Please, Stop This: The Impact Of Spoiler Sites On The Wrestling Product Today

*Spoiler Alert*

There, I got your attention, didn't I?

What is it about spoiler sites that get the IWC all tangled up in its vice? Yeah, I'm a part of it but I have decided that for the next several weeks, I will not even touch any of those bookmarks. In fact, I'm going to delete all.

I have made this decision for my best interests, and you should do the same. Yeah, I get that it's a "smark" thing and sure, I understand that it's hard to wait for the next major storyline without having any clue whatsoever on its basis and plans, but seriously, we need to stop.

I'm not telling you what to do; I'm just advising.

Do you remember when we were young, and didn't have any idea about spoiler sites? Yeah, things were pretty good. We were young, so maybe it was interesting only because we were young and we'd believe anything, right? Wrong.

Recently, I realized that things could still be interesting. We may not believe everything we see, but the unpredictable element still gets you sometimes. I guarantee you, if you delete all those spoiler site bookmarks, Wrestlemania 27 will be one of the greatest things ever.

We read spoiler sites for what reason? As a sad attempt to heighten our knowledge of what goes on backstage so that we could claim the WWE is no longer unpredictable? Horrible. I know, the WWE can be predictable for the most part of it, even if spoilers are not read, but I want the IWC to get back to their roots. Isn't that what you want the WWE to do? Out-think us? I know I'd enjoy that.

Can you imagine how much greater the magnitude of storylines such as the CM Punk versus Jeff Hardy and the Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels rivalries could have been if you did not read the spoiler sites as religiously as you did? The WWE created these storylines for us to be entertained, yet we became so captivated by such creative successes that we need to know that much more. So our decision? We went to see what was next in line for us. I regret reading the spoiler reports at that point in time, because I would have enjoyed being surprised by hearing Michaels announce that a ladder match was going to take place at No Mercy (2008).

Because of spoiler sites, we know what's next in line. Heel turns for X, face turns for Y and Z is injured, so we'd expect that guy to be written off soon. What about, "I read that he's not gonna win that Elimination Chamber Match because he's gonna headline Wrestlemania with that guy." They COULD always pull a swerve, you know, and if they do it's only because the WWE knows that the IWC has read that report. It's a well-known fact that the WWE has changed kayfabe due to the stupidity of the IWC. Let me be specific. Christian was supposed to enter into a feud with Jeff Hardy upon his WWE return, but instead was directionally guided to the lines of being a face. Why? The IWC read reports of his return, and the role was given to a jealous Matt Hardy. Christian might have still been a heel at this very moment. Yeah.

Another example is the return of Chris Jericho. before the guy even came out on his return night, the entire arena engaged in a "Y2J!" chant. Why? They read Jericho was going to make highly anticipated return to Raw... on the internet. Where else, right? Before Wrestlemania 24, reports were released claiming Jeff Hardy had just violated a wellness policy, and therefore would have to be suspended. On the next Raw, Hardy had to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Chris Jericho. I surely would have thought that Hardy would successfully defend his title because it's a title defense on Raw. How many times does a title change hands on Raw? Truth be told, I knew what to expect. Why? I read the spoiler report. Sure, seeing Jericho hold the belt again at that point in time was awesome, but I really would have much preferred to be surprised with it.

When was the last time the IWC was really and truly shocked? I would have to say the night the Nexus invaded Raw. Their impact was unprecedented. Apparently, the WWE knew what they were doing. They kept the secret to themselves, and made sure that news did not hit the internet. Because of their security about the matter, the entire IWC witnessed one of the greatest moments and, needless to say, it was superbly done. Yes, free tv wrestling has the potential to be at this level, but why is it not? Well, I'd say it's all your fault. yes, you. You can enjoy wrestling - if you ignore any and every spoiler site update.

Sure, it's the PG era. It's bad, I agree, but if you open your eyes, it actually isn't. But, don't mind this statement; it's another article for another day.

The point is, ignore Hornswoggle. You know who you like to follow, and I do. You wanna know who's going to win the Royal Rumble? Well, I do too! But how's it going to be any fun if we just get hints and the possible winners from spoiler sites? Let's be surprised. Remember when everyone thought John Cena was still injured and he wouldn't make it to the Royal Rumble? Well, we were all fooled. The WWE did a great job with that.

Getting annoyed with these examples? I promise, this is the last one. The one-on-one classic that saw The Undertaker face Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25 in 2009 was not supposed to really go down as it did... Yes, IWC, plans for this epic rivalry were leaked as well. Apparently, he Undertaker was supposed to announce his return to Death Valley after decimating everyone in his path at the WWE. Plans were set for Kane and Shawn Michaels to feud with each other over who was more worthy to challenge The Undertaker in his final Wrestlemania match. Afterward, Kane and Shawn Michaels were to later form an alliance to annihilate The Undertaker. Shawn Michaels would go on to lose against The Undertaker. I know to a fact that the Wrestlemania match that the world actually saw was really epic, but get this - Shawn Michaels and Kane would again reach dissension and their breaking point would see them going face-to-face in a Hell in a Cell Match. Now, that's a bonus I would have loved to have seen. This never did happen, though. Why? This entire creative exposition was leaked on the internet. Sad, sad, sad.

Did you spoiler fanatics (including the me of old) ever stop to think that because of your obsession with spoilers that the WWE creative team's job only gets more and more complicated with every spoiler read?

They get challenged more and more, and most of the time, they fail to even scratch the surface of our overwhelmingly high expectations. This is the reason we always tend to find fault with the product we see most of the time—we expect too much!

I really dislike when people try to compare the WWE product of today to that of yesterday because, aside from the fact that things which were done yesterday are unaccepted today, spoiler sites were not running as rampant as they are at this very moment! These spoiler fanatics are reading everything they get their hands on.

Then, these same people have the audacity to moan and complain about their hatred for the majority of the angles they see today.

Fellow IWC members of the BR, I wrote this article not for me; I wrote this article for you.

My point is, Bleachers, help yourself to restore a little part of what wrestling once meant to you. I wrote this article for you here at the BR in high hopes of giving you the capabilities you once had; the ability to sit down and actually enjoy wrestling and, perhaps, be shocked every now and then.

What I would give for that feeling again—it's THAT important.

With "Wrestlemania Season" soon to begin, you know to a fact that the storylines are going to be above average. Please, don't spoil it for yourself.

I would appreciate the feedback, Bleachers. Thanks for the read and have a great day.