Following months of buildup and speculation, Wrestling Society X finally debuted on MTV earlier this year. The programming offered in this thirty minute show is dramatically different from the wrestling shown in WWE and TNA as well as matches that can be viewed just about anywhere from any time period.
Rather than celebrating the uniqueness of WSX, the venture has already come under fire for not being an actual wrestling promotion. While this may be the case that does not mean that WSX cannot help benefit the wrestling community. If presented correctly through shorter programming, offering reruns and DVD sales, this television show can add staggering numbers to the more traditional wrestling fan base.
At just over twenty minutes after commercials and trying to fit in up to three matches and a musical guest thus far, the format of WSX is jam packed to say the least. This is not necessarily a positive aspect of WSX programming as the short length makes telling any developed storylines difficult. With as little as an hour a week both the new ECW and TNA have twice the television time as WSX and even each of these companies has trouble presenting consistent storylines.
When one examines a WSX show, it becomes quickly apparent that storylines have yet to take center stage. Perhaps it is unfair to compare WSX to actual promotions such as WWE and TNA. The closest wrestling program that can actually be compared to WSX is most likely “Celebrity Deathmatch”. The only difference is that WSX has a lot less violence and a lot more random cuts to the audience. Also technically only one is a cartoon.
Though WSX undoubtedly has limitations because of its small amount of television time, there are benefits to this aspect of WSX. The WWE has over five hours of television time each week when the timeslots of each of its brands are combined. Though not every second of WWE action must be watched to get a good grasp of the content, with as much cross promotion activity as there has been, missing important details has become quite possible. By having less than an hour of television time a week, WSX fans will more than likely be able to make time for each showing.
Offering reruns further supports WSX as being an attractive entity in the wrestling world. Wrestling being a must watch happening is an aspect of the industry that helped fuel the Monday Night Wars during the Attitude Era. Part of what helped fuel the then WWF’s rise to the top was that viewers could only catch their television shows in their entirety once.
The reason that WWE or TNA reruns would be ludicrous, but WSX reruns are acceptable is because spoilers affect WSX in a different way than they affect either WWE or TNA. This harkens back to the WSX’s lack of emphasis on storylines. When one reads a spoiler concerning either WWE or TNA, the storyline is let out or the match results are given. Knowing how a story pans out or a match ends makes watching these programs less appealing. However, WSX depends much more on the visual style of its programming than on its actual substance.
One example of the difference between spoilers for traditional wrestling programs and WSX can be viewed this way. Say, one reads that John Cena pins Umaga with a school boy for the WWE Championship. The luster of the match is instantly gone as the visual of Cena getting a school boy on Umaga is not tough to imagine. However, say that same individual reads a spoiler that details the pilot showing of WSX. Such a spoiler would include several wrestlers falling off ladders followed by explosions, New Jack throwing someone off an elevated area through a table and there even being a brief showing of piranhas. The visual of putting all these elements together becomes much more difficult to do.
One of the main flaws in wrestling programming is that watching complete shows years after they occur is often difficult. The reason for this is that because companies such as WWE put out so many programs compiling them all either on VHS or DVD becomes almost impossible. TNA while having some advantages over the WWE in this way still does not adhere to the specifications needed for a typical television season.
WSX functions much more like a standard television show than WWE or TNA. For its first season all of the episodes were taped over a span of several days. This means that WSX has a set standard of time that cannot be increased before a new season is filmed.
This increases the likelihood of WSX DVDs, which seems to be a strong possibility given the program’s format, which features musical guests. MTV being one of the most appealing outlets for mainstream musicians may ultimately use WSX solely as a tool to get a wider audience for these acts.
Regardless of the reason for doing so if WSX DVDs are released, new fans will be able to buy complete seasons without having to be worried about following the show as it airs and re-airs.
In the 1980’s with the television show, “The Monkees” and again in the 1990’s with “Speed Racer” MTV aired each show repeatedly until they built a new fan base for both programs. This occurred despite each show having been relatively unheard of for decades before finding a new popularity that reflected their initial appeal. With this in mind a similar occurrence for professional wrestling may not be far off.
How WSX’s numerous unique characteristics can benefit the wrestling industry as a whole may be confusing at first, but looking deeper into the matter the connection is clear. By watching a program as trendy as WSX at least a fraction of fans watching for the first time may want to see how an actual promotion functions. Whether it is WWE or TNA, with the WSX forming no real opposition to either, both American promotions can benefit from this television show.
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