The Lone Drinker
05-11-2005, 01:03 AM
It seems to me that there are quite a few people in this Internet world that think actual wrestling is far more important then the sports entertainment and would prefer it if the entertainment went away forever and it was all just about actual wrestling. Well I am here to defend sports entertainment and am going to try to prove to you all that entertainment is just as important as wrestling and if we were to ever lose it, we'd lose a very important part of the wrestling business.
Personally, I like the backstage vignettes and pre-filmed vignettes. I find that entertaining. What I also find entertaining is how the wrestlers athletically and physically express themselves and tell a story with their bodies. You got to combine the two together. It's like a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. You have the chocolate (which some of us like), you have the peanut butter (that's good too). Put them together and you spell YUMMY.
Professional wrestling always has been and always will be sports-ENTERTAINMENT. The athleticism seen in the ring is only half of what makes this business as unique and successful as it has become.
And while the overall direction of the business has changed a great deal in the past decade, one philosophy remains steadfast: Give the fans what they want. Take a look at the last major boom period in the industry beginning about 1998. It was during that time that some the most memorable moments came to fruition.
Skits like D-Generation X dressing up like the Nation of Domination and the Corporation or using a tank to invade WCW headquarters amidst the Monday night ratings wars were segments that will undoubtedly live in our minds for eternity.
Where would the Austin/McMahon feud have gone if it relied simply on in-ring action? The answer is not very far. It was the back and forth promos between those two rivals that made for months worth of great television.
Do you think that The Rock would be making movies in Hollywood if he were never allowed to cut promos and show the audience his quick wit and unique sense of humor?
In other words, WWE has always been about maintaining a proper balance of action, drama, humor and even romance. With an audience as diverse as the WWE's, and fans spanning every corner of the globe, it is absolutely impossible to go entirely in one direction while still making everyone happy. No matter what the genre, someone is sure to want something else. There's an old adage that says, “Different strokes for different folks.”
Just as one wrestling fan may feel that a backward trend to the days of yesteryear is the answer, another wrestling fan may feel that ring action is only a small part of what makes WWE so great. And while one fan might hold up a sign saying, “Shut Up & Wrestle,” another fan ten rows back might have a sign saying “Stop Wrestling and Talk.” Whatever point those particular fans are driving home, the translation still reads, “Entertain Me!” It's this same desire for satisfaction that makes the WWE's form of entertainment so challenging and worthwhile.
If a show like “The Sopranos” were to only have nonsensical violence without any storyline, it never would have made it past a first season.
If “ER” were only about tales from the operating room and never dwelled on the lives of it’s physicians, they probably never would have won an award.
If "The Contender" was just about boxing and only boxing and didn't share with us what went on in the lives of the boxers, I doubt the show would have made it past the first episode and would have been canceled right away.
Sure, actual wrestling is an important part of sports entertainment, but if we go to a pure wrestling type product, we're stuck with Frank Gotch laying on the ground for two hours.
The matches are the pay off, but the real intrigue comes from the segments and angles that we love....
Hulk Hogan getting crushed by Earthquake on the Brother Love show, the late Miss Elizabeth and Randy Savage cowering as Jake "The Snake" Roberts threatened them with his snake Damien at Tuesday Night in Texas, Shawn Michaels kicking Marty Jannetty through the window of the Barber Shop, Stone Cold Steve Austin pillmanizing the late Brian Pillman on Shotgun Saturday Night, This is Your Life Rock, Austin Appreciation Night, Chris Jericho breaking Chyna's thumb, etc.
They kicked off and fanned the flames that made us want to watch wrestling to see what was going to happen next.
I mean, back in 2003.....would you really care if Tajiri and Funaki just went up against The Big Show and A-Train?
Or wasn't it so much better to see the tentative Funaki be reassured by the confident Tajiri that despite the odds of being put up against two of the biggest men in WWE, they could win?
And do you think people cared about John Cena when he debuted? Does anyone even remember when John Cena first debuted on Smackdown? When he did, he wasn't no rapper. And the guy almost beat Kurt Angle on his debut night and then the following week also beat Chris Jericho and still no one cared.
