Are You A: Sports Entertainment or Wrestling Fan?

[Le Barron de HF]

I know that some will say both but what do you consider yourself more, a pro wrestling fan (the wrestling matches) or a sports entertainment fan (story-telling, the characters, swerves)?


I'd say me and my brother are definitely the former, I am a lot more interested in the 'drama' and 'emotional' aspect that wrestling can pull off when the storytelling is on point.

So which are you?

Click to read more...

 

[BonMorrison]

Both? But I suppose the storytelling, character aspect of it if I had to choose. I love good stories no matter what the medium. But a good wrestling match is storytelling so I'm really confused now.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Wrestling is sports entertainment. They're all one and the same. The philosophy difference is just nonsense to me. You don't really get quality wrestling without the story-telling aspect of things. Without ring psychology, wrestling is dull and almost lifeless. And the psychology is enhanced by how it is booked and the story told outside of the ring. I don't like the divide on this topic just because there shouldn't be one.

 

[BonMorrison]

Wrestling is sports entertainment. They're all one and the same. The philosophy difference is just nonsense to me. You don't really get quality wrestling without the story-telling aspect of things. Without ring psychology, wrestling is dull and almost lifeless. And the psychology is enhanced by how it is booked and the story told outside of the ring. I don't like the divide on this topic just because there shouldn't be one.

That about sums it up for me.

 

[S A W F T*]

If I watched other promotions I think I'd be a bigger "wrestling" fan. In WWE I think I lean towards sports entertainment more. Not that anyone could tell with my love for Enzo and Cass or anything.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Wrestling is sports entertainment. They're all one and the same. The philosophy difference is just nonsense to me. You don't really get quality wrestling without the story-telling aspect of things. Without ring psychology, wrestling is dull and almost lifeless. And the psychology is enhanced by how it is booked and the story told outside of the ring. I don't like the divide on this topic just because there shouldn't be one.

You make a fair point here but I guess a better question should be are you a WWE wrestling fan or a NJPW or ROH fan?

 

[TheMistyStranger]

You make a fair point here but I guess a better question should be are you a WWE wrestling fan or a NJPW or ROR fan?

Ryan o'Reilly is the best.

 

[member 116861]

Tough to pick just one because you need both for a good show. If I had to choose I would say wrestling fan but good storylines make the wrestling even better. I really do prefer my stories to be very simple and ROH is my favourite promotion while the WWE is my least favourite so I have to go with wrestling fan.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

They go hand in hand. If I watched two guys wrestle with no story and no build every damn time I'd shut it off. It means nothing. I love great wrestling matches, but a large part of a great wrestling match isn't the moves, it's the story before and during the match.

The only wrestling I really watch nowadays is WWE, NJPW and ROH when I can. You won't find me watching small Indy shows or shows with no buildups. The wrestling may be great, but I won't be invested in it the same way.

The GOAT promotion is HFWF though.

 

[Morozov]

I prefer the emphasis being on the wrestling e.g more indy and Japanese stuff than the emphasis being on the soap opera aspect like WWE so I figure I'm in the wrestling camp.

I will watch a match that I have no idea about the build or anything like that and enjoy it.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Ryan o'Reilly is the best.

Hahah ****.

 

[BonMorrison]

The GOAT promotion is HFWF though.

Someone should probably bring it back.

 

[Kimi]

Wrestling fan.

I can watch two guys have a match without knowing the backstory and enjoy it well enough, provided that it's good.

It's not that I dislike the drama of it all, good story always adds to the matches. But when the story is bad I can still enjoy the matches. It's not something required.

 

[ColePens]

Please note this is just my opinion. Don't hate on me.

I've tried to watch ROH and NJPW but a 5 star match isn't a 5 star match without storytelling and a reason. I can enjoy a great wrestling match, but there is something very special when a story makes sense and two guys go out there and put on one hell of a show. Heaven vs. Hell HBK/Taker WM25 is a perfect example and the storytelling in the ring blew my mind. The double turn between Hart/Austin. The stories, the video packages, and the match are all equally important.

Without it.. it's just great wrestling and doesn't really take my breath away as a story, the scene, and everything put together well.

 

[ColePens]

Please note this is just my opinion. Don't hate on me.

I've tried to watch ROH and NJPW but a 5 star match isn't a 5 star match without storytelling and a reason. I can enjoy a great wrestling match, but there is something very special when a story makes sense and two guys go out there and put on one hell of a show. Heaven vs. Hell HBK/Taker WM25 is a perfect example and the storytelling in the ring blew my mind. The double turn between Hart/Austin. The stories, the video packages, and the match are all equally important.

Without it.. it's just great wrestling and doesn't really take my breath away as a story, the scene, and everything put together well.

Wrestling fan.

I can watch two guys have a match without knowing the backstory and enjoy it well enough, provided that it's good.

