Does anyone else here follow the WWE or professional wrestling? I'm going out on a limb here since I've never heard anyone on here or CL talk about this, but I figured I'd try anyways since I think there might be some crossover between the general fanbase of WWE and other stuff on the Open Discussion forum like Star Wars, Marvel, etc. I started following the WWE casually after Wrestlemania this year (April) after I picked up the WWE 2k video game (it was on sale and I was nostalgic from having followed it as a kid). Slowly since then, I started getting more and more into it and now I'm obssessed. There is a lot of interesting things to follow. Yes, it's scripted. But so is the Walking Dead. It can still be entertaining and it often is. But on top of that, it still is real. No matter how you try to cover it up, it's still going to hurt like hell to have Brock Lesnar suplex you a dozen times. I'm realizing that there are a lot of technical wrestling skills as well as political stuff that makes the WWE so interesting. I just like how the storytelling doesn't take itself seriously and its so open ended. And that's the backdrop to watching highly talented athletes act out a scripted match full of dangerous moves WHILE trying to improvise within that structure to stand out as performers to advance their own careers. Anyways, if this were a year ago I'd probably laugh at myself for paying so much attention to something like wrestling, but screw it, I find it entertaining. Anyone else watch it at all now? Maybe some memories of growing up and watching the WWF?
I stopped watching in 2007. Got back into again in 2011 after the CM Punk pipe bomb. Stopped watching Raw & Smackdown again in last year. But still watch NXT and read news, rumors and spoilers just to see if there's anything interesting. NXT is the best WWE show. Its way, way different style than Raw & Smackdown shows. And NXT pay-per-view events are a lot better than WWE.
I think when they first had the brand split again a few years back with Ambrose and Styles running Smackdown, that was my favorite era in recent years. Lately Raw and Smackdown has definitely taken a step down in quality so I really just read summaries and watch the big PPV’s. I did like the Royal Rumble and excited to see them give a push to Drew McIntyre, but at the same time I’m not that invested in him and don’t see him as the guy to finally dethrone Brock. I’ve heard great things about NXT as well, and I know it’s kinda it’s own thing now rather then developmental, but it’s hard for me to shake the perception that it’s the D-League. I can’t find myself caring about it or the wrestlers on there even if the matches are higher quality. I’d also rather support AEW in the new Wednesday night wars. It’s cool to see viable competition to WWE and they do a lot of things as a business and in terms of treating their employees well that I want to support over some of the BS Vince pulls. The quality of the wrestling seems on par with what I’ve seen from NXT and a lot of their characters just have more of a star factor like Moxley, Jericho, Omega, Pac, Young Bucks, Lucha Bros, etc.
I watch every now and then after completely tuning out early 2006 after Eddie died. I missed out on Edge and Jeff's reigns and of course CM Punk.
I stopped watching once the attitude era ended with Rock leaving, Stone Cold and HBK retiring, around there.
I am an old school wrestling fan. It has been a while since I watched WWE and I can't get into the newer shows, but I respect the work and the potential for wrestling at its finest. My favorite all-time wrestlers would be Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Rick Rude, Kurt Angle, Barry Windham, Midnight Express (Stan and Bobby), Roddy Piper, Hart Foundation (Bret and Jim) and Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit (for his ringwork), Ricky Steamboat Macho Man Randy Savage and Jake the Snake Roberts and the Undertaker.
