Why do we keep watching this crap?

[ridge]

I don't want to insult anyone (except for the people in charge at the WWE) but after reading RDs article on how the WWE keeps exploiting the death of Eddie Guerrero, I feel a need to ask this question. What is it going to take to make people stop putting up with the WWE? Personally, after reading RDs article and watching wwECW for the past two weeks, I am about ready to put my Wrestlemania tickets on ebay and just say to hell with the WWE.

I mean just look at what they've done in the past year. They keep cramming John Cena down our throats desptide the fact that more people hate him than like him, that put GOD in a tag team match and insult religion, they use a mans death as a pitiful attempt to get ratings, they hire Divas who have never seen a wrestling match in their life and don't even know who owns the company they work for, and they reestablish a company that many fans regard as the greatest wrestling company ever and put Bobby Lashley and the Big Show as the world champion, while guys the fans respect like C.M. Punk and RVD are losing cleanly to Bob Holly.

Really why put up with it? I understand the fact that it's free playing a big part of it, but even though it's free I personally don't waste my time watching it and just Tivo the shows and skip through them in about fourty minutes. When I'm in the mood to watch wrestling, I just pop in a indy tape. Really, can someone give me a little insight?

And just to show that I'm not totally against the WWE, I will admit that they did do some entertaining stuff this past year. The first two or three weeks of the DX reunion was entertaining, One Night Stand was a preaty damn good ppv, and anything Mick Foley did over the past year was some damn good TV. But regardless in my opinion, the bad really outweighed the good.

[Johnny Danger (Godz)]

I watched WWE for a long time even after I became dissatisifed with the product, for two reasons.

A - I would feel guilty turning it off due to a "fair weather fan" sportsfan mentality. IE, when I was into baseball, I watched for many years when the Atlanta Braves were the jokes of MLB, but once they went "from worst to first" and won something to the tune of 14 consecutive division championships, everyone was a fan all of a sudden. Far too many people only watch when the team is doing well. I've followed the Thrashers since their creation in 1999, and only in the past 2-3 seasons have they become a truly good team.

B - I had the rationale of "I'm not supporting the WWE, I'm supporting the wrestlers they have under contract that I enjoy, whether they are used well or not"

I eventually realized it did not matter whether I watched or supported the company or not, there is no way for me to get my message across to WWE and even if I did, they would not care. So I no longer torture myself by watching a product I do not enjoy, just so I can complain about it. Simple as that, really.

[skskillz]

I stopped watching completely over a year ago, and only casually watched it during 2003-2005 (though I did see some improvement in '05).

Why do people still watch it? Who the hell knows. Vince Russo in a shoot interview said that wrestling fans will watch a product regardless of the quality, so that might have some merit to it. I've said before, I think it's age related. Once you reach a certain age, you stop really caring because it's not being targetted to you anymore. Most people aren't at that point yet and are still hoping for the next Steve Austin or Rock or Hogan or someone to come along and save the business. I hope it happens for the sake of wrestling, but I don't see it.

[BRV]

Hey, if I made it through WWE 1993-1995...I can make it through anything.

Plus, the last two or three weeks of Raw and SmackDown have both been off-the-charts excellent, so maybe there's hope.

[davephlegmball]

I've watched since 1970, and only stopped in the early 90s (thank god ECW came along, and right in my backyard) and last year up until now, and i don't plan on going back. I'll just read about it on websites--websites are more entertaining than the TV shows.

[mysterydriver]

Ignore the things I don't like and watch what I do. It is easy enough to...oh I don't know...Change the channel is Rosie/Donald pops on screen and easy to set the remote down for a Super Crazy match.

It is impossible to like everything a company does. WWE has made some bad decisions. So haven't other wrestling companies (Some that are no longer with us...) It is all about picking and choosing what you like.

I didn't watch much during the "God" thing (although I did see the segment where Vince went to church and chuckled a little) and I didn't buy the PPV. Then it returned to Vince/Michaels and I started paying attention again.

I didn't have Smackdown available to me during the "Eddiespoiltation" angle. Now, Since I record Smackdown to watch it, I would just skip segments with Vickie. Although I think they are trying to move away from that now.

I like Cena. While some may have legitimate complaints, I think that people just hate him to hate him.

Big Show gave the ECW title credibility. Lashley is stuck in a poor booking situation with the guy who was hurting Smackdown.

