Animosity

I used to be a fan of wrestling.  Or rather, I still am in general.  But in particular I'm not a fan of the WWE.  While holding many of the best stars of a still struggling industry, they don't properly utlize that talent.  They really don't make the product for the fan of the 'sport' of wrestling anymore.  Indeed, they never really did.  I argue that they are completely ignoring that fanbase now.  I will admit that they have a few top quality matches in a year.  For the most part it's all punches pulled, no move allowed, punch-kick-punch-kick-finisher.  They have a demanding schedule, I know, but put some HEART back into it.

They bombard us with ridiculous plots and insult our intelligence at the same time.  Not to mention that they often only feature 20-30 minutes of actual wrestling on a 2 hour show.  It's frustrating to want to simply watch some mindless, wonderfully worked matches.  Yet when I have to listen to an uncharismatic 6 foot tall steroid addicted idiot jabber on about god only knows what for 10 minutes, then listen to another guy go "nuh uh" for 10 more it kills me.

Fortunately there are still some highlights.  Edge is still crazy awesome.  He can be the mean badass, he can be the comedic clown, and not to mention he can really bring it in the ring.  What has this earned him?  Like six world championships.  Not bad.  CM Punk will always be great.  He'll jump from feud to feud and perform at a top level.  He may never see the world title again, but he had it and that can't be taken away.

I stopped watching for so many reasons.  Degrading the cruiser title by putting on Hornswaggle (then eliminating it completely), Katie Vick, Al Wilson's wedding, Eric Bischoff, pushing untrained rookies hard over veterans (and then firing them in 4 months anyway), and so much more.  It just added up over the years.  Once I realized that I was suffering through more of a show than I was enjoying, it was over.

There wasn't enough there to really be excited about anymore.  I felt like they were deliberately insulting my intelligence.  That's what it was all along, perhaps, and I never saw it because I could enjoy the matches for what they were.  A performance.  The plots that only the most idiotic, dull-brained, hillbilly could get into (or believe!) ruined the whole thing.  When you step outside of a hobby like that for a while and then look back in you find yourself saying "What the hell was wrong with me?"  The utter horror that was the WWE made me just hate wrestling in general for a while.  I got over that.

I am still a fan of the rest of wrestling, however.  NOAH, NJPW, ROH, AJPW, DG, and so many others still produce excellent stuff.  They don't punish you for watching like the WWE (and even TNA).  The wrestlers go out there and do their damndest to put on a great show.  Japanese wrestling will never change. It's about workrate.  Newcomers like Go Shiozaki, Katshiko Nakajima, and Kohei Suwama are respectful of that tradition and give their hearts in the ring.  This leads to a new generation that will flourish like those before them, unlike America.

Attempts to Americanize it have actually been pretty fun.  The ridiculous storylines in promotions like HUSTLE and DDT are so over the top that you can't help but laugh.  They don't take themselves seriously.  That's the problem in America, they put on these terrible shows with awful acting, and off-the-wall stories and expect you to take them seriously!

Professional wrestling is an interesting entity.  Sadly the show must cater to what the average fan wants.  I'm not an average fan.  I just want some god damn wrestling, is that too much to ask for, WWE?  You don't provide it so I don't watch, but you don't care.  I find it in other places at least, so the sport hasn't totally lost me yet.