Predictability

[Richie Freebird]

Yeah, that

[Carbomb]

Yeah, that

[King Pitcos]

Predictability in wrestling isn't always a bad thing. WrestleMania XV - the main event (and result) were obvious after Survivor Series '98. HHH and Batista, the match and result were known months in advance. And they still worked.

 

If people can

[Carbomb]

Predictability in wrestling isn't always a bad thing. WrestleMania XV - the main event (and result) were obvious after Survivor Series '98. HHH and Batista, the match and result were known months in advance. And they still worked.

 

Yup. There needs to be a balance of both, and I think WWE tend to get that right most of the time. TNA, on the other hand, are so obsessed with being unpredictable, they will fuck an angle or a storyline simply to swerve the fans, and it almost always ends up being a shit swerve.

[Gus Mears]

These people are very easy to spot too as they typically have a CM Punk related signature / avatar / username. Theres one thread I've seen asking who is watching Mania this year and pretty much all those people say they aint watching because the WWE product sucks and Punk is getting buried left and right (despite a 434 day title run).

 

This thread sums them up quite nicely:

 

http://www.wrestlingforum.com/raw/706025-r...ll-cm-punk.html

 

 

I posted on that forum for about a year and in the end left for the sake of my own sanity, that thread about sums it up, but it was a daily thing. Utter morons starting threads like "Christian getting buried" after won the world title by DQ (in a manner befitting his character). Or complete wankers expecting Punk to win every match, ever. And each segment ending with him taking a wazz on Cena or something.. The quality of discussion here in comparison is like upgrading to a filet minion from a bowl of dog turds.

 

Agree that predictability is all about finding the right balance. Without trying to tie myself up in knots here, unpredictable occurrences wouldn't be so unpredictable (and as a result entertaining) without predictability most of the time. I would say the majority of my favourite moments in wrestling have actually been pretty obvious (Mega Powers split, Batista vs HHH, Flair vs Michaels etc.) Part of the fun is often knowing something is going to occur and the suspense of waiting for it to happen.

[Carbomb]

Your second paragraph is exactly spot-on. In fact, it's WWE's ability to play with predictability and formula that makes their unpredictable moments work so well. You have to learn/establish rules in order to make breaking them work.

 

One of my favourite moments was the exact point Krispen Wah made Triple H tap in the middle of the ring at WMXX. What made it so unpredictable (and made my heart sink at the time, thinking that Wah was yet again going to miss the big one) was that we'd seen for so long that, the longer someone's in a submission finisher, especially in a triple threat, the higher the chance that the guy in it will get to the ropes/reverse it, or that the third guy will break it up.

 

Triple H was in that Crossface for what felt like an eternity. I just remember thinking: "Fucking hell, so HBK's going to break it up", and then suddenly Trips taps, and I jumped off my seat like a kid, punching the air.

[Accident Prone]

Richie hit it bang on the head. With so many alternatives out there, what is the point in getting mad over WWE's booking? We are incredibly spoilt with the wealth of promotions and archive footage out there, most of which you can get for free (for better or worse).

 

Sure, i let out a sigh whenever i see or read about something particulary silly in WWE. But then instantly forget about it and pursue my other interests and watch other promotions (PWG being my chosen alternative, which suits my tastes perfectly).

 

Whenever i see these kids and grown men complain about the 'E, i don't see a passionate fan or someone who cares about the product; i see a selfish little brat. A brat who throws tantrums because they don't make the cartoons that he wants to see. But they refuse to try the alternatives; they harp on about 'Cena burying Ziggler ruining wrestling' but when i mention if they'll be watching the up-coming NJPW iPPV, i get the standard "FUK DAT VANILLA MIDGETS KENNY KICKPADS HIGH SKOOL GYM LOLZ". I can admit that most indies/foriegn companies aren't worth your time but washing the entire lot with the same brush really gets on my tits. PWG, CHIKARA and DG:USA are there to offer an excellent alternative worthy of your time, passion and at least warrant a viewing. ROH and TNA are there to annoy and alienate absolutely everyone.

