliest wrestling memory is owning two Hasbro figures at the age of six. Greg Valentine and Sgt. Slaughter. At the age of six. Probably by about eight I was regularly renting videos from the local store, which back then was the only way to get access to wrestling unless you had Sky, which back then was rarer. Watched anything and everything, WCW and WWF, that was available.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWE/F, obviously. WCW intermitently, we always got very stop-start coverage over here. ECW via video from about 2000 onwards. Once I hit about eighteen we got the Wrestling Channel, since lead me to ROH and IWA: Mid South. Through them, I got into CHIKARA, PWG, Dragon Gate, NOAH, SHIMMER and various others.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite?

WWF in the Attitude era was the best. Back when wrestling was legit cool. People cared back then, everything mattered. Not sure about least favourite, I like to think I give everything a chance no matter how 'bad' it is.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

CHIKARA. Right now it has everything in the right balance. Basically, I know 'Sports Entertainment' is a dirty word, but I watch wrestling as a form of entertainment. I don't take wrestling seriously. CHIKARA matches my sensibility on wrestling, it doesn't take itself seriously all the time. When it does, they've got a great in-ring product too. So if I want to watch for the entertainment it's there, if I want to watch for the wrestling that's there too.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Honestly I like to think I can see the positives in any and all wrestlers for the most part. Even if it's ironic. I don't think growing up I was ever a fan of one wrestler in particular, just wrestling. At a push, I'd say Hogan and Savage. Guys I couldn't stand? Anyone boring who didn't stay around for long. Current favourites change day on day depending on who and what I've been watching.

 

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

WWE-wise, I watch Raw, ECW and Smackdown every week. My interest is up on a year or so, but I wouldn't say I get excited about shows anymore. I tend to watch Raw and PPVs as live (I RARELY stay up until 4 in the morning though) and read ECW and Smackdown spoilers. Outside of WWE, I read results for other promotions but still look forward to buying DVDs when there's a good show.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

98/99.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

I don't think my interest has dropped, so much as changed. I always paid attention to WWE, when that was going through rough spells I had other promotions and older shows to hold my interest instead. I'd say a couple of years ago I stopped watching WWE TV so much and stopped buying DVDs so religiously and just picking and choosing strong shows.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

Always.

 

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Anything and everything. I can happily go from watching Dragon Gate to old school NWA and enjoy both on their own merits. At a push I'd say comedy wrestling, when done right, is what I'm drawn too.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

I've already pegged myself as a CHIKARA fan, so it takes quite a bit. I've seen matches go into slow motion and imaginary grenades used and not drawn a line. Personally, my line would be drawn with people no selling too much, which bothers me a little. And these supernatural Undertaker angles are a bit much. Little things, basically. In general, I'm pretty easy going.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

No.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Again they change week to week depending on what I've been watching.

 

15. Freestyle

Lighten up already!

[Timmy8271 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I found this board thanks to the shoot interview reviews Brandon did.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

1995 while watching something on the preview channel for Bret Hart vs Diesel.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

- WWE, WCW, ECW, CMLL, AAA, TNA, Memphis, etc. You name it I followed it.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? Favorite: Probably WWE and ECW. I liked WCW but that could change week from week. I'm also a huge Lucha Libre fan but that has changed over the past year

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

- WWE, It's just a tradition for me.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

- Steve Austin, Rock, DX, Al Snow, Goldberg, DDP and Sandman.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

- Hulk Hogan, Marc Mero, Shane Douglas, Raven

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

- Santino, Randy Orton, John Cena, Evan Bourne, Most of the Divas not named Michelle Mccool, Miz/Morrison

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I don't have cable anymore but I still watch Raw every Monday(Thank you Justin.tv) and Smackdown. I watch ECW sometimes and sometimes TNA.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

1999. Most of this was thanks to the Monday night Wars but I Loved 1999 at the time.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Probably after Austin left in 02. I lost Cable the first time in 03 so I missed Raw and stuff.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

Nah I still watched. I stopped watching TNA in about May but just came back recentley.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

I like the Technical style mixed with Lucha libre. Also the Memphis/NWA style, Old school wrestling. Not a big fan of the Spot/Spot no selling style or Hardcore/Deathmatch style.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

Probably somewhere in between. I'm probably too critical on TNA and a WWE Apologist but on everything else I'm pretty relaxed

 

12. Do you attend live events?

I use to go to Raw everytime it came here but stopped in 03. I went to Wrestlemania and ROH this year.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events? Austin vs Mcmahon, The Beer bath, Goldberg winning the World Title from Hogan.

 

15. Freestyle

I"ll probably always be a wrestling fan. It's in my blood now.

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

 

Again, just have fun with it. If it comes off as lame, I apologize, but I'm hoping it brings the "wrestling sections" of the board closer together instead of further apart.

[Papacita 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Papacita, and I ask myself the second question whenever I show up here. Going on seven years now...damn!

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

My brother was a big fan when he was young, but I didn't really get into it until 1991, just before WM7. I tuned into Prime Time Wrestling, which was showing a match between Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels (amazingly, both guys went onto to become all-time favorites of mine, even though I didn't care for either--especially Shawn--at the time).

 

3. The Company Line:

A. WWF/E, ECW, WCW, ROH, USWA circa 95-97, TNA for about a week. Probably something else I'm forgetting.

 

B. WWF was it when I was little, though I've always been a big ECW mark. I was really getting into WCW right up until Hogan showed up, and I really turned on them once the Monday Night War started. For the majority of 05-07, ROH was the only wrestling I followed, so I've got a lot of love for them currently, even though my interest in it has waned in the last year or so.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

Honestly, WWE when I do watch. Loves my ROH, but when WWE is on their shit, they're on their shit.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. When I first started watching, it was all Warrior. After he left in 92, Perfect became my favorite (you can pretty much guess why). Michaels became my favorite around 95, and he's my all-time fav, and it'd be a crime if I didn't give Chyna a mention. Yeah, I still wubs my Chyna! Shut the fuck up!

 

B. Billy Gunn, Hogan, HHH, Bret once he started feuding w/ Shawn/Austin.

 

C. Shawn's still got the #1 spot locked for me. I went from having minimal interest in wrestling around the top of the year to being pretty drawn in by that Jericho feud by the summer. Jericho's up there too. The Punk/Raven feud from 03 was what got me into ROH, and I've had a soft spot for Punk ever since, and I like Danielson and Nigel McGuinness a whole lot.

 

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I don't get butterflies before PPVs anymore, but honestly that hasn't happened in a decade anyway. I noted that my interest in wrestling is up from previous years, but really that's only minimal, since I got around to following the good stuff through Youtube and stuff like that. I honestly don't even have the time to sit through a Raw/Smackdown these days, and when I can, I really don't have the patience for it. Wrestling just isn't a priority for me anymore, honestly.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

Really 95-05, with 95-99 being the peak of my mark period. 2000-05 was still pretty interesting just because of the discovery of the IWC, as honestly it was pretty fun ripping WWE during that Katie Vick era when they just seeming to be coming up with all kinds of off the wall shit.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

No single event really. WWE's booking in 05 really killed my interest in their product, since it showed that they were still capable of putting out a product that could draw me in (the Batista stuff early that year, the first ONS, HBK's and Eddie's heel turns, portions of the Matt Hardy angle), but they seemed to be unwilling to shake things up, and by the end of the year seemed to be going the other way by bringing back Austin, Mr. McMahon, Hogan and a bunch of old-timers. Eddie's death didn't help matters either.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

Until recently, I've always stuck with it.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Right now, I prefer the ROH style (that strikey-strikey, stiffy-stiffy thing they have going), but really a good match is a good match. Psychology and storytelling are always welcome.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

Probably in between. I've never watched with the purpose of analyzing a show, but I don't turn my brain off, and I tend to notice and comment on plot developments, both good and bad. It's RARE that I completely mark out for stuff though.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

Not since 04.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

Too many good experiences to name, but running into Heyman, Sandman and Dreamer at Mind Games ranks pretty high. Worst...any of the WCW shows I've gone to after 94.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Chyna vs. Jericho! YOU LOVE THIS MATCH!!!!!!! *YOU LOVE THIS MATCH!!!!!*

 

15. Freestyle

I'm done.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I've been here before many of the people that are "established". I stick mainly to the MMA folder these days. J00 may call me Hawk52 since someone else is claiming the name Hawk as well.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

I was born into it. My entire family watched wrestling, and my Grandfather would hold me on his knee before I was even one and watch wrestling. Never had a period where I wasn't a fan, ever.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

B. What have some of your favorite companies been? Your least favorite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

 

A: Well, considering I was born in 1986 the only promotions I can say for that period are WWF(E), WCW, and ECW. Since about 2000 I've been into Japanese Pro wrestling, so i guess you can add New Japan, All Japan, NOAH, DRAGON GATE, etc, etc.

 

B: WCW. I was loyal until they died. I still have many old shows, and occasionally I'll grab a classic one. Never anything past 1998 though. It got pretty bad.

 

I'm a pretty big DRAGON GATE fan. Not as big as others, but pretty big. Been a fan for years now.

 

I watch what I want from NJPW, AJPW, NOAH, and those feds but I'm not hardcore about them. I generally watch every big match they have.

 

I'm actually a pretty big fan of classic All Japan Woman's now. I didn't even really know about "Joshi" before AJW died, but going back through their shows and matches they were probably legitimately the greatest wrestling promotion to ever exist workrate (and possibly drawing power) wise. They once ran a Tokyo Dome show that legit sold out and went TEN HOURS.

 

If you count MMA, I was a hardcore PRIDE fan. Never been half as hardcore about any other promotion, UFC included.

 

C: I guess DRAGON GATE would go here.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

A: There's a few that stand out as a little kid. Hulk Hogan, obviously. The Ultimate Warrior. I was pretty big into both. I was a big Sting fan and to a lesser degree Macho Man. I was never one of those kids that didn't like heels. I liked them all.

 

As for ones that aren't "normal", I was always a big fan of The Great Muta. I thought he was about as cool a wrestler there could be. And I turned into a huge mark for Big Van Vader. I still am of his classic work.

 

B: I liked all Pro-Wrestlers. But if I had to say, probably anyone WWE brought in around 1995 with those silly gimmicks. I don't remember barely any of them and I know I watched the shows.

 

C: Current favorites...Tough one. By favorites, I'm equating it to someone I'd tune in to see. Edge kind of has that effect, but then I quit watching because Smackdown sucks. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the only other person I can think of.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

 

A. This one's a bit hard. I watch Raw and ECW...I only watch Smackdown when it interests me. I skip Impact altogether. I occasionally watch Triple A. I download shows for the Japanese feds. I occasionally get legit feelings from wrestling, but they are few and far between. John Cena returning at RR...CM Punk's title win...Outside of these events engineered to shock I can't think of anything. Flair's retirement invoked real emotion from me, but I dunno who it didn't to. All I look for in shows these days is that they make SENSE. That doesn't happen much anymore in any promotion. Anywhere.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

 

A. Never bought many PPV's. Never was rich enough for that. Probably around...1995-1997 for me. WCW was incredibly hot. NWO was on fire. And I really don't remember liking WWF even when they started the attitude era. It was all WCW for me. I remember when WCW/NWO World Tour was coming out. I was *OBSESSED* to play that...and I didn't even own a N64.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

 

A. WCW's death started it. I lost all interest for awhile. WWE will do something every so often that pisses me off, but never enough that I've said "fuck wrestling".

