Post by Brad Kane on Jun 24, 2010 23:09:24 GMT -6
Alright, the Chat Box this evening has provided some varied opinions on professional wrestling. While we have our own opinions and our reasons why, I think it'd be a good as time as any to really explain our preferences and how we got there. Sure this might seem a little bitchy or what have you but eh, I think we should knock down the basics of what we like and dislike. Seeing as how I started the thread, I reckon I'll go first.
Well I started off liking the normal WWE style when I first began to watch wrestling and what have you. That punch, kick, punch, kick, clothesline style. I might be getting that wrong but you should understand what I mean. Anyways, when I'd watch someone do a normal springboard dive I thought it was awfully impressive because it was a rare spot to see on their programming.
Suppose that's why WWE fans still hold the TLC matches in such high regard because it's something out of the ordinary from what they usually see on a regular basis.
But a trip to F.Y.E. made a difference as I found an ROH DVD. Their first one, actually. First show I should say, not one of the national release DVDs. So I began to slowly explore the indy scene. I got hooked on ROH among other indy promotions like PWG and some of CZW. Yes, I was a death match fan for a couple of years. I'm such a horrible person.
Then I began to shift to more of a high flying style of product like you'd see from Dragon Gate and some of the indy spot guys like Matt Cross and all that good stuff.
After that I became obsessed with pure wrestling for a while. Note that a damn wristlock is not a resthold. A side headlock is not a resthold when used properly in a context of a match. Let me put this into perspective for you.
Take a Joe vs. Punk match from Ring of Honor. The whole deal was that Punk wanted to make Joe go an hour. So why would you friggin' go full tilt with nothing but bombs away when you KNOW you're going for an hour. You slow it down and you work a slow style of match. It's like this. Punk uses the headlock because it'll wear out Joe. Not because he needs a damn rest. It's like when Orton uses a headlock in one of his matches. You can surely make the claim that he's resting but isn't all of his finishing moves centered on the head?
The RKO, the Punt and that Rope DDT all spike someone on their head. So when he locks that chinlock or headlock in the middle of the match, it actually works in his favor instead of just slapping it on to get a breather. This is the concept of everything means something.
Any match can use this concept and make it into something. It won't always be great but that was separates a spotfest from a classic match with a story. Both can be awesome, both can be uber crap but that fact remains. Its like someone working on an arm for ten minutes before getting the win with a damn leglock!
I mean take one of these Dragon Gate six man tags. While they really have no story to them most of the time, its just six guys going out and hitting their moves cleanly, hopefully. That's why people enjoy that product so much. They just go out and put on these matches with insane highspots. But still, they usually trade people in factions all the time so they know each other so well that you get the counters to the counters. Though it is rather annoying when they throw out bombs and get pinned with a roll up...
Then of course I'm also a big puro fan. Usually with Japanese wrestling, there might not be a ton of angles but the history of the wrestler's are so connected. Its like when All Japan had Kawada, Misawa and Kobashi to be their aces. All three guys had wrestled each other so much in singles or tags that they knew the big spots. They knew what would be coming and they could counter it. It's that whole familiarity thing.
One of the so called greatest matches of all time happened back in 1994 between Misawa and Kawada. The two men had a huge history already and while I haven't seen the whole match, people have said it's the best thing since Sliced Bread #2.
When I was in my death match phase, I never really saw anything that made the match connect other then just being stupid for getting cheap violence pops. Why would someone willingly get hit with a light tube? Why would someone walk on tacks with bare feet? It just doesn't make any real sense.
I suppose what I'm getting at is when you look at wrestling for just the moves, you're going to be left out in the cold if you don't get the meaning behind them. Everything means something.
That's how I view wrestling.
Well I started off liking the normal WWE style when I first began to watch wrestling and what have you. That punch, kick, punch, kick, clothesline style. I might be getting that wrong but you should understand what I mean. Anyways, when I'd watch someone do a normal springboard dive I thought it was awfully impressive because it was a rare spot to see on their programming.
Suppose that's why WWE fans still hold the TLC matches in such high regard because it's something out of the ordinary from what they usually see on a regular basis.
But a trip to F.Y.E. made a difference as I found an ROH DVD. Their first one, actually. First show I should say, not one of the national release DVDs. So I began to slowly explore the indy scene. I got hooked on ROH among other indy promotions like PWG and some of CZW. Yes, I was a death match fan for a couple of years. I'm such a horrible person.
Then I began to shift to more of a high flying style of product like you'd see from Dragon Gate and some of the indy spot guys like Matt Cross and all that good stuff.
After that I became obsessed with pure wrestling for a while. Note that a damn wristlock is not a resthold. A side headlock is not a resthold when used properly in a context of a match. Let me put this into perspective for you.
Take a Joe vs. Punk match from Ring of Honor. The whole deal was that Punk wanted to make Joe go an hour. So why would you friggin' go full tilt with nothing but bombs away when you KNOW you're going for an hour. You slow it down and you work a slow style of match. It's like this. Punk uses the headlock because it'll wear out Joe. Not because he needs a damn rest. It's like when Orton uses a headlock in one of his matches. You can surely make the claim that he's resting but isn't all of his finishing moves centered on the head?
The RKO, the Punt and that Rope DDT all spike someone on their head. So when he locks that chinlock or headlock in the middle of the match, it actually works in his favor instead of just slapping it on to get a breather. This is the concept of everything means something.
Any match can use this concept and make it into something. It won't always be great but that was separates a spotfest from a classic match with a story. Both can be awesome, both can be uber crap but that fact remains. Its like someone working on an arm for ten minutes before getting the win with a damn leglock!
I mean take one of these Dragon Gate six man tags. While they really have no story to them most of the time, its just six guys going out and hitting their moves cleanly, hopefully. That's why people enjoy that product so much. They just go out and put on these matches with insane highspots. But still, they usually trade people in factions all the time so they know each other so well that you get the counters to the counters. Though it is rather annoying when they throw out bombs and get pinned with a roll up...
Then of course I'm also a big puro fan. Usually with Japanese wrestling, there might not be a ton of angles but the history of the wrestler's are so connected. Its like when All Japan had Kawada, Misawa and Kobashi to be their aces. All three guys had wrestled each other so much in singles or tags that they knew the big spots. They knew what would be coming and they could counter it. It's that whole familiarity thing.
One of the so called greatest matches of all time happened back in 1994 between Misawa and Kawada. The two men had a huge history already and while I haven't seen the whole match, people have said it's the best thing since Sliced Bread #2.
When I was in my death match phase, I never really saw anything that made the match connect other then just being stupid for getting cheap violence pops. Why would someone willingly get hit with a light tube? Why would someone walk on tacks with bare feet? It just doesn't make any real sense.
I suppose what I'm getting at is when you look at wrestling for just the moves, you're going to be left out in the cold if you don't get the meaning behind them. Everything means something.
That's how I view wrestling.