Wrestling is holding wrestling shows back from being entertaining.Most people tune out during matches because we've seen it all before. Everything has already been done, and nothing can surprise anyone anymore. There should be fewer matches and more promos and crazy backstage segments. Or not even just backstage, but anywhere. Each show should only have one or two matches at most, with the rest filled with entertaining drama that builds up stories and feuds leading into those matches. People just want to see crazy characters interacting with each other on a live show. Hell, let's see two wrestlers have a street race where one crashes and dies, only to return as a demented, evil version of himself on next week's show. Or let's have a segment where an NXT talent walks in on CM Punk breeding multiple wrestlers. Or maybe a segment where LA Knight busts into Paul's office demanding a title shot, but since Paul isn't there, he puts a gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger, only for the gun to jam, making him realize it's a sign to botch less.>but just watch a normal TV show thenNo that's not the point. Pro wrestling shows have a unique live format that they could use to their benefit. There would be no other TV shows like it. The possibilities are endless.Enough with these boring ass, storyless matches that no one gives a fuck about. Let's get some raunchy, shocking drama that makes people want to see what happens next after every episode. tl;dr: Wrestling is the least important part of a wrestling show
Obviously not true since Russo tanked every company he worked in
fedophiles actually think this
>>21031506>t. zoomer never got to experience the attitude eraWatch the attitude era here: https://archive.org/details/wrestlingtelevisionit's everything you're asking and more
>>21031506Based Russo
>>21031545>2001 Stone Cold and Booker T beat each other up all over town and in a grocery storeok real talk, why does WWE not do cool stuff like this anymore?
>>21031545Mostly this.The Attitude Era was a fairly good example of what the OP is describing in his exaggerated trollbait post. A prototype experiment of it, at least. If they just made stips and gimmick matches the norm, I think that could help. Obviously not *every* match or it would get old, but there’s a difference in my attention level if you’re asking me to watch Lyra v Sol Ruca in a regular match…or Lyra v Sol Ruca in a No Holds Barred Lumberjack Ladder Match. They don’t need to jettison “wrestling matches,” they just need to realize that the default setting should be to make them more interesting with stips and gimmicks. Especially in the women’s and men’s midcard divisions. If you want to leave the men’s Main Event pure, that’s fine.
>>21031580because it costs money and shareholders hate wasting money.>You WILL watch the same weekly show contained within the ring and you'll be happy or something like thatfunniest thing I ever saw was a match on Raw where the Headbangers had a match against Crash Holly at one of those soft play slide places in a mall
It should just be talking segments and advertisements.
I disagree OP.I think it should all be wrestling segments. Maybe with a little backstage stuff here and there or something in the ring between matches but mostly matches. More of them and keep them shorter. Get some guys, put them in a ring, have them do some shit and tell a little 5 - 7 minute story, then get them the fuck out of the ring and move on to the next bit.But none of this flippy AEW gymnastics bullshit, I'm talking real old school Southern-style wrasslin'.People would tune in for that, as evidenced by the fact that it's what people tuned in for in the past. Many people stopped watching wrasslin' because the main shows stopped doing wrasslin'. There was hope that AEW would be wrasslin' but when it turned out to be gay gymnastics they tuned out of that too. But bring back wrasslin' and people will watch, I guaran-fuckin-tee ya.
>>21032507Is there any active promotion that still does "good old wrasslin"? Or is there not enough wrestlers who wrestle that style and/or fans who would be able to sustain such a promotion?
>>21031580it's only cool because it's steve austin
>>21032646I don't think there's any major company that does it, but there might be local indies that do. Sadly, most of the modern indy scene is dominated by the approaches that we know define the modern indy scene and the small handful of people who want to see that already watch AEW.Closest thing I can think of is All Japan, given that its current style feels closer to that old Southern-style than anything else I can think of. But it's all in Japanese and, aside from a few guys at the top, the roster is pretty weak.
