Will/Have you ever stopped watching?

[timtamWB]

Wow man, that is a really different story. Especially if you weren't that into it as a kid. So did you have a few mates who watched wrestling to hear about the Shield and stuff? It isn't a mainstream thing so it sounds really odd to me.

I never would've picked up that you were relatively new to watch on reading your posts

Bryan is obvious, the Shield I just heard about from a couple of my mates that I made from Wrestlezone (Yes I used to be a fairly prominent member of the Wrestlezone forums, way back when). As for Wyatt, I saw a few gifs of his spider walk and I just thought it was creepy but awesome.

And that's because I absorb knowledge quickly. Like a sponge

 

[JordanWCE]

Stopped watching RAW from 2008-2010 and watched SD exclusively when Edge, HHH, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, Taker and others were all putting on a much better show. Leading up to February 14 2011 I kept seeing rumours about the Wrestlemania guest host and The Rock kept coming up as one of the names. Tuned in on that day to see him return and haven't stopped watching since*.


*That's a lie, I don't watch SmackDown now.

 

[Igloo]

I didn't watch from about 2009-late 2011. Sporadically checked up on results and stuff, but wasn't invested.
It wasn't due to being tired or pissed off at it or anything like that, I just stopped.

 

[biggiemediums]

Will never. Love the industry. Was my first love. My first ever VHS was a rasslin one. My first DVD was a rasslin one. And my first job was as a professional rassler at 14 in Queensland.

I will watch til either the day I die, or the day it dies.

 

[Hate]

I like to think of my relationship with the WWE as a massive love/hate one.

Around 2005-08 when I was a younger I watched it religiously. I can recall every Wednesday and Friday at 3:15 the bell for the end of the school day rang and my best mate and I would get on our bikes and peddle as hard as we could to get to my house to watch the shows. There was no ifs or buts about it. I'm surprised we didn't end up mopped when crossing the roads when we shouldn't have. I collected the split brand magazines as well at the time, I had my post office keep a copy of both so at the end of the week I could pick them up and not worry about there being none left - WWE must have been huge where I lived because they always seemed to run out.

Back then I didn't really know much about the company, dirt sheets etc (other than it being fake) and what goes on BTS and I wasn't really swayed as to who I liked/disliked. My main favourites were Cena and Batista at the time alongside Trish Stratus (met her on one of the Aussies tours too).

From around 09 and onwards it was an on/off thing as I found myself interested in other things, no real reason for not watching it compared to now where I only watch the PPV, even watching them most of the time it's on my side monitor and I'm playing games and just listening for something to happen. I tend to watch the following RAW as well. I find RAW hard to watch for 3 hours when it's filled with promotions for this and that and just for some reason doesn't appeal to me.

In saying that, I do usually have one of my monitors with TweetDeck up and I do follow a bunch of WWE related podcasts, newsites, wrestlers etc so that keeps me up to date.

Wrestling was something I found joy in, and It will always be a passion. It sucks to see it going through such a shitty phase (don't deny it, you know it's not the best it could be and majority of the time it's bloody horrible and boring to watch).

TL;DR - Loved WWE as a kid, on/off for a bit. Love Batista/Cena. PPV/following RAW all I watch now. Won't ever completely stop watching.

 

[E92_]

Tuned out around 2010-2011 and just checked the website every now and then, started watching it weekly again after the Punk promo.

 

[TheGreatBambino]

late 2002-early2007 every week. Was my life as a kid growing up
Didn't see anything in 2008,2009,2010
On and off again since 2011

 

[AngryRanga]

Confirmation. More just been looking for an excuse to post this great video again.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

Watched religiously from '96 through to 2009.

Barely watched since... Mainly due to burnout & the fact that I'd seen so many recycled storylines simply be a variation on the same theme.

It probably didn't help that I was writing about it on a weekly basis as well... This meant I was delving a little deeper & resulted in a fair amount of predictability.

