You get one wrestler's catalog to watch for the rest of your life. Who are you taking?

[Mr. Manhattan]

HBK, or Omega for longevity

Bret retired too soon because of that Goldberg c*nt

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

Only matches?

No

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

But as I’ve matured, I feel like the show in its entirety - the feud, the drama and everything surrounding in context to the match is what really makes the story the guys tell in that ring for me.

For instance Triple H vs Cactus Jack from royal rumble 2000 is probably my favorite match of all time, but the story surrounding it is what really put it together and gave it that edge to me. Seeing homie get dragged to the show in a cage, all the mideon skits etc.

That's part of the catalog. Original post updated to reflect that.

 

[Larry]

That's part of the catalog. The thread title doesn't say MATCH catalog. It says WRESTLERS catalog.

I’m not speaking to that tho.. which is why I “said not to step on your thread” before I asked a very specific question.


There was a time where I’d hear about some really good match in New Japan and I’d race to see it. These days it’s like… if I’m not following the show in its entirety, I have no desire to seek out that specific match. It does nothing for me these days, but there was a time when it’s all I gave a fukk about..

For me it’s like watching the action scenes from like a Batman movie without the rest of the film to flesh everything out

and I’m simply wondering if anyone else finds themselves with a similar attitude these days

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

I’m not speaking to that tho.. which is why I “said not to step on your thread” before I asked a very specific question.


There was a time where I’d hear about some really good match in New Japan and I’d race to see it. These days it’s like… if I’m not following the show in its entirety, I have no desire to seek out that specific match. It does nothing for me these days, but there was a time when it’s all I gave a fukk about..


and I’m simply wondering if anyone else finds themselves with a similar attitude these days

I went the opposite direction, if we talking about story telling from outside the confines of the bell to bell action that is.

I didn't use to watch much of any TV/movies outside of sports and wrestling back when I last watched it religiously in the 90s and very early 2000s, and the only book reading I did was what school made me read, so the stories were a very nice thing to have. But now, I can fire up my Apple TV and have access to thousands of hours of superior story telling and acting. Or I can pick up my Kindle and read a book with better story telling.

So what happens in the ring is like 95% of the reason why I watch. Can good story telling enhance a match? Sure. But it's small factor for me. The in-match story telling has a significantly bigger impact for me than what story telling happens outside the ropes.

The in-match story telling is really just like sports strategy, in my opinion- finding a weakness and exploiting it, adapting and adjusting strategy for when the opponent makes changes, hitting big spots for a quick momentum boost (like a steal and a fastbreak dunk in basketball), going on a run of moves to take control of a match (like going on a 12-0 run in basketball), etc.

But you know I can also enjoy a match that's just spot monkeys, just like I can enjoy a three point contest, slam dunk contest, a home run derby, etc. It's certainly not what I want to watch all the time but it's a good change of pace to see some guys do wild and crazy stuff just for the purpose of showing they can do it.

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

But you know, if you need that all-around story telling to get into a match, nothing wrong with that. People's tastes change as they grow up, just a natural part of life. Wrestling certainly isn't the only thing I've changed my tastes on since the 90s!

 

[Larry]

But you know, if you need that all-around story telling to get into a match, nothing wrong with that. People's tastes change as they grow up, just a natural part of life. Wrestling certainly isn't the only thing I've changed my tastes on since the 90s!

It’s funny because for me, I leaned heavily into Indy wrestling from about 2006-2012. I’d download hours of everything from ROH to Dragon Gate and NOAH. I’d even go super Indy and grab IWA and Full Impact Pro stuff. All strictly matches. I didn’t care about anything else

I feel like my perspective changed once I got heavy into film. That’s one thing about me, I am a film buff. I started to appreciate the art of storytelling more, and with pro wrestling the actual wrestling part almost became secondary to me in that without the right story in place to enhance it, it’s almost meaningless to me


The showdown between the Avengers and Thanos in “End Game” is arguably the best action sequence ever put on screen, but that’s partially because it was the climax to 10 years of storytelling. Everything led to that one moment over a span of what, 20 movies? If that battle happened at the end of the first Iron Man, it doesn’t hit the same. We needed everything that led the moment of Tony snapping his fingers.


And that’s how I view pro wrestling in a sense. A bunch of mini stories all leading to specific climaxes. Incredible action sequences without a great story giving it that extra umph is like boneless chicken for me.


But I do respect y’all’s perspective

 

[Dave24]

@Larry Legend using Steve Austin vs The Rock at WrestleMania 17 as an example to truly enjoy the match would you need to watch all the promos and storylines leading

 

[Larry]

@Larry Legend using Steve Austin vs The Rock at WrestleMania 17 as an example to truly enjoy the match would you need to watch all the promos and storylines leading

Look at Punk Vs Cena at Money in the Bank 2011

From the technical “workrate” standpoint, there’s probably random matches on Dynamite every other month that are better than that..


But the storytelling and everything surrounding it, with Punk cutting the pipe bomb promo, threatening to walk out with the title, blowing the kiss and leaving through the crowd etc. makes it one of the greatest, most memorable matches of all time for me.

That’s what I watch wrestling for.

 

[Carl Tethers]

My maternal grandpa's favorite wrestler when my mother was going thru high school and college was Ric Flair. My mother was born in 1957.

Ric Flair's career before I was born was longer than the Rock's full-time career by like 5 years.

Nobody asked, cac fakkit

 

[Womb Raider]

Either Rock or Angle

 

[richaveli83]

Bret Hart

 

[Kang Deezy]

Nobody asked, cac fakkit

we don’t need that kind of talk in here, grow up

 

[Greenhornet]

scott hall
or sting

 

[ThaBronxBully]

I Grew Up A Northeast WWF Kid So Am I Crazy For Saying I’d Take 10 Years Of Bret Over 5 Decades Of Sting? lol