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

 

A. As soon as I discovered Japanese Pro-Wrestling, I never have given up. Why? If WWE annoys me enough, I don't watch it. But there's enough variety for anyone that you can find something to watch. You just have to look and have an open mind. Most people don't have that.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

A. Never did.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

 

A. I consider there to be only a few “true" differences in styles. There's American & Japanese Pro-Wrestling. Lucha Libre. Joshi. European. And Worked Shoot. All other forms of pro-wrestling fall within these five categories. As for which I like best...Obviously traditional pro-wrestling. Although if I had to choose, I'd take a tag of Dynamite Kansai and Mayumi Ozaki vs. Manami Toyota and Kyoko Inoue over anything else in Pro-Wrestling in a second.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

A. I look at Pro-Wrestling as art. Specifically the wrestling. I look for little touches, storylines, and psychology. Good spots help too, as long as they don't get whacked out. As for what I dislike...I dislike matches that have fifty thousand pinfalls. The only exception is DRAGON GATE since they move at fucking warp speed. I dislike shows that feel like the same match over and over (ROH fits here often). I used to despise no-selling limb work, but I've gotten over it now. I'm not a "workrate only" type of person since I enjoy good booking. Poor booking can anger me. Which happens. Alot. Wrestling is a form of theatre. I don’t believe in kayfabe, nor do I believe in “protecting the business”. I think if Pro-Wrestling was more open about it being a form of athletic theatre it would be far more popular here. So I never suspend disbelief. It is what it is.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

 

A. I've never had a chance to. The few times WWE's been here, I haven't had the money to go. I don't think I'd really enjoy it though. Or if I did, it's ruin my ability to view it rationally and critically.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

A. None.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

A. One moment I've always had a fond moment for is the "Commercial Break Match Ending" WCW used one time. For years, you'd hear "Fans if the match ends during the break we'll show you what happened!" and it would NEVER happen. Yet one time, in a tag squash (I believe) with Larry Zbysko and Arn Anderson the match *actually ended* in the break. They "broke" the jobber's arm with a flying knee strike. That's always stood out to me as a cool device.

 

Another moment was the NWO Beatdown in the back on WCW early on where Nash lawndarted Rey. It had an unpredictability to it. No one knew what was happening. It was incredibly well done, and it left you wanting to see revenge. Plus, the WCW guys were shown as couragious (Since, ya know, they were faces) when they refused to backdown to the NWO. Highlighted by Rey's fearless plancha, despite paying for it.

 

15. Freestyle

 

I got nothing. I like to think I view Pro-Wrestling differently then most do, so I'll be interested to see what people think of this. I’ve thought about reviewing shows/matches in my free time, but I don’t have the energy to do it.

[Fartsauce 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I can't even remember how I discovered the site to be honest. One day I just joined and started contributing.

 

 

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

Probably 1990. The first Wrestling Footage I ever remember watching was Mean Gene doing an update for the upcoming Survivor Series. I started watching shortly after that.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWF, WCW, ECW, TNA.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

I've always liked WWE/F cause of the production values. Even though the in-ring of WCW was miles ahead of WWE/F at times, I was hooked by Vince's production values and some of the over the top characters. I've never really been a fan of companies who strictly promote technical wrestling. I respect what they are doing but the high school gym atmosphere and the lack of promos kill my interest. So I guess ROH would be my least favourite.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

WWE by default. I only watch Raw on Monday's and the monthly ppv's. The rare time I tune into Impact i'm confused as to what's going on.

 

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

I never really had a favourite wrestler until around 1994 when Owen Hart won the King Of The Ring. After that I became a fan. I also really liked Jeff Jarrett around 1995 when he was feuding with Razor Ramon for the IC Title. Of course I became an NWO fan when they started in 1996.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

I was a huge fan of the heels(still am for the most part) so I couldn't stand Razor Ramon, Bret Hart to name a few.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Edge, Santino, Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Umaga

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Probably the lowest it's ever been to be honest. I have Raw on every Monday but lately it's become background fodder while I do other things. Sometimes I just lose interest, take a shower and go to bed before Raw is even over. Hopefully that changes with the latest Raw.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

Probably 1998/1999. I made my poor father sit through entire episodes of WCW Thunder. I ordered every PPV from WWE and WCW at the time.

 

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

To be honest I thought the first brand split was the beginning of the end for me. Seeing tag team guys like Bradshaw and Bubba Dudley get mini-programs in the main event of Raw really cheapened everything for me. Also when Rock and Austin left my interest dwindled.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

I've never completely stopped watching but I can remember a time some 13 years ago where I would be in my grade 8 class just thinking and thinking about that nights Raw. Of course, being in Canada, I had to sneak up and watch at midnight in those days on TSN. Now as I previously mentioned, I rarely pay attention to a single episode of Raw.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

I'm still a fan.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

I'm a cross between a brawling style and high-flying. Also I love the production values, weird characters and mic skills.

 

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

I tend to judge matches using a "bad, good, great, awesome" scale but i've never been one to use star ratings. I like a wrestler that has mic skills and can wrestle but if the guy is entertaining and isn't the greatest technically (Santino as a recent example) i'm still a fan.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

I just sit back and enjoy it. I usually just sit back now with a bunch of buddies on PPV night and predict what move or run-in is going to happen next.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

I've been to 3 house shows in Sudbury, Wrestlemania in Detroit and a Raw in Toronto last May.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

Best experience I ever had was by far Wrestlemania. 80 thousand people in the building was an awesome experience, even if the crowd sat on their hands most of the night. Undertaker's entrance and title win was the highlight of the night for me. The worst experience I ever had was at my first house show in Sudbury. My buddy was wearing a United States jacket and Dave Hebner spotted him (we had ringside seats) and asked him to be Lex Luger's flag bearer. I was insanely jealous.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Favourite match ever was Bret vs Austin at Wrestlemania 13. That match and the aftermath turned around the WWF in my opinion.

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

People need to stop over-analyzing ever little petty detail and just sit back and enjoy.

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

LivingLegendGaryColeman. I found this board back in 2001 I think. I do know I read it for a while before I ever reigstered, then I registered because there was some topic I wanted to post in. I've been reading for a while, but just pop in here and there, a lot of times in the non-wrestling sections.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

I know I saw it here and there in the early 90s but I think the point where I started watching religiously was 1993. I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast, so for a while I got to watch RAW really early and remember really getting into it around the time there was the Battle Royal for the IC Title. I know some of my earliest regular memories were taping RAW and waking up early for school on Tuesday morning to watch it.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

I lived and breathed WWF when I was younger. That was it. I would catch WCW when it was on because Saturday night there was no WWF, but it was mainly WWF. As I got older, I'd just watch whatever was on. Watched every WWF show, every WCW show, once ECW went national I watched them, I catch TNA now. Anything that was on I would follow.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite?

I think my answer on the last one kind of sums it up. While every show had something lame or embarrassing at some points, there was always some redeeming quality or talent on each show.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

Ummm.... I guess WWE. That is the main promotion I've always followed. Even in the time where WCW was "cooler", WWE was always my first choice.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Sadly the first guy I remember really liking was Virgil. I like 1-2-3 Kid, Marty Jannetty, Randy Savage, Doink and then oddly Owen Hart. It was really bizarre because I was super into babyfaces and like a lot of people said "I liked who I was told to like" but even when I was a young mark, I really liked Owen. Gimmick wise, I remember the first PPV I ordered was WrestleMania X. I was so intrigued by a lot of things on the card but remember being so crazy about the ladder match that I built a ladder out of popsicle sticks for my action figures.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

Bob Backlund, Harvey Wippleman, Quebeccers, Crush

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

I like Punk, Kofi, Miz/Morrison, Evan Bourne, Edge, Christian Cage, Hardyz, Matt Morgan, Kendrick, London, Regal. Its weird because there are guys that I especially like, but I really wouldn't say I dislike anyone. As much hate as he gets, I like Triple H. I just don't like him with the belt. At this point, guys like him and Undertaker seem "above" the title, where a reign for them just really seems unneccesary.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Well, I still follow a fair amount, but I go in waves. Right now, every show WWE and TNA have on the air is set to record on my DVR. Sometimes I will sit and watch the whole show, sometimes I will fast forward through several segments. Being on the West Coast, until I got DirecTV, the RAW results were always online before they aired here. I used to read them to see if it was worth watching, but the show became much more exciting when I avoided them. Its strange though because sometimes I will sit through whole shows and then just fast forward through the main event. I guess just because I usually root for the guys who aren't as popular, I find a lot of top of the card stuff stale, even when it is new and exciting.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

I think probably back in 2000-ish. That was when the seemingly the most original, big match programming was. I used to go nuts and watch every little show on TV way back when (Action Zone, Mania), but 99-2000 had the most "big show" seeing it was no longer the era of the unknown jobber. You had RAW, Smackdown, Jakked and Heat with Nitro, Thunder, Saturday Night, ECW was national. There was so much too watch. WWE was in one of my favorite eras at the time, WCW was so bizarre you had to watch and ECW was putting on solid shows.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

I know in late 2002 I had a decline. There was interesting stuff on the show, but I really just had a lot of stuff going on around me that I wasn't watching much of anything, let alone wrestling. I still followed the product, just not extremely closely. When I did, I was seeing Katie Vick and Al Wilson... just too much.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

Yeah. If nothing else I would read websites just seeing what would happen. Certain things I would make sure to try to catch. It's weird, I go through spells where I hardly watch any, then I go and watch everything on TV and old PPV DVDs.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

Haven't yet.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

Once again, I have appreciation of just about everything. Sometimes I like crazy gimmicks and sometimes I like just straight forward. I guess it depends on the event. I ordered the One Night Stand 2006 just because I thought a lot of the matches with gimmicks would be fun, but I hate when Wrestlemania is overblown with gimmicks because I feel that should just be a traditional show.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

Sometimes I get frustrated in the product, but I never worry about it. Sometimes I come up with scenarios I would have liked, and sometimes, especially this year, things come out of the blue to surprise me (Punk's title win).

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

 

I usually catch the WWE when it is in town. I went to Cyber Sunday this year, and it was an okay show, but I really felt like it was the worst crowd I have been in attendance for in a very long time. Its fun to go and get interactive with the show, starting chants, but no one could get on one page in the crowd. I also get annoyed sometimes listening to marks. I don't find myself to be an elitist, but some of these people are just proof of why it is embarrassing to claim to be a wrestling fan in the general public. I had to listen to one guy go on and on about how Macho Man is on the outs because Miss Elizabeth is Vince's sister. I remember at Judgement Day 06 people in line were going on and on about May 19th cuz that storyline was either going on or just ended.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

I would probably say either Summerslam 03 or Judgment Day 06.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

I was a big 1-2-3 Kid mark as a kid, so matches that stick out to me were Kid/Jannetty beating the seemingly unbeatable Quebeccers for the titles, as well as Kid's title match on RAW vs Bret. I was always a huge Jericho fan, so his debut in WWE was awesome.

 

15. Freestyle

 

I just realized I didn't put Jericho in my favorite wrestlers after talking about how huge his debut was to me. I know he is on a roll right now, but for some reason, I'm not as huge of a fan of his anymore. Maybe its because most of that group of guys I always wanted to join WWE from WCW have turned out depressing in the end (Eddie, Benoit), but since his return last year, I don't get as hyped up for him as I used to get. I mean he was my absolute favorite in the attitude era, but I just don't know why I am not as into him these days.

