WrestlingPower Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 http://wrestlingwithoptimism.com/ Episode 28 had some very interesting discussion about if wrestling fans are too spoiled to enjoy anything anymore. Basically whether fans aren't just looking for a good show anymore, they are looking for shows to be booked specifically for them or they aren't going to enjoy it at all. I completely agree about fans "in the bubble" but I think it's hard for those in the bubble to really know how less hardcore fans even view the product. In this social media age, everyone's opinions are out there immediately and people will argue and see things differently about literally everything. I think WWE with the Network and other companies are basically using the bubble model to make themselves profitable. No one seems to know how to reach non-fans so it seems the attempt is just to bring people further & further into the bubble. But I think a side-effect of being in the bubble is people take things "too seriously" in wrestling, overanalyze it, and become harder to please. It's kind of a catch-22. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 That's an interesting topic. In fact, one reason I stopped watching WWE for so long is that the whole time I was watching, I was playing armchair booker. That's not really my preferred way to watch wrestling. But since I've started watching again, I've caught myself doing it again already. It's not so much that it has to be done my way in order for me to enjoy it. It's more that I genuinely want all wrestling to be good and when it's not, it's frustrating, so I start thinking of ways it could be better. On the other point, wrestling promotions have managed to both satisfy their hardcore base and draw casual fans in the past, so we know that it can be done. I think it would be a mistake to call the recent CM Punk and Daniel Bryan stuff something hardcore fans are doing. The reactions are too loud and happen in too many "non-smark" cities for it not to be a casual thing. I think it's more that there are two audiences watching WWE and they are diametrically opposed on what they want from it. WWE can opt to either appeal to one side or the other, or they can try to continue to just ride the middle. But when they do ride the middle, I'm not sure they maximize the potential of either audience. The network is a game changer. In itself, it will push more fans into the bubble. WWE is creating a new generation of hardcore fans, or at least, they are training their casual audience to act like hardcore fans. I mean, it's hard to call someone who has every pay-per-view ever on their smartphone a casual fan. Like anything else, there are positives (enthusiasm and loyalty) and negatives (harder to please). I think the reason WWE has a lot of these issues now is that they have established that fans don't always get what they want in the end. They used to be masters of the fairy tale ending, and they don't have that reputation anymore. In general, the better the booking is over the long haul, the more the glass is half full, and the more fans are willing to give the benefit of the doubt when there are hiccups along the way. And those hiccups are inevitable when producing 52 weeks of first-run programming each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheapshot Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 As Loss said, an interesting topic for discussion. I will be sure to check this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 In general, I'm a lot happier watching the current product when I also have other things to watch. Having the lucha set in my pocket makes my investment in WWE a lot less painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WrestlingPower Posted February 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 The scary thing about the Network is WWE is unintentionally capitalizing on a trend where anything not under their umbrella is being marginalized as not important. They are creating a new generation of hardcores that will have a blind spot to anything not either run currently by WWE or owned by them. Even the hardest of the hardcore haven't been able to deny WWE is on an upswing and the websites/newsletters catering to these fans have increasingly over recent years cut back coverage of non-mainstream groups. I mentioned this when reviewing the Observer award winners that it really appears that WWE, NJPW, and UFC are such juggernauts of interest & coverage that everything else just seems completely unimportant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WrestlingPower Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Good show this week with a change of pace w/ an interview with Mike Quackenbush. I still am stunned at the irony & lack of self-awareness of Quack sometimes in his whole talking point of Chikara not adhering to the old carny/kayfabe days of wrestling: Examples: --promotion heavily veiled in secrecy with booking, lack of coming clean over shutdown story for instance—how is this different from carny days, trying to "get one over" on the fans? --promotion is heavily kayfabed to the point of staff getting personally offended if anyone tries to question or break mystique of its product/”characters” --his need to control the audience despite feedback (BDK example given on the show) --he criticizes arrogance/need to be smarter than audience of “carny days” promoters yet all his interviews have such pretentious/highly educated language & theoretical talk around the performance art of his product Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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