Wrestling is meant to be viewed casually for fun & entertainment. Until I can get my mind back into that headspace, then I doubt I'll be back.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

I started watching wrestling religiously in 1985. Up until it was taken off Australian TV, it was a major obsession. It was then fuelled by discovering tape trading, RRR-FM here in Melbourne which would run wrestling nights, underground mags, etc. Got to the point where I flew over to the US to go to a WrestleMania.

Now I hardly watch it on TV. I've seen the occasional great match (Sami Zayn vs Antonio Cesaro was awesome) but for whatever reason the current product doesn't click with me. What has exacerbated my disinterest, ironically has the been the ability to get great quality vision of all of the stuff I missed "back in the day". I watch a heap of WWE DVDs (watched Piper vs Orndorff and Funk vs JYD last night) - just not much of the current product. I'd rather watch an old Bruiser Brody vs Abdullah the Butcher match than John Cena anyday.

 

[Valentino Dmitri]

I tried to quit after that Raw where Dolph Ryback and Beard got the sack. I thought they were all made to look pissweak and I thought, THIS is who I'm supposed to be cheering for?

Even went so far as to cancel my WWE Network subscription, saying s**t like 'by me giving them $10 a month, I'm effectively condoning their terrible writing'. I didn't actually say this since I don't know any real life people who still watch wrestling, but I thought about posting it on the internet.

I'm already watching raw again because I heard it was pretty good this week, and I enjoyed it. Pathetic effort by me there, will probably reactivate the subscription without missing a billing period.

 

[Cleavy]

generally I don't watch all of the week to week goings-on in WWE, but there are other wrestling companies to watch.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

I stopped years ago.

After watching a lot of the old school wrestling on the WWE Network and trying to watch today's stuff... it's not the same imo doesn't have that same feeling.

 

[NitroFan]

i stopped watching wwe (and tna) regularly in about 08 or 09, but i'm probably as big a wrestling fan as i've ever been. i spend 90% of my wrestling viewing time watching old stuff* with whatever modern stuff (wwe or otherwise) i see pimped by peoples whos opinion i trust making up the other 10%

*over the past couple of years it has mostly been custom compilation sets made by a couple of guys on another forum called Yearbooks which, thus far, cover the 90s with 30 x 4 hour discs for each year that contain pretty much every good/so bad its good/noteworthy/important matches, promos or vignettes from all over the world at all different levels. its a great way to watch wrestling as youre constantly getting a mix of everything and get to follow along with the major storylines

 

[nobbyiscool]

*over the past couple of years it has mostly been custom compilation sets made by a couple of guys on another forum called Yearbooks which, thus far, cover the 90s with 30 x 4 hour discs for each year that contain pretty much every good/so bad its good/noteworthy/important matches, promos or vignettes from all over the world at all different levels. its a great way to watch wrestling as youre constantly getting a mix of everything and get to follow along with the major storylines

I've long thought they should do something like this on the WWE Network.

Rather than putting up 1000 episodes of Raw, they should put together compilations, but not of years - they should do it for feuds.

For example, give me a 4 or 5 hour compilation of "the mega powers explode", or Austin vs McMahon with the full matches included.

At the moment these feuds are impossible to watch because a) some of the content isn't there and b) because their scroll feature on the media player sucks.

 

[Marmozet]

From 2006-2008 I was obsessed with wrestling as a kid then when 2009 came around when I had begun high school I slowly stopped watching WWE. After the results of WrestleMania 25 that year I just plain cracked it and gave WWE away right there and then so I only watched TNA for the remainder of that year.

Beginning of 2010 I lost interest in TNA suddenly, this was around the time Hogan arrived there. But later that year when Nexus came on the scene, I fell in love with them and got into WWE full time again. Then when Nexus ran their course I lost interest again.

These days I don't watch WWE full time, but I just keep an eye on it and am sort of aware of what's going on in it.

 

[TheGreatBambino]

Funny how guys like mark Henry, miz weren't even mid carders when I stopped watching in 2008, yet when I started watching again 3 years later in 2011, They were WWE & world champions

 

[Rainfall]

I stopped watching SD after Edge's retirement, but the last time I actually enjoyed one was his feud with Kane and RIP Paul Bearer where he kept messing with Kane mentally. May start watching SD again depending on Royal Rumble outcomes. I have given it a go after the last 2 RR's.

