Melter and Cornette Talk Business
Dave Meltzer appeared on "The Jim Cornette Experience" podcast recently for a discussion on modern wrestling promotion. Meltzer's position was that indy wrestling is hot, and thus the current, wink-and-nod style works. Cornette's position is that there are more lapsed wrestling fans than active wrestling fans, and that's evidence that the business should go back to the way it used to be.
In this blog's view, they're both right. If indy promoters booked the way Cornette wants them to book, the indy scene would be nowhere near as hot. But if a disciplined, ambitious indy promotion took cues from Cornette, they'd offer stronger competition for WWE than Impact, ROH, New Japan or anyone else.
One area where Meltzer's argument trumps Cornette's -- again, in this blog's opinion -- is that the kayfabe cat is out of the bag. Wrestling fans wouldn't just going to roll their eyes at Smokey Mountain Wrestling style booking, they'd be insulted. Fans not only know that wrestling is worked, they want the promotion and the wrestlers to drop the act once the show is over. The Young Bucks shouldn't stop selling merch because they're heels. Kevin Owens should be cool at the airport. Et cetera.
Yet, the numbers don't lie. For all of the Twitter love showered upon ROH and their ilk, none of the indies have produced a product that has resonated beyond the hardcores. And at its root, Cornette's argument speaks to the problem: wrestling fans don't have anyone to root for. When the wink-and-nod style is used, there are no universal good and bad guys. Ten thousand people chanting "Let's Go Aus-tin," as happened at Over The Edge '98, can't happen. Instead it's three thousand chanting "Let's Go Ce-na," while the other three thousand chant "Ce-na Sucks".
Stars and grudge matches pop the business; they always have and they always will. Both are harder to create when fans can't unite.
In this blog's view, they're both right. If indy promoters booked the way Cornette wants them to book, the indy scene would be nowhere near as hot. But if a disciplined, ambitious indy promotion took cues from Cornette, they'd offer stronger competition for WWE than Impact, ROH, New Japan or anyone else.
One area where Meltzer's argument trumps Cornette's -- again, in this blog's opinion -- is that the kayfabe cat is out of the bag. Wrestling fans wouldn't just going to roll their eyes at Smokey Mountain Wrestling style booking, they'd be insulted. Fans not only know that wrestling is worked, they want the promotion and the wrestlers to drop the act once the show is over. The Young Bucks shouldn't stop selling merch because they're heels. Kevin Owens should be cool at the airport. Et cetera.
Yet, the numbers don't lie. For all of the Twitter love showered upon ROH and their ilk, none of the indies have produced a product that has resonated beyond the hardcores. And at its root, Cornette's argument speaks to the problem: wrestling fans don't have anyone to root for. When the wink-and-nod style is used, there are no universal good and bad guys. Ten thousand people chanting "Let's Go Aus-tin," as happened at Over The Edge '98, can't happen. Instead it's three thousand chanting "Let's Go Ce-na," while the other three thousand chant "Ce-na Sucks".
Stars and grudge matches pop the business; they always have and they always will. Both are harder to create when fans can't unite.
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