Why can't spotfests be enjoyable?

[Fignuts]

It seems like one of the biggest complaints about feds like ROH, and Dragon Gate are that they are all spot fests.

While many defenders of these products try and convince people that they aren't all spotfests, I instead say "so what"?

Is a spotfest as good as a properly built up, psychological masterpiece? Of course not. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it for what it is.

I compare the two styles to the movie industry. Spotfests are like your big budget summer action movies. They probably aren't going to win any awards, and they often have the depth of a can of tuna, but it's still fun to watch, regardless.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

I like the flippity do matches too, as long as I can buy into it. If they're just blatantly setting up moves, then it's like ok whatever. I can watch some kids on a trampoline do this on YouTube.

But I feel ya.

[Kane Knight]

It can be, but they wear thin fast.

[James Steele]

I want wrestling; not gymnastics or an episode of Jackass.

[Wishbone]

Your statement couldn't be more true Fignuts. Spot fests can be very entertaining you just have to accept them for what they are. Don't compare them to technical masterpieces because you're just setting yourself up to hate it. It's like comparing The Dark Knight to lets say The Expendables. Dark Knight is clearly a superior movie but if you just sit down and want to have a good laugh and a beer while watching shit fucking explode Expendables does the job nicely.

[Rammsteinmad]

I don't mind "spot fests", but the biggest problem I have with them is the overall booking of an Indy show, ie. Ring of Honor.

When the match is full of high spots, from start to finish, and you have guys kicking out of dozens of finishers, being dropped on their heads multiple times, and the commentators freaking out with every kickout, it can be entertaining to watch... especially if it's the main event or one of the main attraction matches.

The problem is, when you've already seen the exact same match played out four or five times on the same card... it really loses it's appeal.

In WWE, whenever someone kicks out of the Tombstone Piledriver, it's a huge deal, because people don't kick out of it that often. In a fed like ROH, when people are kicking out of Tombstones in every second match, you're suddenly left with nothing much to get excited about, other than a nice gymnastics display.

One of the worst offenders for this is Mike Quackenbush. The guy is FUCKING INSANE in the ring, but he has absolutely no sense of psychology at all. All he does are huge moves, and after a while, you tend not to appreciate it as much because you see it every two seconds. And then the next match will start, and the next people will repeat the process, until it eventually becomes :-\

[Shisen Kopf]

Spotfest are only good if they involve cheese graters and light bulbs.

[Gass]

Spotfest are only good if they involve cheese graters and light bulbs.

:y:

[Gertner]

Nothing wrong with it. Just find it hilarious how people claim these spot fests with no selling and boring characters are "5 star matches"

[MoFo]

Guys like Hardy Boys and RVD can do them right, guys like Teddy Hart doing a 720 splash for a ref bump is kinda overboard.

[KaosDarksol]

spotfests can be enjoyable if done right. Think about the original TLC matches, all of it was innovative at the time and now they just need new spots and great spot monkeys. But spotfests should be few and far between and shouldnt be happening at every other ppv

[Fignuts]

Hate when people call mysterio a spot monkey. People who do have no fucking idea what they are talking about.

[Rammsteinmad]

You're a spot monkey.

[Fox]

I love that there are "spotmonkeys" in the wrestling business. A 3-hour long show with guys pretending to fight needs these guys. One of the best things about a great wrestling card is that it has a little bit of something for everyone. Look at WrestleMania X-7 as a prime example. No one can argue that TLC 2 was anything more than a series of "holy shit" spots, one after another, until someone grabbed the tag titles from the hanging loop. But WM X-7 also had the "big fight feel" in Rock versus Austin, the "hardcore fight" in McMahon vs McMahon and the triple threat Hardcore Title match, the technical expertise in Angle vs Benoit, the balls out brawl with Undertaker vs Triple H, and even a decent women's match in Chyna vs Ivory.

Spotfests are a necessary component in a great wrestling card - it's one of the many ingredients on the potpourri of sports entertainment. It's one of the things that WCW was doing perfectly during their time on top: plenty of high-flying, spot filled cruiserweight matches littered throughout their cards. Even if you don't know who the fuck Rey Mysterio Jr, Chavo Guerrero, Prince Iaekea or Blitzkrieg are, you can enjoy watching them do a 360 twisting plancha over the top rope onto a bunch of faceless masked Mexicans.

And it's one of the things that WWE has been sorely lacking for a long time. You get some great matches out of guys like Justin Gabriel, Rey Mysterio and Evan Bourne, but there is no "league" of spotfest workers or cruiserweights to put that little extra touch on a card.

[Ultra Mantis]

There's nothing wrong with the odd spotfest. I love TLC / MITB / Cruisers but when it's Noname Johnson vs Flippy McFlipperson second on the card and theyre kicking out of twelve finishers each just like every other match from the open to the main event it gets to be a bit of a problem.

[Emperor Smeat]

Spotfests are good but can't be just the sole focus of an event or show or else they get boring after a while. Especially the type where finishers keep getting countered like they mean nothing.

