Real Sports vs. Pro Wrestling
There is an intrinsic pleasure found in feeling important, and one former pro wrestling great surely felt it this weekend. Vader, the Hall of Fame "monster" who at one time was among the best big men in the business, surely had that feeling after his Tweet-shaming of the Will Ospreay vs. Riccocet match at New Japan's "Best of the Super Juniors" triggered a storm of arguments about what pro wrestling is and should be.
Vader's initial Tweet came after he was forwarded an out-of-context clip of a synchronized highspot that occurred early in their match:
This is a memorized gymnastic/dance rountine it saddenens me to see the direction wrestling is headed https://t.co/TvU9eTkBC0— Big Van Vader (@itsvadertime) May 27, 2016
Vader offered praise after watching the full match, but the damage was done. Battle lines had been drawn, with fans of a more grounded style on one side and people citing wrestling's need to "evolve" on the other.
The entire controversy was as old as time. Some person (or group) creates a craft, people work to perfect that craft and as time goes on "innovators" of that craft receive scorn from those who dislike how far the craft has drifted from the original creation.
In Vader's case, there is extra irony because of how innovative a wrestler Vader was. One can easily imagine the old timers of the 80's shaking their heads at a big man attempting a moonsault, for example.
From this blog's perspective, the whole thing was minor. There is an earnest debate to be had about how "real" pro wrestling should be, but the Ospreay vs. Riccocet match hardly matters. They were wrestling in a two thousand seat gym for a promotion whose television airs in the middle of the night. As much as this blog enjoyed that match, it hardly mattered.
What does matter is WWE. They are the world's biggest pro wrestling promotion and their position in the Real vs. Fun debate deserves some scrutiny.
The opening segment of last night's Raw revealed that, when it comes to the Raw/Smackdown split, WWE's booking will be mostly Fun and barely Real.
The New Day opened Raw with an interview segment against Stephanie and Shane McMahon. The thrust of the segment was that The New Day was concerned that their members might be split between Raw and Smackdown.
In the Real world of sports, such a worry would be ridiculous. Real athletes have agency. In a recent example, the National Hockey League (NHL) had to strike a detailed agreement with its Players Association (the pro hockey players' union) in order to set rules on which hockey players can be moved to proposed NHL expansion teams in the summer of 2017. Nobody in a Real sport would even consider the notion that the NHL would be allowed to move athletes to a new team on a whim.
It comes as no surprise that WWE is choosing Fun over Real. That has been their vision for years. Real sports have adopted instant replay and motion tracking in an effort to get decisions right. Real sports have become more aggressive in punishing referee incompetence. Those topics are not even part of the WWE conversation.
Ostensibly, the choice to go Fun is driven by story needs. Ref bumps, distractions finishes, count outs and disqualifications would all have to be radically altered if WWE ever prioritized Real.
The decision to make the Raw/Smackdown split into a "draft" likely also has the same reason: story. Splitting up tag partners creates a story. Enemies being drafted onto different brands is an easy way to end a story. There are numerous possibilities, all available because WWE has chosen a Fun way to split up the roster instead of a more Real way.
There is a saying that UFC President Dana White is fond of: "stepping over dollars to pick up dimes". It means that some choices that lead to short term business spikes will limit a business, long term.
There are ways to tell a story around a more Real structure. The most successful sports entity in America - the National Football League -- churns out story after story while keeping it Real. Cam Newton celebrates too much, or doesn't. Tom Brady should or shouldn't be suspended. There are numerous others.
All of the NFL's controversies have babyfaces, heels and suspense, driven by each observer's point of view. All of them draw attention -- and, therefore, money -- to the League. All of them are viewed by the NFL's fans as Real.
The entire controversy was as old as time. Some person (or group) creates a craft, people work to perfect that craft and as time goes on "innovators" of that craft receive scorn from those who dislike how far the craft has drifted from the original creation.
In Vader's case, there is extra irony because of how innovative a wrestler Vader was. One can easily imagine the old timers of the 80's shaking their heads at a big man attempting a moonsault, for example.
From this blog's perspective, the whole thing was minor. There is an earnest debate to be had about how "real" pro wrestling should be, but the Ospreay vs. Riccocet match hardly matters. They were wrestling in a two thousand seat gym for a promotion whose television airs in the middle of the night. As much as this blog enjoyed that match, it hardly mattered.
What does matter is WWE. They are the world's biggest pro wrestling promotion and their position in the Real vs. Fun debate deserves some scrutiny.
The opening segment of last night's Raw revealed that, when it comes to the Raw/Smackdown split, WWE's booking will be mostly Fun and barely Real.
The New Day opened Raw with an interview segment against Stephanie and Shane McMahon. The thrust of the segment was that The New Day was concerned that their members might be split between Raw and Smackdown.
In the Real world of sports, such a worry would be ridiculous. Real athletes have agency. In a recent example, the National Hockey League (NHL) had to strike a detailed agreement with its Players Association (the pro hockey players' union) in order to set rules on which hockey players can be moved to proposed NHL expansion teams in the summer of 2017. Nobody in a Real sport would even consider the notion that the NHL would be allowed to move athletes to a new team on a whim.
It comes as no surprise that WWE is choosing Fun over Real. That has been their vision for years. Real sports have adopted instant replay and motion tracking in an effort to get decisions right. Real sports have become more aggressive in punishing referee incompetence. Those topics are not even part of the WWE conversation.
Ostensibly, the choice to go Fun is driven by story needs. Ref bumps, distractions finishes, count outs and disqualifications would all have to be radically altered if WWE ever prioritized Real.
The decision to make the Raw/Smackdown split into a "draft" likely also has the same reason: story. Splitting up tag partners creates a story. Enemies being drafted onto different brands is an easy way to end a story. There are numerous possibilities, all available because WWE has chosen a Fun way to split up the roster instead of a more Real way.
There is a saying that UFC President Dana White is fond of: "stepping over dollars to pick up dimes". It means that some choices that lead to short term business spikes will limit a business, long term.
There are ways to tell a story around a more Real structure. The most successful sports entity in America - the National Football League -- churns out story after story while keeping it Real. Cam Newton celebrates too much, or doesn't. Tom Brady should or shouldn't be suspended. There are numerous others.
All of the NFL's controversies have babyfaces, heels and suspense, driven by each observer's point of view. All of them draw attention -- and, therefore, money -- to the League. All of them are viewed by the NFL's fans as Real.
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