It's not that I dislike the drama of it all, good story always adds to the matches. But when the story is bad I can still enjoy the matches. It's not something required.

Pretty funny back-to-back posts. Two sides of the spectrum and what makes wrestling so cool and fun.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Please note this is just my opinion. Don't hate on me.

I've tried to watch ROH and NJPW but a 5 star match isn't a 5 star match without storytelling and a reason. I can enjoy a great wrestling match, but there is something very special when a story makes sense and two guys go out there and put on one hell of a show. Heaven vs. Hell HBK/Taker WM25 is a perfect example and the storytelling in the ring blew my mind. The double turn between Hart/Austin. The stories, the video packages, and the match are all equally important.

Without it.. it's just great wrestling and doesn't really take my breath away as a story, the scene, and everything put together well.

But what NJPW matches have you watched?

Watch Tanahashi/Okada. The one from WK10 is my MOTY. Great wrestling and a great storytelling.

 

[ColePens]

I watched WK10. It was cool. Definitely interesting. Just wasn't for me. But then again, I found the video of the match and didn't watch the whole event altogether. So it's weird just picking up one match and that's it. I felt so lost and couldn't invest into it.

Not saying the wrestling isn't good. I think the stuff out there is tremendous. I just couldn't get lost in the match like I can with a great storyline that i've followed for months.

 

[Balance]

A good storyline puts this emotion in the match that is very real and usually is not the storyline the WWE points toward to but rather what the fans created.

I mean, Daniel Bryan at WM30, that was made storyline by WWE but it meant so much, the matches were awesome.

Punk vs Cena (which we know the pipebomb was kayfabe, but it was an awesome moment)

Undertaker's streak matches (probably the best, ever near fall was awesome, when the streak ended more fans looked shocked than any sporting event in history)

Cena vs Daniel Bryan (Daniel's rise to the WWE and the unlikelihood of him winning)

...And countless others. But yeah, a match with no storyline is usually worthless. There's a big difference between a Raw and any PPV for this reason.

 

[member 116861]

One of my favourite matches so far of 2016 had no story and was just an exhibition between Finn Balor and Neville.

 

[Serac]

I can enjoy a great match that has really poor storytelling
I find it harder to watch a great story with really poor matches in it

But they do really go hand in hand with each other
Great storytelling can escalate a good match to be an amazing match

 

[The Gongshow]

Undertaker's streak matches (probably the best, ever near fall was awesome, when the streak ended more fans looked shocked than any sporting event in history)

The whole streak was simply amazing. It will never be topped or recreated again. It took a life of its own. It was easy to write the next chapter of the story with a simple call our or I want the streak and bam the match was made. Every year with whispers of "could they do it" when it finally ended I was shocked, the audience counted "1...2...OOH!" and the crowd fell silent. It was brilliant not playing Brock's theme right away too and just have everyone there and watching soak in what they just witnessed. The match itself wasn't good due to Taker being confused but the story of The Streak came to an end.

When told right the story of the babyface that everyone loves and adores chasing for the title after a few set backs always works with the payoff (again, when told right, and with the right guy...not Reigns )

 

[ILoveStephanieBrown]

Wrestling is sports entertainment. They're all one and the same. The philosophy difference is just nonsense to me. You don't really get quality wrestling without the story-telling aspect of things. Without ring psychology, wrestling is dull and almost lifeless. And the psychology is enhanced by how it is booked and the story told outside of the ring. I don't like the divide on this topic just because there shouldn't be one.

Yeah Ive never really saw a difference. Sports Entertainment is just a term created by Vince to brand his product.

Ive always been a WWF/E fan though, even though it's nowhere as good as it used to be. Never liked indy wrestling or NJPW. Just isn't my thing.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

As I've gotten older, I've enjoyed wrestling a lot more than the storylines. give me ibushi/nakamura 100 times out of 100. That said, if there's a story that I get invested in [most of Lucha Underground] it's not that the story takes away from the quality. Using LU as an example, I want to see Pentagon and Puma go at it, because I like that they're like opposite sides of the same coin, but I couldn't care less about Sexy Star and Mariposa.

 

[AfroThunder396]

The difference between wrestling and sports entertainment is not the storytelling.

 

[Morozov]

Yeah Ive never really saw a difference. Sports Entertainment is just a term created by Vince to brand his product.

Ive always been a WWF/E fan though, even though it's nowhere as good as it used to be. Never liked indy wrestling or NJPW. Just isn't my thing.

Doesn't the fact that something like NJPW isn't your thing indicate that there is actually a difference?

The difference is certainly there and clear to see. WWE the story features prominently, somewhere like NJPW the wrestling features more prominently. NJPW is presented much more like an actual sport, WWE is more like a soap opera that has wrestling matches.

What people prefer is up to them, but there's definitely a difference.