[cabbageboy 0]

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I first started posting on some form of this site as far back as the old Rantsylvania days circa 2000. Posted on the Rant Crew back then, then followed the site as it changed over to thesmartmarks.com and through various owners, etc. Mostly just give my thoughts on the shows really, no serious agenda either way.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

I'm hazy on it but it was sometime between the first Survivor Series and first Royal Rumble. Just an episode of All American wrestling on USA with Strike Force against two masked jobbers. From there I was hooked and who wouldn't be with the first Rumble, then Main Event, WM, etc.? From there I got into the NWA a bit with the first Clash, also watched Memphis on local TV.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan? Always WWF, NWA/WCW (though wasn't a huge fan), Memphis/USWA, Global on ESPN, ECW once we got it here in 1996, TNA as well.

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool). Companies all have ups and downs but I have always generally enjoyed WWF/E over the years aside from the hideous mid 90s period. WCW circa late 1994 and into 1995 was awful as well, but the 1996 era was awesome. ECW circa 1998-99 was really good too I thought. Least favorite was WCW circa 1999 however. That stuff is so bad I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Actually I take that back....I would!

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why? I would say SD with Edge back and perhaps Christian and Tomko joining him but since that hasn't technially happened yet I'll actually say TNA. The Main Event Mafia has been fun so far.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling? Bulldog, Bret, Steamboat, Santana, The Rockers (but not HBK solo). Lawler and Jeff Jarrett in the USWA. Oddly enough I never liked anyone in WCW all THAT much.

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand? I really disliked Shawn from roughly 1992 to 1998. It started when he beat the Bulldog for the IC title.

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.). Not sure if RVD counts as a current favorite since he is inactive. Jericho has been great of late, Edge is terrific on SD, and while I give Shawn crap for his 1990s antics he's been dynamic this year. Santino is a fun comedy act. And for guilty pleasures: Steiner.

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General. ?

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I'll still quite interested. WWE and TNA both frustrate me, but I still watch the TV shows and try to catch PPVs if I can. I was most interested in wrestling back around 1992 when I got back into it. Ironically enough in the late 90s I was of course highly interested but on some level wished the casual fans would go away since I've often preferred wrestling to be a cult deal. As in profitable but not to the absurd point of having to get up at 6AM to buy tickets and stand around the block.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak? Ironically I just answered that: 1992. That's when I was most interested yet my parents never really allowed me to get PPVs. It wasn't until SummerSlam 1998 that I got a PPV, and I still deeply regreat not getting KOTR 98.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

I was still really into the WWF huge until they started doing a bunch of horrible crap at various points in 2002. Becoming WWE, the brand split, etc. But my interest started waning once Rob Van Dam got buried on Raw in late 2002.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date? I stopped watching in Dec. 1989 or so and didn't watch again until Feb. 1992 when I saw SNME. There was really no reason for this, I just didn't watch.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom? Still a fan.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time? Technical wrestling with a quick pace and few restholds. I enjoy that sort of wrestling and find it a lost art in WWE today. I enjoy high flying lucha style stuff as well, but at times the rules are silly. Hardcore is fine I guess, but I've never been amazed by the whole falls count anywhere schtick.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

It depends on how I view a certain company. With WWE I expect something decent so if they have a stupid angle or a bad match, then I'll let that opinion be known. With old WCW stuff, after a while I stopped caring and just laughed at it since it was so horrid (around 2000) so I took those shows with a grain of salt.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

 

I went to WM this year actually, though it's more for the experience itself rather than actually being able to see. I have largely stopped bothering with house shows, though I did go to a TNA show last year. If Raw or SD came here I'd probably go.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live? Best would be either the first marathon TV taping I went to in Oct. 1992 or the Judgment Day 2000 PPV. Worst would be a hideous WCW house show in 2000 with about 2000 people in the 20,000 seat Freedom Hall. Not only was that show bad, I got pulled over by the cops for no reason while driving home.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events? I love the epic stadium or arena shows, so I'll go with SummerSlam 1992. I already mentioned that era was the most I've ever enjoyed wrestling, and I remember wishing that I could have gotten that PPV (it was the choice of that or going on vacation...I chose 1 week of that over a few hours of a PPV). Bret/Bulldog from that show is still my favorite match of all time and I love the splendor of Wembley Stadium on that show.

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

 

 

[haws bah gawd 0]

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I'm Haws Bah Gawd. It's the best way I could spell that drivel that Jim Ross used to yell about Prince Albert, week-in and week-out. I'm here to have other people to talk about, concerning Wrestling, Games, and Movies other than my personal friends. I gotta say, I miss the main page that used to have reviews of Raw, SD, and TNA (when it was a weekly PPV show), along with the weekly DVD release info.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

Late 1980's, early 90's. My cousin clued me into this guy called The Ultimate Warrior. He said he wore awesome face paint, screamed a lot, and beat guys in seconds. Been hooked ever since. Honestly, if a friend hadn't told me about "this guy named Sting, who was like the Ultimate Warrior, but a little better in the ring", I don't know when I would have ever caught onto WCW.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWF(E), WCW, USWA

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite?

I enjoyed the theatrical stuff that the WWF was doing when I first started watching. Stuff like The Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, The Rockers, etc. The WCW may have been putting on better quality matches, but WWF was far more entertaining, IMO.

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

I guess my favorite would be WWE. TNA has more high-impact stuff, but WWE's overall quality seems a little better.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Ultimate Warrior and Sting. I was all about the face paint and intensity.

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

This will probably get me crucified, but Bret Hart. I couldn't stand his "goody-goody one minute, cocky dick the next" attitude.

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Evan Bourne, Batista, Triple H, CM Punk, AJ Styles, and Kurt Angle

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I look forward to Wrestlemania, as I always have. I HAVE to watch RAW, I guess out of habit, but I don't get irritated if I miss the other shows.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

Attitude Era. I enjoyed WWE pushing the limits of what they could/couldn't show on TV. It also helped that this was during the "Austin Boom", and everyone I knew at least caught RAW every week.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Honestly, my interest was pretty strong and steady up until the Superman push of John Cena began in 2005. I just got tired of the same "Cena overcoming the odds" finish to nearly everyone of his matches. I even kept my interest during Triple H's 2002-2003 "Title Reign of Terror", but theres just SOMETHING about Cena that I can't get into.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

I gave up on wrestling from mid 1993-late 1995. WWE and WCW were just getting to the point of being TOO cartoony and gimmicky for my taste.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

I returned to watching in 1996 when we finally got cable at my house. Really, it was The Giant/Hulk Hogan and Macho Man/Ric Flair and Elizabeth feuds that got me back into wrestling.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

I'm kind of "in the middle" between a high-flying match, and a straight power match.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

When Rey Mysterio can beat Kane each and every time they face-off. When wrestlers always fall into JUST the right position for the 619 from some of the most contrived moves, be it a Headscissors, Hurricanrana, or Dropkick. When Cena can get a submission victory by putting so little effort into the STFU, that his opponent can swing his head from side-to-side while locked in the STFU. When Cena can hold-off an attack from 3 guys only to go down to a single weak shot from behind by Jericho. When a wrestler would lay there for eternity waiting for The People's Elbow. When 5 or 6 guys from the nWo could destroy WCW in the ring, but when all 30+ members were in the ring, and Sting could take out each and every one with his bare hands. I'll admit though, I used to mark the fuck out when Sting would attack. Nothing would get me more riled-up than when he would drop the bat and take out everyone. Like he was saying, "I don't need this crutch to beat you guys". Honestly, I could go on forever with this one.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

I enjoy live events. Especially down here in the south, there's really no experience like a bunch of drunken rednecks at a RASSLIN' show.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

The best experience would be a tie between two.

 

I suppose I can include a house show experience here? My girlfriend and I attended an NWA-Midwest event at a local high school in February 2007. For the intermission, you could get your picture taken with any combination of Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, or Buff Bagwell for $10 per wrestler. I had a decent job at the time, and I know these guys are just trying to make ends meet on the Indy's, so being a fan of them in the early 90's, I decided to get my picture taken with the Steiners. Both guys were very professional and friendly. My girlfriend wanted to get her picture taken with Buff Bagwell (her Mom and Sister were HUGE Buff fans in the 90's), so I was going to give her the money to get the picture taken. So, I gave the camera man the $10 for the picture. Buff saw that my girlfriend is in a wheelchair (complications from birth), and he would have no part of the money, promptly returned the $10 to me, and took the picture for free. He then took the time to ask us what we thought of the show so far, and told us how much it means to all the wrestlers that we (the fans in general) came out to see them that night. The guy was a class act all the way, and forever won me over as a fan.

 

Sitting third row, opposite the cameras, at the final SD taping before Armageddon 2004. My friend and I had a blast.

 

Worst experience....

 

Well, I've never had a horrible experience at a show. The most inconvenient experience I had was probably at the RAW taping following Royal Rumble 2002, in Greenville, SC. My friend and I had floor seats, behind approx. 12 rows of signs. We eventually gave up on trying to see, and found empty seats on the next level up.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

My favorite match of all time is Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock from Wrestlemania X-SEVEN, which is also my all-time favorite event. My favorite MOMENT would have to be either CM Punk winning the World Championship back in the Summer, or Chris Benoit's World Title win at Wrestlemania XX.

 

15. Freestyle

I really don't have any closing remarks. This has been a fun experience, and I would like to see more topics like this.

 

Edit: You know, actually I do have something to add. People should learn to lighten up a little around these parts. Just because someone doesn't have the exact same tastes in what they like to see on a pro wrestling program as you do, doesn't mean you should be a dick to them.

[Jebus 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Jebus here. In my early stages of "internetdom" (late 1998), Scott Keith's wrestling rants led me to the Rantsylvania forums, which became The Smarks and, finally, The Smartmarks (I believe that's right).

What's my business here? Good wrestling discussion, I guess. Movie & TV forums don't hurt. Mostly just a habit of visiting this forum that hasn't gone away.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

1993. I'm 10 years old.

My cousin rented WrestleMania IX. Cause he wanted to see Hogan (whom we knew well...it's Hulk Hogan! He transcends wrestling) face the big fat guy on the cover (Yokozuna).

We saw the show, enjoyed it but that was it. Then, not too long after, my father tells me a rematch is happening RIGHT NOW on PPV (we had The Box).

I run to the living room to watch it...and Hogan loses. I am SHOCKED. And that's where they got me...now I had to see what happens next. I was hooked.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWF/WWE, WCW, TNA, IWS (Montreal Indy Fed)

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite?

Faves: WWF 1997, WCW ('96-'99), TNA ('04-'06)

Least: WWF 1999. Wasn't a big fan of Crash TV (Russo TM). Short matches, too much shock stuff, too much talking...

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

None, really.

WWE is stale, complacent, homogenized, etc. The wrestling and the wrestlers themselves are great but, creatively, I just don't care.

TNA is frustrating. Don't have the budget to follow Indies I'd like to (PWG, ROH).

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

My formative years were '93-'97 so...

Owen Hart, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Davey Boy Smith, Undertaker, Randy Savage, Lex Luger, Marty Jannetty, Razor Ramon, Diesel

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

Stone Cold Steve Austin (he was against my Hart Foundation and corrupting our sport DAMMIT )

Hollywood Hogan (although I thought the rest of the nWo were damn cool)

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Kevin Steen, El Generico, Chris Jericho, Santino Marella, Miz & Morrison, Christian Cage, Matt Hardy

 

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Not very high. Really, I only watch today's wrestling when I'm channel surfing and decide that nothing else is on.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

1997. WWF had the Hart Foundation vs. Austin. WCW had the nWo storyline and plenty of great wrestling (Benoit, Regal, Cruiserweights, etc.)

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

The first cracks came with the botched Invasion in 2001. Such bad booking.

Then, the Draft in 2002 came and RAW ended up sucking hard. I didn't get UPN so I couldn't watch Smackdown.

