Your WWE / Wrestling level of interest

[10 Pounds 0]

*I’m re-reading myself and man, I keep on rambling and rambling. I'm pretty sure there were similar threads before the H-Bomb got dropped but I'm starting another one anyway. I’m not telling anything new but it’s been a while since I talked about wrestling/went in the WWE section so…*

 

 

I’ve been a wrestling fan since the early 90’s. I remember the 1997-2001 period where I would be pissed off to no end if I would skip a Raw or, as most Canadians will remember, TSN would delay the show because of baseball or curling. I stopped watching Raw on a weekly basis in 2006 since it was all DX, all the time and I couldn’t watch anymore of that crap. Still, I kept an interest on wrestling since I followed it for so long. Since the current product was lame, I subscribed to WWE 24/7 and kept reading the “news” since the reviews of the shows are often more entertaining than the shows themselves. Even if I didn’t regularly followed Raw or Smackdown, I still chipped in from time to time to watch a PPV or switch to the shows between Heroes or Prison Break.

 

I watched Raw yesterday, out of curiosity from all that Denver debacle. I had nothing better to do so I watched the whole show while doing some work. My question is: how can anyone here watch the entire 2 hours of Raw?

 

Now I’m not pointing to Vince looking like a moron with his “Enis” jokes, because Vince has been and will always be like this and there have been plenty of stupid stuff in the past. I’m not pointing to the “PG” rating either because it’s in the best long term interest and I’m pretty sure, in a few years from now, there will be another “Attitude Era” when the current fan base will get older.

 

However, that show is so much scripted and set in stone in a formula it devoid the show of any kind of excitement. The show is lifeless, there isn’t any real passion. I remember during the Attitude Era and beyond, there wasn’t a Raw where Jim Ross yelled at the top of his lungs about Stone Cold, McMahon, Rock or HHH how they saved the day / did the most heinous thing he ever saw. I remember it ticked me off at times because Ross did it so often, he became a parody of himself. Still, I’d rather take a hyperactive Jim Ross overselling an angle and actually calling matches like he cares about them as opposed of the castrated announcers of today.

 

I realize this is what Vince wants for his shows and the whole “yelling in the headset” thing, but does anyone here actually agrees that the announcers' silence for selling “drama” in every angle is better than the announcers being totally upset and ready to kick the heel’s ass? Let’s take the whole Orton angle where he DDTed Stephanie: that segment went on and on and not saying a word for five minutes reeked of desperation for saying “THIS IS A SERIOUS ANGLE AND YOU SHOULD CARE FOR IT! EVERYBODY LET'S SINK IN THE MOMENT.” Would have been it worse for Lawler to rush to the ring only to take a RKO, sledgehammer shot to HHH and that’s it? Seeing Orton “slithering like a viper” for two minutes with no sound isn’t dramatic, it’s a channel-switcher.

 

 

Another thing, and this is what made me no longer a regular viewer, does anyone actually laughs at those lame comedy skits? Either it’s juvenile insults (“JBL is poopy!”), stuff we’ve seen a million times already (Wrestler talking to the wrong twin or that silly Hornswaggle) and stupid stuff only a retard would have think of (the kind of skits where it begins with Boogeyman interrupting someone and ends with everybody dancing in the ring, with Jillan singing the Star-Spangled Banner, Khali kissing Mae Young and the return of Sgt. Slaughter in between type of stuff). What does it add to the show? The announcers are laughing their asses off but nobody in the crowd is laughing. This is the kind of stuff that makes fans be ashamed to watch the product. Santino in drag dancing for 2 minutes is a Wrestlemania Moment? I don’t mind comedy, but I’d take the ECK skits over anything in the past 3 years. At least that comedy served to advance the storylines and characters.

 

 

Where is the creativity in the show? It looks like Raw is stuck in cruise control for years now. I’m not saying to bring back good ol’ wrestling because it’s gone. (Ironically, the old NWA shows on 24/7 are killing any of the current shows IMO). The pace of the current shows is such pre-planned and methodical that it indeed does feel like an entertainment show rather than wrestling. However, it’s not just a good entertainment show. The comedy is lame, the drama is average at best and the overall show feels like it’s been reheating in the microwave for years now. Everybody talks the same way and wrestles the same match. Why the hell should I cheer for John Cena, Jeff Hardy or HBK?

 

 

I know they must be doing something right since the company is good financial health. So are the shows really still that good and I’m just turning into an old fart or did the usher of a new era turned off every old fan, much like “The New Generation” was to those who grew up on Hulkamania?

