[adinserter block=”1″]“Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle which combines athletic and theatrical performance. It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport. The unique form of sport portrayed is fundamentally based on classical and “catch” wrestling, with modern additions of striking attacks, strength-based holds and throws, and acrobatic maneuvers; much of these derive from the influence of various international martial arts. An additional aspect of combat with improvised weaponry is sometimes included to varying degrees.The matches have predetermined outcomes in order to heighten entertainment value, and all combative maneuvers are executed with the full cooperation of those involved and carefully performed in specific manners intended to lessen the chance of actual injury. These facts were once kept highly secretive but are now a widely accepted open secret. By and large, the true nature of the performance is not discussed by the performing company in order to sustain and promote the willing suspension of disbelief for the audience by maintaining an aura of verisimilitude.”
If that is the case and this is the product by which the WWE is going to provide for us at WrestleMania 30 then let’s hope and pray the company pull out all of its bells and whistles and captivates us with some of the best wrestling and theatrics we have ever seen – that means it needs to be better than the first, more inviting than the last and as dramatic as Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair or WrestleMania 28.
As a fan, I do not wish to be disappointed it.
WrestleMania has moved away from what it once was. The first of the circus acts with all its pomp and circumstance and hopes and dreams pinned on the belief that Hulk Hogan would save the wrestling universe and Vince McMahon’s belief that wrestling was only entertainment to shock the world and save the fans from the harsh truths and realities of a forward thinking idea and new concept of business.
When others came up with concepts of trying to keep the business from running away from its roots only complicated things, but the ideas of Kayfabe and McMahon did not mix. In the end, we all know who won.
I only hope and pray the WWE can deliver in two weeks. I hope the young fans will get what they want. I hope the older generation can tolerate the changes and styles and the incarnations of past programs to a more conventional story. This is the “apex” of McMahon’s world right now – changing story lines, aggressive veteran leadership and two main characters fighting of the WWE World Title. Only problem is the one wrestler who we all cheer we should hate and the one we all boo we should love. If anything, our goals are skewed and yes – the business is to fault.
We hated Ivan Koloff and we cheered Dusty Rhodes. We knew Rick Rude and Scott Hall were bad ass and Kevin Sullivan was evil. Lines were drawn in the sand – and we liked it that way. Now, cheering for the heel is commonplace and booing a wholesome dude in jeans shorts makes us all look weak. It’s the McMahon’s work and we all succumb to the trap. That is how the nature of the business intended it to be. We are as much a pawn in this game as anyone else, mainly because we buy into it – merchandise, pay-per-view events and yes, what we read, drink up and believe from the Internet and other social media.
For that, we are just as much to blame as McMahon and the performers we root for.
But for all that is wrong with this concept, we had better hope and pray we are captivated in two weeks in New Orleans. If not, these words will ring true and more will be written of hope an epic fail occurred at the expense of the fans.
Disclaimer: For the next 30 days, this will be an ongoing series of stories as we move down the Road to WrestleMania. Follow Camel Clutch Blog writer/blogger David M. Levin as he talks about the history, the pageantry and the success and failures of the past when it comes to wrestling’s biggest events. The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of Camel Clutch Blog, and this series is intended to ramp up the excitement that is associated with WrestleMania XXX and the Crescent City of New Orleans. Please enjoy this new feature and any comments are most welcome.
Follow David on Twitter @davidlevin71
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