Play Nice Hot Topic : Tribalism in Wrestling

[Ry009]

Rightio folks.

Going to trial this as a way for people to express their opinions on the more divisive topics in wrestling in a more controlled environment.

The last few years has seen the rise of toxicity in the IWC reach fever pitch, and personally think this board has a great group of posters that is far above it all.

Please use this thread to discuss all matters of tribalistic wrestling discussion here in a constrcutive way. This thread is not an excuse for cheap shots of any company. Merely an avenue to discuss topics where there is crossover in discussion.

Fire away.

 

[Colonial]

What way isnt it?

Its extremely rare that a toxic environment is a 1 way street.

Rubbish.

 

[Ry009]

Rubbish.

Understand the angst mate, but a reminder, like it says in the OP, (and conduct that is the same for anywhere on BF) this is for constructive discussion, not a place for continuing on board beefs.

 

[Filthy Sanchez]

Angst between WWE and AEW is good for the industry, makes it more interesting. Wrestling has always blurred real and fiction for heat.

AEW should be glad they're on WWE's radar, it's more than TNA ever did.

Many people are overblowing how badly AEW are doing. Their ratings have plataued and aren't actually going down. It's all just amplified because in the last three years AEW have handballed WWE two of their biggest stars in Punk and Rhodes.

This is as hot as wrestling has been since 2001. Go figure.

 

[RossFC]

Angst between WWE and AEW is good for the industry, makes it more interesting. Wrestling has always blurred real and fiction for heat.

AEW should be glad they're on WWE's radar, it's more than TNA ever did.

Many people are overblowing how badly AEW are doing. Their ratings have plataued and aren't actually going down. It's all just amplified because in the last three years AEW have handballed WWE two of their biggest stars in Punk and Rhodes.

This is as hot as wrestling has been since 2001. Go figure.

While the WWF vs WCW war really enjoyable. When TNA stepped up 15 years ago, I recall a lot of people attacking them in the early days of social media, and on random message boards. Jeff Jarrett has gone on record saying stuff like that (eg LOLTNA) was harmful to the growth of the company.

It's happening now with AEW. I go on Tony's twitter and he's announcing a match for Dynamite or Collision, and in the responses there is "**** AEW, WE AIN'T WATCHING!" and it ratios Tony's own post. And there was also tweets campaigning to only watch AEW illegally. I don't understand it at all.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Good summary of the current issues. If you just pretend you like everything then standards slip

 

[RossFC]

Good summary of the current issues. If you just pretend you like everything then standards slip

That's a troll account, he's not a fan at all.

 

[BobbyMorri]

That's your line? Bringing up a much smaller competitor during WrestleMania itself??

They mentioned them consistently through the week, especially Punk, who's become an absolute bitch about things.

Well, yes. The main event was all about WWE.

Punk is Punk. Punk is not WWE. I think we all know by now, Punk can go a little off-centre. But importantly, he also spoke the truth about the incident and did it in a talk show and podcast. I don't think Punk mentioned AEW on comms for the Galloway match. Ignore and play on.

The worst part of internet wrestling discourse is those people who cheer for profits, not quality.

Why the hell should anyone work more hours away from their family, grinding for less money - just to put more profits into the hands of the super rich?

Triple H wants people to grind because it suits his self interest. Talent have been historically underpaid to a ridiculous degree in pro wrestling, and Triple H wants that to continue so there's more profits in executive share holder hands, such as his.

That Punk now speaks out against worker rights and for the corporate mindset speaks volumes of his hypocrisy.

Did I say Will was wrong to take the better offer???

Good on Will for doing so. That is all he had to say and anyone with half a brain would agree with that.

Disagreements happen all the time in business. There can be 2 sides who are both correct/right in their own way.

Will took the best offer. Good for him. Hunter would have liked more grind from a "new" player in the WWE universe. Again, that is his right as COO. Will was not named in this statement, and it was unscripted. If Hunter attacked him personally(ala, Sooky Will didn't want to grind, he doesn't know hard work), I would change my tune.

