Juiced-up losers badly acting their way through appalling story lines, or the most entertaining soap opera in the world?

Just like anything else, there is good and there is very bad wrestling.

Good: ECW, NJPW, AJPW, WAR, FMW, WING

Bad: WWF/WWE


Although I don't watch it anymore, I grew up watching it, and I still like watching the older stuff. Not crap.

After seeing his picture, I've been really interested to to know which wrestling character "Brett Eugene Ralph" plays.

CRAP. Memphis is a 'rasslin' town, and it's pretty tiresome. To be fair, I have to have a small waffle factor here, because when I was a little kid, I did occasionally watch and was sufficiently entertained by some pro wrestling, but the bits and pieces I've had the misfortune of catching since then have been unbelievably irritating (I'm talking about the nationally-televised stuff; the local stuff is still so terrible it's funny). I've met adults who are seriously into wrestling, but I don't see the appeal. What do I know, though? I play video games, and I know there's some crossover with the target audiences. I'm just not part of that crossover.

crap

i kind of liked it as a kid, but i cannot imagine spending any time, much less money, on it as a grown man

abdullah the butcher was my favorite

Angus Jung wrote:After seeing his picture, I've been really interested to know which wrestling character "Brett Eugene Ralph" plays.

The Stipinator

My fav was the Junkyard Dog, who'd always enter the ring w/ 'Another One Bites the Dust'. I remember being thrilled by this as a kid...

Brutus Beefcake, Macho Man Randy Savage, Honky Tonk Man...

...

Hmm...looks like this is breaking down by age.

I remember watching the A.W.A., based out of Minneapolis/St. Paul,
on Sun. mornings. Some slightly beefy guys and some with average
builds putting arm locks and leg locks on each other. The most
"devasating" move was a flying drop kick. Seemed like it was the same
bunch forever, too. The Crusher (from Milwaukee!), "The Claw" Baron
Von Raschke, Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, Vern Gagne, "Scrap Iron"
Kadaske, Wa-hoo MacDaniels...

I didn't think it was crap at the time.

mattw wrote:

Angus Jung wrote:
My fav was the Junkyard Dog, who'd always enter the ring w/ 'Another One Bites the Dust'. I remember being thrilled by this as a kid...

Brutus Beefcake, Macho Man Randy Savage, Honky Tonk Man...

I also remember being thrilled with this song. I like the Hart Foundation a lot. Jake the Snake was pretty cool, he had that mullet with a child molester mustache and tight spandex, I mean, how can you go wrong with that look? Macho Man was cool but I was more interested in the youthful boners "Miss Elizabeth" was giving me. Still, CRAP.

Rog wrote:Vern Gagne

Professional wrestling has always been a ridiculous display. However, it was pretty amusing in the days of Vern Gagne and Co. Their choreography was stiff and exaggerated, like bad community theater.

But even with the act, I always got the sense that Vern Gagne "meant" it. You knew that those guys would have been best suited (and much happier) ditching the act and having a freestyle meet.

And wrestling was cheap in a flourescently-lit-punk-rock-show-at-the-VFW sort of way, which is the best kind of cheap.

Plus, any "sport" that produces a singularly great and unique character such as Andre The Giant has something going for it.

But now? Come on.