The hypocrisy of some of you people is always a source of amusement. When he says something that you agree with then you applaud and he's dropping truth bombs and all that good shit. But if you disagree? Oh he's a corporate shill, he's doing it to keep his job, excetera excetera. You can't have it both ways. How about we use the novel approach that what he says is his actual opinion? Just like each and everyone of you have an opinion and it's not right nor is it wrong it's just a perspective that he holds from being within the business. It's always funny because this happens anytime someone says something positive about the industry, but the WWE in particular. If there's anything positive to be said then obviously it's a lie, it's shilling, it's some sort of ploy that Vince set them up to. It's really pretty damn sad that adults are incapable of accepting the idea that someone actually believes differently.
The fact of the matter is, he didn't say anything that was inaccurate. The business is in a good place it is exciting there are many options and there's a lot to be interested in an across-the-board. There are so many different promotions available to be enjoyed, televised in one form or another, it's the dream that most professional wrestlers decades ago always looked forward to in the interviews and op-eds. That the sport what is long enough that they were this many options and this many geographical areas . Of course that depends on how jaded you are and your preconceived notions going into the product. If you've already made up your mind that it's all going to suck then it's all going to suck. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy for miserable motherfuckers.
Problem comes when people try to hold the product up to its pinnacle, in both popularity and mainstream consciousness. The things that went into making in propelling that particular era to the stratosphere are no longer possible in today's world. The fans, more importantly society as a whole has changed entirely to the point where it's literally impossible to revert back to the Attitude Era product. You want real hardcore matches & you want chair shots? Then you have the CTE issue and the new consciousness regarding wrestlers health. You want bra and panties matches and things of that nature? The current gender environment wouldn't allow it, it'd be shut down before the show went off the air. You want the Rock and Stone Cold and Triple H making fun of homosexuals, the mentally and physically handicapped, and calling women hoes, sluts, bitches, stunning broads etc? Sponsors would be forced to pull out due to the public outcry. The fact of the matter is you can't go back to that because society as a whole has shifted in a more conscious and sensitive direction where offending someone can cost you your job, business, reputation, marriage, etc. It's a PG product for the newly PG world.
The fact of the matter is that during the time they've been in business, a lot of shit has died out completely. Everything from corporations to car models because of the socioeconomics involved in shifting from one generation to the next. They're still here & expanding during a lull. As long as they continue to adhere to Darwin, they'll still be around for the foreseeable future. Discarding one generation of fans for another, & every wave becomes more challenging and nebulous than the next while the attention span shrinks.
Oh but the ratings. Draw a chart for the business from it's inception to now & you'll notice it's a tale of peaks and Marianas Trenches. Fans from the 70s swore that wrestling wouldn't last another decade, that's life in the trenches. Doubly so when you have lived through the peak.
Ask baseball about how it used to be America's pastime before being thoroughly dethroned. Ask any football fan & they'll tell you today's game is a pale imitation to what it used to be. Ask a fan of Rap or Rock and they'll tell you that they used to make great music but this generation is mostly terrible. Movie fans? Everything is a remake of the good old days. The list goes on but are you noticing a trend? As society shifts, the opinions of it's people shift. What used to be cool is lame and shit that used to be scoffed at is a multi billion dollar industry.
Fans of anything always feel that whatever they're a fan of can be better than what it is. How many of the things that you used to enjoy doing 10, 15, 20 years ago are regular parts of your life today? By & large, very little. Multiply that by a thousand for a niche product that is centered around people settling their conflicts in the ring while wearing the equivalent of underwear for a predetermined result.
Could it be better? Could it be worse? Has it been more popular? Have they lost a big chunk of their clientele during the lull? Yes on all accounts. Does that mean that no one enjoys it? Does that mean that people in the business are incapable of enjoying what they do & thinking it's the best thing since sliced bread?
As someone who's been watching wrestling for quite some time, who follows at least 6 different promotions currently, & actually manages to enjoy quite a bit of it, including the E, I'm inclined to agree with Seth. Then again I've managed to be a fan of Taz, Cena, Flair, Rock, Piper, Rollins, Reigns, Pentagon DARK, Aludra, Jericho, Vader, Savage, Jindrak, Tanahashi, Sting, & the list goes on while some of you can't even fathom being a fan of more than one promotion.
Take a break from your myopic demand that everything cater to your sensibilities & just maybe you'll be able to actually enjoy something.
ards