What Will did do wrong was take it personally. As I said, immature.

 

[Mostyn]

AEW literally had a WWE superstar on its program to beliitle them not 2 or 3 days ago with fans chanting a WWE stars name as well as * HHH . The toxicity is not a 1 way street

Go look at ANY AEW post on social media.

The vast majority of comments are WWE trolls.

Go look at ANY WWE post on social media.

The vast majority of comments are WWE fan replies.

That is probably due to volume of fans - even a small percentage of WWE fans being trolls is still a massive number - but it's incredibly fatiguing.

 

[Mostyn]

What way isnt it?

Its extremely rare that a toxic environment is a 1 way street.

Just go and look at ANY post. The volume of vindictive WWE fans has poisoned the IWC.

You can't say it's the same when the numbers are SO much larger.

 

[Cleavy]

now we can tune in for the tribalism of STARDOM vs MARIGOLD.

EDIT: we already had the "Rossy = bad" narrative when it came out that he was trying to poach wrestlers from Stardom before he left. now this... (although not under contract, gave notice on Friday, but certainly gutted the promotion)

 

[Senor M]

I think preferences in content can sometimes get confused as ‘Tribalism’ and that any critique of content turns into a “durrr you anti-AEW troll, TK would eat u alive” or “grrr u anti-WWE troll, you’re on TK’s payroll”.

Over the last five years there’s been times when both WWE & AEW have had good runs with television and content, but there’s been times when both companies have produced something cringy or lack a storyline that ‘hooks’ me in.

I’ve gone between watching both over that time, but there is only soo much wrestling you can watch a week so I’ll never be able to watch all of Raw, NXT, Smackdown, Dynamite, Rampage & Collsion in a week.

But I’ve watched all the different shows at different stages. Having watched Dynamite last week I found a few segments really cringy. It’s one thing talking about an incident in a podcast, it’s another doing a countdown video to show CCTV of the same incident on television,

 

[ULTIMATE_WARRIOR]

This thread was probably a long time coming and I’m glad it has been created.

As for toxicity, it’s certainly a two way street. That is certainly clear on any social media platform, at least from my point of view as someone who views and enjoys content from and about both companies. I find the irony in claims it’s one way when on this particular board, I’ve found the personal insults generally come from a certain side.

I’ve always been a fan of both promotions however obviously have a preference to a certain way of storytelling and production that is currently being done extremely well by WWE. I can and do still enjoy a lot of AEW, but obviously feel it would be better served if it applied itself in the ways I prefer. Of course that is just my opinion, it doesn’t mean I’m right. I’m always up for the discussion, unfortunately it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do so.

 

[Blackhawk42]

I'm currently loving WWE due to the massive, grand feel of the presentation and a great group of top end talent.

I love AEW because I prefer that 'workrate' style of professional wrestling, and the freedom given to the talent on the roster generally makes for a more authentic feeling viewing experience.

Both still have their flaws though.
The WWE PLE show structure bothers me. I never wanted to be a downer when it was happening, but I HATED the Elimination Chamber show. I feel so validated having not bought tickets to it. 4 matches is poor in my opinion. The breaks during shows for highlight packages etc ruin the flow for me personally.

AEW produce the PPV event structure that I absolutely love. Hence why I purchase every big show.

Tony also desperately needs to regin in his instincts a little. Drop more talent from the roster and properly build the shows around the core group like WWE are doing. As a Christian mark, I hate not knowing how long it will be until he returns as an example.


Despite all of this, I feel like the meme of that Nanna 'living in the moment' and just enjoying wrestling while everyone around me is on their phone arguing with one another over who is better.

 

[Ry009]

I'm currently loving WWE due to the massive, grand feel of the presentation and a great group of top end talent.

I love AEW because I prefer that 'workrate' style of professional wrestling, and the freedom given to the talent on the roster generally makes for a more authentic feeling viewing experience.

