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When did wrestling become more about flying over the top rope and less about headlocks? Where's the happy medium?
I think it started in earnest with ECW back in the mid-90s. Paul Heyman and Tod Gordon brought in wrestlers from around the world who worked the higher impact style and exposed them on a semi-national basis. WCW and The WWF took notice and brought those talents in and the business moved to higher impact spots. The happy medium is a matter of opinion but to me it’s about making TV about building to the upcoming big event. I want storylines to progress and good matches, but save the super big spots for the big shows.
Is long term booking, now becoming a problem? For years, it was apparent Vince ripping up scripts, and short term idea's were not producing great TV, however under HHH have things gone so far the other way that the TV shows are struggling again? Its clear that HHH books long term, and probably has a very good idea on how Mania 42 looks like, but when you watch weekly content, it can become almost very slow. Take the CM Punk, Rollins, Reigns feud going into Mania. It was 6 weeks of almost nothing but the same promo's. Now we are getting John Cena filler in tag matches at PPV's as its clear there is an end for his story and we aren't nearing it (likely Cody saves wrestling) and the TV shows, at least for me become quite stale. I cant recall the last time a show opened up with a challenge for the main event, and that story flowed through the show. Does there have to be a better balance to how the shows are coming across lately?
That all depends on your point of view. As I said above, I like the procedural aspect of building things. I like the pace that WWE builds at now, especially when you compare it to the frenetic pace of AEW. Personally, I like to wait for a match to happen as opposed to instant gratification, but we all view wrestling through our own lens.
What's with the trend of having former AEW talent come to WWE and not mentioning their new ring names until a week or two after their debut? They did it with Ricky Starks, Jeff Cobb, and now we are seeing it with Mariah May. Why not just tell the audience their names when they debut?
If I were to guess, I think that they want people to get the visual of the talent first. If the fan knows who they are they say, “Wow, that’s Ricky Starks!” If they don’t, they can wait a week to find out the new person’s name after he/she makes an impact. Cliffhangers get at least some people to tune in next week.
What happened to MJF? You used to hear about him non-stop but now you barely hear anything about him.
The war for 2024 seems like a decade ago, for sure. I was saying a year ago that once he signed his new deal the work that followed was uninspired to me. I still feel that way. It’s a shame because there is a lot of talent there but it’s just not being utilized at the moment.
I admit I’m biased toward Jim Ross. I’ve been a big fan from his days in Mid South to his legendary WWE run. He was the voice of my childhood and adulthood. I am angry about what Ric Flair posted. I have as the same respect and admiration for Jim Ross that you and Mike Johnson have for Terry Funk and Sabu. I know the both of you would be very angry if someone posted about them what Flair posted about JR.
I don’t think angry is the right word. I think Flair comes off like a real douchebag when he attacked JR, or talks down to fans about the money he earns at age 76, but the flip side is that I lost respect for the person a long, long time ago. His actions over the years have shown me who the guy is so when he attacks someone like JR, I kind of expect it. It doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s a dick, but I don’t get angry about it. I consider the source.
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