Poll: Pro Wrestling for Non-Fans

[SadakoMoose]

With the recent and unfortunate health problems of the well regarded Jerry Lawler (get well soon), it would seem that pro wrestling has yet again come into the mainstream's discussion. Well, mainstream for the escapist anyway.
Not to see like a profiteer, but, allow me to introduce myself.
I am the biggest wrestling nerd on the Escapist. You're welcome.
If you've see any of my prior pro wrestling threads, then you know that I am a ravenous fan with an unquenchable compulsion to debate, answer, and engage people I refer to as "Normals" about my favorite thing in the whole wide world.
So, come with questions. There's no such thing as a stupid question, and you will not be flamed for asking something that might seem obvious. If you don't know something about wrestling, then your question is perfectly valid to me and I will answer it to the best of my abilities.
To wrestling fans already ON the escapist, what experiences have you had discussing pro wrestling outside of fan circles?
I can do anything from historical trivia, match recommendations, and everything in between.

As an ice breaker, here's a highlight video:
(I have a millions of them)

 

[SadakoMoose]

Ok, here's a better conversation starter:
This is a crappy documentary on the more controversial elements sometimes found within wrestling. I've already made up my mind about it, and here's an article from the MIT comparative media studies course that agrees with me: http://mitcmsprowrestling.blogspot.com/2007/05/wrestling-with-manhood-wrestling-with.html
But what do YOU think? I genuinely want to have this conversation with some people.

 

[SadakoMoose]

Ok, I know at least 12 of you have seen this thread, given that there are 12 answers to my poll (subtracting myself). I also know that at least 9 of you said no, which means that you probably have some questions, misconceptions, or opinions to be heard. I know it's a slow day, but you'll be surprised at how much fun you can have talking about this! You'll hear about things that you've never once considered or imagined! Ask ANYTHING, I won't be offended.

 

[TakerFoxx]

Every time someone finds out I'm a pro-wrestling fan, the first thing out of their mouth is always that goddamned question: "You know it's fake, right?"

My answers have become more sarcastic every time.

 

[SadakoMoose]

Sorry, fellow wrestling fan (albeit extremely casual in this era), but I'll help keep 'er alive.

What's your favorite promotion and era of that promotion?

Oh god that's too big...Here are a few of my picks...
Late 80's Early 90's NJPW (Choshu as booker, UWFi feud, Heisei Ishingun, Super Juniors)
Early 90's AJPW (Famous Five (Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi, Taue, Jun)
70's-Mid Eighties World of Sport (Saint, Rocco, Sanders, EARLY Regal)
Late 90's Early 00's Northwest Indies (Early CZW, ROH, Chikara, JAPW. Reckless Youth.)
Late 80's WCW (No Hogan, Surfer Sting, Clash of Champions, Steiner Brothers, NJPW Cross overs)

 

[Berithil]

I'm not a fan, but my dad is. And even though I don't watch it (often), I can still appreciate it for what it is: silly fun entertainment.

Although, my dad wanted to take me to a match when it was in Portland, and I'll admit it can be pretty entertaining live.

 

[SadakoMoose]

Every time someone finds out I'm a pro-wrestling fan, the first thing out of their mouth is always that goddamned question: "You know it's fake, right?"

My answers have become more sarcastic every time.

I honestly used to wonder WHY people still asked that question. It seemed kind of obvious.
And then I realized something: Some people actually think we're stupid.
To which I say: Like I'm going to take that from a beer swilling, Tappout wearing, fair weather UFC fan that doesn't even know what Pancrase or PRIDE FC were...
Personal problems, lol.

 

[SadakoMoose]

I'm not a fan, but my dad is. And even though I don't watch it (often), I can still appreciate it for what it is: silly fun entertainment.

Although, my dad wanted to take me to a match when it was in Portland, and I'll admit it can be pretty entertaining live.

Portland used to be home to one of the best NWA Territories of the 80's.
Under Don Owens, a lot of highly influential talent got their starts there, like the late (great) Art Barr. It's worth a youtube search!

 

[LetalisK]

I just recently got into wrestling a few years ago and it's pretty much just WWE.

*gets chased out by hardcore wrestling fans*

 

[DoPo]

Ok, I know at least 12 of you have seen this thread, given that there are 12 answers to my poll (subtracting myself). I also know that at least 9 of you said no, which means that you probably have some questions, misconceptions, or opinions to be heard. I know it's a slow day, but you'll be surprised at how much fun you can have talking about this! You'll hear about things that you've never once considered or imagined! Ask ANYTHING, I won't be offended.

I was one of those "No"s. I don't really have any questions. Well, maybe one - why should I care? People used to make a huge deal out of wrestling - I staid up late specifically to watch it and then turned off the TV 5 minutes later. It wasn't something terribly exciting. People still made a huge deal of it, though. And still do.

No offence, but I just don't find anything interesting there. Same with knitting, country music or politics in Ukraine. And I don't have any strong feelings or opinions to neither of these, certainly not any questions or any other kind of interest. So, again, why should I care more about wrestling than I currently do (i.e., not at all).

 

[omega 616]

I watched it as a kid but stopped when the "PG era" started, I always found Chris Jericho and the Rock insulting people to be funny as hell (even though I never actually liked either of them) but when John Cena basically became the face of WWE, I was like "I'm out!".

It now seems there is a revolving door of "super stars", like there is a new guy every episode. It doesn't seem that long along there were 3 Mexican dudes riding lawn mowers down to the ring and now it seems half the people there have the same personality.

Like how many "mr Kennedy" people have we got? By which I mean "I'm fucking awesome but the crowd hates me".

Also is Big show a face or heel this week? That mother fucker has more turns than the Nürburgring!

