Have you ever stepped back and thought about how ridiculous wrestling is?
 

More of the concept. We all spend our Monday nights watching grown men pretend to fight wearing next to nothing with predetermined results. Like who the hell thought " you know what would be an awesome business? Two men pretending to fight.

yes

Lol it really is stupid when you think of it

It's legitimate theatre.

it's like a traveling theatre

Theatre. Circus. Freakshow.
I think the WWE got it right.
Entertainment.
Now. Then. Forever.

It is a hilariously dated form of entertainment if you think about it. Like something more appropriate for the 1800's. It's unique though. Some weird sports/theater/comic book hybrid.

Artistic combat if you will.

It's real, dammit!

Please tell me you ain't doubting the serious business nature of pro rasslin.

Whenever I watch an old ECW video or anything with Russo's fingerprints.

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try explaining a "compelling" wrestling storyline to someone who has either A. never watched wrestling or B. Hasn't watched in 20 years.

They think you sound completely insane, and when you think back, you probably do.

I explained The Wyatt Family/showed their vignettes and some Bray NXT promos to a couple people who thought it was pretty good. Then it came time for them to actually start wrestling and it got weird.

Also, I introduced a friend of mine to Johnny Curtis through NXT segments and he thought the guy was "too good for wrestling". Then I showed him Fandango and he thought it was great. Then it came down to random wrestling matches. He still thinks he's too good for wrestling...

In the Wyatt's case, I think Bray is so good he comes off more as a legit television character and less like a corny wrestling character. In Johnny Curtis' case, he's so good he comes off as a guy who's kinda just giving a wink to the audience as if to say "I know it's corny. So let's just have fun with it."

I partially blame the fact that live wrestling crowds today don't seem to give a shit about anything at all (not that they should give much of a fuck about the random, meaningless matches with no story that take up most of the show). I can imagine not being a wrestling fan, watching Raw and thinking "The people who paid money to be there live seem bored out of their mind. Why the fuck would I wanna become a fan of this?"

But I digress...

Al Snow was so over fuck.

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Cue the inevitable "have you ever considered how ridiculous Gertner is?" parody thread.

I'm the pulse of TPWW

I wish the other two members of the Shield were remotely as entertaining as Dean Ambrose. Just a thought I had watching the video above.

I continue to be completely bewildered by the idea that anyone but Ambrose is going to be the biggest thing to come out of the Shield. The idea that Reigns is going to be a top guy on his own damages my brains.

It's silly, mindless well produced entertainment.

It's no sillier than a Gwar concert. And Gwar fucking rules!

Troma films are fun. WWE is like an athletic Troma traveling theater.

I remember on another site a while ago stating wrestling is no different than the circus and people. Got pissed lol

This!

You just realised Gertner?

Been meaning to post this thread for a long time. Always just slipped my mind.

was that Rajah?

I do miss a crowd that actually reacts to stuff. Not just random moments, but literally is red hot the entire show. Problem is for the most part, nobody organically connects with the audience. It's all force fed. They have effectively killed off the parts of wrestling we call came to know and love. OH WELL.

I think that was the reason wrestling was so popular in its boom periods.. the crowds were insane, and ate everything up. You could feel the energy from the t.v. and you were like "good god I wish I was there" because being there was like a party. Not like that anymore. It's so deflated.

Too much has changed over the past 20 years for wrestling to have that feeling. Things have just gotten too politically correct, too hands off. Have to wtch what you say, what you do, who you do it to and whether or not you are going to be on camera when you do it. Granted that last live event I saw was Bad News Browns retirement match against Don Callis

Part of that is because going to wrestling shows has become an "event" for people to say they went toin the same way they can say they went to a concert or a live sporting event. It's less populated by people who truly "give a shit" and even more watered down by larger venues.

I'm not saying WWE should go back to running shows at VFWs or somesuch, I'm saying look at some of the earlier RAW shows- or rather where they were run, and then look at the massive arenas they fill up now that would have only been run during PPVs. A vast majority of the people on that opening wide crane shot of RAW or SD aren't "into" wrestling as much as they're on a social outing. As such, they really don't care about the show at all, thus, all the screaming girl cheers at "Voices" even if Orton is about to go punt a newborn baby into the crowd, or everyone chants "WE THE PEOPLE!" because its something to chant instead of booing the heels proper like.

Its one of the reasons why the ECW fans got the rep they got: the small venues were jam packed with people who cared. You got "you fucked up" for botches, you got the "oooohhh!" for huge shots/big moves in a match. You got standng o's for a technical display between two people who could go. You got the "holy shit" moments. You'd get massive, roof blowing pops for faces and heels getting boo'd out of the building and pelted with garbage. The crowd was into what they were watching. They didn't just go to an ECW show to say they were there and it was the cool thing to do. And with the few exceptions like Chicago, Philly, or damn near anywhere in Canada they run a show, you barely get that anymore.

Knew that would happen. My last post was geared towards GDN's comments.

If I didn't have wrestling, I'd never know how it would be to become nWo 4 life and sustain that promise. I don't want to live in that facade, I dropped an onion in a grocery store one time and man I'll tell ya, not a good pretty sight, I mean I smashed that thing up, had to pay for it.

A bunch of times. Usually when something really ridiculous occurs that even trying to explain it to someone else still makes it sound really dumb.

Katie Vick was a good idea.

Ambrose loses some cool points for liking Botchamania

Really? I doubt his Botchamania feelings will ever translate into his ring work.

Yeah, that's not exactly what I meant by "cool points"

I defy you to name one ridiculous thing in wrestling.

I would actually like to see a list of how many cool points each wrestler currently has.