RVD & Punk losing to Holly isn't irritating to me. People who complain about them losing irritate me. W/Ls don't matter. They are trying to build Holly up. To do that crediblely, someone has to lose to him. Jake Roberts "lost" a majority of his feuds but is still one of the biggest known names in wrestling today. If RVD, and especially Punk, can't survive "losing" to Holly, then something is seriously wrong with them.

EDIT: Also, my love of midcard keeps me watching. I have a mini-celebration whenever Val Venis or Viscera show up on RAW. Jimmy Wang Yang is awesome on Smackdown. I MISS TATANKA! The Midcard is more entertaining than the main event in my opinion.

[Slapnutz McGee]

I stopped watching after Vince bought WCW. I knew it was a big mistake back then. Playing SvR 2006 got me interested in watching again just to see what was going on. Now, I just watch it to laugh at it. It's really pathetic to see how they just don't care anymore. SD is a pretty good show, but I don't get into the storylines like I used to. I just like the matches. Raw and ECW are just comic relief to me. If I had to stop watching it, it wouldn't bother me much at all. I won't watch it live, for any reason. If I don't Tivo it, I don't watch it.

[Handsome Halfbreed]

i too still kept up w/ WWF wrestling during the mid 90's and the only thing that really kept me watching was the interest on who might they sign next. I still remember marking out when I heard Marty Jennetty was making a return in late '95.
In the WWe today I have very little interest in new stars coming in or more established stars from other feds. Many older stars that i like are way past their prime (Vader, DDP) and any new talent that I am a fan of are made to look rediculious (CM Punk) or don't even get a chance period. (Claudio Castagnoli).
I really have no reason to watch.

[ridge]

I knew that a lot of fans gave up on the WWE, but out of seven replies, I never thought that all seven of them would have given up. I would really love to hear from some fan who still watches regularly.

[knightboat]

I don't have any clever deep reasons why I still watch wrestling. I just like wrestling. I channel surf a lot during it though because there is a lot of complete crap on.

[Metalheadbanger Man]

Its been showing a little improvement lately. I think people need to start realising that the Attitude era is never going to be recreated because times have changed - Vince is even more about corporate tie-ins and celebrity involvement seemingly than ever before. We will never have another person like The Rock or Stone Cold to carry the company, they were just too unique.

However I plan to stick it out, because things have been looking up in the past few weeks and they are giving pushes to worthy contenders (Kennedy, MVP, Jeff Hardy, Londrick).

[Nickie James]

I've boycotted RAW, I never watched WWECW but I have always watched SmackDown so I don't know where that places under. Honestly, I only watch for my favorites (Kennedy, Jillian and Kendrick then I just change the channel) but as time passed by, I've started to enjoy the show as a whole. SmackDown doesn't have a lot of the crap it had before when Dave Lagana was the head of creative. It has learned to move on from the crappy past and improve as a good product. Pretty much, that's also why I still manage to watch WWE shows. It becomes bad but it doesn't really STAY bad.

[angryfan]

I've been watching any wrestling I can find since I was five. Having said that, it is getting harder and harder for me to tune in. I'll catch something if I can get a tape or something, but if I forget, it really doesn't bother me like it used to. I'd often thought, as had been suggested, that I'm just "outgrowing wrestling", but I don't think that's the case.

I understand a company will present its product in the way they think will appeal to the broadest audience, but when I, as a loyal consumer for more than 20 years (and I know I'm not alone), get so bored with repetition and storylines from "screenwriting 101", is that such a positive?

The goal of a company, ideally, is to attract new viewers to add to the existing audience, not simply always try for "the other demographic" while ignoring those you've already attracted.

As recently as 2001, I bought every PPV put out, because I was still entertained. Yet, now I find myself looking and asking, "is it really worth 40 bucks?".

[Loki]

I watch because I want to see how it's gonna end... As simple as that.

I wonder how long CenaMania will last, if Orton will finally make it, if Edge will become the new Jericho or a bona fide main-eventer and so on...

I watch SmackDown! if I can catch it on free TV, but otherwise I'm cool with wwe.com clips. I don't care about ECW (old or new).

I'm probably one of the few who didn't ride the bandwagon during the Attitude Era, so I'm not spoiled or jaded by all the over-the-top stuff WWE came up with in that days.
I still feel WWE are trying to replicate the highs of that period, just with less interesting superstars, and that pisses me off, but I'm still giving them a chance.

I know I'm not the main target of the current product, so even though I dislike Cena, I see why he's where he is now.
It's natural "evolving" as a fan, and getting interested in different styles and aspects of pro-wrestling.

