How much time a week do you devote to watching wrestling?

[SpecialK]

And does it change week by week, according to circumstances? Do you have blocked parts of the week for watching, or do you just try to watch when you can? Is it difficult to fit in with your work/family/social responsibilities?

At the moment, I'm on about 10-15 hours a week with an hour or so a day, and a 2-3 hours a day at weekends.

[Mad Dog]

I usually get home about 90 minutes before my wife does. Most weeks I devote that time to wrestling. I usually watch CWF Hollywood, RoH and NXT during the early part of the week and then hit something older on Friday and Wednesday. Weekends I might hit some more old stuff before my wife wakes up. I might also do some stuff at night. I would say 5 hours is an average week but sometimes I can get a little crazy and polish off 12 hours.

 

Sometimes I don't watch much in a week. If my head is bothering me due to weather or a migraine I tend to keep wrestling on the back burner.

[Loss]

Watching? Not much for a while now. Searching for, collecting, seeking out, researching, and talking about? A gillion infinity.

[BigBadMick]

Watching? Not much for a while now. Searching for, collecting, seeking out, researching, and talking about? A gillion infinity.

I know what you mean. And by the time I've gone through wrestling podcasts at work, a lot of the time I don't feel like actually watching much.

[Migs]

Definitely depends on the week. I've been enjoying watching the ROH shows live or close to it, so weeks when they're on tour seriously bumps up the number. I also have a newborn baby, so there's a lot of watching while feeding or sitting up with her - depending on her sleeping patterns, that could be a lot of time or a little.

[SPS]

Probably 10-12 hours a week.

[SomethingSavage]

I don't actually watch much of anything anymore - or at least at this moment. I think my interest mostly comes & goes in waves.

 

Right now? I keep current with PWG. And I spend about 10-12 minutes staying caught up with WWE via those two Raw and SD Top 10 recap vids from their YouTube channel. And that's basically it.

 

Oh. If there's a PPV or Takeover, I'll usually cherry pick some matches from those, based on where my interest level is at that week.

 

I spend substantially more time here & elsewhere discussing things. And I spend a truckload of time listening to podcasts - either wrestling or true crime - due to how much time I spend with commuting, working long shifts, and approximately 90 minutes each day in my gym. So there's plenty of time to get through those things.

 

I don't know. In my late teens and early twenties, I feel like there's no way I would've ever believed that I would've been so uninterested in wrestling. There was a time where I'd spend hours seeking out and consuming everything I could - from the mainstream to the more obscure, from WWE to CWF Hollywood every single week - and I just have zero care for keeping up with much of it now.

 

Part of that is priorities and just where my life is right now. Part of it is the promotion I got last June and the responsibilities that have come along with that. It just is what it is. Plus my interests have shifted. I'm spending more of my free time with family and friends than ever before. And the few hours I get to watch TV during the week, I've found that I'm at a point where I'd rather watch some of the great television and the more compelling series out there - whether it's burning through old shows I missed during their original airing (The Wire, etc.) or some of these prestigious "peak TV" era shows that are currently running.

 

I've sort of already voiced my issues with modern wrestling here. Characters are practically endangered species. Storylines are basically nonexistent. There's no real incentive to follow. I've accumulated and watched (what feels like) hundreds upon thousands of hours of wrestling during my fandom. I need something more than just "great matches" at this point. Otherwise, it's all same/same. It's all very old hat. If there's nothing that resonates or engages me, then I've got better things to do and an abundance of better things to watch in my free time.

 

I'm not bitter or anything. That's just where I'm at. I still (obviously) love discussing wrestling. I still love listening to wrestling-related stories and podcasts. It's just that I don't have the time or the desire to *make* the time for it anymore - at least not now. Maybe at some point down the road, but the forums and the podcasts are enough for me right now.

[SomethingSavage]

With all that being said, I will still try to catch tickets for the live events whenever they come through town. There's nothing like experiencing the shows live with my rowdy outlaw G-Paw or (more recently) taking my niece & nephew in tow. Good times.

