Professional wrestling was introduced into my life well over a decade ago. As you can imagine I have some incredibly fond memories tied into sports entertainment since that time. It all began with me as a child sitting on the floor next to my Grandpa's recliner while he watched a youthful Sean Waltman, then known as the Lightning Kid, and several other performers on Sunday afternoons. Before long I found myself in Toys R Us swearing to my mother that this wrestling thing wouldn't become another expensive phase like Ninja Turtles and He Man had previously. Obviously it did, but fortunately for me my family have never been anything but supportive. Soon they were paying for me to watch my first live wrestling on pay-per-view when WrestleMania 8 aired. I was also fortunate enough to be in attendance in Dayton, Ohio at the first King of the Ring event thanks to the support of my family.
Stay with me here because this column's honestly not about me, it's about all of us. These are only a couple of the thousands of great memories of my life that involve pro wrestling, and I'd be willing to bet that every one of you reading right now have experiences that are incredibly similar to mine. The question I pose today, on the eve of WrestleMania 23, is when does it become time for us to step aside and let a younger generation create fond memories of there own? Is it time for us to accept our status as all grown up, or do we cling on to memories such as HBK experiencing his boyhood dream and countless others like it?
One look at the card for this years WrestleMania should explain the chosen theme, "all grown up." The legendary Undertaker puts his undefeated streak on the line against a World Champion who continues struggling to maintain his popularity several months into his title reign. And then you have WWE Champion John Cena, who seems poised to become WWE's next breakthrough superstar defending against the one and only showstopper, Shawn Michaels. Cena's popularity amongst WWE's younger audience seems to be growing continually on a weekly basis, while the backlash from wrestling traditionalists has become minimal compared to this time last year. Make no mistake though, it may not be as noticeable lately, but the backlash is still there. That was very evident on last weeks Raw when Michaels finally turned on his fellow Tag Team titleholder to the joy of the rabid Chi Town audience.
The theme is also on display on a smaller scale in the eight man war scheduled to take place between ECW's new breed and originals, as well as the United States Title showdown between the experienced Champ Chris Benoit and his younger challenger MVP. Montel Vontavious Porter seeks to prove his worth to fans who have doubted him since his Smackdown debut by getting the biggest win of his career on the grandest stage of them all at the expense of the US Champion and rabid wolverine, Chris Benoit. Meanwhile a seemingly worn down group of renegades from a dynasty of the past seek to put an exclamation point on there careers by getting defeating the New Breed who have continually gotten the best of them in recent months.
Since the 90's WWE's target demographic has remained between the age of 18 and 24. Although that hasn't changed, wrestling fans have aged and many no longer fall into that category. This could serve as partial reasoning behind the recent division among fans when it comes to younger faces such as Cena and Batista. While WWE maintains support from longtime fans with nostalgic storylines the main event scene has been dominated by younger talent like Cena, Edge, Lashley, and Batista. While keeping diehard fans happy, they also seem to be creating a new generation of wrestling fans to cash in on for years to come. More and more often we see our favorite performers pass the proverbial torch on to younger more virile competitors, so why should we fans remain reluctant to accept the imminent future of pro wrestling? In all honesty this could be a step in the right direction for sports entertainment. Rather than trying to create the next Rock or Austin they should try to create something completely original instead.
The best example of longtime fans unwillingness to accept the future of the wrestling industry is John Cena. While I will go on record saying that I am not a fan of John Cena, I do agree that he's undoubtedly going to be a cornerstone of sports entertainment for many years to come. He's a young guy and is only going to improve as he gains experience. He recently had one of his best showings against Umaga, and I look for he and Michaels performance this Sunday to steal the show. The guys future is bright, whether wrestling traditionalists support him or not. He's got a combination of charisma and talent that makes him a major player in the industry. If you've been to a live WWE event in the past year you're well aware that the selling power of his character is undeniable. Every ten feet there's another young kid wearing a chain gang t-shirt, charm, bandanna, or wristband. And in the end, the wrestling business is exactly that, a business. If you make the company the most money you become there most valuable player. At least momentarily John Cena appears to be that player, unless the Heartbreak Kid or the Deadman have one last run in them for the sake of us longtime fans who are finally all grown up.
I just want to thank everyone, not only for reading, but also for all the feedback I've gotten and I look forward to getting even more. Please feel free to e-mail me at real.underground.baby@gmail.com and let me know what you think of this and other columns I've written. Or even if you just want to talk with a fellow fan about what's going on in wrestling today. Before I wrap up this installment of The Shock Treatment I want to share my WrestleMania 23 predictions with all of you readers. Feel free to reply to me with your own predictions.
United States Title
MVP defeats Chris Benoit.
Smackdown could use an a effective heel champion, and unfortunately Benoit doesn't have momentum on his side going in to the big show.
Great Khali defeats Kane.
Although I liked seeing Kane hit the ring with his meat hook, they've been making Khali look look too unstoppable to be defeated by the Big Red Machine who has done very little since jumping to Smackdown.
WWE Women's Title
Ashley defeats Melina.
They seem to be pushing Ashley hard, and I've heard Melina's in the doghouse. I guess that makes sense with the recent release of Mercury and suspension of Nitro.
The New Breed defeats ECW Originals.
I could see the Originals having a feeling of achievement for simply making it to the grandest stage of them all and putting over the younger guys. I could see a New Breed victory with Dreamer getting pinned.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Edge vs. Finlay vs. Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy vs. CM Punk vs. Ken Kennedy vs. King Booker
I don't look to see Finlay, Kennedy, or Punk to come out with the win. I could see any of the others walking with the contract, and I'm pulling for Edge to be the first two time Mr. Money in the Bank. However, I have a feeling bad feeling that Orton's going to pull it off.
Battle of the Billionaires
Bobby Lashley (Trump) defeats Umaga (McMahon).
No brainer here, Lashley gets the win. It's a shame because a match between Umaga and Lashley would be tough to predict a winner in if not for the Hair vs. Hair stipulation.
WWE Championship
John Cena defeats Shawn Michaels.
I'd like to be able to predict a Michaels victory, but I can already picture the Showstopper carrying Cena through the best match of his young career thus far before tapping out in the STF-U.
World Championship
The Undertaker defeats Batista.
I cannot see them actually allowing Batista to end the dead man's Mania streak. Taker's winning streak has become legendary and Batista doesn't have half the momentum he had two years ago going into WM21 against Triple H.
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