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[kpopSuperstar]

I started watching some wrestling again, and I have some thoughts.

They are in a better position than ever, making tons of money, and they have a safe product that doesn't rely on big novel changes but instead being something they can run forever.

Vince always chased the next big twist, but now, they have a homogenized product that seemingly works great.

The roided out monsters are gone, half the cast is almost normal looking people.

They can appeal to kids, which is important for a silly fake wrestling show.

Business wise, they might not have the pop-culture stars and viral moments, but they are doing better than ever.

THAT SAID.

80% of the matches are HORRIBLE, guys like Ethan Paige is trash and every move he makes looks weak. Half the shows are filled with low-level shitty wrestling that they struggle to edit into something watchable. The female wrestlers are cornier than ever as well, several of them are fat and ugly.

At least the idiot freaks of the past made it look physical. The beta wrestlers of today can barely present a match that looks alright.

By appealing to the family and refusing to rely on roid freaks and bullies, they unlocked the causual market, but it's also politically correct wrestling with bad wrestlers.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Ethan page, so you were watching NXT? that's the development brand, it's generally mediocre with some standout matches, which tend to be the female matches.
Watch RAW from last week, dragon lee and jd mcdonagh went pretty damn hard at each other.

 

[GateofD]

I think it's neat that the female wrestlers are getting their own storylines now.

But yea the giant larger than life personality and selling is really weak now.

 

[TheAtomicPile]

I'm completely uninterested in wrestling in such a a way that I'm not even sure what could pull me back in.

WWE is way too safe, corporate, and stale for my taste. It has none of the cartoonish, coke-fueled, blue collar grit that made it popular in the first place.

It's wild that there is basically no competition for WWE that isn't a complete embarrassment. Maybe Impact can take their exposure from WWE and do something with it, but I doubt it.

 

[AJUMP23]

I don't really watch much wrestling anymore. I was big on aew for a while but it went downhill after Cody left.

 

[Syphon Filter]

wwe is beyond trash now. there are no stories, its the same repetitive rematches and random matches. there is a lack of true stars and lesser guys get pushed more than the few that have potential. now there are a ton of ads on raw in the ring which is tacky looking.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I'm completely uninterested in wrestling in such a a way that I'm not even sure what could pull me back in.

WWE is way too safe, corporate, and stale for my taste. It has none of the cartoonish, coke-fueled, blue collar grit that made it popular in the first place.

It's wild that there is basically no competition for WWE that isn't a complete embarrassment. Maybe Impact can take their exposure from WWE and do something with it, but I doubt it.

aew is better right now. although wrestling is a dying form of entertainment.

 

[RavageX]

It all looks more rehearsed than ever to me. I don't feel like I'm watching a match, I feel like I am watching people practicing a movie fight scene. It's even worse with AEW from the bit so catch.

I can not sit and watch the shows anymore with any company. They also spend so much time talking. Whatever happened to pre match/post match interviews that last maybe 2 minutes?

 

[ReBurn]

One of my fondest memories as a kid from the 70's was watching the regional bouts on Saturday after cartoons were over. It was ok throughout the 80's, but the spectacle it became as Vince McMahon consolidated it was just too much for me to take. I dipped out at the end of the 80's and I haven't been able to get back into it since.

 

[Beretta]

I love wrestling and been watching since the 80's (GOAT era)…..there are many aspects of wrestling that have been lost over time. I get that things evolve and in this day and age, money is a big priority but the product still suffers when you put certain things ahead of others. Other dumb things like fucking sponsors all over everything….wow, thank you for angling the camera so that I can clearly see the huge Slim Jim logo on the table.

Internet has also ruined wrestling. It spoils everything so 99% of what's going on is spilled all over the place. For example, AJ Lee is either coming back Friday or being mentioned Friday and coming back for WrestlePalooza….I am no fan of hers but way to spoil it….even if people assumed she was coming back, you don't have to confirm it. Have Punk in a segment with Seth and Becky and in the middle of them arguing, just hit her music and have her come out. People are still going to pop knowing she's coming back but if it's not confirmed and then her music hits during a segment where you expect an appearance at the end of it but instead she shows up at a random point while they're having a verbal back and forth, way more exciting to fans than shouting from the rooftops that she's back days before she returns.


Wrestlers these days also don't know how to talk. There are a few who are great on the mic but the majority talk like they're reading from cue cards ffs. Back then, pretty much everyone could talk, even if they were a shit wrestler.


I could go on but I'm being annoying enough.