Everyday one of us finds ourselves watching a movie or television show that depicts events that portray or are based on real life situations.
Most of us have watched an episode of “Law & Order” or “CSI” and the events on those shows are usually taken straight from headlines. A lot of times their stories are exaggerated versions of events (such as The Scott Peterson Trial, Adam Walsh’s Disappearance, Baby Jessica etc.) NYPD Blue even did an episode in which the events of 9/11 were depicted and touched on. Now are any of the characters on NYPD Blue real cops or firemen? No they are not. Did anyone cry “foul” when that episode aired? No they didn’t.
Why should professional wrestling be any different?
Many reader’s and columnists find themselves angry when Vince McMahon exploits headlines such as Gay Weddings and Terrorism, and we probably shouldn’t. I will be the first to admit that I have been guilty of feeling that Vince McMahon
has gone over the top. I’m usually more offended at what wrestlers say outside of the ring (such as Davari), but there is the rare occasion that a wrestler ruffles my feather’s with something he says on television. Now my question to all of
you is this…..
Is it really any different than any television show or movie that airs every single day? For the most part, it is not.
They are all playing characters. They are not living the “lifestyle” of the characters they portray (well most of them).
The exploitation of things happens constantly. Rapes, Gang Violence, Necrofelia, Racism, Miscarriages and several other topics are covered in television and movies and are not frowned upon.
Many parents have said that their children have been “exposed” to the WWE’s “explicit story lines”. Vince McMahon has argued that his show is on at 9-11 P.M. and has said that parents should monitor what their children watch. Vince is right. Think of the housewife who sits home munching on a bag of Barbeque Pork Grinds and sipping’ on Southern Comfort while watching General Hospital. She lets her kids run around the house and sit there and watch the steamy love scenes and graphic nature of that kind of programing. Now I don’t know about any of you, but my kids are a lot more likely to be up at 3 P.M. when General Hospital is on as opposed to 9 P.M. when Monday Night Raw is on. So who’s the hypocrite here?
If we took the over-the-top story lines that pro wrestling has given us in recent years, we probably wouldn’t have much to talk about. Like it or not, many of the angles that we are disgusted by are the one’s that we still talk about to this day. Granted, there are still the select few of us that would rather watch WRESTLING, but in general the story line is
what makes wrestling.
Pro Wrestling isn’t just about one aspect. For those of us who were watching when story lines were lame or virtually unheard of, we were happy with what we had. But that was 20-25 years ago. The wrestling fans of nowadays are spoiled.
Anyone who was watching wrestling through the entire era of the “Monday Night Wars” knows exactly what I am talking about.
The sport as we know it is at a stagnant point. Everything has basically been done. Going “over the top” is really the only way to go, unless you go backwards and that is a risky move to make. Many independants have tried the “old school” approach and have shut down operations in less than 6 months. Sad but true.
So where do we go from here?
Have something to say? E-mail me at BillyC4w@yahoo.com and be sure to check out my official site at http://billy_c2.tripod.com