[KB8]

I go in cycles with my hobbies. Right now I'm not really watching any wrestling at all and my only wrestling-related consumption is reading and talking about it on a couple forums. But there isn't much of that happening right now, either. When I'm on one of my wrestling kicks, which usually last a few months before I get the urge to focus on something else, I'd say I devote around an hour a day on average to watching wrestling, with maybe another half an hour writing or reading about it. I'm too restless to sit an do a marathon watching session at this point in my life, though there have been points in the last few years where I've burned through decent amounts of footage in a fairly short space of time. It depends how much free time I have, really.

[Britwresdvds]

I don't get much time at all nowadays. I'll watch the odd match or two, here and there. That's about it.

[brockobama]

Yeah I go in cycles too. Weeks that I'm in the swing of things and doing a bunch for the blog I'm probably watching about 15 hours a week, usually not more than two weeks in a row. On the average week, though, I'm probably hitting closer to 6-8 hours. And not all of it is actual matches in the ring, as I watch a fair amount of shoots and interviews and whatnot.

[G. Badger]

And does it change week by week, according to circumstances? Do you have blocked parts of the week for watching, or do you just try to watch when you can? Is it difficult to fit in with your work/family/social responsibilities?

At the moment, I'm on about 10-15 hours a week with an hour or so a day, and a 2-3 hours a day at weekends.

It definitely changes from week to week and season to season. In the winter time, wrestling watching is a big ass deal. Its cold and snowy so, its probably the 7-10 hour a week range especially if I'm doing a project like FMW '89-92 or something.

 

Now that the weather is better...its maybe a 20 minute match a day. I've been watching 205 Live on the WWE network pretty regularly for a month so now I'm at like 2-3 hours a week.

 

When I was a bachelor it was much easier to fit a few matches or a 2hr puro DVD in a couple days during the week. So, yeah 10-15 doesn't seem unreasonable to me then. Although it was fun, I'm much better off now

[WingedEagle]

Raw and Smackdown every week. No kids yet, so if I'm home and unless there's a basketball game or something else on the longer side I want to watch, I'm usually able to get in at least an hour every day during the week. Less, or a lot more, on weekends depending upon weather and plans.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Probably about 15-20 hours. My usual schedule for the past few months has been Hulu Raw and Smackdown on Tuesday and Wednesday AM as soon as they go up before I go to work, then NXT on one of the weekend AM’s. I watch all the PPV’s and Takeovers, too.

 

As far as non-WWE, I keep up with PWG, wXw, AAW, and Beyond almost always. I watch a lot of the companies that run less frequently on Powerbomb, as well, like SUP and Black Label Pro. I typically watch whatever show on the Network that Lapsed Fan is covering next. Plus I try and keep up with NJPW stuff that gets hyped but I get burnt out if I watch too much of it. There are indie shows I want to watch literally every week somewhere in the states along with occasional ones like PROGRESS or CZW that I’ll watch if it’s a tourney or I like the card. Then add in stuff from 2000 and re-watching ‘98 WWF and currently ‘95 WWF/WCW since the new PTBN MNW podcast started.

 

I try to let my mood dictate most of my viewing because I watch wrestling for fun, rather than having a schedule that forces me to watch stuff that I’m not in the right mindset to enjoy. And I watch a lot of variety so I don’t get burnt out.

[WingedEagle]

Raw and Smackdown every week. No kids yet, so if I'm home and unless there's a basketball game or something else on the longer side I want to watch, I'm usually able to get in at least an hour every day during the week. Less, or a lot more, on weekends depending upon weather and plans.

 

Oh, all big shows that go up on NJ World, and choice matches from your Road To and smaller shows. Never live because of time differences, but usually within a day or 2.