Watching WWE started to become a chore. Don't make me relive 2003.

Guerrero & Benoit becoming the Champs got me excited again but their reigns didn't change the quality of the shows. In fact, SD! in 2004 became just unwatchable.

In 2005, I stopped watching WWE regularly. I just didn't care anymore.

 

I still watched TNA though but, after the creative team was changed for the worse in late 2006, it wasn't long before I was GONE.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

I'm as out as I can be without being out completely

I stopped watching WWE regularly in 2005 and TNA in 2007.

If I read online that I missed something awesome (For example: Punk winning the ECW title in a great match or just Santino being comedy gold), I try to look for it on YouTube or find a torrent.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

I may not like today's wrestling (well, to be fair, I don't like the wrestling I have access to) but I'll always be a fan.

I still watch old wrestling tapes and DVD's from my collection regularly.

I get psyched about new WWE DVD's with classic matches in them. I wish I had WWE on Demand (I'm looking at you Time Warner).

I'll ALWAYS love the old stuff. Good times.

 

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

I'm a man of many tastes but I've always leaned more toward the "technical" style of wrestling.

Matches like Bret vs. Owen/Hennig/Davey Boy OR Steamboat vs. Savage/Flair/Austin.

Guys like Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Regal and so forth...

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

I was doing well with the "suspending disbelief" until the WWE completely embraced their "Fakeness".

It then became one of my biggest pet peeves. What's with the invisible camera man in the shower with Melina? How come we can see Bob Orton's face bleeding but Randy can't?

EDIT: Reading Aero's survey made me remember Hornswoggle's magic door *shudders*

 

12. Do you attend live events?

Not anymore. I'd go to WrestleMania (or even the Royal Rumble for the match itself) for sure but, other than that, not much interest in my part.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

Best AND Worst: The Montreal Screwjob.

"Best" cause I witnessed one of the biggest moments in wrestling history LIVE and "Worst" cause the Hitman was (and still is) my fave...after Owen.

The car ride back home was SILENT. Two 14-year-old Hart fans just in shock.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Owen vs. Bret (Mania X), Hart Foundation 1997, Savage getting bitten by Jake's snake, the nWo angle in '96 & '97, Foley's first WWF Title win, Edge & Christian shenanigans, Heel Jericho in WCW (1998), Paranoid heel Steve Austin in 2001 and of course, at the time, Benoit & Guerrero's back-to-back PPV World Title wins...

 

...Oh! and Trish Stratus in general

[The Truthiness 0]

General Interest Questions

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Feel free to not answer this if you don't want to. Basically, if you wish, let us know what your deal is and how you came across TSM Forums.

 

I was looking for a MOTYC comp.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

What year/era? Perhaps it was the Showa era? Maybe the Heisei era? 1993? Attitude era? (You get the idea). What angle, match, or wrestler/character do you vividly remember as your first wrestling experience?

When I was about 5 or 6 maybe younger, because I remember watching wrestling way before Mania 3., my grandfather and father use to take me to shows when I was younger. My dad was a WWWF mark, my grandfather liked more of the old school wrestling, the 1st match I ever seen, was a cage match was on WWF, I think it was Tito Santana vs Greg Valentine.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

I have enjoyed WWF, NWA/WCW, and ECW Mid- South/UWF, USWA, ALL Japan, Noah, NJPW, and War in my 22 years as a wrestling fan

B. What have some of your favourite companies been?

 

NWA was my favorite wrestling company, until Flair showed up on WWF TV. Then I became a WWF die hard for life. I loved everything about the company, since then. When Flair left I was kind of disappointed, but by this time Bret, HBK, Perfect, Bam Bam, Razor, Taker, Owen, and Diesel was becoming the focal point of the show, Hogan was slowly getting phased, out and would be completely gone by 1994, which made me really fucking happy, look I loved Hulk Hogan like every other kid in America, but sometimes he would come off like a complete asshole, after he fucked over SID at The Rumble, I was finally like fuck him. I was a bit of an Ultimate Warrior mark also, his promo's was awesome.

 

I still kept up with NWA/WCW, because Barry Windham was at the time my favorite wrestler. But after Flair left, he seemed a little off, he still had awesome matches. But I always felt he got slighted in the company after Flair left, but by 1993 he had clearly let himself go, and just wasn't the same.

WCW was becoming a chore to watch though, I would keep up with the PPV's, because we got them for free, and all the Clash of the Champions, but I wasn't staying home at 6:05 to watch wrestling on a Saturday night, after becoming a teenager. But WWF always had the perfect times for wrestling shows, Saturday Mornings and Monday nights,

 

Got in to ECW around 1995, I had been reading about it in Apter Mages, and got my 1st taste of it after a visit with my cousin in Philly. Who tried to convince me it was real; he had some video tapes of the shows. Because he used to record them, and man I thought it was the best thing ever. Blood, Table smashing, cursing, and guys talking about wrestlers in WWF/WCW being pussies, it was awesome. I had read about Shane Douglas, PE, Sabu, Funk, and Cactus Jack. So too see all these WWE/WCW rejects doing all this insane shit, I had to see more, after watching a few hours of tapes, my uncle came and told us come on, and he dropped me and my cousin off at this shitty building, and left us. I went inside seen the ring, and I knew what time what us, it was the best birthday present I had gotten at that point, didn't matter it was nearly 2 months late. I was not only going to finally see some ECW on TV, I was going to see ECW LIVE! 1st time (of what would be many times) I seen Benoit Live, and he instantly became my favorite wrestler, up until 2004 when Eddie would take that title, and become my all time favorite wrestler (Another guy I would see live for the 1st time that night,) Sabu was the guy, I really came to see and he delivered, but Benoit was such a pleasure to watch live, that I had to see more. Which lead me to getting interested in finding more of his work, I bought a lot of Video Tapes that night, and I still have them all until this day. Some kind of way, I got a booklet at that show from some creepy looking guy, which had a list of a ton of video tapes you could buy, with wrestling from all around the world. I took that Newsletter home that Sunday night, started cutting grass, got a work permit from school that year, and went on to give RF video Thousands of dollars, from 1995-2004.

 

Because my RF connect I would find more awesome work, from Benoit starting with of course with the legendary Super J cup in 1994. I then became familiar with Japan stars like Liger, Sasuke, and my personal favorite Hayabusa, I seen something called Death Match Compilation, and it had all these weird matches, liked Barbed wire, exploding cage matches and shit like that, so I bought it, and it was a little too over the top for my taste, but Hayabusa delivered in a big way, so I watched anything I could get of him,. Good thing Feinstein was good for comps, because that's how I got in to a lot of Puro.

 

He had a comp called the best feud ever or something, and it was Misawa vs. Kawada, and the matches seemed kind of boring in the beginning, but by time I finished the comp, I knew I was going to get more. So that's what I did, and little by little I became familiar, with Misawa, Kobashi, and Takada. I had knew most of the NJPW guys because they as coming to WCW by this time, but the LL Japan guys was my favorites of the genre, their matches seemed more epic, then those of NJPW, even though Muta, Chono, Choshu, and few guys over there were awesome, and had more of a spectacle. I liked the more sports vibe that AJPW delivered, and plus I was Dr. Death and Gordy fan from, their WCW and UWF days, so that was the brand I watched a lot of, I basically just liked the juniors in WCW, but since they was on Nitro most of time, I didn't have to pay for that.

 

After early 1997 though, I grew tired of it, and felt WCW, ECW, and WWF/E was doing more than enough, to keep me interested, I didn't have to spend money on wrestling tapes as much anymore. ECW was on PPV, and I now was in Florida and had a channel that would show ECW every Friday night. Even back then Heyman would basically give you the whole show for free, and you wouldn't have to buy the video tape, ECW was also entering the PPV world, and seeing as Prime star satellite had a glitch and you could use a card to get free ppv's, I don't think I ever paid for ECW again, until One Night Stand 2005. Which was cool with me, the company jumped the shark with Barely Legal.

 

Mid-South/UWF was on its last legs when I started watching it, but it was awesome. I remember my 1st dose of it, was the Freebirds breaking Dr Death's arm, The Hot Stuff/Shane Douglas/Sting angle, and the concession stand brawl. Being part of the DVDR 80's project, made appreciate the company more. Like I said it was at the end of its run, when I started watching it, but seeing how it all linked together, was a great experience.

 

Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

 

TNA, I've never seen anything with so much money, such a good time slot, and such awesome roster, yet they produce such a horrible show.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

 

WWE, I think WWE is awesome, and has been since 2006. I think Cena made the shows seem special when he came to Raw, and when Edge broke in to the main event scene, everything has been either good-awesome. Yeah, they still do goofy things, but for the most part Cena made it work. His run in 2007, was a thing of beauty too me, from January to October of that year he put on one of the best single year performance wise, as anybody I have ever seen, I liked it more than HHH in 2000 honestly. Cena was putting out very good to great matches guys like Umaga, Khali (how he pulled to back to back, good matches, with Khali is achievement in itself), Lashely, an awesome series with Michaels, and ended his run with a brilliant feud with Orton, and helped make Randy finally live up to his potential.

 

I also loved the Benoit/MVP series, it was cool to see Benoit give so much to a guy, that people thought would "future endeavored" 6 months after debut. MVP came out of that feud a star, and went on to have an even better feud with Matt Hardy.

 

Jeff Hardy had stepped it up a lot, and was having great matches with Umaga and Nitro most of the year, by December, he would have the best feud in the company, with an improved and motivated, Randy Orton. The feud was set up perfectly, and took both guys to a new level; they had a criminally underrated match at The Royal Rumble in 2008. The Hardy remembered he was Jeff hardy, and fucked up…again.

 

2008 was awesome storyline wise; Flair's retirement was awesome and was a vehicle for 2 awesome feuds, one being the feud of the year. The Batista/HBK storyline was booked perfectly, Then Jericho entered and he and Shawn went on to have one of the best feuds in the history of the business.

 

Taker/Edge went on a little too long but, it was still good, and Taker really showed more vulnerability then he had in years. It did get repetitive at times, but Edge did some of the best heel work ever the last 3 weeks leading up to the Hell in the Cell match at summer slam.

 

Cena coming back at The Rumble was the best swerve in years, and came off perfectly.

 

The Age of Orton angle was awesome, especially when he won at mania. I hated that Triple H ruined it at Backlash.

 

Punk rise to the top was a joy to watch, it was cool to see a guy I once road to a show with in Indiana back in 2003, winning the Big Gold Belt on Monday Night Raw.

 

Steven Regal snapping after he won the KOTR, while being The GM was just a thing of beauty. I will never forget how he just cut RAW to black, in a middle of a World title match between HHH/Orton. Then the next week, how he made the fans shut the fuck up, like some kindergarteners, by threatening to cancel the show, or cut arena light on and off all night. That was just an awesome angle, and I will never forgive Regal for fucking up such a push.

 

Vince's Million Dollar Give away was hilarious.

 

The Anarchic Raws, after Vince got destroyed by his own set. How people would just go out and do what the fuck they wanted for 2 hours. There was one Raw, where Stephanie was begging that the guys behave, and when she finished her speech, Raw opened up with Jericho/HBK beating the shit out of each other. JBL using his money to take over Raw, declaring Martial Law, Thus making Cena and Cryme Tyme form a clique to go up against, the corrupt Millionaire.

 

Mike Adamle as GM was one of the most fun angles the company has ever done. I mean if you read between the lines, it was a brilliant storyline. Adamle just out the blue making a Cena/Batista match was fucking awesome, because it all played in to him being a moron and not understanding the wrestling business. He seen 2 big guys the fans liked, and said fuck it let them battle, that was just tremendous.

