Why do you care?

[Deleted]

Because I get invested in media. I'm just as likely to get ticked off over something, say, Sandra & Woo or Legend of Korra does as I am something on Raw.

[Feargus McReddit]

Nov 17, 2015 15:53:46 GMT -5 Texas Tornado said:

Nov 17, 2015 15:34:49 GMT -5 @personman01 said:

You must not be on twitter or any TWD-centric message boards because most definitely do get personally offended when characters get featured too much or not enough.

Heck, there are people who get personally offended if they change a superhero's costume too much when they're making the movie or if they even announce they've cast someone "too short" for the role.

Anytime someone is really passionate about a show - they get like that. I think we just see it here more because this is a wrestling-oriented message board.

Yeah, as a person that operated in a lot of TV fandom circles, this happens a ton. Hell, for a lot of shows the outrage makes wrestling fans look tame in comparison.

You ever been on a comic book forum after a reveal has happened?

The outrage could light the city of New York up for at least a week.

[EoE: Workin On My Night Cheese]

I look at it the same way as supporting a sports team. Sometimes they'll win, sometimes they'll lose, once in a while they'll make the big game... Sure, the "league" has their big-market teams that they'd prefer to be in the big game, but I'll stick by my team through the rough times because I like watching the game they play and how they play it (insert Triple H theme here).

[Reflecto]

Nov 17, 2015 16:48:30 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

I think the OP has a point, in that people invest more heavily in wrestlers than other fictional characters. And I think it's because wrestlers are really going out there and busting their ass in the ring, and they talk about it so openly now compared to the days of kayfabe. They're portraying a character, but the person lives and dies with that character in terms of his or her wrestling career, especially being that WWE is essentially the only game in town. And since the Attitude Era and even a bit before, WWE's really pushed that narrative and tried to get the actual human beings over with us.

I'd also add the rise of social media as a big difference before.

For all of their wrestling career, kayfabe dictates the line between a wrestler and their character is already blurry- but since social media took off, there's also more shades of the real person behind the character that comes through. Throw in all the other options- whether it's following people from the indies, following them on social media, or watching any of the shows/channels, whether WWE-produced outright or the wrestlers' Youtube channels- and a fan can have more of a connection with the person behind the gimmick than they've ever had before. Throw that into the picture, and there's as many cases of "[X] seems like a really nice guy/[Y] seems like a total sweetheart, I'd really like to see this person succeed" that helps make people want them make it to the top.

[pegasuswarrior]

Nov 17, 2015 15:19:44 GMT -5 @personman01 said:

That is right up there with "You know its fake...right?!"

Asking why people care when a guy they like loses is like asking why people freaked out with what happened on TWD a few weeks ago...

...

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Spoiler}Glen potentially dying

or asking why people would be upset if the Batman lost to the joker.

Or whatever.

Yes, they are fictional characters being portrayed by real people in a fake storyline (or sport in this case) but the whole reason people watch is because they become emotionally invested in that character's journey. Their trials and tribulations. To ask "Why do people get upset when Ceasro loses?" on the basis that wrestling is a work is right up there with asking why anyone gave a shit if Frodo destroyed the ring, "cause its fake you know? hobbits aren't real."

For what it's worth, Numero is right. Arguments I've seen to the contrary to save face just keep smearing the egg on one's face.

[Deleted]

I haven't really had a horse in this race since Kurt Angle. Reason I liked Kurt (and Eddie, and Austin) was because I watched these men grow as wrestlers from Day One. I grew attached to them. It is like seeing that kid in the minors make it to one day becoming League MVP.

There are wrestlers now I kinda like, but I don't know enough about a lot of guys to really get involved in their careers.

And WWE needs to remember that. If fans are blasé about who is there, they're more likely to switch it off.
I haven't watched an entire RAW since the night after WM. It's usually off by 9. I just have a hard time giving a crap.

[saintpat]

Nov 17, 2015 13:15:24 GMT -5 Tiger Millionaire said:

If the guy you like wins the title and the guy you don't like doesn't. I'm not talking in terms of a mark reaction, I'm talking about knowing that the whole thing is a work, yet still getting upset when your guy isn't the guy with the title. I have an idea on why I get upset, but I'm going to stick it in my pocket for now until I see what some of you guys say.

Because if Cena doesn't win, we don't get to riot.

Some people just want to watch the world burn.

[ben:friendship frog]

What annoys me is they have the luxury of using most of the most gifted professional wrestlers alive today and they do what with them exactly?

