Negativity Thread.

[Carbomb]

29 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

"but why are they wrestling?"

Personal glory, ego, the winners purse and to improve their standing so they can get a Championship shot. It's pretty simple. 

Another thing I hate:

Cutters.

The RKO works. Every other version looks shit. Too many people do them and the more dives and springboards involved the worse they are.

3D looks great though.

[Snitsky's back acne]

21 hours ago, air_raid said:

I'll be honest, I disagree with this unless they've changed gimmick and the old theme doesn't fit anymore. I used to love Sasha Banks' theme, then she changed it. It was jarring the first time I heard this. Because the new version wasn't any good.

Probably just my problem, that one.

Shawn Michaels most definitely, under any circumstances, should not be using 'Sexy Boy' as his entrance music anymore. It just feels like the lyrics are mocking him at this point. 

[Dr. Alan Grant]

2 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

Something I really hate is when someone attacks someone with a chair but as they aren't allowed to do headshots anymore they hit them with a weak looking side shot to the stomach and then hit them on the back. It always without fail looks stupid.

 

Yes yes yes. I hate this. I don’t know if gimmicked chairs are significantly safer, they’re still getting hit in the head pretty damn hard. CTE for everyone or a decent looking chairshot…I’m torn. Kendo sticks need to disappear forever too. 

Seth “Freakin’” Rollins. Him in general obviously, but it’s the “freakin’” bit that annoys me. The commentators say it, the announcers say it, his graphic says it. Freakin’ dork.

[Mr Butternut Squash]

All the production ticks that annoy me have already been covered. What frustrates me is that they've infected every promotion. Nobody seems to be thinking of fresh ways to present wrestling anymore. The last 25 years of WWE seems to be the only reference point.

Seeing some berk in the front row of Raw reminded me of another one. Fans doing the fake shock faces and YouTube twat reaction shots. Awful.

[Carbomb]

It doesn't even have to be fresh ways either. Some of the old stuff they don't do any more would be great to have back. The Sports Centre (or was it the News Centre?) was a superb bit of presentation that made for some of the best viewing while keeping things varied. It gave the whole thing that air of being a sport with some legit punditry, while leaning enough into the face/heel divide as to keep it interesting with a bit of needle. And it was demonstrably a tremendous tool for booking on the fly, as the Randy Savage looking for a tag partner/Mr. Perfect returning to the ring angle will attest. I was a 12 year-old kid at the time, and this was the longest a non-match section of a show had ever held my attention for. I honestly don't know why other promotions, especially British ones, haven't use it as a way of moving programmes along, instead of relying on either the same old shit, or experimental but obviously stupid shit.

Would be perfect for a British promotion, too. Just imagine a pundit with an Athletico Mince Mark Lawrenson-style personality where he just shits on everything?

"Hip-toss, there...

I'm not happy with the new recycling collection schedules in my neighbourhood, just feels like a load of faff for no reason. I had a proper timetable for sorting everything and now it's all up in the air. Our tax money at work. Should have a word with my local councillor...

Chinlock...

Been thinking about getting one of those big plastic sea-chests for the garden. Could do with the storage. Can't be arsed to walk to the bottom of the garden for a shovel from the shed. Think Wickes might have a sale on one at the moment. Should check it out, might be something in it...

Eye poke..."

[boshealecta]

8 hours ago, Carbomb said:

It doesn't even have to be fresh ways either. Some of the old stuff they don't do any more would be great to have back. The Sports Centre (or was it the News Centre?) was a superb bit of presentation that made for some of the best viewing while keeping things varied. It gave the whole thing that air of being a sport with some legit punditry, while leaning enough into the face/heel divide as to keep it interesting with a bit of needle. And it was demonstrably a tremendous tool for booking on the fly, as the Randy Savage looking for a tag partner/Mr. Perfect returning to the ring angle will attest. I was a 12 year-old kid at the time, and this was the longest a non-match section of a show had ever held my attention for. I honestly don't know why other promotions, especially British ones, haven't use it as a way of moving programmes along, instead of relying on either the same old shit, or experimental but obviously stupid shit.

Would be perfect for a British promotion, too. Just imagine a pundit with an Athletico Mince Mark Lawrenson-style personality where he just shits on everything?

"Hip-toss, there...

I'm not happy with the new recycling collection schedules in my neighbourhood, just feels like a load of faff for no reason. I had a proper timetable for sorting everything and now it's all up in the air. Our tax money at work. Should have a word with my local councillor...

Chinlock...

Been thinking about getting one of those big plastic sea-chests for the garden. Could do with the storage. Can't be arsed to walk to the bottom of the garden for a shovel from the shed. Think Wickes might have a sale on one at the moment. Should check it out, might be something in it...

Eye poke..."

10 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

"but why are they wrestling?"

Personal glory, ego, the winners purse and to improve their standing so they can get a Championship shot. It's pretty simple. 

Another thing I hate:

Cutters.

The RKO works. Every other version looks shit. Too many people do them and the more dives and springboards involved the worse they are.

Gorilla always used to mention the winners purse. Made it seem like there was a reason to win every match. 
 

I used to love the events centre and Primetime as punditry. I’ve noticed they do it now as pre-show stuff etc but now it feels all pointless. Mainly because I feel what the pundits and commentators say will have no actual insight on the match at all. Like when they were talking about previous stats in the rumble…it means nothing as obviously it’s a work but at least ‘back in the day’ it felt like they backed it up. So if someone said Andre was favourite to win a battle royal because he was the biggest - he did. If they played up Macho Man having a bad knee, it factored into the match. Now I feel like the two don’t marry and happen independently of each other 

[air_raid]

6 hours ago, boshealecta said:

Gorilla always used to mention the winners purse. Made it seem like there was a reason to win every match. 