Stopped watching NXT after my fascination over AJ was done (season 3 I think this was?) and started again when the bigfooty user hate showed me how sexy Paige was about 2 yrs ago. But I only watched the diva's. If I had a wrestling resolution it would be to watch every NXT of 2015.

However I don't get my logic. I was watching WWE religiously on Foxtel in around the 08-11 and I wasted my time watching advertisements or fast forwarding through them however now I feel lazy to even type in WWEO stream site or a torrent site and download it ads-free and quick as hell.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Stopped from around wrestlemania 2002 til wrestlemania of last year. Been sporadically watching/keeping up since.

 

[pantskyle]

I rarely watch. I'll read the thread for the updates and if something good happens I'll take a look. Still watch pay-per-views when possible.

 

[Ry009]

I rarely watch.

 

[Ry009]

On a srs note, I think with most of us, we follow wrestling like we follow our footy teams.

Go into each year with the idea the organization has a great roster, shows a lot of promise, often wonder why the young guns get a run, only for the older under performing brigade to be given chance after chance.

Yet for some reason we keep watching it in the hope it will eventually get better, but in the meantime we'll constantly criticize it.

 

[Partridge]

Very similar to Mr.Brookes, got into it in 1985-86 on TV here, gradually got more and more into it until by about 1989 I was obsessed. Subscribed to Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter at a very early stage, go to know some tape traders and then the joys of Japanese pro-wrestling in the early 1990s. Even went to some indie shows at Festival Hall that had some great international talent (a Jushin Liger v Chris Benoit match the highlight).

Dipped a little in the mid-1990s with the business itself (it's always been cyclical), then got back into it with Austin and the Rock. Stayed with it probably until around 2006-2007, until the cumulative effect of deaths (Guerrero and Benoit), and departures (Angle to TNA and Jericho's brief hiatus).

More than anything else, the thing that's killed it for me has been everything I loved about it has gone (and won't be coming back). Among many things, this is what I don't see now:

- Managers
- Tag-teams
- Titles that MEAN SOMETHING
- A degress of seriousness in the product
- Realism
- Promos to draw money rather than for their own sake
- Individuality

I'll very occasionally turn it on just to see if anyone grabs my attention, or if I can stomach it and avoid running from the room. Loved what I've seen of Daniel Bryan (imagine that, the one guy who is different catches fire with the fans), but most of what I see now leaves me utterly cold. Combined with the sad fact that a whole generation now thinks Vince truly did invent wrestling, or is the sole successful promoter in history (the answer in both cases is a resounding no).

I still love watching great matches from the past. I'll put on Flair/Steamboat from Nashville or even Benoit/Angle from Royal Rumble 2003 quite happily. But I don't see that combination of slow burn storytelling and athleticism, presented in a realistic manner, ever returning. The UFC has taken that baton and they're running with it far better. Watching them now is like watching pro-wrestling in the 1910s; it's still legimitate in the ring (for now), but things will start changing.

So, to answer the original question, yep I've stopped. And I don't see myself going back.

 

[Filthy Sanchez]

Very similar to Mr.Brookes, got into it in 1985-86 on TV here, gradually got more and more into it until by about 1989 I was obsessed. Subscribed to Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter at a very early stage, go to know some tape traders and then the joys of Japanese pro-wrestling in the early 1990s. Even went to some indie shows at Festival Hall that had some great international talent (a Jushin Liger v Chris Benoit match the highlight).

Dipped a little in the mid-1990s with the business itself (it's always been cyclical), then got back into it with Austin and the Rock. Stayed with it probably until around 2006-2007, until the cumulative effect of deaths (Guerrero and Benoit), and departures (Angle to TNA and Jericho's brief hiatus).

