thats what she said

AMIRITE

Gonna ramble a lot here.....but I think one stumbling blocks of wrestling winning over new fans is because of the misconception that people watch wrestling because they believe it's real, and people are far more likely to embrace it the moment they get over that hurdle.

I think a TV show like GLOW will win over far more fans to wrestling who never would have considered it before than any number of neckbeards with a pre-planned "BUT THE HAZARDS ARE REAL" diatribe to unleash any time someone tells them it's fake. Because wrestling fans shouldn't be defensive of wrestling's "reality, we should embrace everything that makes it silly and ridiculous, and celebrate that.

Again, it's about creating an emotional investment - even if that initial emotion is nothing more than curiosity, that's a foot in the door that you're far less likely to get if you cling to the notion of wrestling as a legitimate sport.

I think it's great early on to let new fans know what your company is about. A casual audience are going to come in with some variation of the "it's fake and gay" preconception, so you have to hook them right off the bat. A comedy match is great for this. Not full-blown shenanigans, but something that's got a decent amount of "real" wrestling in there so people know that you're capable, but enough comedy that people in the crowd realise that the company is in on the joke.

Then they're not snickering behind their hands at the inherent silliness of wrestling, they're invited to join in, and the performers are telling them, "it's okay to laugh at this bit". Then they open up, they'll laugh out loud, and then they're invested, and suddenly they're part of the show. Once you've broken that barrier, and got them laughing, they're ten times more likely to start cheering, booing, chanting, and participating.

The other way to try and dispel that "it's fake and gay" criticism is to go the entire opposite direction - give the crowd an "Oh shit!" moment right off the bat. Throw out something that impresses even the most jaded person in the audience enough that it'll break through that barrier and just get to an instinctive reaction.

Depending on your company - this can be where you throw in some "spot monkeys" and flip-de-doos that nobody in the crowd can do. Or if you're a more hardcore-focused promotion, maybe you start off with a clusterfuck brawl that spills to the outside and you let the fans really hear the chops and forearms right in front of them. So even the jaded fans think "well, that had to hurt".

Basically I think you win over fans by giving them an "in" to your world, to effectively say, "it isn't a real sport but, look, that doesn't really matter".

That can be comedy - and I do think that's the best way - it can be a big move, it can be a compelling personality or story. But what I don't think can ever manage to win over a new fan, certainly not an adult fan, in this day and age is sticking stubbornly to an insistence that pro-wrestling should be treated as a legitimate sport.

If somebody isn't already a fan, they're already going to have a world of preconceptions as to how wrestling absolutely isn't that, and a reasoned argument with the best of intentions will never be enough to change their mind.

You know what I hated and was dumb AF? The worm. So stupid and STUPID FUCKING IDIOTS CHEERED FOR THAT SHIT. FUCK YOU! AAAAAAHHHHH SO FUCKING ANGRY NOW!

RASSLE ANGER

Hey STD, what would your Irish Ancestors think of this Joey Ryan shirt?

https://image.spreadshirtmedia.com/i...-s-t-shirt.jpg

Crowd was into it and that's probably all that matters to foley. Doubt he's going to lose any sleep over a bunch of wrestling fans on the internet being disappointed in him.

My response to this anger is that
Santino was a wrestler who put a snake puppet on his arm as a finisher

and Then theres the peoples Elbow

I could do this forever.

Lol oh yes he will

I hated the Cobra as well. Loved the People's Elbow, just not as a finisher

At least the Cobra was a strike to the throat and the People's Elbow was a running elbow drop. Not comparable to a Dick Flip.

Honestly all the video did was make me feel good for Mick Foley.

This is the worst post you've ever written. BY FAR.

Noid's forty years in the business GIVE HIM THE RIGHT DAVEWADDING

Could Noid please have his own podcast called "Noid Rants on Rasslin" I would listen for 5 minutes

There's a difference between a generic evil foreigner gimmick and literally just doing the exact same thing that someone else did 20 years before to a T.

The comparison would make sense if Jinder Mahal started cutting promos that word for word copied The Iron Sheik or something.

Just another case of Cornette making a simple non-issue into a bigger deal than it should be.

Don't have a problem with comedy matches or comedy style wrestlers as long as its either funny or at least works in the end. Both Foley and the crowd loved the wiener spot so personally don't see any issue with it.

More happy Foley seems to be in a lot better shape than he was earlier in the year which is great for him.

they aren't doing the exact same thing lol they just do the suck it and too sweet. Kenny Omega also does the suck it but he's not exactly ripping off anyone with his act as a whole.

Tiger Ali Singh should return too. All Indians are friends.

dhshsfhgshshsg...IRAN

dfgdfsdfgsdfgsfgs...HOAK HOGAN

fgbfhjdfgjghkfghxfgh...FUCK YOUR ASS, MAKE YOU HUMBEL

dfhsgfhsfghgfhsgfhuik....FACK U, B. BRiEN BLAIR

I celebrate the Broken Hardy shit. It was creative and fun. I could see how a non-wrestling fan would appreciate what they were doing with that. This stuff is just bad. I don't mind comedy wrestling. I mind embarrassingly lame and shitty wrestling. Comedy or otherwise.

I honestly think the argument is, it's cool not to like it, but to act like it's killing wrestling anymore than Vince's lame shit that he's done to "kill the business".

I never said they were ripping of an entire act...

It's just those two things that they happen to make a big part of their act.

The rest of their act is "We're shitty backyard wrestlers who never learned to sell and look like our balls haven't dropped yet." Which I GUESS is original.

It's all terrible. Shut it down. Shut it all down. No more rasslin. Done.

It eeeeeis what it eeeeeeis.

It's about as credible as the gimmick battle royal from x7 that iron sheik won because he clearly couldn't take an over-the-top-rope bump.

I can get behind this movement.

#ShutItDown

Unless everybody agrees that this is SERIOUS BUSINESS and should be treated as such.

Sheik could probably beat all those other old fucks' asses in real life.

One could surmise they'd be made humble.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How long do I need to kill the business for before it dies? Or even shows any damage? Because wrestling is in a fantastic upswing right now.</p>&mdash; Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/894371568423448576">August 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

No it isnt. Its not doing well at all. On any continent.

Too much blood rushing to his dick to think straight.

And it's all because of comedy wrestling. Something the average person doesn't even know exists.

I never said that at any juncture...his brand of comedy is systemic of the issue but in no way the cause. Hes small time.

Hope the next wrestlemania main event is joey ryan wrestling a toaster, just so I can watch cornette and the iwc explode like a fist of the northstar villain.

I don't know what's more embarrassing; this post or the fact that this is what you think about on your ride home from work. Pathetic.

Back in my e-fed days there was one rassler who was legit just a toaster.

The toaster would be more valuable to the company.

Isnt progress selling out at the Alexandra palace. I'd consider that doing really well.

Max capacity is 10,400. Also one night draw isnt a sustainable business model at all even if 10k gets your dick hard