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**Kane Knight** · 04-28-2006, 12:19 PM

Well, ya. Wrestling is largely about action there, here it's a soap opera. People may whine about that, but it is. It's a testosterone driven soap opera with storylines designed to keep the Y chromosone and testicles happy. And that's what sells it in the US.

Otherwise, Rey Rey would've held a major heavyweight title back when he was something, instead of because his buddy died. Because back in the day, he was mad talented.

But we'd also have to have cruiserweights on the same level as big men, and nobody really seems to buy that. Hell, some of my friends have taken martial arts for as much as 18 years now, are smaller than me, and could totally kick my ass, and I still don't believe it most of the time when I see someone small in pro wrestling go up against someone big.

Doesn't hurt that they also stack the heights. I mean, I'm 6'5" and Matt HArdy's supposed to be 6'4". That dude was "small" enough to be a cruiserweight (I know it was a story, but)?

I mean yeah, people like Rey are legitimately TINY, but when an average joe is about the size of a big man in the real world, it makes it even less believable when the smallers one show up.

And that's just look. Charisma is probably more important than everything (Except being over 6'10" as the great kali shows you, it's a free pass), because Eddie didn't get to the top on talent (Not saying he didn't have any, just saying he clearly wouldn't have got there if he wasn't so fucking charismatic), Foley wouldn't have got there in ANY persona under his skills or look, etc. And of course, Charisma isn't just mic skills, but you do need a specific kind of charisma to make it somewhere in this sport (In the Western world).

Although, honestly, while I appreciate the Japanese approach, I like the storylines. I think we're too heavy on story over substance right now, but I'd hate to see 2 hours of just wrestling with no plot behind it at all. It's like a kung fu flick. You don't watch Bruce Lee movies for deep character development, you mostly want to see him bust out the nunchucks! But if there was no story, just 2 hours of fighting, it probably wouldn't sell horribly well.

04-28-2006, 12:19 PM	#33
Kane Knight Ron Paul 4 EVA Posts: 152,467	Well, ya. Wrestling is largely about action there, here it's a soap opera. People may whine about that, but it is. It's a testosterone driven soap opera with storylines designed to keep the Y chromosone and testicles happy. And that's what sells it in the US. Otherwise, Rey Rey would've held a major heavyweight title back when he was something, instead of because his buddy died. Because back in the day, he was mad talented. But we'd also have to have cruiserweights on the same level as big men, and nobody really seems to buy that. Hell, some of my friends have taken martial arts for as much as 18 years now, are smaller than me, and could totally kick my ass, and I still don't believe it most of the time when I see someone small in pro wrestling go up against someone big. Doesn't hurt that they also stack the heights. I mean, I'm 6'5" and Matt HArdy's supposed to be 6'4". That dude was "small" enough to be a cruiserweight (I know it was a story, but)? I mean yeah, people like Rey are legitimately TINY, but when an average joe is about the size of a big man in the real world, it makes it even less believable when the smallers one show up. And that's just look. Charisma is probably more important than everything (Except being over 6'10" as the great kali shows you, it's a free pass), because Eddie didn't get to the top on talent (Not saying he didn't have any, just saying he clearly wouldn't have got there if he wasn't so fucking charismatic), Foley wouldn't have got there in ANY persona under his skills or look, etc. And of course, Charisma isn't just mic skills, but you do need a specific kind of charisma to make it somewhere in this sport (In the Western world). Although, honestly, while I appreciate the Japanese approach, I like the storylines. I think we're too heavy on story over substance right now, but I'd hate to see 2 hours of just wrestling with no plot behind it at all. It's like a kung fu flick. You don't watch Bruce Lee movies for deep character development, you mostly want to see him bust out the nunchucks! But if there was no story, just 2 hours of fighting, it probably wouldn't sell horribly well.