 

Believe me, its perfectly fine to rag on WWE for their choices and writing; in fact its extremely entertaining (with podcasts such as the Review-A-Wai/Raw/Impact series being excellent examples) but only when it's done with a bit of panashe, wit, structure, critique and humour. Wailing your arms around the place and increasing your blood preassure because The Rock delivered a sub-standard promo is the reason why the 'E has such a disdain for the IWC.

[Chest Rockwell]

There is no other promotion other than TNA that offers anything even close to what WWE does.

 

I've been through a phase of enjoying indies and brit & japwres. But all I really want from wrestling these days is big budget soap opera in pants with fighting. The promos / skits / characters are more interesting to me than the matches most of the time.

[ItsClobberingTime]

Nothing can come close to WWE for me because of the history and my own association with the company.

 

Whether I get frustrated or not, it's still and will likely always be the best wrestling company in the world.

 

Even if I enjoy a lot of what TNA does, or the occasional indy fed match, how can that compare to something I've been watching for over 25 years? It can't.

 

Sometimes it might be predictable, but the ability to deliver surprises and spectacle on a whole other level is what will always keep WWE on top for me.

[AshC]

I find American independent promotions pretty much unwatchable. Japan and Mexico are completely different beasts though. If you can live with the language barrier, then there's much enjoyment to be found there.

[Chest Rockwell]

Mexican wrestling is just the worst!

 

The worst, Jerry, the worst!

[Loki]

One of the reasons TNA has been so watchable for the last 12 months or so, for me, is that they've got this balance right.

 

Everyone was very upset over Bobby Roode not winning the title as a face, but given the brilliance of his heel turn and subsequent run you'd have to concede they got that right.

 

They built to Hogan's face turn wonderfully a few years ago, and I think they're doing the same with this Bully Ray story - doing something over a 6 or 8 month period with an outcome that is perhaps predictable, but at the same time will be really gratifying when it happens.

 

On the flip side they've managed to pull of some amazingly unexpected twists. I never thought Austin Aries would become champ, but that paid dividends when they decided to do that swerve. I would have put a lot of money on Bully NOT marrying Brooke Hogan, but that actually happened and has added another good twist to that story.

 

Nowadays I don't even bother to predict the outcomes, I'm genuinely looking to the PPV to find out what will happen.

[Magnum]

One of the reasons TNA has been so watchable for the last 12 months or so, for me, is that they've got this balance right.

......

 

Nowadays I don't even bother to predict the outcomes, I'm genuinely looking to the PPV to find out what will happen.

 

I'd agree with this. For me, the general direction of WWE is too safe and predictable, which is why on the whole it's not for me anymore (I still enjoy the odd well-done angle and usually Wrestlemania and its build-up).

 

As others have said, though, predictability is sometimes a good thing in wrestling, I think especially in the build-up to the biggest cards and matches. With WWE, it's the TV as a whole that I find too formulaic and samey these days, but when it comes to the go-home storyline/match of the year, the predictability of it goes back a lot further than the current era. Pitcos mentioned WMXV and HHH/Batista specifically, but there's loads of examples going back to the Hogan years. Save for a few exceptions, it always seemed nailed on that the biggest babyface in the company would win the Royal Rumble and then go on to clinch the title at WM, and if anything fucking with that formula to shake things up (the winner losing his title shot at No Way Out, turning up in the opening match at WM, etc) has been far worse and less satisfying than the old predictable formula. As Carbomb said, the art is in creating just enough doubt after the outcome seemed assured, whether in the match itself or the bumps in the road on the way to the match.

[PowerButchi]

Mexican wrestling is just the worst!

 

The worst, Jerry, the worst!

 

Japanese is the worst! Really cannot get on with it.

[The King Of Swing]

New Japan has been on fire this year so far but other than that I haven't really bothered with much Japanese wrestling these days, NOAH in particular just looks depressing and I hate that big fuck off ring they use and I always zone out after a match or two of All Japan.