 

This was just a great year, had Cena been around more it might've been better then 2007, but like I said before, WWE just isn't the same when The Champ isn't around.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Barry Windham was my favorite wrestler growing up, I always thought he was going to be the guy that knocks off Flair, and then Flair left in 1991, and that dream, never came true, and 2 years Later Barry would become a fat ass and fizzle out if the business.

Flair was always one my favorites, when Barry joined The Horsemen, I was a happy little kid. Now my two favorite wrestlers could terrorize Luger, Sting, and the rest of those dopes. I was kind of sad Barry never beat Naitch, but hey, being in the Horsemen at the time was big deal, and only the elite was in that faction.

 

Jake Roberts was my favorite WWE wrestler coming up, I loved the DDT, and thought it was fucking brutal especially when he dropped Steamboat's dome on the cement. I remember when Honky bashed his head in with the guitar, I was pissed off, I hated Honky anyway, and now he had killed Jake with Betty Sue. I couldn't wait for Jake to get his revenge and when he did at mania 3, I marked out.

 

I appreciated Warrior more than most, I think more because he wasn't Hogan. Like I said above though, his promos was bat shit insane, and his entrance was pretty damn awesome.

 

Bret Hart would become my favorite wrestler in the mid 90's long with Benoit, Bret was just masterful in the ring, and he made all his matches seem like a big deal. I don't think anybody in the big 2 has had a better stretch of awesome matches then Bret had from 1992-1997.

 

 

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

HBK, Jericho, Angle, and Samoa Joe, I have explained this enough. I have learned to appreciate Michaels more in the last 2 years, then I have any other time in his career, I simply think he sucked and was overrated, most of his career. I think he relied on gimmick matches to get over, and never really was that special at doing anything. I didn't like him back in the days, he was good promo guy and was hilarious in 1997, probably because he was high as shit most of the time, but in the ring, nah, he was mediocre at best and above average when a gimmick was involved.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

John Cena, Orton, Morrison, and I must say Triple H

 

Triple H is better than a lot of people give him credit for, but I just want him to take a little tome off. I love his work in cage matches, and feel he does a tremendous job, of building to a hot finish. Something he was lacking from 2002-2005. But after the Batista feud, he seemed to become a better worker and showing signs of the guy he was in 2000, I think this year he has proved he still very capable of having great matches, I just think he overexposes himself. No doubt in my mind, that he has a love for the business, and that he's probably the only guy on the creative team, outside of Vince that understands the industry, but please go away, we'll miss you, I promise.

 

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

I watch every Raw live if I can, I Tivo Smackdown, and I watch every episode of ECW, but since the Shield is gone, I might start putting ECW on the TiVo, and find something to do on Tuesdays.

 

As far as PPV's go, I can totally ignore then to like 7:57 pm on a Sunday, then I always get an urge to hit the buy button, even it's a TNA PPV. When it comes to WWE, well I pretty much have ordered every Mania 23 the last 2 years, before then, I would just wait for the DVD, but I came in tome money last year, so I can afford the shows now.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at its peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

 

1997, I loved the whole Bret/Hart Foundation vs. Austin/McMahon/Michaels/USA feud. Everybody seemed to hate each other in WWE at the time, and it came across that way on TV. Bret really stepped it up when he became a heel. For a guy, people say couldn't cut promos; I'd say Bret absolutely smoked everybody with the exception of Austin on the mic that year. You can tell he meant every world he said about the fans, and at time he seemed actually kind of hurt at how the fans forced him to go bad. Montreal was the perfect ending for that whole angle, and Vince coming out of it the biggest heel the business has ever seen was tremendous.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

 

2002, I just hated that year; Summer Slam is the only good memory I have of wrestling that year.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

Yes 2004, Brock was leaving, and I figured Benoit and Eddie holding The Championships of both brands at the end of mania, was a fitting way for me to stop watching the shit. I had seen these 2 guys go from wrestling in a filthy bingo hall, to winning the top 2 titles in the industry at Wrestlemania 20, live at MSG. It was almost 9 years to the date, that I had seen them both live in ECW, and would go on to follow them through WCW and WWF, I loved that moment, and thought it was no way WWE would take them seriously as top guys, and I didn't want to sit and watch them get booked to fail. I indeed stopped watching, and then I happen to see high lights of Smackdown around June, and Eddie and some dude was bleeding like pigs, so I wanted to check that out, and when I seen it was fucking Bradshaw! I was like what the fuck, and I then downloaded the match, and once again I was hooked. I ordered the GAB PPV, and after Eddie lost. I stopped watching until about January of 2005.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes? Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

I like the WWE style, simple, tells a good story, and builds to a hot finish.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

I hate guys like Bix, who tries to make a conspiracy out of every fucking thing, and link it back to Benoit. I think he's a smart guy, don't get me wrong, but the way he goes on the defensive for shit like "Ring Of Hell", or tries to make something huge out of a Taker's voice sounding funny, after doing his 1st live promo in about a year, and all the everything in Memphis was awesome bullshit, it gets annoying.

 

12. Do you attend live events? And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local Indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

 

Yes, I've been to hundreds, I prefer big arena shows, gives sort of an epic feel, if the crowd is in to it.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

I usually have good experience, I hate the douches who chant shit like "You can't wrestle" at guys like Khali.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

My favorite moment was Vince showing up on Nitro, declaring victory of the MNW

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

 

Again, just have fun with it. If it comes off as lame, I apologize, but I'm hoping it brings the "wrestling sections" of the board closer together instead of further apart

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Born Stephen Gray, I had 2 main interests when I first logged on to the net in 1996 - looking up wrestling news and finding naked pictures of celebrities. I guess a lot hasn't changed in 12 years. Anyhow, in 1997 I got turned on to IRC and began chatting with the Efnet's finest under the handle "APowers" (which someone else with a dedicated internet line later took, causing me to take up the mantle of DrVenkman as I was a longtime fan of Ghostbusters, both The Real and film variety). Someone I was talking with suggested I head over to Rantsylvania to read me some Don Becker Raw recaps and Scott Keith PPV recaps. This led to me writing a few Rant Crew articles (wow, me and cabbageboy DO have something in common!) - I believe they were about ranking the quality of all the WrestleMania's that existed at the time and making fun of WCW for the upcoming Goldberg heel turn that was going to "shock the wrestling world" but actually surprise no one. That would be the origin of Stephen Gray - the wrestling columnist. DrVenkman the TSM Poster was born out of that as, while I was aware of the old RS board, I think I only posted a few things there. Once I began writing for the The Smarks section of 411Wrestling a friend of mine (Drew_K) in the SWF mentioned the forum and I believe asked me to plug the SWF in a column. I forget the exact details but around March 2003 the Smarks sub-section of 411 was dead and they didn't want to oversaturate the merged sections with columnists who were infrequently writing, so Scott gave me the axe while Tim Livingston continued to do whatever it was he did. Dames was a fan of my work and offered me a writing position on the old site which I took with the exact same enthusiasm as I did with my 2002 run at 411 - a few columns in a row, followed by several long gaps without content. Once I was writing for the site, I began to frequent the board on a more regular basis, starting off slow (comparing Doug Basham's old appearance to that of Cousin Larry Appleton) to working my way up the ranks of Poster Tournaments to my current mod spot as Mr. Wrestling. A funny note about my columns was - before someone erased my name from The Archives (thanks guys!), it had some completely untrue description of my work. It really talked me up as some well known internet writer that wasn't afraid to tell it LIKE IT WAS~! That amused me.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

1991. I can't place an EXACT date as I distinctly remember at least two angles from almost the exact same time as the first wrestling angles that hooked me (Earthquake squashing Damien and Undertaker locking Warrior in a casket). It was an odd thing too - I had friends at school and a cousin who LOVED wrestling, but I never showed any interest. I recall one time I was at a friend's house and his dad declared "let's watch some wrestling!" and he was all excited, but I decided it was time to go home. It was long after I was at a friend's overnight birthday party when we were all excited to watch Wrestling Challenge on Sunday morning. Basically, I was aware of wrestling but thought nothing of it, then one day while watching TV at my grandma's I saw Billy Red Lyons informing me that Ted DiBiase was going to be in action. Mr. DiBiase then cut a promo while standing in front of a graphic with a bunch of money in the background and the words "Million Dollar Man". I guess I decided that was awesome and said "hey grandma, I like wrestling! Let's go rent some tapes".

 

3. The Company Line:

A/B/C. I couldn't get enough wrestling when I first started, and as luck would have it TBS came to our Canadian cable system in 1992, so WWF, WCW, anything I could find. I think I was even excited to find some GWF on ESPN when I was in Frankenmuth, MI for a vacation in 1993. A local Detroit station that we could only get over the antenna used to show nothing but wrestling, cartoons, and movies so around 1995/1996 I watched some but not much USWA. It was a big deal when they began showing ECW in the fall of 98 but some weeks it got replaced by a Friday airing of Shotgun Challenge, and then was obsolete by 1999. In what is probably not a coincidence, by the time ECW was on TNN I was reading internet rants from folks like Scott Keith that just could not stand the company and in turn, I always seemed to have a very negative view on them as well (in retrospect, Anarchy Rulz 99 is probably one of the best PPVs of 1999, just behind WCW Spring Stampede). I really tried with TNA early but it was difficult to watch in Canada before they moved to Spike and I just didn't like the FSN Impact era enough to download and watch the shows. I watched the PPVs with friends at their house or Scott D'Amore's "Stars of the Game" bar when I could, and thought things were looking great when Christian arrived on the scene, but as soon as Scott Steiner showed up I begin losing interest. They still had good PPVs, but it was becoming apparent that the company was going to shift focus away from turning talented "unknowns" (to the mainstream) into superstars to pushing washed up "main eventers". Impact just got worse and worse as well. I got a DVR during the summer and began recording Impact so I could actually watch it and not just say "this sounds stupid" when I read spoilers, but the past few weeks I forgot to record the show and didn't seem to care (for those wondering why I don't set it as a "Series Record", I get easily agitated when my DVR records multiple instances of a show just because something isn't properly labelled as a repeat). As for my WCW fandom early on, I stuck with them until Hogan, though as a kid I don't think I really realized that. Once WCW 1994 became the same WWF I watched in 1991, it became kind of pointless (I might have been a bit mad Bulldog never beat Vader for the title in 1993 too). I was interested in Hogan vs. Flair and really hoped Flair would beat Hogan at the August 1994 Clash with the help of his "Perfect" or "Ultimate" weapon, but those were just teases. WCW in 1995 made didn't register with me at all but the nWo angle got me interested. It was always a distant second to my WWF love - and in fact, while the nWo was interesting, all it REALLY did was cause me to want WWF to be even better and beat WCW (mission accomplished, eventually - though at the time I thought by Survivor Series 96 and the beginning of Austin's rise, WWF was being screwed by some sort of Ted Turner Nielsen scam). I had some off and on interest in watching Nitro on Tuesday on TSN throughout the late 90s (and I even watched the odd Thunder episode on TBS!) but I really did not like WCW by the end. I've been to a ROH show in NYC and had an awesome time and even have a few DVDs, but following a company that produces content soley on $20 DVDs is as easy to follow as a company whose weekly TV costs $10 every Wednesday. I'm quite aware of how "the internet" can help me solve that problem (and now that my 20GB HD has been replaced with a 200GB HD, it's not out of the question) but sometimes I think 'why bother?". I did manage to catch some ROH on The Fight Network but they seem to have cycled back to 2003 or so. I was happy to catch the Do Fixer vs. Blood Generation match though. WWE is and has always been "my favourite". I've lessened on this stance quite a bit since getting a bit older, but at one point my attitude was "Vince McMahon provided me with hours of free entertainment, so I can let some of this crap slide". Very much a WWE Apologist at times, even if it means it contradicts with a complaint I have about TNA. I can't seem to help it at times - it's just where my loyalty lies.