 

[pappajacks 0]

The Attitude era and the few years after were gold:

 

Late 1997 - late 2001

[JPopStarKami 0]

I realize this is what Vince wants for his shows and the whole “yelling in the headset” thing, but does anyone here actually agrees that the announcers' silence for selling “drama” in every angle is better than the announcers being totally upset and ready to kick the heel’s ass? Let’s take the whole Orton angle where he DDTed Stephanie: that segment went on and on and not saying a word for five minutes reeked of desperation for saying “THIS IS A SERIOUS ANGLE AND YOU SHOULD CARE FOR IT! EVERYBODY LET'S SINK IN THE MOMENT.” Would have been it worse for Lawler to rush to the ring only to take a RKO, sledgehammer shot to HHH and that’s it? Seeing Orton “slithering like a viper” for two minutes with no sound isn’t dramatic, it’s a channel-switcher.

 

I have to disagree with you on this one. TNA doesn't let anything sink in, and that's much worse. The announcers constantly talk over everything and spell everything out for the viewers. The silence at times can help.

[Nitro 24/7 0]

*I’m re-reading myself and man, I keep on rambling and rambling. I'm pretty sure there were similar threads before the H-Bomb got dropped but I'm starting another one anyway. I’m not telling anything new but it’s been a while since I talked about wrestling/went in the WWE section so…*

 

 

I’ve been a wrestling fan since the early 90’s. I remember the 1997-2001 period where I would be pissed off to no end if I would skip a Raw or, as most Canadians will remember, TSN would delay the show because of baseball or curling. I stopped watching Raw on a weekly basis in 2006 since it was all DX, all the time and I couldn’t watch anymore of that crap. Still, I kept an interest on wrestling since I followed it for so long. Since the current product was lame, I subscribed to WWE 24/7 and kept reading the “news” since the reviews of the shows are often more entertaining than the shows themselves. Even if I didn’t regularly followed Raw or Smackdown, I still chipped in from time to time to watch a PPV or switch to the shows between Heroes or Prison Break.

 

I watched Raw yesterday, out of curiosity from all that Denver debacle. I had nothing better to do so I watched the whole show while doing some work. My question is: how can anyone here watch the entire 2 hours of Raw?

 

Now I’m not pointing to Vince looking like a moron with his “Enis” jokes, because Vince has been and will always be like this and there have been plenty of stupid stuff in the past. I’m not pointing to the “PG” rating either because it’s in the best long term interest and I’m pretty sure, in a few years from now, there will be another “Attitude Era” when the current fan base will get older.

 

However, that show is so much scripted and set in stone in a formula it devoid the show of any kind of excitement. The show is lifeless, there isn’t any real passion. I remember during the Attitude Era and beyond, there wasn’t a Raw where Jim Ross yelled at the top of his lungs about Stone Cold, McMahon, Rock or HHH how they saved the day / did the most heinous thing he ever saw. I remember it ticked me off at times because Ross did it so often, he became a parody of himself. Still, I’d rather take a hyperactive Jim Ross overselling an angle and actually calling matches like he cares about them as opposed of the castrated announcers of today.

 

I realize this is what Vince wants for his shows and the whole “yelling in the headset” thing, but does anyone here actually agrees that the announcers' silence for selling “drama” in every angle is better than the announcers being totally upset and ready to kick the heel’s ass? Let’s take the whole Orton angle where he DDTed Stephanie: that segment went on and on and not saying a word for five minutes reeked of desperation for saying “THIS IS A SERIOUS ANGLE AND YOU SHOULD CARE FOR IT! EVERYBODY LET'S SINK IN THE MOMENT.” Would have been it worse for Lawler to rush to the ring only to take a RKO, sledgehammer shot to HHH and that’s it? Seeing Orton “slithering like a viper” for two minutes with no sound isn’t dramatic, it’s a channel-switcher.

 

 

Another thing, and this is what made me no longer a regular viewer, does anyone actually laughs at those lame comedy skits? Either it’s juvenile insults (“JBL is poopy!”), stuff we’ve seen a million times already (Wrestler talking to the wrong twin or that silly Hornswaggle) and stupid stuff only a retard would have think of (the kind of skits where it begins with Boogeyman interrupting someone and ends with everybody dancing in the ring, with Jillan singing the Star-Spangled Banner, Khali kissing Mae Young and the return of Sgt. Slaughter in between type of stuff). What does it add to the show? The announcers are laughing their asses off but nobody in the crowd is laughing. This is the kind of stuff that makes fans be ashamed to watch the product. Santino in drag dancing for 2 minutes is a Wrestlemania Moment? I don’t mind comedy, but I’d take the ECK skits over anything in the past 3 years. At least that comedy served to advance the storylines and characters.

