From a casual's eye, WWE and AEW both look ridiculous and shells of what wrestling used to be

[momma]

At this point of my life, it's all acceptance of what used to be will never come back. WWE will continue to do WWE and AEW will continue to dress up WCW's corpse. No lie, this year I tried to make a vow to never touch the shyt cold turkey and you know what happened....Royal Rumble. Despite WWE's typical foolishness, I was sports entertained . Brock treating half the roster like default CAWs set to 30 made my night because a soft spot for fukkery. Yet, I won't give WWE any of my coin because fukk em. Meanwhile, AEW.....is what you want for it at this point . Right now, I'm like a old head sitting on the porch looking at the youngins with the Cornette stern look, but got no other choice but to watch their actions because I'm entertained .

Nothing will change because the marks became the bookers, yet there's still hope for a glimpse of fun in the promotions such as Edge returning and Omega actually winning something besides his self esteem.

I actually don't think WWE could go back to what it was nor do I want it to, I wanted the art and industry to move forward and evolve. That's why I fukk with NXT to the fullest extent because it doesn't tragically hold on to shyt from the past, it's a progressive identity that also understands what makes wrestling cool.

 

[Bryan Danielson]

I mean these are just my perceptions, I clearly don't know the ins and outs and all the finer details of AEW so you're undoubtedly more qualified to speak on what they do vs. others than I am. But just from what I've seen, as someone who casually might stumble across it (which is the audience AEW should be looking to attract), it's really not that different. You'd have to struggle to come up with a reason why someone who either checked out of wrestling or never watched in the first place would tune in.

I also don't understand it from a marketing standpoint, because wrestling fans want to watch AEW for what WWE is missing - a more serious, adult product with consistent storytelling - and for what NXT is missing - a true wrestling show but also on a larger scale with big names from around the world. AEW does neither of those things. And on top of that, nothing about the show looks exciting to casuals or non-fans who either don't buy into wrestling as a thing to begin with or stopped watching a long time ago because they outgrew the silliness. I want AEW to succeed because I'm still invested in the idea of what wrestling could be, but to me it seems like they're wasting their chance and think recreating the Monday Night Wars, where it's a product adjacently similar to the competition but marketed on more excitement, applies in 2020.

I feel you and I think the problem with wrestling more to do with as you said the “casuals” than really a lot of these companies.

Like wrestling is wrestling but when they saying goes “want something different” what all specifically does that mean or when you get it why complain?

TNA once did something different with faster action and 6 sided rings and casual complained.

AEW out the box did basically nothing but action in a variety of ways and casuals complained there wasn’t enough promos and vignettes packages.

Like it’s like everyone says they want something different but can never really articulate what’s the difference they really want. Then when there are some hands down clear as day differences, they downplay or dismiss it.

At the end of the day, as long as they is a ring, music, announcers, refs, and wrestlers in the ring. There’s ALWAYS gonna be the basic foundation similarities that just can’t be changed if so then it’s no longer wrestling.

 

[The Intergalactic Koala]

I actually don't think WWE could go back to what it was nor do I want it to, I wanted the art and industry to move forward and evolve. That's why I fukk with NXT to the fullest extent because it doesn't tragically hold on to shyt from the past, it's a progressive identity that also understands what makes wrestling cool.

The only way for the business to evolve is for the fans to allow it. Think about it, every time a promotion falls ill (WWE ratings being in the shytter, AEW got two many unknown wrestlers to reach a casual market, etc). What's the first thing these companies do........bring back the nostalgic factor. While I did pop for Edge because come on it's friggin Edge, I don't want that same Edge to be wrestling when there's talent that should be getting more recognition. Until the business gets over the nostalgia pop, nothing will change. Hell, even in the indies it's the same ole shyt as well. Like I seen one match the other day that had 2 Cold Scorpio wrestling looking all sorts of . I mean I get it, they get called in to move the gate and help improve talent but breh ...how the talent going to prosper if their shine gets taken from a 40 something year old wrestler that should just let it go or be one of the boys in the back

 

[momma]

The only way for the business to evolve is for the fans to allow it. Think about it, every time a promotion falls ill (WWE ratings being in the shytter, AEW got two many unknown wrestlers to reach a casual market, etc). What's the first thing these companies do........bring back the nostalgic factor. While I did pop for Edge because come on it's friggin Edge, I don't want that same Edge to be wrestling when there's talent that should be getting more recognition. Until the business gets over the nostalgia pop, nothing will change. Hell, even in the indies it's the same ole shyt as well. Like I seen one match the other day that had 2 Cold Scorpio wrestling looking all sorts of . I mean I get it, they get called in to move the gate and help improve talent but breh ...how the talent going to prosper if their shine gets taken from a 40 something year old wrestler that should just let it go or be one of the boys in the back

In the same token though, NXT doesn't do nostalgia acts because they actually make fresh and interesting characters with sensible writing to where fans would rather see Undisputed Era vs. Imperium over NWO vs. DX. You can blame this all on Vince at the end of the day, mans has not made a bonafide star since John Cena / Batista / Orton / Brock and now relies on old timers to get casuals invested, makes sense the industry as a whole followed suit.