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. When I first started, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Roddy Piper, LOD - you know, guys kids in 1991 were supposed to like. For Halloween '91, I dressed up as Animal at school (well, I used the facepaint) and Ultimate Warrior at night. I also enjoyed Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels' stuff early on. Big Bossman was also awesome - I used to have a foam nightstick (and Duggan 2x4) purchased at Survivor Series 91. I loved it when Savage won the title at Mania VIII.

B. I always wanted Piper to kick Flair's ass. I was very mad when Flair won the title at Rumble 92, yet pretty excited to tell my classmates because I didn't think they could possibly believe this development. It's funny though - I hated heels for, oh, maybe a year, and once I was 11 decided a lot of heels were pretty cool (Rick Martel, for example). I really hated Dustin Rhodes when I was a kid though.

C. As I was answering this, I realized I don't really have favourites anymore. I just have guys that I think, "Oh! That guy vs. The other guy will be a good match!". I think Shawn is really great though. I don't think I could possibly classify Jeff Hardy or Cena as favourites, but they've been bringing the work lately. CM Punk is fine, but could I call him a favourite? I guess I can for now, but we'll see. Randy Orton has been on a roll but it sounds odd referring to him as a favourite. I do look forward to Beth Phoenix matches, though. And Kelly is probably my favourite girl to watch try and wrestle. Santino also makes me consistently laugh.

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5/7. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

That's hard to say - I'm obviously still quite interested (I'm a wrestling mod, made this topic, etc.) but the peak is gone. Worse, I'm often more excited to watch a Raw from 11 years ago 24/7 than I am to watch a SmackDown from this week. I'm always up for Raw though - I think just because it's live and a tradition now. Raw was pretty bad in 2003 but I stuck with it, but I was pretty quick to abandon SmackDown in 2004. Not just after Eddie lost the title, either - as soon as Angle was out with an injury, JBL was a main eventer, and we were getting characters like Mordecai and Kenzo while John Cena was only getting a US title push (I was a big Cena fan in 2004) and feuding with Rene Dupree, it was hit or miss on whether or not I bothered with SmackDown. There was a time when I was pretty adamant about taping every show that I would possibly miss, watching Velocity, making sure we got to the bar before a PPV so we could see Heat, etc. Now, I just want to see Raw on Monday, I'll PROBABLY watch ECW after it's DVR'd Friday night (a lot of FF though - I just watch Bourne and Swagger and what not, ignore Mark Henry) and SmackDown I just watch Saturday morning. Even if I'm home on Friday, I've just become accustomed to watching it later.

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

I would have to say the peak of my fandom was 1991-2001. I didn't think much about it at the time (as I was pretty much towing the company line of great an idea this was, how it would showcase more talent instead of th same guys for 4 hours a week) but the brand extension took a lot out of me. Raw was the show I wanted to like, but in 2002/2003, SmackDown was where the best matches and wrestlers were. Then SmackDown hit what seemed to be rock bottom in 2004 (as described above). When I was a kid I always used to get really excited about upcoming PPVs. Even as I got older and the time difference between PPVs lessened, I still had some sense of "oh boy, a PPV is coming!". I guess a lot of that was because we'd have PPV parties. I know a lot less people in the area who would be into that (my wrestling fan friends moved away, but when Royal Rumble tickets went on sale, I found out a lot of people are quiet wrestling fans like me) and there's not a lot to get excited about knowing you're adding a big dollar figure to your cable bill. I do get pretty excited about WWE 24/7 content updates though!

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

 

1995 was tough. I said this was the year WCW kind of fell of my radar and really, it was only WWF loyalty that kept me there. I liked it at the time, but really, I've always said if the push of King Mabel didn't turn me off of wrestling, I'm probably in it for awhile. The KOTR did a lot of damage though - while watching the show, my cousin decided wrestling was very boring now and he questioned why he ever liked it. This ended with me not seeing another PPV until he got back into wrestling in 1998 and we ordered FALL BRAWL 98! I think I almost lost him again right then and there, but thankfully he stuck through until Unforgiven 2001, at which point I think he just grew out of it.

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

I'm one of those guys that will enjoy a spot/spot/spot match, but I'm more entertained by "Superstars" and entertaining antics. I like matches that have high spots that make sense and have a good build. Why should I care that someone was DDTd on from the 2nd rope to the mat 10 minutes into a match when 3 minutes earlier he was took a piledriver on the floor? Action that never stops can be fine, but I tend to like my wrestling to be a world of entertainment. I may have hated Jim Duggan by 1994 in WCW, but put the man in a Raw ring any day for a 2 minute appearance and I'll be happy (though I recognize as a match, that probably wouldn't be very good). As long as a match has good flow, isn't too dull, and the spots are executed well, I'm happy.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Wherever it's convenient for whatever beliefs I'm claiming to have about something at a certain moment. I tend to get mad at everything TNA does but would likely ignore similar infractions in WWE. I don't get worked up about the brand extension rules - I used to, in 2002, but it's almost 2009 now and the lines have long since been blurred. I get more bothered when Meltzer or Alvarez will say "so much for the brand extension" when talking about the IC title contendership tournament or a 6 man tag match featuring various brands on ECW - none of this breaks any established brand rule (ECW can appear on any brand they want and by proxy, anyone can appear on ECW. ECW could be main evented by John Cena vs. HHH and it would be perfectly kosher).

 

12. Do you attend live events?

Sure do. Looking forward to going to the Rumble in January!

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

I've been to house shows, PPVs, TV tapings, an ROH show, and some local indy shows (Border City Wrestling) and generally had a good time at all of them. The NYC ROH show in December 2005 was a great show with one the type of crowd experience I've never had before and probably won't have again. Being a wrestling nerd, it was pretty exciting for me to see such folks as Green Lantern Fan and Vlad the Superfan walking around. I also was at a very poorly attended WWE house show in 2003 where a friend and I socre row 4 seats on the floor, and that was fun. When it comes right down to picking a "favourite", it's hard to go against going to Mania 23. THAT was a fun time, and one of those times where yes, I DID have "excitement butterflies" in my stomach, not just the day of the event, but leading right up to it. This included a dream where I freaked out about forgetting my camera at home.

 

The worst show was a bit of a funny situation, as it was a great show at the time, just bad in retrospect. The SmackDown taping right before Mania X7 was the first live event I had been too since a WCW house show in 1998 (which I've mentioned before was surprisingly awesome) and the first televised event I had been to in almost 10 years (and the first event I'd ever been to that would be on free TV). This was all very exciting for me. Before the show I had a bit of a situation where I didn't know how to get from the bus stop (the Tunnel Bus drops you off at Cobo Hall, which has an indoor passage to Joe Louis Arena) to The Joe, so I ended up crossing The Lodge expressway. This was all pretty dangerous. Waiting for the doors to open I spotted the Brooklynn Bralwer out in the parking lot. I yelled "Hey Brawler!" and he said "Yo!" - this was exciting stuff! Then the tapings began. Heat or Jakked or whatever show was being taped before SmackDown in March 2001 was fine (and not airing in the US that week due to Mania, so bonus matches for us) as it was 4 back to back matches, but all involving lower card WWE / Border City Wrestling jobbers. The actual SmackDown taping was pretty atrocious though. I believe this was the "Shawn Michaels was sent home" show, so I don't know if they were hastily re-writing segments during the show or what, but the wait times between segments were BRUTAL. They didn't air videos back then or anything - they just took advantgae of the fact they weren't on the air and took FOREVER (well, 5 minutes or so, but that seemed to be a very long time and riled up the drunks in my section) to do segments. Also keep in mind when I say 5 minutes between segments, I mean they'd do a very short match, take a break, then show Shane McMahon arriving backstage and talking to BIlly Gunn, then another break. Thank goodness any SD! taping I've been to since has had videos during the breaks and/or had to move quickly to get to the live ECW portion of the show.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

CM Punk's title win was a great TV moment for 2008. I love WrestleMania X7. Bret vs. Owen from Mania X is probably one of my all time favourite matches.

15. Freestyle

I think I said enough for now.

[Ed Wood Caulfield 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Feel free to not answer this if you don't want to. Basically, if you wish, let us know what your deal is and how you came across TSM Forums.

I'm Steven. I came here back in 2002, after Dames took control. I had seen the board linked for a good long while during the Scott Keith days, but never felt the need to join. I did so one night, and I have visited this board almost everyday for the past six years.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

What year/era? Perhaps it was the Showa era? Maybe the Heisei era? 1993? Attitude era? (You get the idea). What angle, match, or wrestler/character do you vividly remember as your first wrestling experience?

I have been watching professional wrestling for as long as I can remember. My mother says that I watched Hulk Hogan from my crib when I was 1-years-old. That sounds about right, so I'll go with that.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWF/E, WCW, TNA, WOW, AWF, AAA, CMLL

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

Favourites have been WCW from 1996-2000, WWF from 1987-1993 and then again from 2000-present. Least favourite has been WCW from 2000-2001. Just brutal, so much so that I willingly stopped watching. Something that has never happened before or since. THAT'S how much WCW sucked to me. Though WOW was pretty awful too. As was AWF (the organazation with the round system that featured Sgt. Slaughter and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka).

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

WWE. It's free and on TV every week, so it's easy to follow. And I do like most of the wrestlers. And it's booked better than TNA alot of the time.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Sting, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, "Macho Man" Randy Savage after WWF WrestleMania VII: Superstars And Stripes Forever, The Undertaker after he turned face, Tatanka, Lex Luger after he turned face, Razor Ramon after he turned face, The 1-2-3 Kid, Jake "The Snake" Roberts before he turned heel, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Virgil, Big Bossman

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

I hated whoever I was supposed to hate. Though in particular, I DESPISED "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan and the nWo and wanted Sting to destroy Hogan once and for all at WCW Starrcade 1997. I also recall thinking Vince and Shane McMahon were huge assholes during the tail end of my mark days. The Rock was hated when he was a member of The Corporation too.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

Shawn Michaels, Edge, John Morrison, The Miz, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Santino Marella, THE Brian Kendrick, William Regal, Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Cryme Tyme, John Cena, Chris Jericho, JBL, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, Cody Rhodes, Manu, Ted DiBiase Jr., Randy Orton

 

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

My interest is pretty low compared to my younger years. I still get excited for WrestleMania. I order some pay-per-view when they look interesting. I've definitely ordered more pay-per-views in 2008 then I did in 2007. The only WWE pay-per-views that I didn't order were No Way Out, Judgment Day, Night of Champions and No Mercy. I didn't order any TNA pay-per-views this year though. I watch RAW and SmackDown every week. I tend to forget about ECW (but I did watch it last night). I sometimes catch TNA iMPACT! when I'm not doing anything else. It's more out of habit than anything else at this point.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

The Monday Night Wars. Switching between RAW and Monday Nitro every week. nWo, Austin 3:16, De-Generation X, The Rock, Mankind, Goldberg, Wolfpac, I brought into it all and I loved every second of it! WCW was awesome from 1996-1998, and the WWF was the bomb from 1998-2001.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

There's only been one time in my life where I could have said "Fuck wrestling" and meant it. And that was in 2004. After Chris Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE WrestleMania XX: Where It All Begins...Again and celebrated with Eddie Guerrero, I felt like I had seen everything there was to see in wrestling. So, my interest gradually dipped. I had so much going on that year that wrestling was less and less a big deal to me. I didn't even know when Vengeance was taking place that year, which is the first, and so far ONLY time that has happened with me. Wrestling didn't really matter to me for most of that year and into 2005. It wasn't until Eddie Guerrero died that I got really interested in professional wrestling again. That was when I realized that professional wrestling was apart of me and that it was never going to go away.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

Well, I stopped watching the WWF in 1993 because The Undertaker scared me (I was 5, shut up). I didn't really care about WCW back then, so I didn't watch any professional wrestling from September 1993 - February 1994. I didn't watch again from March 1994 - May 1994 for some reason, but I did watch WCW Slamboree '94: A Legends Reunion. I watched WCW up until August 1994 when my cable got cut. I didn't get it again until March 1995, so during that timeframe I didn't watch any professional wrestling. That's been my longest drought to date. The next time that I didn't watch any professional wrestling was from February 1996 - May 1996. I don't know why. I didn't watch any professional wrestling in June of 1996, but since July of 1996, I have watched professional wrestling ATLEAST once a month, every month, every year.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

N/A

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

Everything is good to me. A good match is a good match.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

I just try to enjoy it. The little details like logic, reality and sanity don't usually come into play. Unless something is REALLY REALLY stupid. But I find enjoyment in even The Undertaker's biggest supernatural shit so...

