BY MIKEY MIGO
I ended up watching more of the Royal Rumble than I wanted to. My plan was to luck out and sneak in when the actual Rumble match started and then get out while the pickings are good. I can get down on wrestling all I want, but come Rumble, Mania, Summerslam, and Survivor Series I pay my proper respects. These are the shows that as a kid I looked forward to for months. The anticipation built and the excitement was crazy. The unexpected happened, great matches were had, and things felt like a big deal. Back when a brawl could end in blood, when the chairs at ringside were smashed over people’s heads, and when wrestling was actually good. The Rumble this year was expanded. Now instead of 30 men enter/1 man wins it’s FORTY MEN ENTER/1 MAN WINS… Big Deal. They went with Alberto Del Rio this year. That’s a surprise, but I don’t think a good one. He’s coming into his own, but is nowhere near ready for a push like this. They didn’t even do this for Sheamus, Barrett, or Miz. This is the Royal Rumble, folks. Past winners include Austin, Michaels, Hart, The Rock, Triple H, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Batista, Rey Mysterio, and other future hall of famers. I’m all for new guys getting a shot and then taking chances, but I really have to wonder if this is the right guy to be taking such a big chance on.
Wrestling just sucks right now. The rules have changed. It’s a soft product for children or child-minded adults. There is no edge or grittiness to the product. It’s the 80’s all over again. The main event is crap (see Cena) and the talented mid carders are regulated to fight over mid card titles. It’s stale, boring, and lacks any form of rebellion. I know professional wrestling fluctuates in quality. It’s a cycle. There are boom periods and eras that get us from Hogan to Austin to now. I can ramble all day on the wrestling business. I think it’s the fact that I’ve spent so much time analyzing every single detail that goes into running a wrestling show that I’ve taken a whole new understanding to it.
I want to enjoy it. If I didn’t I wouldn’t keep watching and keeping track of results online. I want to have that moment of childhood amazement while watching, but it rarely ever happens. I can’t even remember the last time I found myself on the edge of my seat with the thrill of a “moment” sending a chill up my spine. Professional wrestling doesn’t do that for me. I want it to. So with that I analyze. I pick at the parts that I don’t like and I seek a small glimpse of the promise land that was childhood wrestling. I grew up with Ric Flair at the tail end of his prime, Shawn Michaels grow from midcarder to the best of all time, I got to see Jericho evolve, The Rock, Stone Cold, ECW, and so much that’s amazing. I’ve sat in the crowd for two Wrestlemanias, multiple RAWs, Smackdowns, and live events. I’ve put the time and effort in to have an opinion. It’s easy to say someone who criticizes professional wrestling is a snob or a smark, but who’s kidding who? Wrestling is a kids show about good guys and bad guys beating each other up in odd and weird situations. When you want to simplify it, you can. If you want to get mild entertainment and some mindnumbing pop corn time in. If it’s an escape from life and you enjoy it… good for you. Just because I know what the art of professional wrestling is capable of and because I hold it to a higher standard doesn’t mean I don’t care. If anything, it means I care even more. And I know, in time, things will be different again. Something may trigger that old chill up my spine, but it’s not going to happen any time soon with the current shape of things.
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