Where are you at fan wise?

[M.C.G. 31]

Thought it'd be interesting to discuss from the small run over it in the Raw thread earlier today. Pretty much as the title states: where are you at fan wise?

For me personally, I know I watch pretty much 0 wrestling nowadays. I'll catch the odd match like I said if I hear it's good, but it's few and far between. For example, it took me months to catch the first two Omega/Okada matches and weeks to catch their 2/3 falls match. Any WWE I follow is just write ups online after the show and then I can say "thank god I didn't waste my time on that." Not only am I so gone from the WWE product, but I have very little incentive or interest in watching any other wrestling compared to even 18 months or so ago, and that includes NXT.

A few years ago I really didn't think I'd get to this point. I thought there was at least enough talent to keep me somewhat engaged... but no matter how hard I try, they always lose me and I feel that way about pro wrestling in general these days.

What about the rest of you? The board activity here has also severely dwindled down over the years, which I saw in Slammy Award polls.

Click to read more...

 

[Paris in Flames]

My interest is at the lowest it's been since I started watching wrestling again years ago (Grew up on it. Got really bad. Bailed....got back in because I got laid off...had a lot of time on my hands and I tuned back in for the Shield and Wyatts). Before that I'd taken a pretty considerable break from weekly watching. Can't even be sure how long I stayed away.

Now I record Raw. Fast forward it. Stop for Rollins segment which thankfully includes Drew...and that's...it really.

Don't bother with Smackdown. They somehow managed to make Nakamura and Styles bad. Watch PPVs if I'm free and remember but there's no urgency.

NXT is still amazing though.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

My interest is at the lowest it's been since I started watching wrestling again years ago (Grew up on it. Got really bad. Bailed....got back in because I got laid off...had a lot of time on my hands and I tuned back in for the Shield and Wyatts). Before that I'd taken a pretty considerable break from weekly watching. Can't even be sure how long I stayed away.

Now I record Raw. Fast forward it. Stop for Rollins segment which thankfully includes Drew...and that's...it really.

Don't bother with Smackdown. They somehow managed to make Nakamura and Styles bad. Watch PPVs if I'm free and remember but there's no urgency.

NXT is still amazing though.

kind of the same as you in that I grew up on it. September 2008 I stopped. It was looking really bad, everyone they brought in that was new was either a 2nd gen wrestler or they all looked, talked and acted like Randy Orton clones. Came back for the Nexus angle, they f***ed that up but I stuck around. Edge retired. Stopped for two months until the CM Punk pipebomb and I stuck around.

If I had to put my finger on a time frame of when I started feeling the disconnect again that has led to this point right now where I watch 0, I'd say The Shield's split did it for me. Rollins/Ambrose was great, but after that? I felt myself pull away. Smackdown Live 2016 had moments where it kept me hooked because it was really good, but then that started going to shit too and now I'm here.

I haven't seen an NXT Takeover live in a while because I'm usually away for those and only catch some spots online but I never feel like I'm actually missing anything anymore. So weird.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

I watch more NJPW than WWE which was a product I did not watch at all before Kenny Omega turned on AJ Styles.

Haven’t watched Smackdown in awhile, but I’ll generally keep up with the results. RAW is on but if it’s not the Rollins/Ziggler stuff, I’m probably not paying attention. When Braun is moved on to the title picture, I’ll care but otherwise, nothing else on raw grabs me.

 

[Fro]

I flipped from raw to poker...

 

[Jesse Pinkman]

First time watching RAW in weeks, and by watching I mean recording it and fast forwarding the 3 hours in half an hour.

Wasted too many 3 hour nights of garbage filled show to give a crap now.

Shame content got this bad. Feels like this is a general consensus based on the RAW thread haha!

 

[Kimi]

See, that's something I really don't care about. Like I've got complete indifference to the quality of Raw or Smackdown. It can be good, it can be bad, but I'll never care. It's just one of many many wrestling show that I can watch, and if it's not good I'll just watch something that is.

I'm a wrestling fan, one company being up or down has no barring on that at all. Wrestling as a whole is awesome right now, and it's trivial to find something good to watch. So I do and I love it.

 

[Conrad McBenis]

I'm getting very close to another 10 year break like I had from 2003-2013, dropped cold turkey. Didn't watch any WWE nor read anything online.

It's pretty f***ing bad now.

 

[Disclose]

yeah, basically... wrestling is what i like.

as much as i want WWE to do well, there are so many great options out there, for the fans. hard to be bored at all.

 

[tp71]

I still watch and I still find things I enjoy. Honestly, it's something I can just kinda shut my brain off for a couple hours or until I've had my fill and just relax. I love wrestling and will watch the big New Japan shows when I have time, and any NXT matches that grab my interest and tbh I will probably continue to watch RAW and Smackdown, turn my brain off and not do too much heavy thinking about storylines and whatnot.

