WWE: Are You a WWE Fan or a Wrestling Fan?

It has been about 15 years since the wrestling industry has had two major competitors that are able to put on really good shows. I am speaking of WCW and WWF—now WWE. In the last two or three years, the WCW became unwatchable to me. Both the WWE and WCW pushed wrestling aside to put on spectacles.

I have noticed that modern-day viewers of the WWE seem to be more fascinated with the spectacle that goes on rather than the actual wrestling. Lets face it, the Rock and John Cena's year-long feud was more interesting than the actual match at WrestleMania.

However, even the WWE fans got bored with the verbal feuding and jousting. And that's why Vince McMahon and his creative team has had to push talent like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan who deliver in the ring. Punk delivers on the mic as well. Bryan not so much. But boy do people like to chant, "Yes, yes, yes!"

The WWE has been stuck in this weird place for a long time. It does not want to promote wrestling. It wants to promote sports entertainment. The problem with that formula is that a lot of us have seen the Hulk Hogans, the Ultimate Warriors, and the other guys who quit wrestling—though with the Warrior, it could be said that he was never a good wrestler—and started to cater to the fans. It gets old after awhile. Young kids eat it up. Look at Cena's fan base. For the most part, he has kids as fans.

I grew up on the NWA, WCW, WCCW, WWF, CWA and other promotions. The spectacle was usually in the ring and not behind the scenes. Or general managers delivering dialogue and cutting heel promos every single week.

That is why for all the heat that Brock Lesnar gets for his mic skills from the IWC, I can look past it. I  think he has adequate mic skills, but shouldn't be asked to fill more than a minute or two with dialogue. But when Brock is in the ring, I know there is going to be a match that I don't want to miss.

Five years from now, what do you expect the WWE and wrestling industry to look like? If Vince McMahon, or HHH by then, goes the route of trying to churn out more versions of the Hulk Hogan formula, I might have to start watching other television. If the WWE team starts to get back to its roots and promote wrestling once again, I am pretty sure they will be able to hold onto more viewers.

In five years, I fully expect TNA to fall by the wayside. I cannot see any other current promotion climbing to a status like the WWE, unless one finds a major backer like Ted Turner.

The major difference between wrestling and sports entertainment is simple. You can believe in wrestling. With sports entertainment, you have to not only suspend disbelief, but you also have to turn a blind eye to all the silly things like Santino's sock puppet; Santino would be so much better if they just allowed him to wrestle.

So which do you prefer: Sports entertainment or wrestling?