Fake Wrestling Shouldn't Be On a Fake Wrestling Show

I hope the title makes you ponder and think. Why would anyone tune into a fake wrestling program to watch fake wrestling? I mean, if I wanted to see fake wrestling, I sure shouldn't go watch a fake wrestling program because surely, I'm not going to be able to watch fake wrestling. If there is no fake wrestling on a fake wrestling program, what else would the fake wrestling program for? I'm sure we don't turn into a NBA game to watch basketball, a NFL game to watch football, go watch cartoons to see animation, you don't watch Spiderman or Batman to see Spiderman or Batman, do you? So why should one turn into a fake wrestling program to watch fake wrestling?

If this is at all confusing, good. I, for one, when I read on Vince Russo's blog was very confused by this:

I'd like to thank all of you for giving us a 1.3 rating for three weeks in a row. I don't think we've ever done that before. I can't believe that we have reached that height for the first time–and yet–as somebody watched the show with a stop-watch–there was only 16 minutes of wrestling on the show!!!"

Then Matt told me that somebody actually posted on line the minutes we had of wrestling on Thursday's show. I couldn't help but ask myself, "How can something so trivial mean so much to somebody that they would actually sit there and count how many minutes of fake wrestling were on a fake wrestling show in the course of two hours?" That just put everything in perspective for me.

Point: Enjoy wrestling, we all do, just don't let it consume your life because there are just so many things in life that are far more important.

I can understand Russo's point, I really can. Television shouldn't consume our lives. We should go out and experience life and yada yada. But when I decide to watch wrestling instead of watching a different program, I expect to see wrestling. I don't want to see a bunch of commericals. I could care less about the debate between Jeff and Bubba (I could youtube it or go to Bubba's website and listen to his radio show if I wanted to listen to it). If I wanted to see tits and ass, I'd go online and watch a porno or go out to a club or bar.

Don't get me wrong, I love storylines. I really want to connect with the wrestler and I want to know why two guys are in the ring against each other. The reason the Attitude Era was so great, in my humble opinion, is because of the storylines. Many of the workers really couldn't work, but they created larger than life characters and created a story.

However, when show after show is talking about who owns the company, how am I supposed to care about this? After all, you did just tell me that this was fake wrestling on a fake wrestling show. So why should I care who is the fake owner of the fake wrestling company? How many people can really own a company, anyways? That's besides the point, though.

Point is, when I watch wrestling, even though I know it is fake, I still expect to see wrestling. Russo, however, doesn't think a wrestling show should showcase wrestling. In fact, in an earlier interview or blog post, he stated that a two hour wrestling show shouldn't have two hours of wrestling and whoever wanted this was out of their mind. Add this to the comment about how fake wrestling really doesn't matter throws up a HUGE hole in the big picture:

Pay-Per-Views are about WRESTLING. Correct me if I'm wrong, but companies generate huge revenue off of PPVs. And a wrestling PPV is all about wrestling and that big payoff, right? So how are is the promotion going to get me to fork out 34.95 plus tax or whatever TNA is charging nowadays to buy their big shows if the writer really doesn't care about the wrestling and he doesn't believe in it? Not to mention, at house shows, it is usually all wrestling, is it not?

I don't understand Russo's logic. I really don't. We know it is fake and staged. We hear it all the time from the haters of the business. But we still watch it because it is entertaining and the guys put so much into their crafts that it seems real. We like to watch wrestling on a wrestling show, even if it is fake. I order the PPV because I want to see the payoff match and what will happen. I go to a live show because I want to see up close and personal the guys wrestle inside the ring. And I watch a wrestling program not only for the storyline, but because this is my chance to see what those guys have to offer inside the ring and make my decision if they are worth the money to spend to see live or on PPV.

I guess this explains why TNA continues to stay in Orlando and why their PPV buyrates are horrible and the house shows attract a few hundred people. It makes sense that Hogan and Eric want to keep TNA in Orlando because they know outside of Orlando, TNA isn't going to do well because the fans aren't going to buy their fake wrestling. Russo has to wake up from this little dream that fans do not care about wrestling soon or those 1.3 magically numbers might not be there so soon.

And, by the way, you have done 1.3 ratings 3 weeks in a row. You surely do know your product, don't you, Russo. Let's look at these ratings:

- February 19: 1.3
- February 26: 1.3
- March 5: 1.3

- March 19: 1.3
- March 26: 1.3
- April 2: 1.3
- April 9: 1.3
- April 16: 1.3

FIVE WEEKS IN A ROW! TNA hasn't really reached new heights on Thursday. But let Russo continue to talk out of his ass and see how far it gets him. I cannot wait to wake up one day, log onto the computer, and see that Russo has been canned. Russo's time has come and passed, he isn't connected with the pro wrestling fans of today, and until TNA changes that direction, the RIGHT kind of change, then the fans are going to continue to complain and not buy your product. You can do great TV ratings, but when it comes down to it, if you aren't making money on PPV and house shows, then the company will not grow. Period. Your choice.