Wrestling

[Tiamot]

A wonderment has just came upon me, and I was thinking: Do any of our members enjoy professional wrestling? If so, who do you like to see in action?

[Reformer56]

Professional wrestling as in the fake stuff? I'm not into it. A lot of my uncles are however. I enjoy the real stuff though like the official NCAA stuff. My favorite person to watch is Steve Mocco from Oklahoma State, he hasn't lost a college match yet and he's a senior. The most impressive thing about him is that he wrestles in 295lbs so he has a surplus of tough opponets.

[Tiamot]

Actually, it's not as fake as some think. Sure, there is a big element of entertainment involved, and the outcome of the matches can be scripted, but the people involved are all superb athletes. The moves are real, and dangerous. Knowing how to land can save your life.

[Wolf-Bone]

*shakes head and sighs* Tia don't even bother. You're not going to get through to most of the douchebags that already have their minds made up.

As for me, I like what it can be and what it used to be, but not what it is right now. I hear TNA has some pretty impressive action, which I guess is great if you can afford the PPV's. I think WWE's biggest downfall was WCW folding. After that there was no motivation to keep innovating. Even though they acquired a lot of WCW and ECW talent, they buried most of them before they even got started. If you hire a bunch of guys who are known and liked for a certain syle of wrestling and character, and force them not to use that style and stick them with a stupid character, then those wrestlers will fail to draw viewers/ticket sales and at the same time you still have to fulfill their contract. It's like WWE shot themselves in the foot with the whole Invasion angle. And now even when they do something big, it's too few and far between for the casual viewer to pick up.

Another mistake I think is the PPVs. there's too many. PPV's used to really be a big deal when it was just one every 4 months or so, but now they have one for EVERY month and it doesn't give them enough time to build up big fueds. Which is why most of them don't come off much bigger than an average Raw or Smackdown, and at the same time viewers can't afford to buy every PPV. The only ones I ever watch are Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam, if that.

Another reason why Im not as big a fan as I used to be I guess is just me. Wrestling used to be cool to be into. Fans would bring crazy-ass signs, wrestlers cussed and had long hair, wore street cloths in a lot of matches, formed cliques and characters actually grew over time instead of arbitrarily being repackaged. It spoke to me, in that sense. But now, management is forcing guys to cut their hair, wear suits to the arena, wear tights with the same generic tribal patterns that mean nothing, and even banning basic staples of mat-based wrestling like piledrivers. That doesn't speak to me. I'm struggling enough as it is to be a non-conformist and still eat. Why would I want that shoved in my face on TV? I don't like that any more than I like how they keep having to inject post-9/11 syndrome into their product. They got stereotypical French heels, stereotypical Arab heels, and had a Canadian nationalist faction at one point. I remember when Chris Nowinksi actually gave a somewhat well articulated argument against Scott Steiner's verbal wizardy of "the Dixie Chicks can all go to Hell!", which didn't matter because Steiner laid him out before he could finish. Because, you know, you're not a real patriot unless you believe might makes right, or something.

I used to watch wrestling to FORGET about everything wrong with the world, not be reminded of it.

[Tiamot]

I am in such agreement with you I did little but nod like a bobble head whilst reading your post. No need to reiterate anything. Perfect. I miss the ECW!!! *sniffle*

[Wolf-Bone]

I miss ECW too. I've got the ECW DVD, and hear Shane Douglas is trying to have an ECW reunion show. WWE is also working on an ECW PPV called One Night Stand (as for how ECW it will be remains to be seen).

[Buddha Monkey]

I used to be a huge WCW fan. I've been a fan of the mat wrestling, and high flyers. But, WWE doesn't really push those guys enough. Their still stuck in the 80's when you had to have beef to your main heel, and if at least one wrestler didn't blade, it was a bad thing.

That, and I'm getting tired of the plants.....oh, wait, not everyone knows what I'm talking about (a few of my friends are the indies here in Florida, so I know the lingo.) A plant is someone in the crowd that is paid to either cheer or jeer the wrestlers. If the gimmiks are that bad...well....

That, and the breaking kafabee (character) that started with Pillman before his death. Then the "here's the real wrestlers" skits with Golddust and Foley. I really didn't care that Mankinds biggest want in the world was to be a sex symbol, or that he would throw himself off of the roof of his house.

Wolf-Bone, you hit it right on the head. WWE (I HATE THAT) has nothing to fight against. They barely use the main draws from WCW (Eddie, Beniot, Rey, etc), or have let them go (I miss the NWO). That, and you don't know from one show to the next who is a babyface, and who is a heel.

Then again, I'm really, REALY, glad they brought back the old school 'Taker. Just, he can't do as much as he used to. I wish I had seen the match with Henrick (coffin matches are my fav to watch).

Yes, almost all of it is scripted. The big "spots", such as the finish, and anything else that is made to get a "pop" out of the "marks". The rest of the match is up to the wrestlers, and the ref. And, yes, those steal chairs are the same as you buy at a store. It's all in how you hit, and take the chair (I've helped a friend train. It stings a little, but not much.)

[LV426]

And, yes, those steal chairs are the same as you buy at a store. It's all in how you hit, and take the chair (I've helped a friend train. It stings a little, but not much.)

Tell that to Freak's elbow. LOL

[Freak]

Fake? How little you know...

[Tiamot]

I miss ECW too. I've got the ECW DVD, and hear Shane Douglas is trying to have an ECW reunion show. WWE is also working on an ECW PPV called One Night Stand (as for how ECW it will be remains to be seen).


Now that would be something. I hope it all comes through. I also wished they'd give some of their more experienced talent the chance to really not have to pull the punches. It disturbs me terribly when they have a match between a rather new wrestler and one that is known to be quite experienced and the 'new' guy whomps the 'old' guys butt. Yeah, the scripting is for the drama, but just ONCE I want to see those vet's go in there and school the noobs. Oh and don't even get me going on that arab guy on RAW. I so hate him. Guess I'm supposed to though. ^_^

[Wolf-Bone]

his sidekick doesn't even speak Arabic, he speaks Farsi. And supposedly neither of those guys are actually Arab-American.

[Lord Anubis]

Goldberggggggggggg Goldberggggggggggg