If you were a kid now watching wrestling...

[Drfunke]

..what would blow your mind?

 

Thinking back to 14/15 year old me in late 90s early 2000s i was obsessed with wwe culminating in my trip to Mania xx.

 

Before social media, before the internet became what it is, before you could watch raw live at 1am there wasnt anywhere near the access to wrestling, shows, shoots that there is now..

 

So what one thing now would you find most incredible if you could have had it back in the day when we looked forward to watching Raw (on a friday night)

 

For me it'd be all the meet and greets that now go on in the UK.

 

ITR bringing over Heyman, Steiner, Sting and now fuckin Goldberg is incredible.

[HarmonicGenerator]

The Network! All the wrestling I could ever want, whenever I want it! I don't think my teenage self would have ever left the house.

[scotswizard]

I would have loved the meet and greets back then because the wrestlers were so much better back then.

 

 

I've never taken to ITR but I realise that is down to me. I live in Glasgow. I live about 10 minutes from where they do their shows in Glasgow and I've never went. Sometimes it's best to remember stars as they were in their prime. Then again I've never went to an ICW show either and they are minutes away too lol.

 

 

But back then I would have loved all that.

[Grecian]

Yup, the Network. Had that existed when I was a kid, there's a very strong chance I'd still be a virgin living at home with my parents.

[thevestofdeanambrose]

Yep add me the network virgin list

[Supremo]

Absolutely The Network. Had that existed ten or fifteen years earlier then my wife and child would slowly vanish from existence, Back to the Future style. I'd have never left my room.

[ElCece]

Has there been any research done about the effect the network has on population control

[Silky Kisser]

Of course the Network. I can't imagine being young again and having access to that much content. it's overwhelming enough now and I've been watching for 25 years.

 

Edit. Word for word how Supremo ended his post.

[quote the raven]

80s network would have been interesting wouldnt it.

 

I still miss the tiny bit of excitement of getting a new VHS of an event pre internet 

[Egg Shen]

Yep, Supremo nailed it.

[Otto Dem Wanz]

We’ve had a lot of ‘The Network’ answers which are all correct, but to give a different perspective I’ll nominate something that in many ways still blows my mind as an adult – the fact that WWE can attract massive crowds for their wrestling shows at big stadiums.

When I was a young wrestling fan (the 2000-2002 period) Raw, Smackdown and almost every PPV came from relatively dark arenas that didn’t usually exceed 20,000 people, even during the years they were as profitable and mainstream as they would ever be. I didn’t watch a ‘Mania during this period, so while I was aware of what happened at X7 and X8 I had no clue they’d been held in front of such massive crowds which absolutely would’ve blown my mind.

My first ‘Mania back after my break was 22 which was obviously the last one they did in an arena, playing to sell-outs or near sell-outs in gigantic stadiums ever since.  Young me would have been amazed, whilst older me is very impressed that the opening shot of Wrestlemania each year is a Wembley-sized football crowd going ape shit for the wrasslin’ that’s about to start.
 

Thinking about it, for such a niche interest, WWE really do mobilise a massive amount of people to attend their biggest show. Spanning people who are lapsed fans and don’t watch week to week, the die-hards who never miss a show and the parents who’ve been dragged along by their kids, each of these groups coming from every part of the world.
 

It’s a massive credit to WWE’s branding and marketing of the event (that ironically could be seen as being detrimental to their overall product) along with the real stars that people come to see and draw the live gate.

[Uncle Zeb]

Aside from the obvious, a few things would have flabbered my 13-year-old gast:

 

- The WWF purchasing WCW.

 

- The average Motor City Machine Guns match, for example.

 

- Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair in 2009.

 

- Elimination Chamber, Punjabi Prison, Kennel From Hell.

 

- A succession of WWE ladies in Playboy.

 

- WWE UK Title and World of Sport return.

[westlondonmist]

I would have to say the meet and greets for me. I love them as an adult, getting to meet your heroes so easily these days is fantastic. 

Not sure about the network, if the internet was good enough to stream it well enough when I was a teenager then I would probably have watched the vast amounts of bongo flicks online that you can get. 

 

I think I would have liked the ease of merchandise and shows over here. For merch as a kid you had to order via a magazine and postage was a bomb so I didn't have any. Also WWF didn't have so many shows in the UK so I never got to see one live as a kid.

[Louch]

I would have loved the meet and greets back then because the wrestlers were so much better back then.

 

 

I've never taken to ITR but I realise that is down to me. I live in Glasgow. I live about 10 minutes from where they do their shows in Glasgow and I've never went. Sometimes it's best to remember stars as they were in their prime. Then again I've never went to an ICW show either and they are minutes away too lol.

 

 

But back then I would have loved all that.

Inside the ropes and Eros comedy tours have been great value for money when I have went. Should really try icw too,

[Krytie 2X4B 523P]

The WWE Network. Spent far too much time as a kid staring at WWF VHS' in HMV or Virgin Megastores, flicking through Mega Mail catalogues and just reading ppv results in the PWI Almanac. The dream for me back then was owning every ppv ever.

 

I guess I really should start appreciating how good we have it right now as wrestling fans.