The Impatient Nature of Modern Day Wrestling Fans

Wrestling has changed immensely in the Vince McMahon era and even more than that, wrestling fans have changed. The days of fans believing two guys in a feud legitimately hated each other are over.

We are all aware they travel together, eat together, and don’t really want to rip each others arms off continue to beat their adversary with them. However, another change in the modern wrestling fan is their impatient nature with new superstars and characters.

What I can’t understand is why fans in the online community get so worked up and think someone is buried after one thing that doesn’t go their way. Sometimes it turns out to be true, but there isn’t anyway we could know that by the time the three count is over. That knee-jerk reaction to everything always leaves me scratching me head.

I distinctly remember reading fans reactions online after Summerslam saying that the WWE just buried Daniel Bryan.

DANIEL BRYAN!

He main-events five straight PPVs (Money in the Bank, Summerslam, Night of Champions, Hell in a Cell, Battleground) and people STILL thought he was buried. He was almost always in the opening segment of Raw and in the main event match, but because he didn’t have the title (which made sense) his status was buried. WWE likes their big moments to be at big events. Would you have really liked Daniel Bryan’s moment to be at Hell In a Cell? Wasn’t seeing 75,000 fans chanting “Yes!” so much better and memorable?

I try to stay true to the “wait and see” approach as much as I can.

Since I brought up Daniel Bryan it only seems fitting to bring up Shawn Michaels. HBK wrestled his first WrestleMania match at WrestleMania 5 in a tag team match with the Rockers. They lost. His first title run wasn’t for seven more years after the famous match at WrestleMania 12 with Bret Hart.

When there is a new talent the fans take to a little bit, they want him to get that title run yesterday and if they don’t get their way they’ll ruin shows with obnoxious chants and considered their guy “buried”. I’m all for freedom of speech and chant what you want, but it really bothers me when a CM Punk chant breaks out during a Dolph Ziggler-Alberto Del Rio match. To me it shows disrespect for two guys doing everything they can to get over because you’re pouting.

I’ve also noticed another thing that ties in with this. A lot of the guys they latch on to are major long shots to win the title. It’s as if they pick a long shot (Daniel Bryan, CM Punk) so they can rip WWE for burying their guy if they never get their run. Then once the long-shot gets his due, they’re on to the next one. It started to happen to CM Punk and I can’t imagine even the “Yes!” chant is going to overcome it. WWE can’t win.

Two words why I don’t think the WWE likes putting a monster push early in a career: Brock Lesnar.

His push in 2002-2003 shook the company like nothing anyone could ever predict. Had Stone Cold not walked out in 2002, Lesnar would’ve gone over the two biggest stars in the history of the business not named Hulk Hogan within his first six months. His career accomplishments from 2002-2004 are more impressive than a large chunk of the roster with far more time invested into WWE than that.

Then he decided, “I don’t like the travel, I’m gonna try the NFL.” So he left.

So began the John Cena-Randy Orton-Dave Batista era. Lesnar left after WrestleMania 20. One year later at WrestleMania 21, Batista and Cena walked out with titles and Orton had already won the World Heavyweight Title. All three of them held both the WWE title and WHC in a short period of time after that. There are a lot of possibilities during that time if Lesnar stays in the company.

Orton admitted that he wasn’t ready for the title in 2004 on his DVD “Evolution of a Predator”. I believe he said something to the effect of “What was I gonna say? No?” when given the opportunity to win the title. It’s nothing against the guys that get these chances, there is just a lot more that goes with being WWE champion than carrying the championship title with your luggage.

Sheamus never really lived up to the hype after his “Lesnar-esque” push in 2009.

I truly believe the reason they take their time before putting the title on someone is because they don’t want to get “Lesnar’d” again. We are getting close to another new wave of main event talent and I sincerely hope nobody is put in a position to carry the company before they’re ready.

What do you think? Is today’s fan too impatient when their superstar of choice doesn’t get a push right away?