[anirioc]

Those matches were the GOAT back in the 90s Bret vs Perfect being the prime example, those matches were veeeryy slow yet they told a great story and people went nuts for them.
what happened? today Randy Orton gets criticized for doing the same matches that are are considered classics.

 

[Chief of the Lynch Mob]

It depends on who's watching. People appreciate different things.

NXT crowds will generally love these sorts of matches for example, the main roster fans, not so much. It has a lot to do with how the WWE has evolved into more of an entertainment business rather than a wrestling business. Many people like fast paced, spot filled matches rather than slow matches which depict a bare bones battle for superiority. Sometimes a blend can be achieved but it seems to be quite rare.

 

[CEEJ]

The main roster crowd doesn't like it, because it's mainly kids, families and casual fans, who aren't interested in that, they want a spot fest, the NXT crowd are more wrestling fans, they love a spot fest too, who doesn't? But real wrestling matches really get over on NXT, not on the main roster

 

[anirioc]

The main roster crowd doesn't like it, because it's mainly kids, families and casual fans, who aren't interested in that, they want a spot fest, the NXT crowd are more wrestling fans, they love a spot fest too, who doesn't? But real wrestling matches really get over on NXT, not on the main roster

Spot fest are great fun stuff but slow methodical match are also great and far better IMO.

 

[ewantu2]

I was enjoying Sasha vs Becky and when they chanted boring I got pissed. Ok it wasn't fast pace but not every match needs to be fast with loads of spots.

 

[QWERTYOP]

Because that's not where western culture is now. We're all about instant gratification. Everything needs to be immediate.

 

[ATF]

Actually, they are. It just depends on: a) who's watching it; b) how it fits into the story.

For example, William Regal and Finlay are two of the greatest wrestlers ever imo. Both of them typically wrestled slower and more methodically paced matches; yet they were so good because they told a brilliant story, and you could feel the physicality of their wrestling style every single time they went out. Another example, a more recent one, would be Orton/Henry at NOC 2011 - slow paced, but great anyway due to the excellent storytelling and character work.

On the other hand, if you get the crowd chanting 'boring' in a slower, spotless match, it's either because they're spot-craving douchebags, OR (and this is the most likely of cases) because they don't care about the characters or the story that they're being presented, and unless they are doing something legitimately cool that catches their attention, the wrestlers in question won't be accepted by them because of those reasons. Which is what I assume happened with the aforementioned Sasha/Becky (I didn't see it, I'm just going by everyone's word). That would never happen if both girls were still in NXT - hell, earlier this year, the exact same crowd (Brooklyn) was loudly chanting for Sasha, and popped crazy for Becky during the 'pre-show' for Takeover Brooklyn too. And they would mark the fuck out if Sasha/Becky wrestled a match like the one they had at TO Unstoppable, which was far from spot filled or fast paced. It just so happens that, in their current circumstance, the crowd couldn't care less because they are given nothing (or given shit) to work with and the audience is given no reasons to feel anything about their characters.

 

[anirioc]

I was enjoying Sasha vs Becky and when they chanted boring I got pissed. Ok it wasn't fast pace but not every match needs to be fast with loads of spots.

That´s what im saying.
Sasha vs Becky was very slow old school methodical match and it was freakin´great but the crowd when the "boring" "boring" shit but give them Ambrose vs Ziggler and you will hear the "this is awesome" chant even on the moon.

 

[squeelbitch]

these type of matches only really work when there is enough investment into the characters and the feud and seeing as wwe rarely does either of these things these days you can't be too surprised if the fans couldn't give a shit, a good wrestling match with no meaning behind it is two to the dozen and nothing special, from i've seen wrote it seems like sasha has had less than favourable booking on the main roster.

 

[Tiger Driver '91]

because they tried oh so hard to cater to kids and theres nothing but anxiousness and impatience in a kid watching ring psychology instead of a hundred finishers.

 

[NakNak]

Context is everything.

Sasha/Becky at NXT had a simple story, but effective. They had a reason why they were fighting, they told a story in the ring and it worked.

Sasha/Becky last night was just a match on autopilot with no real emotion.

Methodical matches can work, you need to have a story tho.

 

[Onyx]

Because they're boring. The attitude era was full of 5 min matches with interferences and shit happening outside the ring, which is far more entertaining.

 

[Tamaur]

Are people seriously blaming the kids ? Wrestling fans are the one complaining when a match is slow or loving it when someone does a high-flying move when it doesn't make any sense.

The thing is that isn't a style you can do on a weekly, if you are in it, it's awesome but if you are not in it, it will be boring

 

[The Masked One]

I prefer Lucha Libre but I enjoy all styles as long as it's well executed.

 

[Peerless]

Fans don't care about slow paced wrestling matches, or any match that isn't a spotfest filled with false finishes.

 

[Drago]

Because they're not fun Maggle! :jbl

 

[IronMan8]

I was enjoying Sasha vs Becky and when they chanted boring I got pissed. Ok it wasn't fast pace but not every match needs to be fast with loads of spots.

Me too.

While there has been a gradual shift in what the crowd has come to expect, I believe the commentators also share a little blame. In the 90's, you'd get Vince himself directing your attention to every nuance, every counter, and most importantly he'd make salient the psychology of each wrestler so it would feel 100% real. You'd become absorbed, forgetting it's fake.

Today's commentators don't direct our attention in alignment with the psychology of a real match - they're directed to remind everybody of the storylines and talk "about" the people in the ring, ignoring the action and most importantly ignoring the reasoning behind each wrester's decision to hit certain moves instead of others in a logical manner.

 

[southrnbygrace]

Those matches were the GOAT back in the 90s Bret vs Perfect being the prime example, those matches were veeeryy slow yet they told a great story and people went nuts for them.
what happened? today Randy Orton gets criticized for doing the same matches that are are considered classics.

Because the attention span of most fans today is the size of a gnat.

 

[spikingspud]

Slow-paced matches rarely work unless its with the right wrestlers such as Bryan, Rollins or even Cesaro, most matches have been limited to minimal movesets while showcasing the high impact sig moves and Finishers and this has created an expectation for MR fans (majority) to expect quick-paced, explosive matches with dramatic plot.

 

[Dr. Middy]

You can have a slower paced match if you have guys that can do psychology well. A guy like William Regal knows how to do a methodical, technical bout really well and make it enjoyable to people who might not be a huge fan of said type of match. On the flip side, somebody like Nia Jax working a methodical match won't get as good a reaction because on the outside it looks like she's just doing a sequence of moves.

It also depends on the background of the match as well, because obviously it doesn't make sense to do this kind of match in a blood feud, nor will people react as well when they are given little reason to care about the wrestlers in the match.

But right now, WWE is pushing the "John Cena" esque match with many near falls and false finishes, mostly because the crowd reaction they always receive are "This is awesome" chants and loud pops for the kick outs. The casual fan will love this kind of match, and it is also easy to do, so WWE pushes this type of match harder than any other.