Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

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James Y
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Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#1

Post by James Y »

I'm pretty certain this thread will be short-lived, as most people either can't stand pro wrestling, or won't admit to watching it if they do. But lately I've been watching AEW, a new upstart company that's only 2 years old, and overall they put out a far superior product to WWE.

I did watch WWE'S NXT brand for a couple years, because it was WWE's only show that Vince McMahon didn't have his hands in. And it was the only WWE show worth watching because of that. But now that McMahon has taken over control of NXT and turned it into "NXT 2.0," it has his style all over it and has been ruined beyond repair. Everything Vince McMahon touches turns to crap.

While AEW may not be perfect, and their ratings may not yet be matching the WWE shows, their product is better, especially on their flagship show, AEW Dynamite. At least Tony Khan, the owner, tries to give the fans what THEY want. Unlike Vince McMahon, who actually trolls his audiences and only gives them what HE wants, which is mostly out of touch, with lazy, stale, and nonsensical booking. It's been this way for over a decade.

Pro wrestling as a whole is in a slump right now, due to a lack of compelling characters and storylines, and that can all be laid at the front door of WWE, which for most people represents the entire pro wrestling industry.

For me, if not for AEW, Pro wrestling wouldn't even be worth watching. It's funny that an upstart company that just turned two years old is putting on better, more entertaining shows to a more enthusiastic fanbase than WWE, a company that's more than 50 years old.

I don't watch wrestling because it's sophisticated thespianism or because the 'fights' are "real". I watch it for escapism. To be entertained. And the difficulty of what the athletes do and the risks they take are very real. Let's be honest here; it's no more fake than the movies and serious TV dramas people watch all the time, and the physical risks are more real. And if they mess up, there are no second takes.

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#2

Post by Sharp Guy »

I remember years ago as a kid watching All Star Wrestling on Fox32 Chicago. All these years later and the only thing that's really changed is it's not in black and white anymore lol
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#3

Post by bobnikon »

My problem with "Pro" wrestling is the excess. I realize it is just an athletic soap opera and all about the heels and the faces and the "story" between them. In the last large number of years though, it just became too much for me. The parody of the wrestling of my youth. Whether I became jaded or whether it just got too outlandish and ridiculous... probably a combination of both.

I switched to UFC a number of years ago. I tried to watch a random wrestling show, don't even remember the branding, that was on before a UFC event a few days ago and couldn't make it through 3 minutes of the first match.
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#4

Post by James Y »

Fair enough!

A lot of people compare UFC to pro wrestling, which to me is apples and oranges. Pro wrestling isn't trying to pass itself off as real fights, with real "winners" and "losers." The audience knows it's all a work. The only people who may legitimately think it's real are very young kids.

What I enjoy about AEW is that it's edgier and is aimed more for an adult audience, where they've been beating WWE in the 18 to 49 demographic. However, most of the characters are over the top. That's always been a part of pro wrestling. Again, it's escapism. I can deal with over the top if it entertains me, and the wrestler can tell a story with a good physical performance in the ring.

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#5

Post by bobnikon »

Jim,

Not judging you in the least. We all have different cups of tea. I may look to see if we get coverage of AEW. Always willing to give something a shot.

I am just in a less-story more punchy-face kind of place right now. Gets out some of my tensions without any bloodshed... :steam-nose :rofl

Cheers
Erik
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#6

Post by TkoK83Spy »

I haven't watched since the late 90's, very early 2000's. Those were some great years though with The Rock, Stone Cold, HHH and Degeneration X, Undertaker and his brother Kane showing up and being a terrifying dude!! Speaking of dude....Dude Love, Mankind, Cactus Jack and the epic "**** in a Cell" match!
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#7

Post by James Y »

bobnikon wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:25 am
Jim,

Not judging you in the least. We all have different cups of tea. I may look to see if we get coverage of AEW. Always willing to give something a shot.

I am just in a less-story more punchy-face kind of place right now. Gets out some of my tensions without any bloodshed... :steam-nose :rofl

Cheers
Erik

No worries, Erik! 🙂

I enjoy MMA fighting, too. Although TBH, I haven’t watched much UFC or any other MMA, at least not regularly, for the past couple years. I think my favorite MMA fighter is Valentina Shevchenko, because her skill set and her execution are simply awesome. She’s the definition of a true fighting machine.