More than anything else, the thing that's killed it for me has been everything I loved about it has gone (and won't be coming back). Among many things, this is what I don't see now:

- Managers
- Tag-teams
- Titles that MEAN SOMETHING
- A degress of seriousness in the product
- Realism
- Promos to draw money rather than for their own sake
- Individuality

I'll very occasionally turn it on just to see if anyone grabs my attention, or if I can stomach it and avoid running from the room. Loved what I've seen of Daniel Bryan (imagine that, the one guy who is different catches fire with the fans), but most of what I see now leaves me utterly cold. Combined with the sad fact that a whole generation now thinks Vince truly did invent wrestling, or is the sole successful promoter in history (the answer in both cases is a resounding no).

I still love watching great matches from the past. I'll put on Flair/Steamboat from Nashville or even Benoit/Angle from Royal Rumble 2003 quite happily. But I don't see that combination of slow burn storytelling and athleticism, presented in a realistic manner, ever returning. The UFC has taken that baton and they're running with it far better. Watching them now is like watching pro-wrestling in the 1910s; it's still legimitate in the ring (for now), but things will start changing.

So, to answer the original question, yep I've stopped. And I don't see myself going back.

Really interesting story mate and it's a pretty fair summation of where things are at right now. When you talk about 'realism' are you referring to things like ECW that saturated the market with hardcore wrestling to the point that the audience can never be shocked or can truly be invested in what they're watching?

Fully agree with you on individuality, everyone looks and acts the same to the point that you need to split hairs to differentiate characters.

I've also flicked onto the UFC undercard recently on Fox and you really get a sense of the athletes' personalities and the story behind the fight much more so than you do in wrestling these days.

 

[Partridge]

Really interesting story mate and it's a pretty fair summation of where things are at right now. When you talk about 'realism' are you referring to things like ECW that saturated the market with hardcore wrestling to the point that the audience can never be shocked or can truly be invested in what they're watching?

Fully agree with you on individuality, everyone looks and acts the same to the point that you need to split hairs to differentiate characters.

I've also flicked onto the UFC undercard recently on Fox and you really get a sense of the athletes' personalities and the story behind the fight much more so than you do in wrestling these days.

A little bit. Moreso that most of it is so preposterous now you can't take it seriously. At all.

To me it operated with a very simple agreement between the promoters (and wrestlers) and fans. We'll go along with it (as fans), and are happy to suspend our disbelief, as long as you don't make it too obvious, you don't insult us, and you give us a reason to invest emotionally in it. Three great examples:

1. Steve Austin v The Rock. We believe Steve Austin is a beer drinking redneck, because, he's a beer drinking redneck. We believe The Rock is a unique athlete who trashtalks, because, he's a unique athlete who trashtalks. Put them together, give them a match/title/reason to fight, we'll watch it. It doesn't need to get any more complex than that.

2. Ric Flair v Terry Funk. Ric Flair beats Steamboat to regain the NWA Title. Terry Funk comes out of the crowd and says - this is really complex - I WANT THE NEXT TITLE SHOT. Simple. Not hard to understand. That leads to a killer feud, sold-out houses, and two of the best PPV Main events you will ever see.

3. Kurt Angle v Chris Benoit. This wasn't even a feud at all per se; they were tag-team partners at the same time. They put them together a couple of times (starting back at WM17), and not surprisingly they clicked. By Royal Rumble 2003 you didn't need a convoluted story, or a diva, or Vince Russo insanity, it was an even simpler premise: two great athletes who you wanted to see fight, because you were curious who would win. That's it. That's all you needed to know to follow it. When they locked up at the Rumble, they had to follow a botchfest between Scott Steiner and Triple H (no surprise there). The crowd booed it out of the building. But 30 minutes later they gave both these guys a standing ovation.

But what do we get now? We get told endlessly that they are 'performers'. The matches make zero sense. The angle makes zero sense. The promos are scripted and horrible. Everyone looks and talks the same. Then people wonder why less people follow it now than at any other time in history. Not hard to see why.

Keep the premise simple, keep the product simple. As you say about the UFC, it's pro-wrestling with legitimate fighting. They're doing it much, much better.