Five things professional wrestling can do without
There really aren’t a lot of things that drive me crazy about pro wrestling.
However, there are, you know, some typical tropes that should’ve been retired years ago that are nothing more than relics of the past and newer things that just defy logic and distract from the overall experience.
Agree or disagree, here is my list of five things wrestling can do without.
Constant references to the “Business” or “Industry”
I know you have a profound love for the sport. I do, as well. But does every person need to profess their love and undying admiration for the business as some form of flattery to get over? Just stop, already. If you took a shot of whiskey every time someone mentioned those words on Monday/Wednesday/Friday night you’d never be sober again.
Slapping anything but the palm
The tag team division in both promotions already suffers from a real lack of talent, story, and creativity. Really, tag team matches today have become the bathroom break match of the night in my opinion. But that doesn’t stop me from absolutely despising the back slap, head slap, thigh slap…hell they might as well even slap their partner’s face at this point.
Steel Cage Rules
Don’t get me started on the chain link fence cages- not my thing. I am still part of the #BRINGBACKBLUE crowd. Regardless of the color of the cage, the only way to win inside one is to climb out or walk through the door, which is guarded by a referee with their life.
The whole point of the cage was to settle things inside when the feud was so hot it needed a definitive and dramatic end. You can’t have that if everyone and their sister can come in and interfere, or you can leave the cage and come back. I didn’t make the rules, don’t get mad at me.
Go back and listen to guest ring announcer Dodger Coach Tommy Lasorda tell you himself just before the Hogan/Bundy Cage matches at Wrestlemania 2. You can argue with me, but can you argue with Tommy?
Promos in the ring
It’s stale and tired and it needs to stop. Every single promo doesn’t need to be cut standing in the ring. Remember Piper’s Pit? The Barbershop? I think the Undertaker even had an interview area for himself. And some of the biggest storylines happened here. Hogan-Andrea was in Piper’s Pit. HBK left the Rockers at the Barbershop. Didn’t Jake The Snake go blind in his area from The Model?
Miz Tv would be so much better if it was done inside a faux studio. I’d love to see Randy Orion do a ‘Vipers Pit’. Switch it up, that is all I am asking!
Strong Booking
This one may be controversial. But, I am of the opinion that the time-honored tradition of booking strongly is more detrimental to long-term storytelling.
Look, I know everyone thinks Brock Lesnar is a beast- but he has lost before. Like, bad. Ronda Rousey has been knocked out. Heck, Tom Brady has lost Superbowls.
What I am getting at is I’d like to see an end to booking people to look strong in a loss. Let’s get rid of the abundance of triple-threat matches, dusty finishes, and screw jobs. Besides, you can always have the “unbeatable” monster squash the (un) lucky the next night. But, at least it isn’t predictable like a triple threat.
Seriously, I don’t care if this guy lost to Disco Inferno in a street fight and then in a Twitter battle, Brock is still going to be a BEAST.