 

[Bryan Danielson]

My only thing about NXT and the overhyping of that is either let’s stop pretending or trynna act like this didn’t happen.















https://youtu.be/5zB_eE0XQsI
Let’s stop acting like their guys are straight from the beginning fresh WWE guys and ain’t been no where else.

It’s like the E gets a pass on that but then when someone mentions AEW, TNA, ROH and some NJPW talent then that gets shytted on.

Really NJPW the only one in the game as far as I know that really has “homegrown” since they have the Dojo that a lot of guys come up.

NXT is full of main eventers from the indies and other feds that realistically (and in another era) could’ve came straight to the main roster

And they don’t really need to do nostalgia acts cuz that’s already done or used on RAW/SMDN and most probably don’t wanna even do that there when they can do it on the main roster

Remove NXT from the WWE banner and they closer to an AEW, ROH and etc than they are to WWE Raw and SMDN

 

[El Cocodrilo]

I think AEW and NXT are good cause theyre fun to watch if you stop being a smark for a day and just enjoy the show

RAW sucks cause its the same shyt every week for the last 15 years, and its 3 hours long.

Everything in the past seems better cause youre just thinking about the highlights like thats all that happened.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

In the same token though, NXT doesn't do nostalgia acts because they actually make fresh and interesting characters with sensible writing to where fans would rather see Undisputed Era vs. Imperium over NWO vs. DX. You can blame this all on Vince at the end of the day, mans has not made a bonafide star since John Cena / Batista / Orton / Brock and now relies on old timers to get casuals invested, makes sense the industry as a whole followed suit.

They've driven nostalgia into the ground to the point where it hardly moves the needle anymore. Edge is an outlier cause people truly never thought he’d wrestle again, plus hasn’t been brought back an enormous amount of times beforehand. I don’t care at all to see another DX reunion, Mick Foley, etc ever again. The WWE wouldn’t be in its current state had they focused on the present and future more instead of bleeding the past dry. And not just focusing on 1 or 2 people either, but every level of the roster.

 

[THEREALBRAND]

Anybody writing paragraphs on a wrestling forum isn’t a “casual”.

 

[MrFirst2doit]

I actually don't think WWE could go back to what it was nor do I want it to, I wanted the art and industry to move forward and evolve. That's why I fukk with NXT to the fullest extent because it doesn't tragically hold on to shyt from the past, it's a progressive identity that also understands what makes wrestling cool.

"Moving forward” and ”evolving” are often mistaken with devolving. How do we know the difference? The only objective measurement or metric removed from your own emotions is tv ratings and general interest, which speak volumes.

Observationally, I also seeing less normal people to include kids and women, it's mostly men who resemble the stereotypical mark look.

.I took my kid to a NXT show maybe 2 years ago or last year maybe, it was when Ricochet just debuted and Andrade was champ... Anyways, show was cool two grown dudes behind me were obnoxiously yelling and chanting the whole show, failing on every chant attempt, cursing in front of kids and not funny and super corny humor. Completely ruined the experience for me and my son and that was the last time I'll ever go to a show during the "neckbeard” era

 

[Brad Piff]

All I know is I’m watching all this Kobe stuff on tnt and aew is literally getting promoted at every commercial break.. and they still can’t crack a milli..

 

[Prince Akeem]

Anybody writing paragraphs on a wrestling forum isn’t a “casual”.

 

[momma]

Anybody writing paragraphs on a wrestling forum isn’t a “casual”.

What is a casual besides someone who only casually watches now and then? I used to be heavy into it like everyone else on here but now I’m not, simple as that

 

[momma]

"Moving forward” and ”evolving” are often mistaken with devolving. How do we know the difference? The only objective measurement or metric removed from your own emotions is tv ratings and general interest, which speak volumes.

Observationally, I also seeing less normal people to include kids and women, it's mostly men who resemble the stereotypical mark look.

.I took my kid to a NXT show maybe 2 years ago or last year maybe, it was when Ricochet just debuted and Andrade was champ... Anyways, show was cool two grown dudes behind me were obnoxiously yelling and chanting the whole show, failing on every chant attempt, cursing in front of kids and not funny and super corny humor. Completely ruined the experience for me and my son and that was the last time I'll ever go to a show during the "neckbeard” era

You know the difference because NXT is doing it. Everything they’re doing with that show is forward thinking.

You can’t really expect NXT crowds to be sedated. ECW crowds back in the day were the same so it’s not an era thing. I mean you can go to any sporting event and there’s a decent chance there’s unruly loudmouth fans.

 

[Dolo]

AEW might not be perfect but after years of mediocrity from WWE (excluding NXT), its exactly what I've been needing from wrestling

 

[Bryan Danielson]

I still don’t feel like NXT is pushing anything forward like some need to claim.

NXT is really nothing but a sterilized INDY fed with WWE connections.

Something like Lucha Underground was the perfect example of forward thinking.

Hell even TNA back when they started the whole Broken Universe with Matt (though more credit may should go to him).

But then that goes back to my case of all the criticism and complaints one may have, do the people really want “forward thinking or companies to move forward”?

Majority of the things companies have tried in contexts of being different a strong contingent dismisses/dismissed or downplay

Bu bu bu 6 sided rings, trash
Bu bu bu over the top cinematic storylines, trash
Bu bu bu shaking hands before & after matches or honor, trash

And so on