Lucha Underground had it right. One hour show, two to three matches that last 15-20 minutes combined, at least one of the matches is somehow special, rest of the time is spent building up things to make the matches seem interesting. Once in a while you actually spend a lot of time in one match because you've made it seem interesting and important.
I saddens me to no end that so many of you are just willing to concede doing a bunch of moves is a good wrestling match.
>>21032837That's half the problem.Most people haven't seen a good wrestling match. Given that, it's understandable that they want stories and extra drama behind it to drive their interests in it.And when I say a "good match", I'm not talking about some high workrate shit. I just mean something entertaining and engaging, where the guys in the ring build up investment right then and there, even if you'd never even heard of the guys before.I think that's what my problem is with the "less matches but make them bigger and more special" approach is. I think it's making wrestling more than it should be. Wrestling should be something stupid and quick and dumb that works because you *don't* invest that much in it and, every once in a while, something happens that surprises you and makes you love it. Old school wrestling was mostly matches, but the matches were more like short skits than anything else. 15 - 20 minutes is too long for your average wrestling match. It should be between 3 to 7. People dislike matches not because wrestling isn't important - it's because it's not done right and it goes on too long.
>>21032809Lucha underground is the most watchable wrestling show ever made.Also it was produced by established TV writers and producers so it makes sense desu
>>21032918>where the guys in the ring build up investment right then and there, even if you'd never even heard of the guys before.Yup. It's why KENTA vs SUWA is my favorite attitude era style match.
>>21033287Fantastic example of what I'm talking about.You don't have to know who these two guys are. Shit, you don't even have to speak the same language as the commentators. It's not hard to figure out what's happening and there's a story being told there. It doesn't need tons of speaking segments and drama to build up to it. It pulls you in on its own but it's also largely self-contained.That's wrestling.https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyibpl
Unironically Eric Bishoff runs the actual real graps promotion in RAF. It’s growing to the point where average attendance is about 3700 same as aew.
>>21032646NWA does it and can't draw flies to shit
>>21031506>Each show should only have one or two matches at most, with the rest filled with entertaining drama that builds up stories and feuds leading into those matches.this was HBK's NXT before TKO and Hunter got involved, bascially one of those CW dramas like All-American or Smallville with the occasional wrestling match, it was hit and miss but NXT is developmentalWoulkd be interesting to see Shawn's vision play out on the MR
>>21032967>Also it was produced by established TV writers and producers so it makes sense desuI mean WWE has employed those for decades and it's still shit.Pretty sure LU was mainly booked by the fat guy who was caned by Sandman in ECW and he seems to get wrestling.
Biggest problem with this is that it would make the few matches they have even shittier.Wrestling is a skill. It takes constant practice, even when you're good at it. Wrestlers need to be frequently working in front of live crowds because that will always be different than working in a training ring at a gym. You might not like the Japanese format of shows or even the Japanese style of wrestling, but part of why they tend to be more impressive is that they constantly get their reps by doing multiple shows and matches a week. "Sawdusting" only begins to be involved when those matches are high intensity - you obviously want to avoid that by keeping the matches short, low stakes, and with multiple people in them. But the point is that everyone is continually practicing in front of live crowds and getting a feel for one another as well as each other's strengths and weaknesses. You wouldn't get that with just a couple matches a week, with some members of the roster potentially going months between being in front of people.
>>21031506Pro wrestling as an entertainment medium has outgrown the actual wrestling matches, I agree, but what could they be replaced with while still maintaining the same level of drama and other entertainment aspects? Maybe some sort of tabletop roleplaying game?
>>21034541Not really. WWE has had some people with TV experience but no well known established writers. >Freddie Prince JrToo much of a fan of wrestling and no credible writing. Wrestling actually needs good TV writers that have worked on movies and shows with good writing. Lucha Underground had Mark Burnett and Robert Rodriguez
>>21035666Fuck you Satan we don't need more Hollywood influence in wrestling.
