Why Do YOU Watch Wrestling?
By Jamie Kennedy · · 2 CommentsWhy do you watch professional wrestling? Is it the excitement of the crowd, the larger than life personalities of the performers or the tough, in-ring action which draws you back for more each week? Perhaps it’s the entertainment aspect of WWE which you like, with slick presentation and cartoon-like performers who both captivate and thrill you each and every week. Maybe you’re one of those fans who have turned your back on Vince McMahon’s promotion and prefer to get your mat-based kicks from divisions such as Ring of Honor, where the focus is on actual grappling and the matches themselves. Whatever the case, wrestling is unique in its ability to have such a diverse audience of fans – who each take their own opinions from the show.
So many wrestling fans nowadays do nothing, NOTHING but whine about what’s presented to them on their TV screens. Be it WWE constantly pushing John Cena to the forefront, TNA with yet another series of brain-bending and confusing storylines or the whack production values of various independent leagues out there – it seems there’s a lot which grinds the gears of your average fan of wrestling. Much has been written (a lot of that by myself) regarding this and how truly irritating it can be to listen to fellow fans take no joy at all out of the product before them.
Apparently, within wrestling fan circles, there’s a few distinct types of fan. There’s the “casual” fan who takes the show for what it is; entertainment, and overlooks plot holes and doesn’t care if the same few men remain in the main event scene. Infact, these happy-go-lucky types probably don’t even refer to the headliners as the “main event scene”. This writer would like to state right here and now that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Why so many other fans (and we’ll get to them, they also have their plus points), feel the need to look down on the “casuals” is really beyond me. Let them enjoy the show and take from it what they wish to take. Are they really doing any harm by just enjoying the show?
Perhaps the most apparent ‘other’ type of fan group is referred to as the “smart” fan base. These folks usually seem to be those who are interested in what goes on behind the scenes at your typical wrestling show, whilst still being capable (for the most part) of suspending their disbelief and having fun whilst watching the show unfold. Of course, there are those who seem to take no pleasure from RAW, Smackdown, NXT, Superstars, iMPACT and the like. Why these guys and gals even bother watching is beyond me, although they are entitled to watch whatever they wish.
In closing for this brief article, isn’t there room for both sets of fans in the wrestling kingdom?
It’d be interesting to see what the readers and writers here at Bored Wrestling Fan.com think of pro wrestling in general and hear some of the reasons why you all keep watching. I’ve written at length in the past regarding my own reasons and will happily post up an old article of mine which explains why in great length. For now though, what do YOU think? Why do YOU watch?
Please comment below or get in touch at jamiekennedy@live.com ! Take it home!
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2 Comments
ThinkSoJoE
I think you may have wanted to wait a day or two on this – Rich's article is still getting all the attention!
In all seriousness though, I watch wrestling because it's all I know. I've been watching since I was 8, and I'm 29 now. Granted, these days I root more for the heels than the faces, and with good reason in a lot of cases, but there's still something there that captures my attention.
All in all, I like the wrestling aspect more than anything else. When there are guys with great chemistry in the ring – storyline or no – it's far more entertaining to me than anything else on television.
Jamie Kennedy
I think, even if I'd waited a week, Rich's column would still Double-Arm DDT mine through a flaming table.
Funny you should bring up going for the heels more than faces as this is exactly what I find myself doing more and more these days. Really I think that stems from Bobby Heenan and since I first saw him perform, I've always wanted to be a heel myself. Thankfully, I can now say I've performed as a heel manager on a show (which I may just write about at some point) and can't fully explain briefly how awesome it was to hear those boo's ring out!