 

 

Where is the creativity in the show? It looks like Raw is stuck in cruise control for years now. I’m not saying to bring back good ol’ wrestling because it’s gone. (Ironically, the old NWA shows on 24/7 are killing any of the current shows IMO). The pace of the current shows is such pre-planned and methodical that it indeed does feel like an entertainment show rather than wrestling. However, it’s not just a good entertainment show. The comedy is lame, the drama is average at best and the overall show feels like it’s been reheating in the microwave for years now. Everybody talks the same way and wrestles the same match. Why the hell should I cheer for John Cena, Jeff Hardy or HBK?

 

 

I know they must be doing something right since the company is good financial health. So are the shows really still that good and I’m just turning into an old fart or did the usher of a new era turned off every old fan, much like “The New Generation” was to those who grew up on Hulkamania?

 

 

Once again this quote can be used here

 

Wow

 

Remember the story how Vince Russo came to Vince back in like 95 and told him how awful his show had gotten? Told him how the characters were ridiculous and the company looked like a big joke that was way behind the times? Yeah someone needs to have that discussion with Vince again.

 

 

But to add more to that....

 

WWE as much as I love it and as long as I have been watching it (well over 20 years now) has always been filled with goofy low budget lame comedy. You mentioned the Attitude Era 97-2001. This is the same era that featured the stupidity of Mae Young giving birth to a hand, Mark Henry kissing a transvestite, Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco in an evening gown match, The Oddities, Hell in a Kennel or whatever the hell it was called, The Blue Blazer, Rock vs Billy Gunn in a "Kiss the Fat Ladies Ass" match, Big Bossman dragging Big Shows dads casket around from the back of his car, Mae Young crashing all the Diva contests and doing the Bronco Buster, Lawler screaming "Puppies" constantly, Head Cheese, Ken Shamrock vs British Bulldog in a loser eats Dog Food match, and tons more. Like him or not but The Rocks schpeel became tiresome after a while too. There are probably hundreds of stupid sleazy moments Im forgetting from the Vince Russo inspired attitude era.

 

Every era of WWE since the Hulkamania era, Id say starting in 1985 was filled with hokey lame comedy that was down right embarrassing. Tuesday Night Titans, Bushwackers shenanigans, Gobbley Gooker, the stupidity is really endless.

 

What did any of that shit add to the show?

 

Did most people wanna see Mae Young giving birth to a hand or the Boogeyman spitting worms on someone or HHH in that Katie Vickie Angle? Most people who watch the show for actual wrestling did not but you have to understand that when you watch WWE programming from the past 20-25 years there is going to be low budget, sleazy, cheesy, stupid ass comedy. Its a sad but true fact. Look at the owner of the company. Yes he is worth about a Billion dollars but his vision of entertainment involves alot of bathroom humor and men dressing up as woman. Its a known fact. The guy enjoys goofy cheesy lame ass comedy, he always has.

 

Todays WWE isnt much different from years past. I actually like it alot more now then I did during the Attitude sleaze fest. I was more of a Nitro fan up until Sep 99. Thats when that piece of shit Vince Russo and his jackass partner came to WCW and sleazed up WCW TV to the point it became unwatchable.

 

The great thing about WWE is no matter how much completely moronic bullshit these lame ass pathetic comedy writers write up to make Vince chuckle, there is still great matches that happen. There always is and there always has been during every era.

 

Its always been difficult to sit through WWE programming, whether it was the stupid skits from Coliseum Videos like home repair with the Bushwackers, or the weekly Monsoon and Heenan comedy hour on TV with the outrageous cartoon characters from the 80s and early 90s groaning and howling like idiots , to todays horrible scripted backstage skits and stupidity, its always been that way. Its always been a over the top, cartoon, circus like atmosphere.

 

But when you sit through all that crap and non sense, the in ring action usually delivers, which is why I watch and have been watching for over 2 decades. I enjoy watching wrestling matches and WWE has provided us with some truely epic wrestling matches. They have always had great wrestlers who work for them who put on great matches when given the oppurtunitu but the owner of the company apparently likes to make sure his TV show never resembles to much of an old rasslin show.

 

Take a look at this...its exactly what were talking about http://www.jimcornette.com/Commentary_04-24-2009.html

 

 

Oh and by the way TNA Wrestling is on a completely different planet of stupidity. They produce the absolute worst wrestling show ever known to man.