|
|
Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 1, 2013 21:34:02 GMT -5
For some it may be difficult to think of pro wrestling ever dying, but for others it seems like it already has it's days numbers. For instance, I remember Kevin Sullivan said in one shoot something along the lines of there on't be a Wrestlemania 50 because wrestling will be long dead by then.
I got to thinking that WWE is really the only current representation for wrestling in mainstream culture. Sure, WWE may not be exactly mainstream, but it is worlds ahead of any other wrestling company in being mainstream.
This got me thinking if WWE for whatever reason just collapsed, Vince sold it to UFC, Vince lost all his money, whatever, could the death of pro wrestling not be that far behind?
Will there be pro wrestling in 100 years? 200? Will it ever die? Or will it be dead within the next few decades.
|
|
|
|
Post by Amazing Kitsune on Dec 1, 2013 21:41:31 GMT -5
It's almost impossible for it to die. It's too simple a concept that's too widely appealing.
|
|
|
|
Post by Magic knows Black Lives Matter on Dec 1, 2013 21:42:19 GMT -5
Might as well be dead. WWE is wrestling to the mainstream public.
|
|
Chip
Hank Scorpio
Slam Jam Death.
Posts: 5,185
|
Post by Chip on Dec 1, 2013 21:43:05 GMT -5
In America and some other countries, yes. The people that watch now wouldn't start watching the indies or foreign products because a lot of them are WWE fans over being wrestling fans. You always see people claim that when WCW died, those fans didn't start watching WWE, they just stopped watching wrestling altogether. That's what would happen here. Sure NJPW could start showing a translated product in America but it wouldn't blow up with WWE fans. It'd just become an incredibly niche thing that slowly morphs into being a "kooky" attraction in foreign countries.
|
|
|
|
Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 1, 2013 21:53:22 GMT -5
In America and some other countries, yes. The people that watch now wouldn't start watching the indies or foreign products because a lot of them are WWE fans over being wrestling fans. You always see people claim that when WCW died, those fans didn't start watching WWE, they just stopped watching wrestling altogether. That's what would happen here. Sure NJPW could start showing a translated product in America but it wouldn't blow up with WWE fans. It'd just become an incredibly niche thing that slowly morphs into being a "kooky" attraction in foreign countries. I don't even think WWE collapsing would help bring NJPW over to the US though I could be wrong. I could see TNA still maintaining their current popularity, but I don't think they have the resources to fill the huge vacuum that would be left by WWE or at least if they do the people in charge of those resources wouldn't have the faith to put their money on the line. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2013 21:57:41 GMT -5
I doubt that wrestling will ever completely die in America, but I think that it is slowly dying off a little bit every year. If the WWE went under wrestling would probably revert back to a niche territorial system.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kevin Hamilton on Dec 1, 2013 22:01:20 GMT -5
As a tv product and such? Yeah. There'd pretty much just be indys and that's it. You'd never see a mainstream television product of the level of a WWE again; TNA ROH and the like might revert to an internet show sort of business; i.e. run local shows, film it and run ippvs and content. As was said, a territory system with a 21st century slant.
|
|
|
|
Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 1, 2013 22:04:55 GMT -5
I doubt that wrestling will ever completely die in America, but I think that it is slowly dying off a little bit every year. If the WWE went under wrestling would probably revert back to a niche territorial system. That's an interesting way to look at it really and is something I've thought about lately. It's like the territory system never really died off at all. Vince just helped kill a lot of the more successful promotions that were around and now there is this added super power of WWE that wasn't there before and helps keep everyone else from getting too big. Still, WWE only has such an impact on the indies. Sure, WWE helps and hurts the indies in certain ways, but in a lot of ways the indies that are around today are just like the terriories that were around back in the 1980s and earlier. You still have people competing for audiences, promoters having pissing matches with each other and plenty of carnies. It's kind of bittersweet really. |
|
Chip
Hank Scorpio
Slam Jam Death.
Posts: 5,185
|
Post by Chip on Dec 1, 2013 22:08:24 GMT -5
In America and some other countries, yes. The people that watch now wouldn't start watching the indies or foreign products because a lot of them are WWE fans over being wrestling fans. You always see people claim that when WCW died, those fans didn't start watching WWE, they just stopped watching wrestling altogether. That's what would happen here. Sure NJPW could start showing a translated product in America but it wouldn't blow up with WWE fans. It'd just become an incredibly niche thing that slowly morphs into being a "kooky" attraction in foreign countries. I don't even think WWE collapsing would help bring NJPW over to the US though I could be wrong. I could see TNA still maintaining their current popularity, but I don't think they have the resources to fill the huge vacuum that would be left by WWE or at least if they do the people in charge of those resources wouldn't have the faith to put their money on the line. The whole NJPW thing was just a hypothetical. Even if a large and successful company tried to move it's product in the US it wouldn't work. TNA and RoH, as well as all indies would probably maintain their existing fanbase but you gotta think that a hook to draw in new fans to wrestling wouldn't exist anymore. As existing fans either move on or die no new ones would replace them. I mean, if you tried to get me into wrestling by showing me two half naked dudes grappling in a highschool gym I'd say no thanks dude, I'm straight. |
|
|
|
Post by rnrk supports BLM on Dec 1, 2013 22:09:50 GMT -5
In its current form, yes. But some form of exaggerated MMA that involves larger-than-life personalities and fixed matches in order to build up more compelling storylines would eventually emerge.
