Jim Cornette once asked, ~Will pro wrestling as it used to be ever return?~ As a wrestling fan for over 24 years, I've witnessed a plethora of changes in a business primarily been labeled as sports entertainment. Thinking about it, when it comes to change especially in the sport of pro wrestling there are times where it's actually much needed but other times you oftentimes end up scratching your head to the point where you ask the question why? I think many wrestling fans, not just myself, would agree that wrestling today isn't what it used to be causing fans like myself to not only be considerably disgruntled and in disbelief, but angry as well. Essentially, in my personal view wrestling has changed in many ways but more specifically in format, the climb to success, and rivalry.
Let me ask you this question to many of you wrestling fans out there, is it me or has there been a lot more talking segments rather than wrestling going on lately? For it’s quite an interesting situation indeed the turnaround in the talking/wrestling percentage as the majority of what is being watched by many of us are wrestlers either addressing the crowd or talking/calling out another wrestler. We've all seen it and it primarily takes up 15 to possibly 30 minutes of the program. True, it's for storyline purposes in order to drive the drama that is the proverbial male soap opera for guys but unfortunately it's getting to a point where it's becoming not only tedious for those watching in person and on tv, but dare I say boring as well.
Without a doubt, there are certain wrestlers who have paid their dues in regards to climbing the ladder of success to capture a world heavyweight championship title. However, its a sad state of affairs when the journey itself is bypassed through shows like WWE NXT/Tough Enough as new superstars such as Wade Barrett, The Miz, Shaemus, etc. don't just attain instant stardom, but receive instant title shots. A wrestler such as Triple H paid his dues by starting out his career as a relative unknown in WCW going by the name Terra Ryzing but would later have subsequent success with a new name in the WWF as Hunter Hearst Hemsley wrestling against the likes of Henry O. Godwin in a forgettable hog pen match. Now, he's a fan favorite and a mega superstar around the world.
For the question can be asked to the wrestling fans out there, how many of you truly miss the days of the Monday Night Wars? Personally speaking, I thoroughly enjoyed the days of channel flipping from WCW to WWF, especially in the 90's with the whole Sting vs. NWO and the whole "Attitude Era" running rampant with Stone Cold Steve Austin leading the charge. I can honestly say the mid to late 90's were absolutely enjoyable to watch because it captured your attention to where it got right in your face without any apologies whatsoever. You see, it was the rivalry between these two companies that made it enjoyable to watch but unfortunately with WCW bought out and TNA trying to stay with the WWE there hasn't really been much competition or in this case a big rivalry.
In retrospect, when you're a wrestling fan you can eventually become jaded concerning the state of wrestling today. For example, when I was younger I used to get angry when the "bad guys" got the upper hand on the "good guys" but now as I've gotten older I'm more into figuring out the storyline and where it's leading to. In my honest opinion, the best days of pro wrestling aren't found on Spike TV, USA, or SyFy as they can be only found in one place...YouTube. Stone Cold driving into an arena in a Beer Truck spraying The McMahons along with The Rock with a hose full of beer, Sting repelling down, coming up from, or heading to the ring in order to attack Hogan/NWO, etc. are considered just a memory that in the end can't be touched or unable to be duplicated ever again.
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