I have to admit that I am once again a fan of this “sport”. Is this the man version of a soap, or have I just moved a few backsteps down the evolutionary ladder? Please let me know if I have become a sad little man. For the record, I am not from the south and I know it is staged, nor do I live in a trailer.
I have been a fan of wrestling since I was 5-years-old. I don’t really care if wrestling is “choreographed” or not as long as it’s entertaining. I mean, isn’t that the point of wrestling? I do however, feel like wrestling has gone down hill over the past two years. The quality of matches has gone down and matches that are supposed to be really major at Pay-Per-Views are way too short. Like the Rock/Austin match at Wrestlemania. I was there live by the way, and it was totally worth seeing the matches firsthand. Even if some of the matches were a little too subpar for my liking. I feel like we got spoiled for a number of years with a bunch of superstar wrestlers that took every single match they were in to the next leve. Like Mick Foley, Triple HHH, Rock, Stonecold, Kurt Angle, Undertaker (especially the Hell in a Cell matches), Kane etc. Right now it seems like the WWE is suffering from the WCW syndrome, which is relying on aging superstars that are past their prime to bring in the ratings and the money. These superstars can not carry the WWE for much longer and will have to retire sooner or later. I just hope things get better soon.
The two aren’t mutually exclusive…
In answer to your question, it really depends on the types of pro wrestling you have available to you. For example, if all that you watched was WWE broadcasting, then it’s very easy to say its a male soap opera. If you watch the NWA franchises, such as Total Nonstop Action, you’ll be exposed to longer technical matches and less promos, making it less of a soap opera and more “old-school goodness”. If you watch Ring of Honor or Puro or almost anything outside of the US, you’ll see a lot more where the story is told in the ring during the match than in a boring 20 minute promo.
If it’s a two hour show and the amount of wrestling is contained in less than thirty minutes, it’s a soap opera. If it’ll get someone who hates wrestling to sit down and gasp “Damn…”, it’s an exhibition.
I dont totally agree with Pollo, Smackdown features a great deal of mat science, leaving much of the promo stuff to Raw. Both shows are all about PPV dollas, which I do not pay out but once a year. As far NWA-TNA, I wish it had a weekly show, I love any promotion smart enough to can X-PAC AND Vince Russo.
You probably got to see Austin’s last match live, consider yourself lucky.
The last few times this was discussed here, it got mildly ugly. A few people hate it and think everybody that watches it are idiots. They will be here shortly. They are wrong of course. Wrestling is mindless entertainment sure, but so are Friends, the Simpsons and the Daily Show. Some of them are top class athletes that put their bodies on the line to do something they love and entertain the fans. Some of them have sex with mannequins that are supposed to be dead.
Bottom line ('cause Stone Cold says so) is, its a little of both.
dead0man (who’s user name has nothing to do with the Undertaker)
Preach it Dead0man! I think beating LOTR and Trek nonsense into the ground as an endless debate every time some poor filmaker decides to venture into these worlds seems sort of pointless, but I guess that is some sign of my “intellegence”. In short, bring it on, intellectual snobs, it is time for a trip to the Smackdown Hotel. Pit me, but do not belittle me for having an unpopular opinion.
“Professional wrestling is homoerotic soap-opera for retards.”
I don’t necessarily agree with that statement, but the first time I read it I spit soda all over myself.
I don’t know much about wrestling as I haven’t watched it since the days of Andre the Giant.