I also think lucha libre will stick around for quite a while, and may partially fill WWE's void in the US.
|
|
|
|
Post by angryfan on Dec 1, 2013 22:14:10 GMT -5
Wrestling existed prior to being McMahoned, so to say that it would just up and disappear seems wrong. On a national stage, I think we'd still see TNA and potentially ROH or some other indy. Given the nation's demographics, I could even see AAA or CMLL gaining a nationwide foothold in terms of broadcasting.
Would we see packed house stadium shows like WrestleMania? Probably not, at least not right away.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2013 22:14:34 GMT -5
Probably like how every empire is when it collapses, it breaks into various principalities/duchies/counties/emirates/satrapies/territories that start fighting with each other intermittently, and eventually one gets lucky and just starts growing while the others fall behind. Just like what WWF did in the 70's and 80's.
|
|
|
|
Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 1, 2013 22:15:01 GMT -5
In its current form, yes. But some form of exaggerated MMA that involves larger-than-life personalities and fixed matches in order to build up more compelling storylines would eventually emerge. I also think lucha libre will stick around for quite a while, and may partially fill WWE's void in the US. Lucha libre is something I was thinking about including in the OP. I think if wrestling were to die Lucha Libre would be one of the last things to go if not the last. I'm by no means a lucha libre expert, but from all I've seen and experienced of lucha it just seems to be an incredible part of Mexican culture. I think if just about all wrestling died some hispanic towns in North America would have atl east one or two lucha shows a year just as a cultural celebration. |
|
|
|
Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 1, 2013 22:17:33 GMT -5
Probably like how every empire is when it collapses, it breaks into various principalities/duchies/counties/emirates/satrapies/territories that start fighting with each other intermittently, and eventually one gets lucky and just starts growing while the others fall behind. Just like what WWF did in the 70's and 80's. Well, if nothing else from this thread I at least know what the word satrapy means now. Off topic, but man what a weird $5 word to poll out in this discussion haha! |
|
|
|
Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Dec 1, 2013 22:31:23 GMT -5
The territory system would certainly solidify it's dominance again. As has been stated, it is still around, but as long as WWE is around that's where the casual fan will go for their wrestling fix. If WWE were to crash and burn, a lot of those casuals may end up supporting their local promotion, while others are likely to move on from wrestling altogether.
|
|
|
|
Post by Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! on Dec 1, 2013 22:47:44 GMT -5
In America and some other countries, yes. The people that watch now wouldn't start watching the indies or foreign products because a lot of them are WWE fans over being wrestling fans. You always see people claim that when WCW died, those fans didn't start watching WWE, they just stopped watching wrestling altogether. That's what would happen here. Sure NJPW could start showing a translated product in America but it wouldn't blow up with WWE fans. It'd just become an incredibly niche thing that slowly morphs into being a "kooky" attraction in foreign countries. I don't even think WWE collapsing would help bring NJPW over to the US though I could be wrong. I could see TNA still maintaining their current popularity, but I don't think they have the resources to fill the huge vacuum that would be left by WWE or at least if they do the people in charge of those resources wouldn't have the faith to put their money on the line. considering how badly Vince dropped the ball when WCW went out of business I'd dread to see what Dixie would do if WWE went under. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2013 22:54:33 GMT -5
In North America? Yes.
In the rest of the world? No.
|
|
|
|
Post by Todd Pettengill on Dec 1, 2013 22:56:04 GMT -5
There's ups and downs in terms of Wrestling popularity throughout the "sport's" history. We currently happen to be in a down period (even though WWE makes more money now than they did in most other eras).
But, if WWE died, I think wrestling would by & large collapse. There's no one with the resources willing to startup & invest in a mega promotion like the WWE. The indies would still be around, but they would seem even weirder than they already do to an average Joe.
|
|
|
|
Post by onestepplan on Dec 1, 2013 23:38:42 GMT -5
Nope. Talk all you want about WWE's declining viewership but a dedicated audience of 3-4 million a week isn't something to scoff at. Wrestling fans will be wrestling fans as long as there's wrestling to be a fan of and I expect investors and networks would know that and scramble to put out a new product to pick up that market. Unless the E collapsed from lack of viewership, that would probably kill televised American wrestling.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hit Girl on Dec 1, 2013 23:40:51 GMT -5
There will always be small time local promotions.
|
|