Both still have their flaws though.
The WWE PLE show structure bothers me. I never wanted to be a downer when it was happening, but I HATED the Elimination Chamber show. I feel so validated having not bought tickets to it. 4 matches is poor in my opinion. The breaks during shows for highlight packages etc ruin the flow for me personally.

AEW produce the PPV event structure that I absolutely love. Hence why I purchase every big show.

Tony also desperately needs to regin in his instincts a little. Drop more talent from the roster and properly build the shows around the core group like WWE are doing. As a Christian mark, I hate not knowing how long it will be until he returns as an example.


Despite all of this, I feel like the meme of that Nanna 'living in the moment' and just enjoying wrestling while everyone around me is on their phone arguing with one another over who is better.

This is where I'm at.

Both major companies give you the fix of what you're after.

While star power isn't of the 80's/90's talent hasn't been as deep as it is now. So much different stuff to dabble in and enjoy.

 

[BEEG]

I liked both for a while spent more on AEW ppvs then i have WWE ppvs last 3 years - Network/Foxtel obviously a big reason.

I supported AEW because i was unhappy with WWE.

I dislike AEW a fair bit currently and it's for the same reasons i disliked WWE at one stage.

The delusional millionaire at the top, they were both stubborn and wouldn't listen to people on the outside, Vince atleast had a track record of running quality TV.

They have some really ordinary talent that make you want to turn off when they come on.

I'm a huge Sasha Banks fan, I currently can't stand her atm she's cringe, I never thought that could happen, she's been found out on promos which again never thought was possible.

I don't feel that with WWE, I did at one stage and Vince was the big problem, It's absolutely possible to turn AEW around look at the WWE product now.

In the end it's great for the Industry if both shows are doing well, I just think AEW would be so much more likeable without TK pulling the strings, some amazing producers writers currently available.

 

[Gak Attack]

I know I won't get a reply but can someone explain if you hated one of these shows why you'd spend so much time commenting on their threads and social media? I think some actually watch stuff just so they can say what they dont like.

They're fairly different shows that appeal to different sets of fans. Whether the latest run of WWE is what is to come will be interesting but it has certainly brought some older fans back who had switched from WWE when it was basically a boring kids show for a while.

Vince being gone is obviously a huge positive for the entire industry imho. TK probably needs a look at himself too and his social media use, although HHH's need to show how cool he is becoming a little cringe too. Another issue for TK is the old proven failure of letting active wrestlers influence you but with such a poor period of wrestling prior to AEW it's hard to know who would be good help.

It's been mentioned a lot and it is great AEW gave a lot of guys a chance and let them wrestle elsewhere etc but the top and upper mid is loaded enough that Dynamite should be stocked every week. They put on easily the best PPVs of the two but I've found the TV has dropped off significantly.

Hard to make a call on WWE. They've tricked me back in before with some good angles and then delivered months of mind numbing ahit afterwards but the little run into WM is probably the best it has been it a decade or more. I'd imagine HHH is on the pulse a lot better but a lot of these top storylines are still relying on the returns of guys from the good old days.

 

[BEEG]

I know I won't get a reply but can someone explain if you hated one of these shows why you'd spend so much time commenting on their threads and social media? I think some actually watch stuff just so they can say what they dont like.

They're fairly different shows that appeal to different sets of fans. Whether the latest run of WWE is what is to come will be interesting but it has certainly brought some older fans back who had switched from WWE when it was basically a boring kids show for a while.

Vince being gone is obviously a huge positive for the entire industry imho. TK probably needs a look at himself too and his social media use, although HHH's need to show how cool he is becoming a little cringe too. Another issue for TK is the old proven failure of letting active wrestlers influence you but with such a poor period of wrestling prior to AEW it's hard to know who would be good help.

It's been mentioned a lot and it is great AEW gave a lot of guys a chance and let them wrestle elsewhere etc but the top and upper mid is loaded enough that Dynamite should be stocked every week. They put on easily the best PPVs of the two but I've found the TV has dropped off significantly.