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

Not since I moved to Florida. And I've only been to arena shows. Never been to an indy show in my entire life.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

My first show was a WCW house show the night after the WCW Monday Nitro where Ric Flair defeated Eric Bischoff to become President of WCW. It was a fun show. Main event was Kevin Nash defending the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Goldberg and Bam Bam Bigelow. Nash ended up winning. I also remember a Konnan vs. Scott Steiner match, Ric Flair vs. Scott Hall, and Booker T, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero all made appearances. I liked it even though I was in the nosebleeds with my mother and her boyfriend at the time. My 2nd show was the taping for the WWF SmackDown! before WWF Fully Loaded 2000. I went with my mom. I had slightly more fun there.

 

I don't know if I would call it the worst, but at the last show that I went to (a WWE SmackDown! house show in September 2003 in Madison Square Garden), there was this fat lady who sat in front of me and my parents who would NOT STOP SCREAMING! She had the loudest, most ear piercing scream I have ever heard in my entire life! She shouted for Chris Benoit, Undertaker, I forget who else. It was just irritating having to sit that close to her. My parents weren't too thrilled about her either. Ugh.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Too many to name. Bret/Austin WrestleMania 13, WrestleMania X-Seven, the birth of Austin 3:16, the formation of the nWo, pretty much the entire Hogan/Sting feud from 1997 EXCEPT for WCW Starrcade 1997, Austin/McMahon kicked ass, CM Punk winning the World Heavyweight Championship was a nice surprise, as was Edge winning the WWE Championship at New Year's Revolution 2006 and Survivor Series 2008. The last time that I marked out was when Batista turned face on Triple H and Ric Flair. The Rock is my favourite wrestler, so pretty much everything that he did is awesome in my book, especially during 2000 and his heel Hollywood heel era.

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

Have fun and lighten up! Don't take professional wrestling too seriously. It's just entertainment. Enjoy it!

[Guest]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here? I mod. That's my business. Dames reviews brought me here, I saw them on prowrestling.com one day, and the rest is history. I lurked here for a few months prior to signing up.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling? I became interested in wrestling sometime in 1994. I was six. I saw an episode of Superstars while visiting my great-grandmother at a nursing home, then rented Royal Rumble 1994. That show was a hoot.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

 

WWF, WCW, ECW, TNA, and that would be it. When WWF became the E, my interest tapered a bit. Non-actively, I followed AAA. Very mild and infrequent interest.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite?

 

Favorite, as in watching as it happened, would be WWF 2000. No doubt about it. Favorite in looking back and watching now, although I didn't watch as it happened, is NWA/WCW from 1985-1994, before Hogan showed up. Least favorite was probably WCW 2000. Just fucking nonsense.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

 

I only watch WWE PPV's now. No weekly television. Needless to say, no favorite company. As for why I don't have one, the shows on television (TNA, WWE) are far too angle driven, and the matches are inadequate for my interest. Either long and shitty, or short and shitty. The bad outweighs the good. The angles are just terrible. I hate the way WWE creates drama. It's horrendous. Too angsty, too tense (so tense that you have to laugh at the ridiculousness of such things), and far too many slow, low sound level verbal confrontations aired backstage during shows. It comes off really weird to me. Sorry to any fans of the current product, that's how I feel.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

 

Oh man, where do I start. Shawn, even though he was a heel when I started watching, was that guy. I liked Bret and Razor a lot too. I watched a lot of tapes when I began watching wrestling, so let's go back a bit. I liked Demolition. I liked Brutus Beefcake. I liked the Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage. Jake Roberts and Lex Luger too. Many more, but too many to name.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

 

Keeping it in 1994, gotta say Diesel, Yoko, and Jim Neidhart. I thought Neidhart was the lowest of the low, a complete traitor.

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

 

Not applicable. I like watching Shawn's PPV matches. That's it.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Nearly non-existent. The only PPV I would dare order is the Rumble, because it's the Royal Rumble, you see. I watch the 2008 PPV's out of obligation on 24/7. I don't want to feel like I'm paying for something and getting robbed by not watching it. If I didn't watch WWE 24/7, I'd watch no wrestling.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

2000. My parents ordered PPV's for a long while prior to that, but 2000 took it to another level. Great memories.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

 

Post-invasion, specifically summer 2002. I began playing high-school football and that made me forget about wrestling. High-school football wasn't a hobby, it was an obsession. It was just simply too tough to stay up until 11 to finish watching RAW. I'd have to practice until 6 at night the next day, just couldn't do it. When I wasn't watching RAW, Smackdown became a similar afterthought.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

 

Stopped watching from summer '02 to around summer '03. Watched intermittently for a few months, but remember watching HBK/HHH at the end of 2003. I remember being interested in the Rumble that Benoit won. Then poof, gone. I watched the Eddie tribute Raw, and decided I couldn't watch wrestling anymore. That stuck until late summer last year, when I got WWE 24/7. Surprisingly enough, Benoit's death made me want to get the channel.

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

 

Style of matches, uh, not spotfests. I don't like comedy matches much either. Rest is fine. Technical wrestling is best.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

 

When wrestlers are pinned after clotheslines. When a guy can get up from a Tombstone Piledriver without even having the chance to take a pinfall (I'm looking at you, Hulk Hogan). Stuff like that.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

Not anymore. I thought about attending the TNA show in Ontario on Halloween, but didn't. Why did I think about it? I don't know.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

I loved seeing the Ministry kidnap Mabel during Royal Rumble 1999. I say this with the utmost seriousness. Also, Mick Foley getting his head bashed in on the same show. No bad experiences.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

Favorite match would be...Vader/Flair from Starrcade 1993. Not a five-star match, and had a botched finish too. Don't care. Savage/Steamboat from Mania III would be 2nd. Favorite moment...Foley beating the Rock on Raw and winning the title. I nearly shit. Favorite event would probably be Mania VIII, but this changes from time to time.

[BradyQuinnManCrush 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I got here because a friend of mine, Gert T, told me about this. I'm a big sports fan and simpsons nerd so this seemed like a logical place to hang out. Also a former wrestling fan which I will go into shortly.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

I got into wrestling when I was a kid in the 80's. Watching the All American wrestling every sunday afternoon. I rented all the ppvs on video. I loved wrestling.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan? WWF was always my fav, and it will always be WWF to me.

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool). Again WWF was my fav. Still watched WCW. I miss flipping back and forth on monday nights during the war.

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why? If I had a fav company now it would still be WWE.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling? My favs were Tito Santana and Rick "the model" martel, plus jake the snake, the rockers, jimmy snuka, mr. perfect, undertaker, HHH, Sabu...too many to name

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand? not too many, there were some douchebags like the rougeaus and dino bravo

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.) Undertaker and HHH are still my current favs

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

 

I used to be intersted and occasionally excited to see ppvs. I would watch every monday and most ppv's.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

 

During the late 90's at the height of the wars was a big time. I was all about it and the pressure of having to beat the other program made it one of the best times in wrestling.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

 

I gave up wrestling a few years ago. I remember the exact ppv that did it. I was disturbed when I watched the crap that is mark henry fight for a title against JBL at royal rumble. Never thought I'd see that bs. Then the rumble threw me over the edge. After I saw that midget Rey Mysterio win the rumble tossing out Kane and HHH and 28 guys twice his size, I said they've finally done it. I can't watch this crap anymore. I can't suspend my disbelief this time. I gave it up and have not watched a whole show since. Cold turkey was my way to go.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date? I had a mid 90's break from wrestling, but came back in a couple years.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom? see question 7......I'm still mostly done

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time? I just like a quality match, no necessary style.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

See question 7 again.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

 

I've been to a few RAW's live and they were great. I went to one ECW ppv and it was incredible. But the best show's I went to were 2 Brian Pillman memorial events. I'm sorry they ended.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

Best match I've ever seen was the Pillman event match with Benoit vs. William Riegel right as Riegel was about to come back after I believe it was a drug rehab stint. The two put on the best show ever and I will never forget it.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

Benoit vs Riegel was number 1

Rock vs Hogan the first time at WM was an incredible experience and I'll rank it number 2

Undertaker vs Foley Hell in a cell number 3

 

My favorite events were always royal rumbles and survivor series just because the matches were so different. Plus any events with commentary by Bobby Heanan and Gorilla Monsoon. They were the best. The guys today can't hold a candle to them.

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

 

Even though I don't watch regurlarly I still miss it in a way. I still find myself checking in on old compilation DVDs. I own the jake roberts. I still own lots of old ppv videos. I rented the Piper DVD. I miss the old days. But I will probably never be in to it the way I was. Maybe when I have kids of my own I will get that feeling back. Here's to all of you still keeping it real. I might not watch anymore, but my memories will always be "absolutely perfect".

 

[Ravenbomb 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I joined sometime late into the Rantsylvania board's existance. Mostly just to ask the odd question here and there.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

I can't remember when I first became aware of it, but I remember back before I could be bothered to keep track of when things were on outside of right before and right after school I caught the episode of Raw where Razor Ramon and Goldust had a backstage fight. That wasn't the spark to my interest since I specifically left it on because it was the wrestling show, but it's the earliest bit of wrestling I can think of aside from getting the action figures.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

WWF/E, WCW for a couple of months, ECW, ROH, TNA for a bit, and GCW.