More or less every angle has been done before, so we are already "spent" on them, while younger and casual fans aren't.

And that's the reason Cena and Batista still get huge pops, while we boo the to death.

In the end: if you don't like it, don't watch it. And if you watch it, don't complain too much.

[Cousin Judge]

I find WWE's exploiting of Eddie's death distasteful but I don't find those who use that same exploitation to exploit their own products any the better to be perfectly honest. It's like people are saying "WWE taking advantage of Eddie's death is a disgrace, go here to read/buy my views on it". Sorry, I don't buy the mock outrage.

As for why I still watch it - I like it.

[MichaelRBoh]

i don't have any problem with the show right now. as long as its not wcw 2000 bad its ok. thats not to say its perfect but i watch raw every week and get almost every ppv.

[Deleted]

I watch it to see some of my favorite wrestlers put on solid matches...or comedic ones, dpending one the wrestler I'm talking about. But if they all left the company for 6 months, you can bet I wouldn't watch wrestling for.......six months.

[skskillz]

angryfan said:

I understand a company will present its product in the way they think will appeal to the broadest audience, but when I, as a loyal consumer for more than 20 years (and I know I'm not alone), get so bored with repetition and storylines from "screenwriting 101", is that such a positive?

The goal of a company, ideally, is to attract new viewers to add to the existing audience, not simply always try for "the other demographic" while ignoring those you've already attracted.

I think wrestling at its core is so basic that it becomes very difficult for the older fan to get excited for the product and for the company itself to promote to that type of fan. My cousin introduced me to wrestling in 1986 and I was hooked immediately. But by 1989, when my cousin was 26 (or so), he was completely bored of the product while I was a huge mark. He didn't like the way wrestling evolved, and when he saw the WWF being marketed away from his needs and more to the younger audience (i.e. me), he knew his time as a fan was effectively over. Now I'm in my late-20's and history is repeating itself.

There will always be a niche wrestling promotion (ECW in the '90's, ROH now) for some fans, but when it comes to mainstream wrestling, I definitely think there's an expiration date as a fan. Most of us in this age group grew up with both boom periods (RockNWrestling and Attitude). We've essentially seen it all. What's left to see, except another person playing (or trying to play) a role that someone else played before? It gets repetitive. The newer fans (i.e. young Cena fans) are seeing this stuff for the first time, and the cycle of fandom continues to turn.

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

People watch because complaining is their life.

[angryfan]

skskillz said:

angryfan said:

I understand a company will present its product in the way they think will appeal to the broadest audience, but when I, as a loyal consumer for more than 20 years (and I know I'm not alone), get so bored with repetition and storylines from "screenwriting 101", is that such a positive?

The goal of a company, ideally, is to attract new viewers to add to the existing audience, not simply always try for "the other demographic" while ignoring those you've already attracted.

I think wrestling at its core is so basic that it becomes very difficult for the older fan to get excited for the product and for the company itself to promote to that type of fan. My cousin introduced me to wrestling in 1986 and I was hooked immediately. But by 1989, when my cousin was 26 (or so), he was completely bored of the product while I was a huge mark. He didn't like the way wrestling evolved, and when he saw the WWF being marketed away from his needs and more to the younger audience (i.e. me), he knew his time as a fan was effectively over. Now I'm in my late-20's and history is repeating itself.

There will always be a niche wrestling promotion (ECW in the '90's, ROH now) for some fans, but when it comes to mainstream wrestling, I definitely think there's an expiration date as a fan. Most of us in this age group grew up with both boom periods (RockNWrestling and Attitude). We've essentially seen it all. What's left to see, except another person playing (or trying to play) a role that someone else played before? It gets repetitive. The newer fans (i.e. young Cena fans) are seeing this stuff for the first time, and the cycle of fandom continues to turn.

I see the cyclical argument, in terms of fans aging and passing the torch of fandom on to others. Sad thing is, speaking only for myself, it would be so easy for them to get me to spend money on their product again.

All I want is some portion of the show, a match or two maybe, where there's concentration on telling a story IN thE RING, selling, and having it lead to something that won't be forgotten or dropped within two weeks. I can get that on SD sometimes, but if they'd just spread it around a bit more, I'd be more apt to part with hard earned dollars.

Well, that and give Micheal Cole a maximum number of times he can use the word skull in a given episode, and each time he surpasses that (which he will), have him spend five minutes in the ring with Regal.

Is that asking too much?