Hard to make a call on WWE. They've tricked me back in before with some good angles and then delivered months of mind numbing ahit afterwards but the little run into WM is probably the best it has been it a decade or more. I'd imagine HHH is on the pulse a lot better but a lot of these top storylines are still relying on the returns of guys from the good old days.

My experience,

I have almost stopped watching AEW at this point, I follow them on Instagram and watch clips, I then jump on Youtube and watch matches if they catch my interest, still gets recorded on Foxtel I just don't bother.

Raw and Smackdown I watch fast forward through parts every week.

That's the back ground for me as a viewer, To answer the question,

I started watching AEW from the start and had some interest, I also have interest with new signings which catches my attention and makes me tune in again, I quickly remember this is rubbish and turn off,

I actually won't comment on social media, the only place i will discuss stuff is on here, I get sucked into the Tribalism when you see someone after Mania day 2 go that show was average blah blah because you know they are an AEW diehard.

 

[Gak Attack]

My experience,

I have almost stopped watching AEW at this point, I follow them on Instagram and watch clips, I then jump on Youtube and watch matches if they catch my interest, still gets recorded on Foxtel I just don't bother.

Raw and Smackdown I watch fast forward through parts every week.

That's the back ground for me as a viewer, To answer the question,

I started watching AEW from the start and had some interest, I also have interest with new signings which catches my attention and makes me tune in again, I quickly remember this is rubbish and turn off,

I actually won't comment on social media, the only place i will discuss stuff is on here, I get sucked into the Tribalism when you see someone after Mania day 2 go that show was average blah blah because you know they are an AEW diehard.

My point wasn't really about to discussing stuff you've obviously taken some interest in. It's the types that flood every social media post, mainly AEW's or Copelands socials for example. Rather sad.

 

[Ry009]

My point wasn't really about to discussing stuff you've obviously taken some interest in. It's the types that flood every social media post, mainly AEW's or Copelands socials for example. Rather sad.

I think that sadly exists in all social media circles, not just wrestling.

Twitter, FB, Reddit to extent - aren't representative of the average person. They're mostly the dregs of society with no much else to do in life. It's become harder and harder to have reasoned discussion on any topic on social media these days.

I think the problem is that we (and I'm lumping myself in here too as I've been guilty in the past) that we bring that angst we see outside of BF and think it's representative of it here. IMO I think we all mean well. Just don't like reading negativity on a regular basis too.

I think 99% of us here that are like both or one, could easily sit around a table with a beer and calmly discuss the positives and negatives of wrestling.

 

[BEEG]

My point wasn't really about to discussing stuff you've obviously taken some interest in. It's the types that flood every social media post, mainly AEW's or Copelands socials for example. Rather sad.

Wake up mate, happens everywhere.

 

[BEEG]

I think that sadly exists in all social media circles, not just wrestling.

Twitter, FB, Reddit to extent - aren't representative of the average person. They're mostly the dregs of society with no much else to do in life. It's become harder and harder to have reasoned discussion on any topic on social media these days.

I think the problem is that we (and I'm lumping myself in here too as I've been guilty in the past) that we bring that angst we see outside of BF and think it's representative of it here. IMO I think we all mean well. Just don't like reading negativity on a regular basis too.

I think 99% of us here that are like both or one, could easily sit around a table with a beer and calmly discuss the positives and negatives of wrestling.

100% wrestling fans online are terrible in person it's always great chats and mostly positive.

 

[Gak Attack]

Wake up mate, happens everywhere.

Each to their own then if people think that's a good use of their time.

 

[Cleavy]

wrestling fans be like: "did you see that show? that show sucked! also I didn't watch, but I'm certain that it sucked regardless."

 

[Nicho50]

Meltzer and Alvarez are mostly to blame for this. You only have to look at the comments Meltzer made about Trick Williams saying he was not good but then having to throw the Bucks name in there when describing why he is no good.