If RAW and Smackdown get that bad as others have said, there's plenty of other good quality wrestling out there to devote time to.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

have gone from not missing a second of the main shows to not seeing a second of them...and really dont even fully keep up with it till Mania time.

exception recently was Rousey.

NXT still is a full follow and all around great wrestling promotion

 

[DynamiteKid]

Like others, I came back to wrestling a few years back after a 10+ year hiatus. Missed CM Punk, Daniel Bryan era. Really enjoyed NXT, KO and loved seeing Jericho still wrestling.

Now, it takes me about 40 min to fast forward through Raw, longer for Smackdown, cause it’s WAY better. I find myself spending more time listening to the Post Wrestling podcast than watching actual wrestling.

 

[GKJ]

Right now it’s something I have on in the background and if there’s something I need to pay attention to, I do.

 

[BonMorrison]

I have never stopped or once taken a break since I became a fan 20 years ago. This is the lowest my interest has been ever. Granted - this has more to do with my personal life than it does the quality of the product because I've shown time and time again that I can get through even the worst of it. WWE has also gotten shockingly good at compiling the weekly show into highlights so it's very easy to stay informed and digest what is happening.

That being said, I still like to meet up with friends and watch the PPV's because it's always a good time even when the show is terrible.

So yeah, I don't know. I still love WWE even through the terrible quality but my priorities are very obviously starting to shift the older I get. Stay up to date though.

 

[Morozov]

See, that's something I really don't care about. Like I've got complete indifference to the quality of Raw or Smackdown. It can be good, it can be bad, but I'll never care. It's just one of many many wrestling show that I can watch, and if it's not good I'll just watch something that is.

I'm a wrestling fan, one company being up or down has no barring on that at all. Wrestling as a whole is awesome right now, and it's trivial to find something good to watch. So I do and I love it.

I know you watch a wide range of stuff, but particularly for someone in the UK like yourself this is actually a f***ing awesome period for wrestling. While everyone is down on WWE there's multiple promotions in the UK killing it.

Really, it isn't hard find fantastic wrestling currently. As I've always said in here though, there's wrestling fans, then there's WWE fans. It's not a derogatory separation, some people just simply watch WWE and that's it. For the wrestling fans, there's so much good stuff around right now.

 

[Engebretson]

NXT is a weekly must-watch.

I only catch the Raw or Smackdown replays if there is something good to see. Otherwise, it's a much better time saver to just read the results and move along. WWE Network hasn't sent me any free months yet this summer, so I never re-upped. That's usually fun for watching old PPV's, but there's nothing to do with the current product that I feel I need to watch.

As long as Roman and Brock are the focus of the product, I could really care less.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Right now it’s something I have on in the background and if there’s something I need to pay attention to, I do.

Pretty much. Background noise for me and I'll look up occasionally, but I'm not 100% focused on Raw or Smackdown when on.

I'm just about done with it again. Was into the Monday night wars when I was young(er), and followed during HHH's reign of terror from 2002ish to 2006ish. Stopped watching for about 10 years after that before a friend got me sucked back in.

The product is just awful now. Raw is a disaster. They need to discredit the Universal title and bring back the World Heavyweight Title ASAP. Lesnar's been holding the whole upper card hostage since Wrestlemania. I can't watch a show with Dolph Ziggler essentially the top champion. Women's division is a disaster with Nia the top contender and Alexa the champion again. Honestly, Ember or even Ruby Riott deserve the title right now.

Smackdown is just a bit better. Bryan coming back was cool but he had all the momentum of his comeback sucked away by Big Cass (thank God he's gone). I cringe every time Carmella and Ellsworth are on screen. AJ is awesome and I love that Rusev is #1 contender, but I'm sure that he'll geek out to AJ sadly. I love heel Shinsuke. I hope he takes the US title from Hardy as soon as he's up to it.

 

[ColePens]

Great topic but I think you have to be a tad more specific.

- In WWE? Lowest point it's been since i took a break and I was verging on taking a break again. The difference is PPVs are 9.99 as opposed to 54.99. So it's much easier to watch 'em as background noise. If it were any different, I would be on a full WWE break. There is way too much content and it's nowhere near where it should be. Scripted cringe-worthy promos. Terrible storytelling. It's brutal. Even if I have time to sit and watch I find myself turning the tv off, doing what I want to do in life, and just watching highlights of what I want to see (Daniel Bryan).

- In NXT? It's almost as high as it's ever been. Gargano/Almas and Gargano/Ciampa really ignited a flame in me and I really really really enjoy NXT.

- In NJPW? Higher than ever before. I wouldn't bother watching a live event or scrambling to find the PPV to watch after it happened. I would just wait for youtube to have a match and watch it months and months later.

- In other Indys? Higher than ever before. I'm excited for All In. I'm enamoured with Marty Scurll as he's the most interesting character I can recall. I'm rooting so hard for Cody. I love seeing how creative the indys can be. There are terrific wrestling matches. It's beautiful.

