This is some goofy form of entertainment we like. Take a look at what we put up with. If your a product of the 1980s like I was, well then you know exactly what I am talking about. 30 years ago in 1985, the wrestling world was flooded with quality wrestling and sports entertainment. In March of 1985, WrestleMania 1 happened and took the entertainment industry by storm. But down South, the NWA was heating up the scene with Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and many others every Saturday Night at 6:05pm on TBS...the Superstation.
Fast forward a few years, and the industry dried up somewhat. 1992/1993 came around and the only things we saw were ridiculous characters created on TBS. And the same old kid friendly wrestling over on the USA Network many of us were used to watching Every Saturday & Sunday Morning. But, being good patient wrestling fans, we sat it out and waited.
1996 arrived and so did a group that changed the landscape of wrestling, the New World Order. But in Stamford, Connecticut, a man who was once Stunning was now Stone Cold and blazing a trail to a era full of attitude. And Every Monday Night we were glued to our television screens. Many of us were switching the channels back and forth. Some of us had 2 TV's running at the same time. And some of us recorded both shows on a machine I don't think exists anymore called a VCR.
But just like it had happened once before, the scene dried up. Atlanta, Georgia was no longer headquarters for one company. And there was only one shop in town. And quickly we became bored again. It wouldn't last long. In 2003, the world we love took a shot in the arm and became the era of classic matches. Stories almost seemed to take a backseat to the action that was going on in the ring. And Every Spring, a new 5 star match for the history books would take place. Sometimes we would even get 2 or 3 matches in one night that were like that.
However, the era of great matches would wind down as well. The stories and characters would once again become the main focus. And those classic matches we loved so much became few and far between. But in the end, we stuck around in the event that a new day would come. And it did. But now, a little of everything for all these generations are a part of Today's product. But not good pieces are being used. And because of that, the show tends to suffer severely. So what do we do? Many of us turned to our computer screens for some outside entertainment. But it took one Japanese event that aired LIVE on pay-per-view for the first time in the United States to really get the audience talking again.
It makes sense. A lot of sports fans out there prefer college basketball over professional basketball. Same goes for football. But in wrestling, where everything is jotted down on a piece of paper before it happens...shouldn't the "professionals" be giving us what we want and what we desire? It's 2015 and the picture can not be any clearer in what the audience wants Today. Last Night, a sold out crowd in Corpus Cristi, Texas witnessed a decent episode of WWE Monday Night RAW. But they were dead, silent, mute, and had little to no reaction of anything. Normally a Texas crowd would be on fire. But the crowd in Corpus? Maybe they have grown tired of giving false praise for something deep down inside they know it's not what they wanted.
I find it ridiculous that a company who has the resources to blow any promotion out of water in every aspect, can't seem to do it. Sure they make a lot more money then all these other promotions combined. But that's all they can do. They aren't winning us over anymore. Those dollars will dry up some point. Another Ted Turner will come around one day and hopefully wake the mighty Titan again from his delusional slumber.
The wrestling year for 2015 started in Tokyo, Japan on January 4th. How is it going to end? Will it end in Japan as well? I wonder. Because as a fan of 32 years, I'm starting to think the industry I once loved is dead. I'm not unhappy that people can get what they want from other places. I'm very pleased that you the fan now have choices. But are you going to Japan for a weekly TV taping? Because I will tell you this, it's a shorter drive when the taping is in your backyard. But without the desire, why even go to the taping in the first place? Ramble...done.