And the “championship committee.” If he said Rockers vs Rougeaus mattered because the committee were watching on and the winners may get the next title shot, I believed him.

[Snitsky's back acne]

3 hours ago, air_raid said:

And the “championship committee.” If he said Rockers vs Rougeaus mattered because the committee were watching on and the winners may get the next title shot, I believed him.

Plus we didn't know/see everything then. 

If they said 'The Rockers have been winning lots of matches at live events recently and are in line for a title shot' you just went with it.

Now you get some geek (usually Meltzer) going 'Erm, well akshullly they've lost their last three matches on non televised events and the Hart Foundation have more wins than they do so really it should be the Hart Foundation that are in line for the shot' 

[Carbomb]

Another couple of things come to mind.

They got rid of the interview podium in front of the arena crowd. That was ace - looked big-time, and didn't even need high production values, just a platform. They did it once or twice in the modern era, then just binned it off. Annoying.

Big Show and Spike Dudley's tag-team was not given enough time. All the tag-teams Show has been in, that one made the most sense. They should've been together for a lot longer than they were; I reckon they would've ended up really learning to use the smallest guy/biggest guy dynamic really well, especially for double-teams. Especially when Spike got the matching one-shoulder singlet. I thought they were ace.

[Arthur B. Funky]

On 2/5/2025 at 11:58 PM, simonworden said:

I actually disagree with this one. I've always preferred around 10 to 12 PPVs a year. The days where we had 16+ got a little intense with 2 to 3 week gaps even if it was different brands. 

But with my attitude era conditioning I find it really hard when there's more than a 6 week gap to a PPV. For some reason TV promotions seem to often have things fizzle out in their stories too and don't know how to keep different plates spinning at different times to blow off the matches in more of a steady stream on TV anymore. 

OK, so WWE gets to run 12 PLEs a year, & then, if you're watching & keeping track of them, the others (TNA, AEW, New Japan, ROH, etc.) have their versions of PLEs interspersed.  Just seems like a fairly heavy schedule for the mid-level fan to be in line with.  Casual fans certainly won't give a crap about keeping up, & that's where the biz loses the appeal.  One company isn't wrestling, & over-saturation of "the one" tends to balls it up for the rest of the class.

Companies want to keep people hooked, I get it, but think back to the 90s when there were loads on TV; WWF, WCW, SMW & USWA alone were building up & catching the casuals, who are (hopefully) todays addicts.  We don't have that these days because of "the one" & the lack of long-running feuds.

 

[DavidB6937]

6 minutes ago, Arthur B. Funky said:

OK, so WWE gets to run 12 PLEs a year, & then, if you're watching & keeping track of them, the others (TNA, AEW, New Japan, ROH, etc.) have their versions of PLEs interspersed.  Just seems like a fairly heavy schedule for the mid-level fan to be in line with.  Casual fans certainly won't give a crap about keeping up, & that's where the biz loses the appeal.  One company isn't wrestling, & over-saturation of "the one" tends to balls it up for the rest of the class.

Companies want to keep people hooked, I get it, but think back to the 90s when there were loads on TV; WWF, WCW, SMW & USWA alone were building up & catching the casuals, who are (hopefully) todays addicts.  We don't have that these days because of "the one" & the lack of long-running feuds.

 

So you're saying that WWE need to cut down the number of PLEs to accommodate for the other companies? There'll be plenty of fans that watch WWE and don't bother with the others so that doesn't really make much sense. Plus from a business perspective, why would they do that? Fairly sure TNA, for example, run a regular "PPV" every month anyway. 

[sivy]

I might be alone but 2 years later I'm still annoyed AEW got rid of AEW Dark on YouTube. Just the perfect background for a couple of hours. Seeing guys develop too. 

[garynysmon]

The quality of wrestling discourse online is now the worst its ever been.

It feels that absolutely everything has to be viewed through the prism of this AEW/WWE culture war and you have to pick sides. In doing so you have to believe that everything the other side does is dogshit and your chosen side is bigger and/or righteous.

Pro AEW or WWE accounts (which are mainly negative WWE/AEW accounts), even podcasters and 'journalists' nailing themselves to whatever mast just to farm engagement. 

I'm probably only noticing this more now that TNA has also been dragged into this boring never ending nonsense, but by god its tiresome. Bad faith actors everywhere.

Edited February 7, 2025 by garynysmon

[Chili]

9 minutes ago, sivy said:

I might be alone but 2 years later I'm still annoyed AEW got rid of AEW Dark on YouTube. Just the perfect background for a couple of hours. Seeing guys develop too. 

Same though I enjoyed DARK as this almost other universe Prime Time Wrestling where you had some matches but you stuck around for the bullshit chatter from the hosts. Completely understand why it went, but yeah, lovely WCW Pro vibes from the In-ring action too for the occasional random cameo of someone you didn't expect or an indy darling.

@garynysmonwhere you reading this and what's set you off? It's mostly pretty understanding round these parts, but we're a curious anamoly.

Edited February 7, 2025 by Chili

[garynysmon]

2 minutes ago, Chili said:

 

@garynysmonwhere you reading this and what's set you off? It's mostly pretty understanding round these parts, but we're a curious anamoly.

Mainly websites and/or social media in fairness.

Gosh, I don't mean here, here and Ian's Bluesky account are the only corners of the wrestling internet I still feel I can read!

Edited February 7, 2025 by garynysmon