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

Favorite? I guess the easy answer would be WWF/E. But I had the most fun watching in the short amount of time ECW had their show on TNN. And since I started watching, I'd say ROH has been the best in terms of wrestling, though I haven't flat-out marked at anything like I did, say, Punk winning the world title. Least favorite by default I guess is WCW. I didn't get into them during their high point and never liked watching them as much as other promotions.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

Tough to say. I'm way behind on ROH, I don't know that I've watched a single show from 2008. So by that standard it's WWE by default.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

The Undertaker and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. I took my Jake Roberts Hasbro figure around everywhere for a while. When I first started really watching I dug The Brood.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

I started watching for good right before Survivor Series '98, so at the height of my markdom The Rock was the main bad guy, so I really didn't like him.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

CM Punk, Matt Sydal/Evan Bourne, Christopher Daniels, Edge, Delirious.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

I don't really get excited about things for very long. I marked huge for Punk's title win but after a couple weeks I figured they'd never do anything with him as champ. I used to get really really excited that the wrestling show was coming on, but right now it's background and for a while wasn't on at all.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

In late '98/early '99.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

There wasn't a specific thing on the show that made me stop watching the first time. I just forgot to put it on one night, saw I'd missed the first 20 minutes, ran up to turn it on, but realized I didn't really care that I wasn't watching it. The second time was after December To Dismember.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

I stopped watching for a while twice.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

n/a

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

Mat based with a bit of aerial stuff as well. For a while I was into the deathmatch stuff, though, getting the BJPW tapes from RF Video.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

I cling to the stuff that does make sense.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

I'm going to my second live show tomorrow. The first was a local promotion's show a few years ago, and tomorrow I'm going to an ROH show.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

not really applicable

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

Punk's title win, Mankind's title win, and ECW's initial joining of the invasion in 01. These were what got me the most excited while watching wrestling. And I didn't get Mankind's win spoiled by WCW, didn't even know it wasn't live, so it was a complete surprise to me.

 

15. Freestyle

No.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

General Interest Questions

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

I came here with a dwindling interest in wrestling in 2004, though my tenure officially began as an opponent of the Iraq war.

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

Earliest I remember is about six, watching with my dad.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

 

A. WWF from 90-98, ECW from 98-01, WWE from 04-mid'06. I caught an episode here and there of ones unmentioned, but never all that often.

B. There was never a point I disliked or made a point not to watch a company, but I found WWF to get really boring during my ECW markdom.

C. Not applicable

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

A. Hogan as a six-year-old. Bret took over as my favourite around '91. I always liked the Mountie as a kid. As a rule, my all-time five are Bret, Owen, Terry Funk, Mick Foley, and Steve Austin. I've got loyalty to Canadian wrestlers, and the ECW mark in me still has a soft spot for RVD, Dreamer, and Taz.

B. I've always disliked Michaels. He's the only one that really jumps to mind.

C. I don't watch enough to know who's still around. I'm wildly entertained by Santino whenever he's on, though.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over.

Minimal.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc.

Somewhere between 97 with the Hart Foundation, and the summer of '00 before we all realised how much trouble ECW was in.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004?

The ECW mark in me carried over to about 2003. I completely lost interest(with one exception) after they folded, but happened to catch a Benoit match here or there that always impressed me. I always kind of got back into it for the Rumble-Mania stretch (and still do to a degree), but Benoit winning in '04 got me really back into it until about June '04, then it just kinda dwindled. The exception mentioned was my buddy's indy fed, which ran from the summer of '02 until early '04.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

 

Sure. If it's on, I'll check it out during a commercial on Monday Night Football or whatever, but I don't take an active interest in getting into the characters. I'll likely still do the Rumble-Mania thing for a while, even if I'm knowing who fewer and fewer people on the card are each year.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

All my answers have kind of led to this. The Benoit incident really made me stop caring. I don't recall ever saying "Chris Benoit murdering his family makes me never want to watch wrestling again", but I do recall saying "I've been kind of disinterested since Benoit".

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes? Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

It's always been about technical wrestling primarily, but I enjoy all styles: garbage, high-flyers, brawlers, storytellers.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

Kind of a hybrid of all three. Sometimes the fun is knowing it's all a show, and asking questions like "why don't they have instant replay by now?". There was a point where I planned on making a career in the ring, so I tended to take things seriously, but would know it was show at the same time, which kind of straddles questions 1 and 2 above.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

No as a rule, but I've been to Armageddon will be my third WWE show live in the last eighteen months (my buddy took the liberty of ordering me a ticket each time), which contrasts the four ECW/WWE live shows I went to in my life prior. And, the indy shows I mentioned.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live? I stammered yelling at a fat wrestler at an Indy show, which led to a chant of 200 people calling me queer. I'm over it, though.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

It's kind of funny - my three favourites (in prinicple) are all remembered for the lows of their careers: Bret/Montreal, Benoit/muder, Owen/death. So, I'll say my favourite individual moment/event is Foley's first title win.

 

 

[TheFranchise 0]

Like I did with the TSM General Survey, I'm not going to read the other entries as it would most likely just influence my own choices.

 

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Adam, AKA The/Team Franchise. I run the TSM Fantasy game in the WWE folder, been a member for six years now.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

When I was 7, I was given a copy of Royal Rumble 1990, and from that moment, at the age of seven, I was hooked for life.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan?

 

I was always a WWF fan first. I'd record WWF Raw on a Friday night in England every single week, while my friend down the road would record WCW Nitro, and the following day we'd swap tapes over and watch the other show. But I'd always watch Raw and never Nitro if they were both on at the same time, no matter how good WCW was at any point. I never watched ECW while it was on TV, but have watched it regularly since it folded. I've seen every episode of TNA from the weekly PPV's to the current week, although mostly through downloads. I appreciate ROH's work and watched it when it was on TWC in England, but it's now cancelled and I wont' be downloading ROH events now.

 

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool).

 

As I said above really, i'm your typical WWE mark. I just love the company and I always will. I think i'll be a fan for life, as I'm a big a fan today as I was when I was 7. I never 'got' WCW as a fan really.. I was always a fan of WWF's production values and WCW always looked second rate to me. In the main event, Hogan was audibly shouting at the fans and it just seemed.. I don't know, second rate is the best way to describe it. Regularly seeing crap thrown in the WCW ring didn't help things.

 

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why?

 

TNA right now, but that's probably a very short lived answer. The reason is 100% because of the MEM/'Front Line' rivalry, and any time the MCMG are on TV.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling?

 

I was always a Bret Hart fan first, no matter his opponent. I think I was pretty much one of the biggest Bret marks there ever was.

 

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand?

 

To be honest, I can't really think of someone I blatantly didn't like watching. As a kid, I guess every heel.

 

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.)

 

MCMG, CM Punk and Miz & Morrison.

 

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

I agree.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

I still won't miss a Raw. I skip through SmackDown!, at least I used to before I started TSM Fantasy. ECW is my favourite show WWE produces right now and I always watch without fail. My currentl interest level is probably at about 60%.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

2000-2003 I think.

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

2003 up until He Who Shall Not Be Named won the World Title. HHH was running the WWE (the character, not the man himself) and it was such a turn off. (The TV of course, nothing sexual here).

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date?

 

I watched Scott Steiner and HHH have one of the worst matches ever in January and then I watched them somehow outdo themselves a month later. If I didn't give up on wrestling then, then I never will.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Growing up as a Bret Hart fan, I was always a fan of his technical ground wrestling. Led me to being a huge Kurt Angle fan too. When Shawn Michaels won the title at Mania 12 and everybody I knew went crazy, I actually died a little inside.

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

I've always let absolutely everything go, but when they held a 10 bell salute for Vince McMahon after Owen & Eddie.. I refused to believe what I was seeing. That's the only example that I can think of.

 

12. Do you attend live events?

I've attended and wrestled at such events! I can't any more because of work, but I certainly do miss it.

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

The worst is easy, some guy (for use of a better term) through his beer all over me when Grand Master Sexay beat a jobber in England a few years ago (I think 2002? Maybe) and he was marking out like hell. Best is a tough one.

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

Favourite match is a hell of a tough one. That Daniels/Joe/Styles match, is probably my favourite ever. Moment? Bret Hart being paraded by the faces at Mania 10, or CM Punk winning the title this year on Raw. The Punk incident is easily the biggest mark out moment ever, perhaps only the main event of Mania 20 coming close, but in hindsight, Punk winning is by far the best now.

 

15. Freestyle

Vince has done a good enough job on me that I'll probably never stop watching his product.

 

[Gert T 0]

General Interest Questions

 

1. Who are you and what's your business here?

Think it was in '01 during the Rantsylvania days, now idea how I found it.

 

2. When did you discover an interest in wrestling?

Spring of 1990. Starting watching NWA on Saturday mornings. Pretty sure there was a time in 90-91 where I could watch wrestling from 9am to 2 pm, I was hooked.

 

3. The Company Line:

A. Which companies have you actively followed in your tenure as a wrestling fan? NWA/WCW, WWF-E, ECW, TNA (The 1st year)

B. What have some of your favourite companies been? Your least favourite? (In theory, your answer can be the same - if you were growing up a fan of the technical wrestling WCW brought to the table but thought the end of the line for them was some of the worst television this side of My Mother The Car, that's cool). NWA/WCW Up until Hogan came in.

C. What is your favourite company right now? Any reason why? The E. But mainly because Raw is on the DVR.

 

4. (Not So) Favourites:

A. Who were your favourite wrestlers (or gimmicks) growing up / when you first started watching wrestling? I loved Pillman & Zenk, thought they were broken up wayy to soon, I remember being pissed the RnR's got the Tag Title run against Doom in the summer of '90. In WWF I was a huge Rockers fan.

B. Who were some guys you couldn't stand? Hogan

C. Who are your current favourites (if applicable / different from A.) Edge, Orton, Miz and Morrison.

D. There was a 4th question here, but it basically ripped off the entire premise of a thread (or more than one thread, in theory) that already exists in General.

 

Specific Questions about your Interest

 

5. How would you gauge your current interest level in the product?

Do you still get butterflies of excitement that make you look forward to upcoming PPVs? Did you ever? Do you watch every televsied wrestling program live, or just a few - and FF'd via DVR at that? If you consider right now to be the most interested in wrestling you've ever been, the rest of the questions in this section can be skipped over. Some weeks I get excited for Raw, but it mostly feels like a chore now.

 

6. At what point in wrestling history (if it's not now) would you consider your interest to have been at it's peak?

When were you compelled to watch every second of televised wrestling AND shell out money on PPVs, get excited about the release of video games, have TV/PPV parties with friends, etc. 1997-99, I had to alternate between three groups of friends who ordered PPV's

 

7. At what point could you tell your interest was dipping and why do you think this happened, or what specific event(s) triggered the decrease?

Was there anything even specific? Just a gradual interest loss of interest? Retirement (or death) of a favourite? A boring title reign on SmackDown in the Summer of 2004? I think it was 06-07. My closest friends were not watching anymore, and honestly the Benoit murder-suicide might have contributed too.

 

8. Have you ALWAYS stuck with wrestling even during times of low interest, or are there any lengths of time you stopped watching for a period only to come back at a later date? Always stuck.

 

9. If applicable, at what point did you decide to pack in the wrestling fandom?

 

Interesting Questions of a Somewhat Random Nature

 

10. What style of pro wrestling best resonates with your personal tastes?

Has it always been this way, or have your tastes changed over time?

 

11. Where do you "draw the line" with the whole "suspended disbelief" deal?

Do you tell critics to "relax because it's just wrestling and you should enjoy the matches" (aka TNA fans about everything that happens on Impact!), do you come up with solutions that the writing team didn't bother to think about but you figure "it's there if you read between the lines" (aka "WWE Apologists"), somewhere inbetween, or do you take your greatest joy in watching wrestling to deconstruct everything that makes no sense?

 

12. Do you attend live events?

And more specifically, do you get a thrill out of big arena shows, do you prefer the smaller 'intimate' settings of the local indy show, or would you rather forget the whole thing and watch everything unfold on your HDTV without dealing with 'the marks'?

 

13. If applicable, what are the best and worst experiences you've had going to a show live?

 

14. What are your favourite matches, moments, or events?

 

15. Freestyle

Add any closing remarks you feel are absolutely necessary to letting TSM know your thoughts on wrestling.

 

Again, just have fun with it. If it comes off as lame, I apologize, but I'm hoping it brings the "wrestling sections" of the board closer together instead of further apart.