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Watching the ECW stuff I am reminded about the two key elements that I have always thought were essential in running a good wrestling promotion.
1) Regular fans who come back every week. Fans who appreciate wrestling, respect the wrestlers and are willing to put their hard earned buck into the company.
2) Wrestlers who love to perform for those fans. I believe it brings out the best in any good wrestler to know that the fans fucking appreciate what they are doing for what is usually not a lot of money. (WWE, TNA are exceptions as they are the only places you can earn huge paychecks).
I dunno, I just think the average WWE fan doesn't know wrestling, doesn't appreciate good wrestling and think very little of the wrestlers as individuals. The wrestler's morale in WWE is dropping more and more every fucking day. Until this is sorted out I don't think the company will turn around.
That raises the argument that I have always believed - wrestlers should be given the power to develop their own characters as an extension of their own personalities. An exaggeration, of course, but it's more real this way. Now I don't want every wrestler in the world to be creating their own characters and dictating their own creative direction but I do believe that those guys who have a head for the business and are worth a dime or two in the ring should be more real, and what is more real than an extension of themself.
I truly believe the answer to the future of wrestling lies in the wrestling itself. As a rule of thumb we need to push the wrestling side of things because it is falling further and further into the background that we must push it back out there for risk of losing it all together. Do we really want to be left with a live performance of the OC in the ring every week in place of some good wrestling?
Look, this is my basic approach for the future of wrestling - there is nothing more exhilarating than the story told in a great match by good wrestlers. A good technical battle or a good street fight. As long as match tells a story and has a few exciting spots that get the crowd going, then I am happy. Some are greater than others at this. I also believe that wrestling fans enjoy what we tell them to enjoy. The fans have always gone with the changing tides of the business and if we can manage to show the fans who love the entertainment side of things how good the wrestling side of things really is and force it down their throats then they will enjoy wrestling for wrestling. People will then realise that the wrestling side of things is actually more entertaining (suprise) and ratings will go up.
Maybe. I dunno, it's 6am and I'm depressed.
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