Welcome everyone to the inaugural installment of Shock Treatment. My name is Travis Schaeff and I'm glad to join the great staff here on this website. My earliest professional wrestling memories are of sitting on the floor next to my Grandfather in his recliner watching big time "wrasslin'." Of course this was long before I knew of WWF superstars like Jake Roberts, Roddy Piper, or my own childhood favorite Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig. I couldn't have been any older than five or six years of age because I hadn't started school yet. Here I am today about to turn 21 years old in October. As you can imagine I've been through my fair share of pro wrestling history in my lifetime, just as I'm sure most of you reading this have.
I'm also fairly positive that I am not the only longtime wrestling fan out there thrilled about the recent WWE DVD releases. They're great for fans of all ages. The hardcore following that ECW developed have been provided with a documentary on the company entitled The Rise and Fall of ECW, in addition to the One Night Stand reunion events, and a series of releases featuring ECW's most violent matches. For the wrestling fans from the glory days of the WWF and NWA in the 1970's and 80's they've released titles such as Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80's, as well as DVD features on popular persona's from the past including The Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Dusty Rhodes, and too many others to list.
World Wrestling Entertainment is continually pumping out new releases from the vast library of wrestling history that they've acquired over the years and it's great for any fan who appreciates the different generations of wrestling. Be it WrestleMania's from the past, action from the WWF Attitude era, footage from World Championship Wrestling's time on top of the sports entertainment world, right down to Superstar Billy Graham's life story, WWE DVD's are providing it! As if that weren't impressive enough WWE has added its own On Demand service for cable providers. That's right, WWE 24/7. All wrestling, all the time. Relive your favorite moments from the past few decades of wrestling. Sounds like a wrestling fans dream come true, right? Well, maybe not in the long run.
I've started wondering what happens when they run out? After you've cashed in on the Austin vs. McMahon feud, Hulkamania, the nWo, and all of the other rich history as much as possible, what can you do next? It may not happen anytime in the near future, but it's a possibility that deserves some thought. Right now is a time in wrestling where the WWE is concerning itself so much with making money off of the past that it almost seems as if they fail to see that they're not creating much for themselves to cash in on ten or fifteen years from now. Taking a trip down memory lane is always a great experience, but it's a mistake to get so caught up in reliving past glory that you overlook establishing something meaningful to look back on down the road.
Over the course of the past year both Batista and John Cena appeared primed to become the next breakthrough stars in the business. However, with many feeling Batista lost considerable momentum since returning to Smackdown from a serious injury, and Cena getting mixed reactions, to put it mildly, the company seems to be relying on past glory more so than ever before. A look at the current WWE roster serves as evidence of that. Names like Jim Duggan, Fit Finlay, and Tatanka who hadn't been heard of in years have returned to WWE programming recently. The reunion of D-Generation X, as well as their feud with the first family of sports entertainment, serve as a throwback to the days of Attitude.
Meanwhile on USA's sister station, the Sci Fi network, WWE is rewriting hardcore history with its new third brand, a reinvented version of ECW. After the first month ECW programming on Sci Fi it was obvious to all loyal ECW fans that this wasn't the same anti-establishmental organization they'd been missing for years. Of course they were going to have to tone down, and alter the product substantially compared to what ECW once was. The backlash from ECW loyalists had to be expected, but to what extent? I'm sure no one could've expected it would go as far as a house show crowd angrily chanting "This show sucks," at former ECW promoter Paul Heyman, or "Change the channel" live on Sci Fi during a main event match. In my mind, this is an example of bringing back the past that may very well blow up in the WWE's face. It's up to them to attempt to bring in new viewers while keeping the ECW fans happy at the same time.
A little nostalgia every once in awhile never hurt anyone. Although, their may be a problem when Hulk Hogan, who only wrestles every six months, is getting double the ovation of anyone on the full-time roster. Wrestling's popularity in the mid to late 90's was through the roof. Re-creating that vibe may be a wise business decision, but what happens if longtime fans become bored with what they saw nearly a decade ago? Will they become fed up and angry like the ECW fans, or simply stop watching? I think that the next time we're watching the latest WWE DVD release, feeling nostalgic, take a moment to think about the present and future landscape of professional wrestling.
I really hope that everyone enjoyed my first column on this website. I can promise everyone that I will give nothing less than my very best every time that I write a column. Everything said on the Shock Treatment is either my opinion, or something that I feel deserves discussion. I appreciate any type of feedback or advice you'd like to send my way. Feel free to e-mail me at real.underground.baby@gmail.com, or send me an IM on AOL at VOT1NGD0ESNTW0RK.
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