But then they made him into a rapper and had him dis Rikishi and Los Guerrerros and BOOM, we had a main eventer that would later go on to become the WWE champion and one of the most popular superstars in WWE.
Without the entertainment you just have two men doing these mean things to each other for no reason.
When there's a back story to a match it actually makes it that much more alluring.
If Angle/Micheals just went out there and wrestled, it would have been nice.
But the story leading up to it was what made it that much more interesting.
A back story or gimmick can make an otherwise lackluster wrestler king among men, hence Gene Snitsky and Heidenreich.
While a good wrestler like Shelton Benjiman might be good, he's still not getting the props a guy on his level should get, because he hasn't mastered the art of salesmanship.
The same reason why it took Benoit five years in the WWE to win a world title.
It's why Kurt Angle won the WWE title a month shy of being a year in WWE.
Kurt Angle as great in the ring as he is, is still more enjoyable as the goofy guy we all know and love.
Stick him out there he's just this great wrestler, but nothing about him stands out.
Entertainment makes a guy stand out.
That's why such a mediocre boring wrestler like Christian is getting props due to his entertainment schlock.
Honestly the guy punches and chokes about as much as Hollywood Hogan during the Wolfpac days.
In closing.....
Giving everyone good segments, angles, interviews, gimmicks, and wrestling matches are the best service the WWE could give their fans. But it's gotta be all of it or none of it.
The entertainment aspect makes the sports part seem epic. Without the entertainment, you're left with something that no one would watch and vice versa.
No matter what type of audience a show is targeting, they need to figure out an equation that will make as many people happy as possible. What makes Superstars today so different from their predecessors is their ability to shine at every aspect of the business. Whether it's cutting promos or defying the limits of human physicality, superstars like Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and The Rock can do it all. That's why they have all become such big-time players and even crossed over into other forms of entertainment.
So I say, think outside the box. Because it is imperative to the future of this business that they try new things and continue to experiment with new ways to better entertain the loyal fans whether it be in the ring or on the “stick.” If the entertainment industry as a whole were to sit on it's hands and not try new recipes, this world would be a very boring place to live in.
Personally, I like the backstage vignettes and pre-filmed vignettes. I find that entertaining. What I also find entertaining is how the wrestlers athletically and physically express themselves and tell a story with their bodies. You got to combine the two together. It's like a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. You have the chocolate (which some of us like), you have the peanut butter (that's good too). Put them together and you spell YUMMY.
Professional wrestling always has been and always will be sports-ENTERTAINMENT. The athleticism seen in the ring is only half of what makes this business as unique and successful as it has become.
And while the overall direction of the business has changed a great deal in the past decade, one philosophy remains steadfast: Give the fans what they want. Take a look at the last major boom period in the industry beginning about 1998. It was during that time that some the most memorable moments came to fruition.
Skits like D-Generation X dressing up like the Nation of Domination and the Corporation or using a tank to invade WCW headquarters amidst the Monday night ratings wars were segments that will undoubtedly live in our minds for eternity.
Where would the Austin/McMahon feud have gone if it relied simply on in-ring action? The answer is not very far. It was the back and forth promos between those two rivals that made for months worth of great television.
Do you think that The Rock would be making movies in Hollywood if he were never allowed to cut promos and show the audience his quick wit and unique sense of humor?
In other words, WWE has always been about maintaining a proper balance of action, drama, humor and even romance. With an audience as diverse as the WWE's, and fans spanning every corner of the globe, it is absolutely impossible to go entirely in one direction while still making everyone happy. No matter what the genre, someone is sure to want something else. There's an old adage that says, “Different strokes for different folks.”
Just as one wrestling fan may feel that a backward trend to the days of yesteryear is the answer, another wrestling fan may feel that ring action is only a small part of what makes WWE so great. And while one fan might hold up a sign saying, “Shut Up & Wrestle,” another fan ten rows back might have a sign saying “Stop Wrestling and Talk.” Whatever point those particular fans are driving home, the translation still reads, “Entertain Me!” It's this same desire for satisfaction that makes the WWE's form of entertainment so challenging and worthwhile.