Just like having only tag matches or only regular solo matches, need some diversity in a card or show to keep people entertained for the long run.

A few of the best matches of all time have been spotfests like the classic Hell in the Cell of Mankind vs Taker that "made" the cell have its brutal reputation or the classic RVD vs Lynn matches in ECW.

[Destor]

spot fests arent like big summer action flicks. they're like a series of random images flashing on the screen until the audience gets board. Theyre largly detrimental to the buisness as a whole and need to snuffed out.

[Swiss Ultimate]

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[Rollermacka]

I really don't care for them, they have no psychology to them. They can be enjoyable every once in awhile but like they said they get old really fast. I've seen ROH matches where they hit a powerbomb, the guy no sells it, then a diamond cutter 2 mins in and the guy kicks out at one. Now, if I use either of those as a finisher, why wouldn't the guy be able to kick out if other wrestlers kick out of both of those at one?

[dronepool]

They're one of the best things about 'wrestling'.

[DLVH84]

I love that there are "spotmonkeys" in the wrestling business. A 3-hour long show with guys pretending to fight needs these guys. One of the best things about a great wrestling card is that it has a little bit of something for everyone. Look at WrestleMania X-7 as a prime example. No one can argue that TLC 2 was anything more than a series of "holy shit" spots, one after another, until someone grabbed the tag titles from the hanging loop. But WM X-7 also had the "big fight feel" in Rock versus Austin, the "hardcore fight" in McMahon vs McMahon and the triple threat Hardcore Title match, the technical expertise in Angle vs Benoit, the balls out brawl with Undertaker vs Triple H, and even a decent women's match in Chyna vs Ivory.

Spotfests are a necessary component in a great wrestling card - it's one of the many ingredients on the potpourri of sports entertainment. It's one of the things that WCW was doing perfectly during their time on top: plenty of high-flying, spot filled cruiserweight matches littered throughout their cards. Even if you don't know who the fuck Rey Mysterio Jr, Chavo Guerrero, Prince Iaekea or Blitzkrieg are, you can enjoy watching them do a 360 twisting plancha over the top rope onto a bunch of faceless masked Mexicans.

And it's one of the things that WWE has been sorely lacking for a long time. You get some great matches out of guys like Justin Gabriel, Rey Mysterio and Evan Bourne, but there is no "league" of spotfest workers or cruiserweights to put that little extra touch on a card.

That is a great example, Fox, and very well put.

[Thriller]

To a casual fan a spot fest is more appealing than story telling and chain wrestling.

[CSL]

that's nonsense. Most of the "mainstream" audience is made up of casual fans. To a non-wrestling fan maybe

[CSL]

I love that there are "spotmonkeys" in the wrestling business. A 3-hour long show with guys pretending to fight needs these guys. One of the best things about a great wrestling card is that it has a little bit of something for everyone. Look at WrestleMania X-7 as a prime example. No one can argue that TLC 2 was anything more than a series of "holy shit" spots, one after another, until someone grabbed the tag titles from the hanging loop. But WM X-7 also had the "big fight feel" in Rock versus Austin, the "hardcore fight" in McMahon vs McMahon and the triple threat Hardcore Title match, the technical expertise in Angle vs Benoit, the balls out brawl with Undertaker vs Triple H, and even a decent women's match in Chyna vs Ivory.

Spotfests are a necessary component in a great wrestling card - it's one of the many ingredients on the potpourri of sports entertainment. It's one of the things that WCW was doing perfectly during their time on top: plenty of high-flying, spot filled cruiserweight matches littered throughout their cards. Even if you don't know who the fuck Rey Mysterio Jr, Chavo Guerrero, Prince Iaekea or Blitzkrieg are, you can enjoy watching them do a 360 twisting plancha over the top rope onto a bunch of faceless masked Mexicans.

And it's one of the things that WWE has been sorely lacking for a long time. You get some great matches out of guys like Justin Gabriel, Rey Mysterio and Evan Bourne, but there is no "league" of spotfest workers or cruiserweights to put that little extra touch on a card.

cruiserweights don't automatically = spotfest. And mentioning Gabriel, Bourne and especially Rey in the same vein is madness.

[Kane Knight]

that's nonsense. Most of the "mainstream" audience is made up of casual fans.

And they're the ones who seem to eat up spot fests.

[CSL]

They're done in moderation, they're a special attraction and garner the reaction they're supposed to. Overall, the top big, musclebound, colourful characters telling a story are pretty much always going to gain a larger reaction than the top spot fest. If Vince puts on a card of spot fests or the casual fan goes to SkinnyGuyMania IV ft. eight back to back Young Bucks matches, they'd soon stop eating it up.

[Tom Guycott]

Seems the consensus here is "all things in moderation".

[Kane Knight]

And really, isn't that the way it should be?

[#1-norm-fan]

...If Vince puts on a card of spot fests or the casual fan goes to SkinnyGuyMania IV...

Let's leave RoH's last iPPV out of this...