The pro wrestlers I like the most tend to be normal-sized guys. They are more athletic than most of the big ‘roided-up types. AEW has a lot of “normal-sized” guys who do things at a high level of difficulty. Whether it would appeal to you or not, I don’t know. The thing I most enjoy is being in awe that they can hit these difficult, dangerous stunts in front of live audiences. Once in a while you can spot screw-ups, but not very often, or not as often as you would expect.

One of the negatives about AEW is they have too many factions (groups). So it’s difficult to “connect” with some of the wrestlers. AEW really doesn’t have a choice, because they’re a relatively small company with only two televised shows a week (two hours on Dynamite and one hour on Rampage), and they have a stacked roster. So AEW is far from perfect, but IMO is far more fun and watchable than what WWE has been putting out.

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#8

Post by James Y »

TkoK83Spy wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:32 am
I haven't watched since the late 90's, very early 2000's. Those were some great years though with The Rock, Stone Cold, HHH and Degeneration X, Undertaker and his brother Kane showing up and being a terrifying dude!! Speaking of dude....Dude Love, Mankind, Cactus Jack and the epic "**** in a Cell" match!

Rick,

I first watched wrestling when I was 9, in 1972. They used to show wrestling on TV from the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. I remember Freddie Blassie, “The Maniac” John Tolos, Victor Rivera, Moon Dog Mane, Haystacks Calhoun, Andre the Giant, “Judo” Gene LeBell, etc. I watched it for about a year, then lost interest. What first got me interested was seeing it at a friend’s house, and one “heel” was ranting into the camera about how everyone watching at home were a bunch of fat, stupid bums sitting on their couches drinking their beers. I actually thought he was talking TO ME (well, not really), but I took it personally that he was looking into the camera and throwing insults, something I had never seen on TV back then. I remember as kids we were both giving the TV the middle finger and yelling insults back at him, LOL!

I started watching wrestling again in around 1998 or 1999, during that same time period you did. Back then, WWE (then WWF) put on some really entertaining shows. Yeah, I remember that **** in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Mankind! That was brutal!

I think my favorite wrestler of that era was Kane (the early Kane). Later on, they humanized his character too much and turned him into a ‘jobber’ (a wrestler that always loses his matches). Now Kane (Glenn Jacobs) is the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee!

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#9

Post by James Y »

This match, on TNA/Impact Wrestling, is from several years ago (2009?).

“Roxxi” (her wrestling name in TNA/Impact) is my sister-in-law’s younger cousin. Her character was billed from New Orleans, but she was really from Boston. She had also been called “Roxxi Laveaux,” and wrestled on the independent circuit as “Nikki Roxx.” She retired from wrestling several years ago.

At about 8:49, she fractured her left ankle.

https://youtu.be/7fw9ad48pG4

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#10

Post by SG89 »

I love watching wrestling documentaries or Dark Side of the Ring... I don't watch wrestling matches tho if that makes sense. I'm more interested in the behind the scenes stuff and real drama going on there. Just can't get into the "pro wrestling moves" tho of the actual matches.
I love MMA tho and haven't missed a UFC fight since like 2007 (no I don't pay for them either lol). Bellator is not too bad. I've been to the MGM Grand in Vegas the same time as UFC 125 and saw the press conference in person. Been to a Bellator card in OK too.
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#11

Post by James Y »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 6:07 pm
I love watching wrestling documentaries or Dark Side of the Ring... I don't watch wrestling matches tho if that makes sense. I'm more interested in the behind the scenes stuff and real drama going on there. Just can't get into the "pro wrestling moves" tho of the actual matches.
I love MMA tho and haven't missed a UFC fight since like 2007 (no I don't pay for them either lol). Bellator is not too bad. I've been to the MGM Grand in Vegas the same time as UFC 125 and saw the press conference in person. Been to a Bellator card in OK too.

Hi, Spydergirl88.

Thank you for sharing. Yes, that makes perfect sense!