 

[SadakoMoose]

I just recently got into wrestling a few years ago and it's pretty much just WWE.

*gets chased out by hardcore wrestling fans*

No, no, no...
You're not going to get chased out by ANYONE.
You will however receive some RECOMMENDATIONS oooh!!
If you just want to preview some stuff before commit to watching a full show, this guy:
www.youtube.com/user/BxBillZero does great highlight music videos for the Japanese stuff.

This guy: www.youtube.com/user/RobViper3 is good if you're interested in Lucha Libre at all.

As for US stuff, try Chikara's Podcast A-go-go/Youtube channel.
They have some free matches on there, and their DVD's are usually well priced.
Sometimes, Highspots.com has grab bag deals for Indy Wrestling companies, and that's a GREAT way to get into it.

Beyond Wrestling also has a youtube channel that is littered with free matches, and definitely worth a watch!

Have fun!

 

[SadakoMoose]

Okay, favorite mega-card/PPV?

It's a toss up between Clash of Champions and MOST of the January Dome Shows.
Actually, Chikara has been one of the best companies as far as building up to super cards and delivering on their promises is concerned. Super Excited for King of Trios, every year.

 

[Cardbird]

Oh, hello thar. I'm Cardbird, hardcore wrestling fan. Question for all here, what do you think of CM Punk's current heel(Bad guy) run?

 

[Dragoon]

Oh, hello thar. I'm Cardbird, hardcore wrestling fan. Question for all here, what do you think of CM Punk's current heel(Bad guy) run?

CM Punk is a natural heel so him being heel now is a good thing, it's even more interesting with Paul Heyman in the mix.

I'm a WWE fan but I don't really pay much heed to actual pro wrestling stuff.

 

[SadakoMoose]

Ok, I know at least 12 of you have seen this thread, given that there are 12 answers to my poll (subtracting myself). I also know that at least 9 of you said no, which means that you probably have some questions, misconceptions, or opinions to be heard. I know it's a slow day, but you'll be surprised at how much fun you can have talking about this! You'll hear about things that you've never once considered or imagined! Ask ANYTHING, I won't be offended.

I was one of those "No"s. I don't really have any questions. Well, maybe one - why should I care? People used to make a huge deal out of wrestling - I staid up late specifically to watch it and then turned off the TV 5 minutes later. It wasn't something terribly exciting. People still made a huge deal of it, though. And still do.

No offence, but I just don't find anything interesting there. Same with knitting, country music or politics in Ukraine. And I don't have any strong feelings or opinions to neither of these, certainly not any questions or any other kind of interest. So, again, why should I care more about wrestling than I currently do (i.e., not at all).

As a big fan of pro wrestling, I actually feel kind of sorry that your first exposure was such a massive letdown. It's funny, but I was in the exact same boat at one point. I didn't think much of wrestling until I was about 14, when I stumbled on some really good stuff one night.

For me, the question is never "why SHOULD one watch" as much as it is why COULD one watch.
There's any number of reasons one could enjoy something, but they do necessarily HAVE to. I'm not here to try to force pro wrestling on anyone, I'm just here to make sure that people have access to a wider scope of the sport other than just the WWE, which aside from being almost the only mainstream pro wrestling offering is also responsible for a product that I view as usually mediocre and bland. It's the most generic pro wrestling possible, because it now OWNS the mainstream perception of the sport and therefore 99% of the exposure that pro wrestling receives in the media. This is not a good situation, in my eyes.

So, my mission statement and philosophizing out of the way, here are some links to explore.
Try watching an episode of Chikara's Podcast A-go-go. More than just match highlights, they also have interviews and everything else you would need to get into their current season.

You might also try an episode of Ring of Honor's episodic program. Most episodes are online in one form or another. They're more serious than Chikara, but they have good in ring action.

There are also the highlight music videos from bxbillzero and robviper3 that I posted earlier. They can give you a decent idea of what to expect, and might even lead you to tracking down particular shows.

A few standalone matches:
I DON'T like recommending standalone matches, mostly because they lack context and can never completely convey wrestling as I see it, but they can be good for getting people interested.
With that:
John Gresham vs Mark Angel
No storyline to this one. This match is courtesy of Beyond Wrestling, a company with a curious gimmick in that they don't allow fan to watch the shows live. The audience is made up exclusively of other pro wrestlers. Consequently, this match is a CLINIC on pro wrestling at what many consider to be it's technical peak.

F.I.S.T (Gran Akuma, Icarus, Chuck Taylor) vs The Future is Now (Lince Dorado, Helios, Jimmy Olsen)
Excellent high flying match from Chikara Pro. Lots of fun!

Jumbo Tsuruta (C) vs. Misawa Mitsuhara
Master vs Student, old school vs young ace, the 80's vs the 90's.
Watch as the hungry young Misawa battle over the AJPW Triple Crown against the face of the company, the legendary Jumbo Tsuruta. The crowd at Nippon Budokan was electric that night.
Up to this point, Misawa, despite being the Jr. Heavyweight ace of the company, had never been able to beat his mentor.
With that in mind, please enjoy, but don't feel pressured to have any opinion whatsoever just because I've just piled all this onto you.
I'm just doing what I believe in.

 

[Kargathia]

It's an interesting branch of gymnastics, but quite frankly the whole pretend thing makes it take a nosedive into the uncanny valley between organised gymnastics and actual competitive fighting sports.

Don't get me wrong though - as a judoka I quite prefer the ground part of my sport, as it is a very interesting combination of tactics and technique. The problem is that a single moment where somebody genuinely finds a way to suddenly break the stalemate is more interesting to me than any choreographed arraignment of flashy techniques could ever hope to be.