The Answers to Pro Wrestling's Three Most Burning Questions

As I was laying in bed having one of those insomniac type of nights, I started thinking of some answers to a few questions I have had in my head about wrestling as of late.


Has the Internet ruined wrestling?

The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. The pure enjoyment and the excitement of wrestling is gone. It is hard as hell not to turn to an online wrestling column without seeing spoilers, and it's even harder not read them. It takes discipline.

I can think of three prominent examples of why I am glad I did not read wrestling forums or have access to Internet until the Attitude Era. First, when Bobby Heenan showed up on Wrestling Superstars with the Big Gold Belt, I was in shock. How did he get the belt? Did Vince buy WCW? What was going on? Then the Brain told us the Real World Champion was coming to the WWF and he would be there next week. I could not wait until the following Sunday to watch Superstars.

Second was when the story broke about Hogan being the third man a few days before Bash at the Beach. I was oblivious. As I watched the pay-per-view, Hogan came out to save the day. He would vanquish his foes, then the real third man would come out and take out the Hulkster setting up a new feud and chapter in the Hogan biography.

Eventually, Hulk-A-Mania would save the day for WCW and send the Northern Invaders back to their home. Damn, was I wrong? One of, if not the greatest swerve in the history of pro wrestling. I could not wait to watch Monday Nitro the next night to see what was going to happen next.

The final incident was when Bret Hart gets screwed by Mr. McMahon and Shawn Michaels. OK, Vince just joined D-X, wow, cool. Oh, what is this, Bret Hart is signing WCW. Why on earth would he do that? As I went to bed, I thought, maybe the WWF is doing a reverse of the n.W.o. Instead of having the invaders from the north, the invaders to the WWF are coming from the south. Bret Hart is now playing the Hogan role. This could be awesome. I cannot wait to watch RAW on Monday to see who will join with Bret. Maybe Luger or Sting have made the jump.

Then pow, a knockout blow when tuning to Nitro and the opening vignette of the n.W.o. proudly announcing Bret Hart as the new arrival. By the end of the night, everything was clear. I believe I watched Wrestling with Shadows a few years later and understood the entire story.

Now swerves are pretty much blasé. Matt Hardy turning on Jeff to cost him the World title? Yawn, knew it was coming three months in advance. Stone Cold joining forces with Mr. McMahon? Story broke two months earlier. Sometimes I will watch a pay-per-view and count how many prediction or spoilers come true. The rate is about 80 percent. The moral of the story is to stay away from spoilers, but that is very hard.

On the flip-side, the Internet has allowed for more fans to have access to wrestling, and fans can talk to each other about the storylines. Fans get to learn more about their favorite superstars, sometimes good, other times bad. Fans are also given the opportunity to find out results of matches not televised or if they do not get the pay-per-view.

I would have loved to have the Internet if only to know who won the big events back in the 1980’s. Then again, it was more exciting to find out a week later. I knew exactly where I had to be on Saturday evening the week after StarrCade and on Sunday morning the week after WrestleMania.


Will the IWC quickly turn on their golden children once the boys get the World title?

Of course they will. Put the belt on Dolph, Morrison, and Benjamin for a period of six months or more and the criticism will fall like rain.

Jeff Hardy and HHH are examples of golden children which are no longer liked as much in the IWC. Jeff Hardy’s approval rating started shrinking the closer he got to the title. Hardy was once the greatest aerial spectacle in the history of wrestling. The IWC could not wait for the next Shawn Michaels to get away from his Marty Jannetty brother, Matt. Once Jeff got a few title reigns and more cheers, he became the overrated spot monkey.

The IWC was begging for HHH to move into top tier level as Rock, Stone Cold, Foley, and the Undertaker. Once the Game got a few title reigns, he is now perhaps the most hated in the community.

Jack Swagger was once loved, but now that he has the belt, many in the community are questioning the decision. Many are saying he has no charisma and even going as far as saying he is not a good wrestler. Just two years ago, the IWC was claiming Jack to be the next Kurt Angle. What happened to the love?

The IWC is fairly consistent for a select few, but I question it. Angle, Flair, and HBK seem to be untouchable, but when Angle gets the belt, I start reading a few more negative comments about how he is hogging the glory. Can you imagine if HBK had won the belt a few more times before his retirement. The IWC would be up in arms about how he is using his backstage influence to keep the title.

Batista seems to be the overwhelming choice of hatred for the IWC. For some reason the IWC is not a fan of Big Dave, even if he is a hero or villain. Now that Orton is a fan favorite, the IWC will turn on him faster than the strike of a viper. The question will remain until Cena turns to the darkside, will the IWC begin a love affair with John not seen since Hepburn-Tracy? Yes, for some odd reason, the IWC seems to love the villains. I guess it is the Stone Cold influence.


When will wrestling see it's next boom?          

Wrestling seems to be following the American financial and economic scale over the past 30 years. Wrestling boomed in the 1980’s and so did the economy. Late 1980’s to the mid 1990’s, the economy was in decline and so was wrestling. The Information Age, the Attitude Era, and the n.W.o. were all catalysts for the economy and wrestling, respectively. The 2000’s saw the economy and wrestling as pretty stagnant and now both are dipping pretty low.

Most economists and financial experts see 2012 as the year the economy will be fully recovered. So does this mean wrestling fans have to wait two more years for wrestling to be fully recovered? It seems quite possible.

Monday Nitro started in 1995 and wrestling boomed in 1997. TNA just started Monday nights this year, so 2012 is a possibility. TNA is using the model of the old WCW by bringing in WWF stars and the WWE is starting to retire older stars and pushing others. History does repeat itself. The bigger question for both organizations is who is going to be the flag bearer for the company and wrestling, just as Hogan, the Rock, and Stone Cold did during their heydays.


These are a few questions I needed to write about for now. The Internet has allowed me to express my opinion and hopefully get some feedback on these questions.