If a show like “The Sopranos” were to only have nonsensical violence without any storyline, it never would have made it past a first season.
If “ER” were only about tales from the operating room and never dwelled on the lives of it’s physicians, they probably never would have won an award.
If "The Contender" was just about boxing and only boxing and didn't share with us what went on in the lives of the boxers, I doubt the show would have made it past the first episode and would have been canceled right away.
Sure, actual wrestling is an important part of sports entertainment, but if we go to a pure wrestling type product, we're stuck with Frank Gotch laying on the ground for two hours.
The matches are the pay off, but the real intrigue comes from the segments and angles that we love....
Hulk Hogan getting crushed by Earthquake on the Brother Love show, the late Miss Elizabeth and Randy Savage cowering as Jake "The Snake" Roberts threatened them with his snake Damien at Tuesday Night in Texas, Shawn Michaels kicking Marty Jannetty through the window of the Barber Shop, Stone Cold Steve Austin pillmanizing the late Brian Pillman on Shotgun Saturday Night, This is Your Life Rock, Austin Appreciation Night, Chris Jericho breaking Chyna's thumb, etc.
They kicked off and fanned the flames that made us want to watch wrestling to see what was going to happen next.
I mean, back in 2003.....would you really care if Tajiri and Funaki just went up against The Big Show and A-Train?
Or wasn't it so much better to see the tentative Funaki be reassured by the confident Tajiri that despite the odds of being put up against two of the biggest men in WWE, they could win?
And do you think people cared about John Cena when he debuted? Does anyone even remember when John Cena first debuted on Smackdown? When he did, he wasn't no rapper. And the guy almost beat Kurt Angle on his debut night and then the following week also beat Chris Jericho and still no one cared.
But then they made him into a rapper and had him dis Rikishi and Los Guerrerros and BOOM, we had a main eventer that would later go on to become the WWE champion and one of the most popular superstars in WWE.
Without the entertainment you just have two men doing these mean things to each other for no reason.
When there's a back story to a match it actually makes it that much more alluring.
If Angle/Micheals just went out there and wrestled, it would have been nice.
But the story leading up to it was what made it that much more interesting.
A back story or gimmick can make an otherwise lackluster wrestler king among men, hence Gene Snitsky and Heidenreich.
While a good wrestler like Shelton Benjiman might be good, he's still not getting the props a guy on his level should get, because he hasn't mastered the art of salesmanship.
The same reason why it took Benoit five years in the WWE to win a world title.
It's why Kurt Angle won the WWE title a month shy of being a year in WWE.
Kurt Angle as great in the ring as he is, is still more enjoyable as the goofy guy we all know and love.
Stick him out there he's just this great wrestler, but nothing about him stands out.
Entertainment makes a guy stand out.
That's why such a mediocre boring wrestler like Christian is getting props due to his entertainment schlock.
Honestly the guy punches and chokes about as much as Hollywood Hogan during the Wolfpac days.
In closing.....
Giving everyone good segments, angles, interviews, gimmicks, and wrestling matches are the best service the WWE could give their fans. But it's gotta be all of it or none of it.
The entertainment aspect makes the sports part seem epic. Without the entertainment, you're left with something that no one would watch and vice versa.
No matter what type of audience a show is targeting, they need to figure out an equation that will make as many people happy as possible. What makes Superstars today so different from their predecessors is their ability to shine at every aspect of the business. Whether it's cutting promos or defying the limits of human physicality, superstars like Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and The Rock can do it all. That's why they have all become such big-time players and even crossed over into other forms of entertainment.
So I say, think outside the box. Because it is imperative to the future of this business that they try new things and continue to experiment with new ways to better entertain the loyal fans whether it be in the ring or on the “stick.” If the entertainment industry as a whole were to sit on it's hands and not try new recipes, this world would be a very boring place to live in.