Wrestling in Media Part 2

A couple of weeks ago I kicked off the new summer series much like I did last year when I posed a variety of questions to randomly selected wrestling fans over the course of six weeks or so. Now I changed it up as this year not only did I make this the biggest fan interaction post I have ever done, but this is also fan interaction post to include to "non" or casual fans in the post. For more on this visit (here) as now we will be jumping into the post:

Question:
Will Wrestling ever be respected by Main Stream Media?


SundaySegueWrestling: In certain ways yeah as WWE his a different demographic of people. The things they do for charity are always recognized but the ability these gifted performers possess is often un-credited until someone from the mainstream steps into their world.

Kayla Belle: Depends. Indie wrestling has a long way to go but WWE is very close, what with the working relationship with ESPN. Obviously, there are going to be those people who whine about a real sports channel covering "fake" sports because they're idiots

Gina Bean: Honestly, no. There is a stigma attached to wrestling where people who don't watch believe it to be fake. Just because the story line may be pre determined doesn't mean what the athletes are doing isn't real. I have friends who enjoy watching it with me and friends who hate it. Wrestling fans who truly enjoy the sport will defend what is done in that ring, but those who aren't fans are hard to sway.

Pulling the Tights: I don't think it will ever be respected the way it should be. It is largely due to the lack of understanding of what it takes to be a professional wrestler. Most people will never take the time to investigate what wrestlers are actually doing. It's much easier to judge and call it fake. It's truly sad that people don't see wrestlers as athletes. They are incredibly talented and put years of training into their craft.

You Call That Wrestling: Good question. So let's do a quick look at mainstream coverage the night after a PPV. I saw some coverage of Enzo Amore's unfortunate injury and that's where it started and ended. If not for that extremely bad press there would be no press at all. That being said, how do you fix it...? Sure professional wrestling is global but it's reputation will never reach a truly professionally respected level on the simple basis that it is a predetermined event. The biggest issue of them all is the close-minded inner circle in professional wrestling. The old boys club if you will... WWE has all the power and they're happy to cycle through the same playbook and because of that they have a jaded core of pro wrestling fans who are rebelling on a nightly basis insisting on change. So while I don't believe Pro Wrestling will ever find respect in the mainstream media I could go on for days about all the change we need to get it close. Three keys to mainstream pro wrestling. Shrink -Start with a legitimate drug testing program that isn't company run and report cheats publicly. We'll quickly be able to sort who the truly talented superstars are which will legitimize the athletic side of the sport and open a window into the next generation which could see more football type athletes consider pro wrestling. Shrink the travel schedule. It was the cruiserweights who changed the game for WCW and they delivered. Grow- Make wrestling FUN again We're tired of the same regurgitated crap. For pro wrestling to truly grow they need to overwhelm the fans they already have and grow from within. This is a family business and it's wrestling fanatic families who build the core of the fan base and the only way to get mainstream success is for people to care. Innovate - The companies emergency fund(the fans) is the unfortunate dictator of change in WWE and always has been. It's not until ratings hit panic levels that anything substantial happens. Fortunately they still have their least expensive advertising deal(also the fans) right guys??? Not so fast. Burn the playbook and start listening to your fans before they stop caring. While the NXT graduations are having a positive effect it's only the beginning of the long road towards respectability and the continued reliance on bad angles and force fed talents(Looking at you Reigns) are some of the biggest roadblocks for the companies future. In closing... The WWE has the power to make anything happen BUT it also has the security of never changing a thing and that's all I got to say about that.

Tracy: I don't feel like mainstream media takes wrestling seriously.  It seems to have always been ridiculed.

Tony: The idea that it will ever be respected by main stream puts it down to begin with. I think it is highly regarded in main stream media. They choose not to publicize it as much because it does not need them too.



For more from any mentioned above:
https://www.facebook.com/floodwire/
http://sundayseguepodcast.wix.com/sundaysegue
http://www.pullthetightspodcast.com/
http://youcallthatwrestling.blogspot.ca/