The Piledriver Report 09.30.09: Entertainment vs. Wrestling- Why Do We Watch?

Posted by Ronny Sarnecky on 09.30.2009

Is it the awesome matches that lead us to our televisions every week to watch professional wrestling? Is it the storylines that keep us coming back? Or, is it the “entertainment” aspects like the celebrity General Managers or skits involving Hornswoggle and Santino Marella? This week’s “Piledriver Report” examines this issue, and gives an answer to this question.

Why do we watch professional wrestling? It's the million-dollar question. Do we watch professional wrestling for the "sport," or do we view it for the "entertainment" aspect of the business?

I always believed that it was the matches that brought me to the table. After all, the title of the genre is "wrestling." Its not called "story telling." If I want to watch a soap opera, "General Hospital" airs at 3pm on ABC-TV. However, if I want to see the Undertaker wrestling Shawn Michaels, there is only one place to go.

I always thought that the reason I watch wrestling is for the matches. That was until last week. Following the posting of last weeks' "Piledriver Report," I read a comment where the poster wrote: "In the wrestling worlds' heyday you had this viewer. Now you don't. So you deal with guest host and I'll deal with Orton, HHH, Batista, etc... 20 min snooze fest matches that all end with the same booking.. deal?"

This got me to thinking about the whole entertainment vs. wrestling aspect of the genre. What is better? Do I want to see wrestling, or do I want to see "sports entertainment?" While I love the five star matches, and go out of my way to see them, the answer isn't that clear-cut.

THE EARLY YEARS



I remember when I first started becoming a wrestling fan. Besides the Hulk Hogan/Iron Sheik match when Hulk Hogan won his first WWF World title, I do not remember many of the matches from that time. Sure, I remember watching matches on MSG Network. I even remember the first card I went to see. It was on October 14th, 1984 at the Meadowlands Arena. The main event pitted Sgt. Slaughter and Andre the Giant against Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik. The WWF Tag Team Champions Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch faced the Wild Samoans in a match where I was certain that the titles would change hands. David Sammartino made his Meadowlands debut against Mr. Fuji. As much as I remember being there that night, and seeing the wrestlers, if it wasn't for WWE Classics 24/7 airing the card this month, I couldn't tell you how the matches turned out, or if they were any good.

What I remember from my early days, pre-WrestleMania I, of watching professional wrestling is the angles and the "entertainment aspects" of the business. During the year of 1984, the two biggest feuds in the WWF at the time were Roddy Piper against Jimmy Snuka, and Sgt. Slaughter against the Iron Sheik. To this day, I still remember where I was at when Slaughter confronted the Sheik, and turned face. I can still hear him reciting the Pledge of Alliance, with the crowd chanting in unison.

As for Piper vs. Snuka, I don't even remember seeing the two fight each other in a one on one contest. I remember Piper teaming with Orton against Snuka and the Tonga Kid. However, I can't recall a singles contest. What I remember must of all is the legendary Piper's Pit segment where Piper smashed Snuka in the head with a coconut, and then smeared his face with a banana. Awesome stuff!

The biggest feud of the Rock n' Wrestling Connection was Hulk Hogan vs. Roddy Piper. To set up the "connection," the Women's Champion the Fabulous Moohla faced off against Wendi Richter in July 1984 in Madison Square Garden. While I do remember this match, as it was the first match ever broadcast live on M-TV, I remember the build up more. First, Capt. Louis Albano was taking credit for Cyndi Lauper's music career. Next, the two had a falling out on Piper's Pit. This led to Lauper issuing a challenge to Albano. She would pick a women's wrestler to go up against the women's wrestler of his choosing.

As the Lauper/Albano feud came to a close, with the two making up, enter "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. When the WWF was presenting Lauper with an award, and she was presenting the company with one of her gold records, Roddy Piper hit the ring, pushed down Lauper, and hit Albano over the head with the record. This led to Hulk Hogan hitting the ring. In February 1985, Hogan fought Piper in another memorable M-TV match. All hell broke loose in the match, as Paul Orndorff and Bob Orton, Jr. interfered in the contest. Both men, along with Piper, approached Lauper, when Mr. T came out of the audience to rescue Lauper.

This led to the main event at the inaugural WrestleMania pitting Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. Just as memorable as the match itself were the vignettes leading up to the contest. They aired several segments of Hulk Hogan training Mr. T. There was also a segment that featured Roddy Piper visiting the set of the A-Team to get into Mr.T's face. Two weeks before WrestleMania, at an MSG house show, there was a special Piper's Pit segment, where Piper had artist paintings of what Mr. T would look like if he goes through with the match. Of course, each painting had a different body part of Mr. T's wrapped in a cast.