- In TNA? I honestly haven't even read anything about TNA since Matt Hardy left. It could be dead for all I know.



Just because WWE sucks and is at some 1990s level of poor television doesn't mean wrestling is at an all time low. If anything I feel we are in a boom period. Everything around WWE is just elevating to crazy levels. But we are in a strange period of wrestling that never happened before. The most available wrestling (WWE) is brutal and not worth watching. Everything else is extremely worth watching. It really is a crazy time. Everything is finally accessible. WWE is the cheapest it's ever been to watch their product (youtube/network/etc). This time period is not comparable to any other time period. It's beyond strange. ROH is watchable. NJPW is watchable. Other programs are watchable with networks now. It's such a cool time, yet a very strange one.

 

[SeidoN]

I dont watch the weekly shows, and have stopped watchign the youtube highlights too. main roster PPVs have very little appeal to me and ill probably just watch certain matches the day after

I still watch NXT when I can, and ill watch Takeovers live.

 

[Shoalzie]

NJPW is my #1 right now. I don't get irritated by the booking and the less shows I have to watch, the more I can enjoy it. The G1 is a lot of fun to follow but it'll be tough to watch all the matches. If WWE raids their roster (Kenny, Cody, the Bucks), I might stay away from all wrestling for a while.

WWE is too much of a chore. I can't watch an entire show and more times than not, I just DVR and watch Raw and Smackdown later in the week and fast forward through most of it. I don't mind Sunday PPVs. I put it in one of my computer displays and keep an eye on it throughout the show. There's no such thing as appointment viewing with the WWE...I'll get around to watching it if I really want to see it.

I honestly should like 205 Live and I should watch NXT regularly but I just don't have the time. If I had to watch just one hour of wrestling a week, I'd probably just watch NXT. I love Takeover shows...right behind any of the big NJPW shows.

The saving grace for being a modern wrestling fan is podcasts and YouTube. Cultaholic, Steve and Larson, WrestleRamble, Masked Man Show...the occasional episode of Killing the Town or Talk is Jericho. I catch up with stuff during work and listen to reviews, commentary and interviews.

The internet is great and bad for wrestling. I enjoy following the business online and being able to watch old stuff or watch things on my own time. I like a message board like this to rant and rave and occasional praise a match or a show. It's too easy to get spoilers and rumors online and I'd just assume cut that stuff out just so I can watch a show and actually be surprised.

The quality of the modern performers is breath-taking. So many brilliants athletes in the business. There's probably not nearly as many good characters as the Attitude Era/Monday Night Wars. Would I watch more if Punk came back? I'd like to think so but I can't watch wrestling just for one guy. As I said, it's good to have the option to re-watch old content on WWE Network or NJPW World. I'm working my way through NJPW back from Dontaku when the Bullet Club first formed.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

With the WWE, I've been a fan dating back to the first WrestleMania, so I tend to compare my level of excitement/interest to the Hogan era, the Michaels/Hart era, and the Monday Night era (which bled into the Attitude era).

I'll start by saying that my favorite, by a huge margin, was the Attitude era. Partially because I love extreme wrestling (I was a pretty avid watcher of the old ECW) but mainly because of the competition. WCW (in the height of the wars) and WWE did a fantastic job of storylines combined with good (not always great) wrestling combined with tons of great surprises. They constantly tried to one-up eachother and it made for great television.

The downturn started with the purchase of WCW and accelerated with that crappy ECW 2.0 attempt. It more or less has gotten worse since. The first attempt of a brand split was a disaster and this latest version is even worse. I haven't watched a full 3 hour show in years. It used to be that a PPV was must-see, but now PPV's don't mean anything more than a typical RAW.

Personally, I believe it's because it's due to a Monopoly and no competition. I realize there's NJPW and ROH and Impact (or whatever), but here in the States/Canada, those are nothing compared to what WCW did for a few years. WWE has gotten lazy.

 

[Sheppy]

I'm at the point where i PVR it and skip 90% of it. My interest is seriously so far gone at this point...

The product is aimed far too much towards 6 year olds now. I understand that, but that doesn't mean i have to like it. There's pancake bullshit, there's comedic therapy, there's Braun Strowman going Home Alone on one of the most talented guys on the roster, there's a champion that isn't there, the most intense weapon for the last 4-5 years is a kendo stick. The product f***ing blows, straight up.

It's just too childish for me.

If they went back to TV14, that would be awesome. Again, i understand the change... but i don't like it.

I'll make a habit of watching NXT, though. That is fantastic stuff.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Very very very casually watching... from time to time.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Don't watch anymore since 2015. I'm still up to date since I watch Brian Zane's weekly reviews.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I watch Youtube clips and the occasional PPV. That's about it right now. They've managed to make DB's return uninteresting to me.