While two wrestlers are in the most intense feud fighting their heart out, one of them clothesline the other over the top rope and then over the security railing and into the crowd; sometimes using the props available or handed to by the fans before bringing it back into the ring to finish the pin.
This trend however declined greatly with WWE emerging as the top promotion and a falls count anywhere match was designed to make it ok to take it into the crowd which, I guess, was not around in territory days.
When and more importantly, why did this trend start and how effective is this in bringing the crowds in? Have you experienced or been a part of such a occasion where your fave wrestler took the match into the crowd and you happened to be near to see him?
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“My manner of thinking, so you say, cannot be approved. Do you suppose I care? A poor fool indeed is he who adopts a manner of thinking for others!” ~ De Sade
Honestly, I believe it was a transition used to try and mask the loss of being able to control crowds. Look at older matches, guys like Hogan, Savage, Roberts etc. owned the crowd, their psychology was the main part of owning the crowd, their mannerisms, or subtle movements influenced the crowd so heavily it drew the emotion out of them. I guess this also came with the decline of kayfabe, crowds wouldn't be as dangerous now, so there wasn't as much of a problem. It also came with that bar getting set higher, which is why we saw guys start to kick out of multiple finishers, which in my opinion hurt the business even more and was a selfish and short term gain.
It made it more personal to the fan and have a more involved experience, when guys no longer could control the crowd with psychology like they once had.
crowds wouldn't be as dangerous now, so there wasn't as much of a problem.
Won't be as dangerous? Did you see what happened with CM Punk? Fans were actually hitting him(not like light taps or anything too, they were trying to hurt him,and push him down stairs). Sure, he did end up hitting back(which he wasn't supposed to do), but I think if anyone were in his shoes, they'd have done the same thing.
Crowds today(at least ones 18+) seem to take things more personal it seems at times. If a superstar calls out a fan or a city on something, then this could happen....
lol.
Back like 15-20 years ago, fans in audience watched wrestling as a fan, today, it seems like there's much more people who watch this show like they would star wars or something like that. Trying to figure out the logic behind every single thing,and if a single detail is out of place, they'll go online and be like "in episode ___ at the 1 hour and ___ second mark, ___ happened, when in episode ____, it was stated that ____ couldn't happen"
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Other Faves:The Rock,Edge,Jericho,Kaitlyn,McIntyre,Usos WWE isn't in PG ERA, It's in REBUILDING ERA
Taking the match into the crowd pre-dates the territory era, and was heavily used during the territory era. I have been in the crowd several times when this happened. Once again as long as the fued is hot and it makes sense that the guys would brawl into the crowd I think it does engage the crowd.
Taking something from a audience member and using it was obviously made famous in hardcore wrestling but I can remember guys taking shoes, beer or soft drinks, or chairs fans were sitting in, long ago.
Won't be as dangerous? Did you see what happened with CM Punk? Fans were actually hitting him(not like light taps or anything too, they were trying to hurt him,and push him down stairs). Sure, he did end up hitting back(which he wasn't supposed to do), but I think if anyone were in his shoes, they'd have done the same thing.
Wrestlers used to get stabbed and shot by fans. When people thought it was real it was a whole lot more dangerous. You think they would've had Sgt Slaughter make his way out through the crowd during his iraq sympathiser gimmick?
When and more importantly, why did this trend start and how effective is this in bringing the crowds in? Have you experienced or been a part of such a occasion where your fave wrestler took the match into the crowd and you happened to be near to see him?
While I can't tell you when it started, and I'm sure know one has an exact date, I can say that as a fan during the glory years of the WWE in 99-01 or so, nearly EVERY pay per view main event spilled into the crowd, up the ramp way and onto the production set. Nearly every one. If you were to make a list of WWF PPV main events of that era, your list of wrestlers NOT doing said action would be far shorter than making one the other way around.
Analyze This: Taking the match into the crowd
Analyze This: Taking the match into the crowd