Look at UFC. Rousey lost and the world is talking.
Chelsea are in turmoil and the world is talking.

WWE are lucky where they can control all this but they evenly book everyone so much where none of it matters at all.

[Deleted]

I have a big box of kittens and on the side of the box it says "Behead one of these any time Roman Reigns wins". I'm just trying to save the kittens.

You might wonder why I don't just ignore the directions on the box and not kill the kittens, but that's silly. What the box says is the law.

[HMARK Center]

It depends on the company I'm watching.

Back in my days of regularly watching ROH, or even now watching ROH, NJPW, or Lucha Underground, I wouldn't mind if somebody I like loses, because with rare exceptions I'm confident they won't just fall off the face of the Earth. I got to see Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson wrestle a 60 minute draw for the ROH Title a handful of years ago, and while I wanted Joe to win, and got emotionally invested in the match, I didn't leave the show upset that Joe didn't have the strap; after all, once my rational brain kicked in, I knew ROH wouldn't put the belt back on Joe while he was signed full-time with TNA, and that a former champ wouldn't be the one to dethrone Danielson. But so long as Joe was in ROH, I knew he'd be booked well and featured in feuds, high profile matches, etc. I've got my favorites in NJPW and LU now, and I'll cheer them on during the show, but it's no biggie if they lose, because I'm invested in seeing what happens next, and know my favorites aren't going to vanish one day.

With mainstream US wrestling, it's different, going back to my days watching WWE or WCW, and even watching TNA. Too often since the early 00s, mainstream US promotions move toward a weird "you're either the top champ, or you're an afterthought" mentality, and the perils of falling into horrendous booking or just total invisible booking oblivion are much clearer in those promotions than in the ones I mentioned above. WWE is especially terrible about that today; if they were any good at dealing with it, they wouldn't need to fill up Wrestlemania cards with part timers and older talent so much, since they could just rely on a strong set of midcard and upper midcard feuds to carry the show until the main event.

So I think if I was still watching WWE or something, I'd get more annoyed at outcomes because of the genuine fear that says "if my guy isn't booked strongly, he may well never get anywhere, and he'll just be another cog in the midcard machine without any interesting promos, character development, or feuds."

[angryfan]

Nov 17, 2015 13:54:28 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

Nov 17, 2015 13:50:35 GMT -5 Big Bad Kahuna said:

Yeah the most deserving/entertaining guys SHOULD be the ones fighting for the WWE title

Why not root for them then? Reigns is a good worker and I won't have a problem with him winning the title at SS, but as a total package he's miles behind Cesaro (I enjoy his mildmannered "european" promos), Owens, Rollins or Rusev atm

While I respect Cena or Reigns fans, I really wonder what exactly is so enjoyable about them except their inring skills and looks? (yeah Cena cuts a good serious promo here and there...) Is being hot a reason to be a fan of someone and want him to be champion? Sasha's not the hottest woman in WWE in my eyes, but she's the best female wrestler total package and I'd LOVE to see her as the divas champ

Cena IS the total package even with his "good looks". He got over organically...WWE just fumbled it big time.

In essence. He got over organically with a gimmick that resonated with both the kids (they hawked up his merch) and older fans because he still had an edge to him. Then they moved him to RAW and...changed the gimmick not j ust a tad but completely, like an OVW call-up, it was...weird. It'd be like if Hogan had gotten overas a babyface with his heel gimmick that he had with Blassie, and then when he was over they just one night said "Now you're Hulkamnaia through and through, forget all that other stuff".

Reigns, same deal, he got over with The Shield as the "say little but make it count badass", then he went solo and they said "Now do comedy promos, 15 minutes, and quote f***ing Looney Tunes.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Very good question. I think I care because I have this delusional idea, that a right guy after an important win could take wrestling to a new boom period, where it was cool to watch wrestling. Where everybody knew who Stone Cold or Hogan were.

[Big Poppa Pumpkin]

I actually just want to see good matches with logical storylines, which is why I don't really get super angry when Cesaro loses to Reigns in a fantastic match or something like that. I know the company has their favourites and I have watched long enough to know that no company will ever book their shows exactly how I want them to, and that's fine with me. Maybe when I've had a bad day or something, it might annoy me but generally I don't see the point in getting super worked up about it.

I also don't really envision myself as having an amazing mind for 'dis bidness', its fun to fantasy book but I am pretty sure if you gave me the book I couldn't pop a rating to save my life. Some internet fans seem convinced they know how to 'save wrestling' or whatever and get angry because the writers aren't following their ideas, which is just crazy to me.