Former wrestling commentator Scott Hudson always has something great to say.
On November 5th, he posted a video of old NWA wrestling, most notably the confrontation between Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair—what has become in my mind the greatest story ever told in the business. The return of Steamboat to the NWA in a Tag Team match with Eddie Gilbert versus Flair and Barry Windham is as good as wrestling gets.
Where has that kind of arc and story gone? Why aren’t promotions working on storylines that captivate fans beyond what they do in the ring? Where is the historic value to a three-match program that leaves us wanting more? There is a difference between wrestling and what we see now on television in Vince McMahon’s circus—coined “Sports Entertainment.” The two should not be considered family members as the idea of wrestling was thrown out the window when WCW left the NWA for greener pastures and later was swallowed by WWE in a sales event that could have been avoided.
Sports Entertainment is not arm bars and abdominal stretches. It’s shock value on the screen with the idea of throwing as much on a wall and making it stick as possible. That’s Andy Warhol-type art. And I am not buying it.
Ironically, Dolph Ziggler, who writes some of the most cryptic tweets on his Twitter page, wrote on November 3rd that “Wrestling is the least important thing about the wrestling business.” The oxymoron of all things considered to be what was true of older days and Kayfabe. The wrestling part is vital, because it is the culmination of everything that was supposed to be built to that point.
Nothing is being built of late (with the exception of Roman Reigns’ rise to the top of the food chain) in a world where women cannot get in a WWE ring without having their BFFs with them. I thought that only happened when they went to use the restroom.
Where’s the sales pitch? Where is the associate asking me if I want more, and yes, who is there to model it for me. Wrestling of the past—mainly Flair and Steamboat—created magic in the ring, but they also built momentum with vignettes. They teased us about the 1970s, where they tore down the Mid-Atlantic states. They reminded older fans like myself that wrestling mattered.
I wonder if it really matters for McMahon, Triple H, and the rest of the brood. I wonder if Pat Patterson wants to slap the taste out of Kane for selling out and acting the fool. I wonder if Ric Flair laughs at how his daughter is built up in today’s “wrestling,” as opposed to how he scratched and clawed his way out of Verne Gagne’s barn. Those things matter. Those things prove wrestling to be real. Those are the things that prove the “sport” of wrestling is nothing more than wasted entertainment. And it isn’t just one show a week.
Given everything there is to dislike about the modern-day business, we all still watch, and in my case, I hope for a better outcome. I hope for a good story. Maybe Reigns and his rise to overcome is worth the wait. Maybe there is something that will come out of it. I want to be right. All too often, the entertainment side has let me down. And as I watched Flair and Steamboat on tape from eons ago, I am reminded what brilliance looks like. You have to watch for yourself to appreciate its value.
Then and only then can you tell the difference between what is fake and what is real.
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David Levin
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