Even when I became a big fan, and knew the difference between a great match and a not-so good match, I was still drawn to the angles as much as I was the matches. Take Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat as a good example. Their WrestleMania III clash is still widely regarded as one of the greatest matches in the supercard franchise's history. Both were tremendous workers. If you were a fan of wrestling, you had to see that match. Anybody who has seen that match, knows that match by heart. However, to me, what added icing to the cake of that match was the angle that led up to it. Randy Savage had a TV match against Ricky Steamboat. During the contest, Savage draped Steamboat's neck across the steel ring guarder. He then climbed to the top turnbuckle, and delivered a flying ax hammer onto the back of Steamboat's neck, causing "The Dragon" to suffer a "crushed larynx." By the time Steamboat returned to action, the fans couldn't wait for him to face the "Macho Man."

ATTITUDE



In the Attitude Era, the WWF was loaded with memorable storylines. The man that was in the center of it all was "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. There was the time Austin broke into Brian Pillman's house, and "Flying Brian" was ready with a gun in hand. The whole Austin/McMahon viewed was nothing but soap opera goodness. We had the first time Vince received a stunner from Austin. I was in Madison Square Garden that night, and it was the closest thing to a Hogan pop I have ever heard without Hogan being in the building. There was the time Austin made Vince pee in his pants when he threatened to shoot Mr. McMahon with a gun that shot a "3:16" flag instead. How about the time he beeped The Rock 3:16, and then stunned him, or when he threw the Intercontinental championship belt into the river.

Even the vignettes were cool. If the WWE presented the Mr. Socko angle today, the fans would think it is the most ridiculous thing in wrestling. However, back then, Mr. Socko was comedy gold. The same could be said for when Austin hit Mr. McMahon in the head with a bedpan during the same series of hospital segments.

CHEESY ENTERTAINMENT



It wasn't just angles over the years that captured my attention. When Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II came out, I remember waiting each week in anticipation for the next music video to air, so that I could video tape them. The WWF's "Tonight Show" wannabe "Tuesday Night Titans" had more to do with "entertainment" (and bad acting), and less to do with wrestling. However, every Tuesday night, I was there to watch "Fuji Vice" or what other awful skits the WWF may air on the show. Looking back, TNT was a guilty pleasure. It was god awful, but you couldn't help not to watch.

Another guilty pleasure had to be the short-lived "Slammy Awards" telecast that aired the night before WrestleMania. Man, was that some cheesy entertainment. However, any program that gives us the gimmick of Owen Hart being a "two-time Slammy Award winner," is OK in my book.

THE PRESENT



What annoys me most about the WWE today is that Monday Night RAW focuses too much on the entertainment side. While I understand that SmackDown! is the "wrestling" show, and RAW is the "entertainment show," the WWE has a big problem right now. The problem lies in the main event triple threat of John Cena, Randy Orton, and Triple H. Those three for have clouded the main event scene so long, that it is hard to get excited to see a match involving two of the three participants. In order to try to draw interest, the WWE needs to give us angles that will get us excited in these pay per view main events. Unfortunately, between John Cena's poopy jokes, DX shilling their merchandise, and guest General Manager's plugging their latest interests ahead of the WWE's own product, the WWE has trouble building up interest on the RAW side of the pay per views. For me, an angle, or a comedy routine needs to be used to help build interest in the upcoming pay per view, or something happening later in the show that will be used to draw money. Having a live Price Is Right segment does neither. Meanwhile, the SmackDown! side is providing fresh match-ups, interesting storylines, and excellent feuds that make you want to PAY to see their product.

THE ANSWER

To answer the question at the top of the article, wrestling vs. entertainment, which is the reason that we watch profession wrestling. I believe that it isn't one or the other. Instead, it is a combination of the two. A really good angle gets us interested in the matches, and gets us to the arena, or to order the pay per view. It keeps us coming back each week wanting to see what will happen next. However, it's a great match that makes the pay per view or arena show feel like something special. After watching Shawn Michaels against the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV, or even Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi a few years ago, you knew that you just witnessed something that you will remember for years. It's these four to five star matches that come up every so often that makes all of the awful angles, like the Kane/Katie Vick angle, seem bearable for us to live with.

Next time I watch an awful John Cena scripted promo, or the next celebrity GM plugging his latest movie/book/album, while screwing up the name of the WWE's next pay per view, I know that the next memorable angle or awesome match could be one segment away. Or perhaps, just on SmackDown! this coming Friday. Then, all will be worthwhile.