Another edtion of the fastest growing spectacle in all of column-entertainment. Today we deal with how I am sick of the hype, and how it truly affects the product. Is the constant PPV plugs and build up really necessary? You be the judge.
Let's Be Pro-Realistic
Hype Yourself: How Hype Affects Wrestling
Hype. It is the double-edged sword in the world of wrestling. Immense hype can make a crap match into something you NEED to see, or it can lead to disappointment. This is why so many great matches have failed to be what they were promised to be, and why I feel it is impossible to fairly judge a wrestling match the moment it occurs. I want to ask you a question, when you see a Hell in a Cell booked, what is it that you envision in your mind? I can bet it will be Undertaker vs Mankind. And those sick bumps Foley took, have spoiled wrestling fans and doomed many Hell in a Cells to come. This is the hype that we suffer from. A false pretense before a match begins, forgetting to watch for the stories that need to be told in the ring. Will we as fans learn to stop?
The best part of my love for wrestling is the fact that I can go watch ALL the old PPV’s that are on DVD. It is so much better to wait a few years, then go back and watch the shows of the past. Each PPV is a snapshot of that month in the WWE, and each PPV is actually a lot better than ever given credit for. The problem is the hype. When we a waiting for the build-up, we see clips of past moves by the wrestlers or moments that defined their careers. The majority of us, I believe, see these same moments over and over in our heads before, during, and after a match that has been hyped up for weeks.
I am just as guilty of this, an example is when I see Triple H coming to the ring, I picture him making anyone in the ring bleed and leave crippled in some way. He has done this over and over and is the reason I became his biggest fan to begin with. But if he fails to make his opponent bleed, I immediately view it as a failure. But I know I am wrong, not every match HHH is in needs blood to be a success. When Orton was ready to face Undertaker in their HIAC, I pictured something insane like a choke slam through the cell to Orton or something. As much as it would be awesome to see, the lack of that major bump (all stemming to Foley vs Taker) forces the match to be less than perfect in the eyes of fans. But is it really the failure depicted by others? Isn’t there a story in the ring we missed?
Again, this is why going back and watching old PPV’s is so much better than watching them live. I recently bought Armageddon 2002, and wow, am I impressed. Although the card was mixed (Benoit vs Guerrero and then A-Train vs Edge), all the matches came off damn good. You don’t need to know who wins or loses to enjoy a match, the story can be seen when watched with an unbiased eye. When I saw HHH vs HBK in the main event 3 stages of hell again, I completely fell back in love with HBK. I watched it prior to Saturday Night’s Main Event, and man, when his music hit, I was flooded with the respect that he earned during that 3 stages of hell match. It is hard to explain the feelings I have watching old PPV’s, it is hard to believe 2002 was 4 years ago, but looking back, I don’t see why wrestling was viewed as bad as it is during that time. I think the Attitude era spoiled fans so badly that it could never be redone. The high spots, the shocking twists, and the characters were all so good that it made it difficult to ever maintain that hype.
Enter 2006. We are now 7 or 8 years separated from the high point of the WWE. No longer are there insane big time moves every night, instead, they are saved for times when a big spot is needed. HBK vs Shane needed one of those big moments, and used it to come across as a worthy main event. This is smart booking. True talent is now forced to come out of wrestlers instead of the use of other methods to get fans to cheer. Anyone can have their face smashed into thumbtacks, but who actually can wrestle a solid 30 minutes and never get a boring chant or have fan interest wane? This is the new era of wrestling, the new WWE. It is not TNA, who have insane spots every 30 seconds, it is the WWE with wrestlers who have slower, move filled matches. I enjoy these ten times more than any fast paced battle with spins, flips, and skips.
But once again returning to my point, when is hype too much or too little? Cena vs HHH is being over hyped, and I fear it might disappoint the world. HHH & Cena are in danger of failing, a real problem any smart fan can see during their interactions. Cena isn’t a strong face nor a proper heel, and HHH is not helping him one bit. But their main event is being hyped to be the ‘biggest main event’ of all time. Hah. HBK vs McMahon has been the focal point of Raw and has been super hyped, but can it live up to the expectations being put on its shoulders? I won’t be able to tell you either way until 2008, when I watch the DVD and see it apart from the hype of the time. I think the show stealer will be Rey vs Orton vs Angle, as its hype has been the smallest of all Wrestlemania main events. If Rey were to win it, WM will be remembered for years to come as the night Mysterio won the World Heavyweight Title in honor of his fallen comrade, Eddie Guerrero. And that, my friends, is a Big Time moment.
So do yourself a favor, wrestling fans, and go watch old DVD’s of the 2000’s. Try to dispel the consensus that it was the worst time to be a fan, because I believe we let it go by without realizing what we had. No longer will we enjoy the hype of a Stone Cold vs The Rock, or an Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Benoit, all those classics ended before we even knew it. Don’t let the Wrestlemania hype make you lose the focus of the matches. Read between the lines the WWE throws at us and see the story of each match. I will want to see JBL seek vengeance for his humiliation and broken hand on Benoit, a Wrestlemania veteran since 2003. I can’t wait to see HBK get his revenge for months of torment and years of speculation on Vince McMahon. Rey Mysterio’s quest to beat the red hot Randy Orton and Wrestling Legend Kurt Angle come true and his destiny fulfilled. And I definitely want to see if John Cena can beat the critics, beat the Internet Wrestling Community’s opinions, beat fans expectations and deliver his first classic match against Triple H. Screw the WWE’s hype, I have enough of my own to make this Wrestlemania as important as all Wrestlemanias should be.
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