We Are in the Golden Age of Wrestling for Fans

For a long time, fans really only had one option when it came to weekly wrestling entertainment: WWE. But, those days are over now and have been for a couple of years now.

Ever since WWE bought out WCW in the early 2000s, fans have been stuck with only the one major wrestling promotion to watch every week. For a little while after the buyout, WWE kept their topnotch storytelling and matches going. But towards the beginning of the last decade, the company seemed to get lazy.

They were the top dog and didn’t have a lot to worry about as far as competition went. Sure, Ring of Honor has been around since 2002. New Japan Pro Wrestling was (and is) one of the top international promotions. But ROH had just started airing on TV, and New Japan hadn’t ventured to the United States yet.

Impact Wrestling — then known as TNA — was around and was doing pretty well. But in 2010, they brought in Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. Once TNA began morphing into WCW 2.0, their decline in quality started soon thereafter.

So WWE had a right to get complacent. At the time they had no one to keep them on their toes. Sure, WWE was still good occasionally during those times, but they were never as good as they were during the Monday Night Wars Era. They may never reach those heights again.

But things have changed now.

New Japan, thanks in large part to the four-match war between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada, has become the biggest international promotion outside of WWE. With their recent expansion into the United States, they show no signs of slowing down.

Other people, like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, and Hiromu Takahashi, played a major role in getting eyes on the NJPW product. But the allure of the first of many 5+ star matches Okada and Omega really lit the fire that helped New Japan grow westward.

Ring of Honor has always been good, and has always kept WWE somewhat on their toes. But in recent years, they’ve grown to a solid number two in the United States. With the addition of Cody to their roster, they’ve reached new heights. Cody’s match with Kenny Omega (there’s that name again) was the best match to come out of WrestleMania weekend. The rematch from just a few weeks ago at New Japan’s G1 Special was just as good.

ROH just keeps getting better with every show they put on. Now, with their name attached to the show they’re co-producing with NJPW in Madison Square Garden in April of next year will only bring more eyes onto their product. It’s the first non-WWE professional wrestling show to run the Garden in 50 years.

Even with New Japan and Ring of Honor on the rise, Impact Wrestling might be making the biggest leaps in terms of quality lately. A year ago, many people were writing Impact Wrestling off, counting down the days until they closed up shop and folded. But along came Don Callis to save the day, and the company.

Ever since Callis took over, Impact has been on another level and seems to only be on the rise. Their recent PPV Slammiversary was a smash hit and has seemed to have gotten the majority of fans re-invested in the company and its storylines.

With every major company in the world, and even most of the smaller ones, hitting a new stride, it truly is a great time to be a fan of professional wrestling. If you don’t like WWE, fine. Watch NJPW, ROH, or Impact. If one promotion doesn’t suit you there are many more out there to watch.

Not only does this mean there’s a home for every kind of wrestling fan, there is also a home for every wrestler. WWE is no longer the end all be all in professional wrestling, for fans and wrestlers alike.

I get it, WWE isn’t for everyone. But there’s a promotion out there that is for everyone. In this day and age, there is no way that you can be a wrestling fan, and not be entertained.