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#12

Post by SG89 »

There's a great Texas Monthly article about the Von Erich family... Should be able to read it free online
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#13

Post by Mushroom »

TkoK83Spy wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:32 am
I haven't watched since the late 90's, very early 2000's. Those were some great years though with The Rock, Stone Cold, HHH and Degeneration X, Undertaker and his brother Kane showing up and being a terrifying dude!! Speaking of dude....Dude Love, Mankind, Cactus Jack and the epic "**** in a Cell" match!
The attitude era! I was a huge WWF fan as a kid during this time too! This was when it pro wrestling was at its absolute peak!
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#14

Post by murphjd25 »

I haven’t watched wrestling since Stone Cold was around. He was my favorite redneck. Opening cans of whoop *** and drinking beer! I only have watch UFC nowadays.
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#15

Post by TkoK83Spy »

Mushroom wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:49 pm
TkoK83Spy wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:32 am
I haven't watched since the late 90's, very early 2000's. Those were some great years though with The Rock, Stone Cold, HHH and Degeneration X, Undertaker and his brother Kane showing up and being a terrifying dude!! Speaking of dude....Dude Love, Mankind, Cactus Jack and the epic "**** in a Cell" match!
The attitude era! I was a huge WWF fan as a kid during this time too! This was when it pro wrestling was at its absolute peak!
The storylines and egos were great!! When i was a young kid in the late 80's, I was all about Ultimate Warrior and The Legion Of Doom. Nothing beats Monday Night Raw during that attitude era though (at least from what I've been able to witness in my time)
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#16

Post by James Y »

Spydergirl88 wrote:
Thu Oct 14, 2021 7:40 pm
There's a great Texas Monthly article about the Von Erich family... Should be able to read it free online

Thanks for the info!

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#17

Post by James Y »

A lot of people liked the WWF in the ‘80s, but I never watched that era for a few reasons. First, I had long ago lost interest in wrestling at that time. Secondly, I was living in Taiwan during that time, the mid-‘80s until 1993. So I wasn’t here to watch it anyway, so I was never a fan of (for example), Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Jimmy Snuka, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Ric Flair, King Kong Bundy, The Iron Sheik, Junkyard Dog, etc. i had only known about Hulk Hogan from his appearance in Rocky III. I did catch a tiny bit of wrestling once during a brief visit home in the late ‘80s, but TBH, it really did not appeal to me, and I switched channels.

It wasn’t until 1998 or 1999, when I was channel surfing one night and accidentally discovered Monday Night Raw. The Attitude Era was the first time in 25 years I found wrestling watchable; not only that, but for the first time, it became “must-see.” That was back when WWF/WWE were creative, edgy, and cared about the product. Unlike now. WWE is horrible now, and has been for many years. It started going downhill in the early-to-mid 2000s.

Don’t get me wrong; there are many great young wrestlers who are working for WWE, but with the exception of Vince McMahon’s very few “Chosen Ones,” the majority of their talents and potentials are being actively suppressed and wasted by one man: Vince McMahon, who is completely out of touch with current tastes, and only wants his shows for an audience of one (himself). Numerous wrestlers who have left WWE, as well as ones who were released in mass firings, have said this about Vince McMahon, once they were free to say it. IMO, he is no longer capable of running a wrestling company, or an entertainment company of any kind (and I’m putting it mildly). Of course, there are always fans who will pay to see WWE, especially families with young kids. But hardcore pro wrestling fans have been leaving in droves for years, and its popularity is at an all-time low.

AEW is the only reason I’m watching wrestling anymore.

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#18

Post by shunsui »

I think Teal'c said it best.

Teal'c: I have read of a place where humans do battle in a ring of Jello.

"19 year olds" in rival Catholic schoolgirl uniforms would work better for me than "30 somethings" in spandex. But who listens to me ?
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#19

Post by James Y »

shunsui wrote:
Fri Oct 15, 2021 2:56 am
I think Teal'c said it best.

Teal'c: I have read of a place where humans do battle in a ring of Jello.

"19 year olds" in rival Catholic schoolgirl uniforms would work better for me than "30 somethings" in spandex. But who listens to me ?

I dunno. At my age, 19 year old girls are WAAAAY too young. Women have to be at least 30 for me.

😄

Jim
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Re: Anybody Here Watch Pro Wrestling?

#20

Post by James Y »

Some wrestling “purists” might hate this, but this clip from an AEW match between Orange Cassidy and Pac is among the many things I enjoy about AEW. AEW actually allows the performers to do their own things, WITHOUT limiting them and forcing them all to conform to the same basic style, the way that WWE does to their performers.

https://youtu.be/Td47Xp3q_ho

Jim
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