I have been a black wrestling fan for over 20+ years and I have seen
many matches ranging from awesome like Bayley vs Sasha at NXT Takeover
Brooklyn 2015 to downright atrocious like Goldberg vs Undertaker at
Sweet Saudi Blood Money IV in 2019.
The landscape of wrestling
has changed from The Big Man style of the 1980s to the technical style
wrestling from smaller guys of the 1990s & 2000s to the
overglorified and overstaturated “crash n’ burn” style of wrestling
that’s seen in a lot of matches today.
And contrary to what Taker
recently said on “The Joe Rogan Podcast”, The old toxic ways of
wrestlers hard partying getting high and drunk all the time and
wrestling being a “White Boys Only” exclusive club from the 1980s to
2000s is definitely over.
And I have even written several
articles in which I voiced my legitimate dislike for certain aspects of
modern day wrestling from overusage of the “crash n’ burn” style to 3
Hours Of Raw. There’s also certain aspects of modern day wrestling that I
do like from better wrestling quality to more diversity and
representation.
Here are several things about the old days of wrestling that I particularly don’t miss.
Lack Of Diversity & Representation
- One of the biggest things that I truly don’t miss about the old days
of wrestling is from the 1980s thru 2000s was a severe lack of
representation and diversity of wrestlers on mainstream wrestling TV
because it was infuriating as a non-white wrestling fan like myself to
see all these sweaty big and small white dudes on mainstream wrestling
TV, but nowadays you see more actual diversity and representation of
black, brown, and even gender nonbinary wrestlers in mainstream
wrestling promotions and many indie promotions throughout the country.
It always puts a smile on my face to see more diversity and
representation of black, brown, & gender nonbinary wrestlers in the
current era of modern day wrestling.
Toxic Locker Rooms -
Another thing that I also don’t miss about the old days of wrestling is
that back from the 1980s thru 2000s, locker rooms in wrestling were
notorious for being very toxic places especially in WWE where many
former wrestlers from the old days would talk about in many interviews
how they would often get high and drunk all the time whether it was
before their matches or after their matches in the locker room or at the
hotels. But nowadays, the wrestling locker room atmosphere is said to
be even more healthier than it’s ever been when numerous modern day
wrestlers are sitting in the back and playing video games and being
buddy buddies which is definitely much better nowadays than the toxic
locker rooms from the old days where drug and alcohol abuse was very
rampant and destructive.
WWE’s Degradation Of The Women -
One of the absolute biggest things that I severely don’t miss about the
old days of wrestling was WWE’s severe degradation of the women that
made numerous female wrestling fans back then completely tune out of
wrestling all together in which we saw women in WWE being depicted in
bikini contests, diva searches, mud fights, bra n’ panties matches,
playboy pillow fights, live sex celebrations, and everything else you
can name. But starting in 2007, I truly fell in love with women’s
wrestling during The OG TNA Knockouts Era where the women were taken far
more seriously than they were in WWE around that time and were actually
wrestlers that not only put on better matches, but also headlined TV
shows and PPVs much better than the women in WWE during that same
period. But nowadays is definitely the peak of the women’s evolution in
wrestling where you see more women being showcased as either athletic or
technical wrestlers that sometimes main event TV shows & PPVs
especially indie shows.
Unprotected Chair Shots To The Head
- Another thing that I particularly don’t miss about the old days of
wrestling was the extreme use of unprotected chair shots to the head
that were seen by many older wrestlers from those days as a “badge of
honor”, but I personally see absolutely nothing honorable about getting
hit a million times in the head with the steel chair like Hardcore
Legend Mick Foley took from The Rock at The 1999 Royal Rumble event.
Nowadays chair shots are more protected when wrestlers cover their head
when they get hit by the chair selling it more better nowadays than
selling unprotected chair shots to the head from back in the old days of
wrestling.
Subpar Wrestling Quality - Also another thing
that I don’t miss about the old days of wrestling particularly in the
late 1990s thru early 2000s was that a lot of the wrestling matches from
that particular era were very subpar at best despite some very good
in-ring workers like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels,
Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Sting, Scott Hall, Curt Hennig, Eddie Guerrero,
Kurt Angle, etc. But nowadays, the wrestling quality is definitely much
better, but it’s also a double edge sword in the sense of although a lot
of the smaller guys being more athletic and high flying, but a lot of
the wrestling matches nowadays are too overscripted and
overchoreographed where you often see high spots every few minutes of a
match or sometimes see a group of 4 to 8 guys/girls waiting to catch
someone after doing a highspot from either the top rope, top of the
steel cage, etc.
The Conclusion - Even though not
everything about the old days of wrestling was good, but I legit miss
certain things about old school wrestling from the old school technical
style of wrestling and producing many stars from back then.
By Kwame Shakir