[El-P]

I'd guess around 10 hours a week, but it can be a lot less or a lot more, depending on the mood. I'm binge watching TNA (currently 2008) but not always an episode a day either, or I can go hardcore and then not watch for an entire week. Plus I've got back to watch some 00's puroresu, mostly NOAH stuff and some current NJ, but when it's matches only it takes less times usually, so it's more digestible. As of now, I've dropped any WWE content (not saying I miss much, but I was regularly batting an eye at some weekly show matches and watched all the PPV, although cherry picking a lot of the time). Can't wait for LU to start again, as this is super easy to watch.

[gordi]

I thought my answer was going to be relatively unusual... but it looks like a lot of people here are in the same boat as me these days.

 

I generally spend more time discussing wrestling online, mostly right here, than I do watching wrestling these days. I definitely don't watch nearly as much as I used to.

 

It varies tremendously from week to week and month to month. A week where I'm not too busy with work/family/friends and when the weather isn't great and I am in the mood to watch some wrestling? 20 hours. A week where the opposite is true? Maybe not even one single match. An average week? Don't get many of those.

 

I have never been a podcast guy. I watch the occasional wrestling documentary. I participate in the Armchair Booking 80s project here, and will often watch 80s footage as "research" for that (and because I enjoy it a lot). I play a match on Fire Pro a couple of times a week. I go to Osaka or other places to hang out with my wrestling friends and/or watch a show a handful of times a year.

 

My priorities have shifted a lot since my second daughter was born. I don't resent or regret that at all. Wrestling!s still a top-4 hobby with me (weightlifting, drinking, and classical music are the other 3). I'd say the majority of my wrestling time is now spent here at PWO, because right now that's what I enjoy the most.

[Richeyedwards]

I will watch whenever there is a new AJPW show, other than that I will cherry pick some Noah, Bjw, dragon gate and WWE. So it does change from week to week depending on how much wrestling those companies are putting on that week. Last month for example with the cc on I was watching far more than I am now. It will usually end up being a good few hours a week.

 

As loss says i am spending far more time researching, discussing and listening to podcasts about wrestling than i am watching.

[Tenese Sarwieh]

I try to watch as much as I can dealing around my work schedule, gotta catch up with Stardom asap.

[Laz]

In my early/mid teens, I'd wager about 15-20 hours a week on average. Raw, Nitro, SmackDown, Thunder, ECW (TNN and Hardcore TV), PPV, tapes/DVDs, etc. This took a hell of a nose dive around 2002, cut in half at least, and it's just diminished more and more over the years.

 

Now? Maybe 2-3 hours. There aren't many products that capture my attention and combing through the plethora of older footage available doesn't interest me like it once did.

[ohtani's jacket]

I can go months without watching any wrestling. When I do watch it, it's either early in the morning before everyone's gotten up or late at night after they've gone to bed. The thing is that it's always there when I get the itch. If this place disappeared I'm not sure whether I would have somewhere to touch base with wrestling so I'm fortunate that Loss and Will are committed to the site. Thanks, guys.

[superkix]

I'd say on average 3-5 hours. I mainly watch at night after my wife's gone to bed.

[BBscout]

0 to 5 minutes a week, all GIFs.

 

Reading here and twitter keeps me in the loop.

 

Will check out certain matches when I get more time but not a ton trying to go back and see.

[BrianB]

Lately, between 2-6 probably. I probably spend more time listening to or researching/reading about things.

 

When a binge interest hits and I've got more spare time, I'll watch considerably more, more like 14-24.

[GSR]

At the moment, probably around 5 or 6 hours a week, all old stuff though.

 

I made a commitment to PWO2K, and while I jump around an awful lot in my viewing, I try to watch at least one match a day. If it weren't for that, I would be at next to nothing. I barely listen to any wrestling podcasts now either; I'll check out Austin, Jericho or Cornette's (although I find 'The Great' Brian Last pretty much unbearable these days) if the guest interests me, ditto depending on what Kris and Bix are talking about on that weeks 'BTS'. I really enjoyed Dylan's snap shots that he did for all the shows over Wrestlemania weekend though. I still enjoy reading about wrestling, more about the historical side of things mind as 'scoopz', or some goon posting Raw spoilers on Twitter because they've got the run down sheet holds zero appeal to me.