WWE

[NineOneSeven]

I've posted this before but just curious if anyone here watches wrestling. What are your thoughts on the current product?

 

[moqui]

I have always been a huge wrestling fan, but I have watched very little the last ten years (since my marriage).

I have watched enough to know that CM Punk is special.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Been a fan since the days of Bruno Sammartino. Not impressed with current WWE product. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are two of the best, but even they are limited by the WWE style.

Current best wrestling is New Japan. You don't have to speak Japanese to appreciate how much better that product is than WWE. Real diversity of styles. And they understand ring psychology, something that's almost lost in the WWE.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I have always been a huge wrestling fan, but I have watched very little the last ten years (since my marriage).

I have watched enough to know that CM Punk is special.

I watched a lot of wrestling as a young kid in the last few years of the attitude era (~97-03). Stopped for awhile due to other obligations and interests, but I've gotten back into it.

Cm Punk is a superb worker and unbelievable on the microphone. Seriously one of the best I can remember

 

[NineOneSeven]

Been a fan since the days of Bruno Sammartino. Not impressed with current WWE product. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are two of the best, but even they are limited by the WWE style.

Current best wrestling is New Japan. You don't have to speak Japanese to appreciate how much better that product is than WWE. Real diversity of styles. And they understand ring psychology, something that's almost lost in the WWE.

Bryan is a very good wrestler, in ring and on the mic. I wish he got a bigger push. I think a lot of superstars are limited with potential simply bc the era is PG, unlike the attitude era. I hear some wrestling in Japan is intense.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Daniel Bryan, aka Bryan Danielson, was twice voted the Wrestler of the Year by Wrestling Observer, which is by far the best wrestling publication out there.

Here's a great match between Punk & Danielson back when both were in Ring of Honor. Featuring special guest referee, Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat:


BTW, you might notice something sadly lacking from most WWE matches: ring psychology. That, plus the ability to tell a story.

 

[moqui]

Been a fan since the days of Bruno Sammartino. Not impressed with current WWE product. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are two of the best, but even they are limited by the WWE style.

Current best wrestling is New Japan. You don't have to speak Japanese to appreciate how much better that product is than WWE. Real diversity of styles. And they understand ring psychology, something that's almost lost in the WWE.

back in my tape trading days, I used to have a ton of New Japan, All Japan, AAA, CMLL, etc. I agree with you about the WWE style, and it takes someone special to transcend it. I contend that the greatest WWF/E wrestler of all time was Jake the Snake Roberts for that reason.

 

[NineOneSeven]

These days, John Cena, the mega face of the company and Vince's golden boy, is forcefed down people's throats. Quite frankly, a large majority are sick of it. With the exception of a few men, and most women and children (most of his fans), an extremely large portion of the WWE fanbase boo him. People want younger talent to get pushed and McMahon and creative are doing a below average job, IMO.

 

[Symphony Steve]

Jake had a great gimmick and was a wonderful promo. That guy's been through a lot, including drugs, alcohol, and a truly twisted family life. From Wikipedia's bio of Roberts' rasslin' father, Grizzly Smith:

"(Grizzly) Smith had a strained relationship with his son Aurelian, Jr. (Jake Roberts), which Roberts stated was partially the result of his father not informing his children of the scripted nature of professional wrestling. In an interview on Jake "The Snake" Roberts: Pick Your Poison, a video released by World Wrestling Entertainment, Roberts stated that his father convinced the family that his injuries in the ring were real and wore a neck brace at home to sell a storyline. On the same video, Roberts also stated that he was conceived when his father, who was dating Roberts' grandmother, raped her 12 year-old daughter. He said that the two were forced to marry against their wishes and that the resulting emotional trauma is responsible for Roberts' substance abuse and his sister's mental health problems. At age 18, his sister married a man 35 years older than she was; the man's ex-wife later kidnapped and killed Roberts' sister."

Roberts has just gone through an intensive rehabilitation program with Diamond Dallas Page serving as his taskmaster. Looks like he's clean and sober now, and he's lost a lot of weight. Here's hoping for the best.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Jake had a great gimmick and was a wonderful promo. That guy's been through a lot, including drugs, alcohol, and a truly twisted family life. From Wikipedia's bio of Roberts' rasslin' father, Grizzly Smith:

"(Grizzly) Smith had a strained relationship with his son Aurelian, Jr. (Jake Roberts), which Roberts stated was partially the result of his father not informing his children of the scripted nature of professional wrestling. In an interview on Jake "The Snake" Roberts: Pick Your Poison, a video released by World Wrestling Entertainment, Roberts stated that his father convinced the family that his injuries in the ring were real and wore a neck brace at home to sell a storyline. On the same video, Roberts also stated that he was conceived when his father, who was dating Roberts' grandmother, raped her 12 year-old daughter. He said that the two were forced to marry against their wishes and that the resulting emotional trauma is responsible for Roberts' substance abuse and his sister's mental health problems. At age 18, his sister married a man 35 years older than she was; the man's ex-wife later kidnapped and killed Roberts' sister."

Roberts has just gone through an intensive rehabilitation program with Diamond Dallas Page serving as his taskmaster. Looks like he's clean and sober now, and he's lost a lot of weight. Here's hoping for the best.

Scott Hall is also in that program. Speaking of wrestlers with crazy pasts and current struggles..

Scott Hall is a shade of the man who was once the good looking, athletic, "razor ramon".

 

[moqui]

Scott Hall is also in that program. Speaking of wrestlers with crazy pasts and current struggles..

Scott Hall is a shade of the man who was once the good looking, athletic, "razor ramon".

I was never a Scott Hall fan - his Diamond Studd gimmick was a straight - and vastly inferior - rip off of Rick Rude. Rude was another one of the very small handful of WWF stars who I really liked (what a talent and what a tragedy) and I never was able to give Hall any credit for anything after that

 

[MikeSU02]

I have always been a huge wrestling fan, but I have watched very little the last ten years (since my marriage).

I have watched enough to know that CM Punk is special.

I'm in the same boat. Grew up (born in '79) loving it and watched through college (graduated undergrad in '02). Everything post-college has been tough for me to really enjoy or to follow.

Almost got tickets to Rock/Hogan Wrestelmania and didn't. One of my biggest regrets.

I also hate John Cena (the character).