Stop Crying, and Enjoy the Show

Pro wrestling, for the most part, has been pretty good lately.  The Royal Rumble was a solid show. WWE programing has been pretty good.  NXT stars are getting brought up to the big show.  Juice Make Sugar got a sexy redesign, complete with a new edition of Nick and Andy Tag Team Wrestling.  Don’t worry, I have yet to kick Nick’s leg out of his leg.

All is good…except the fans.  I said it before, and I’ll say it again – some wrestling fans just hate pro wrestling.  And it’s ruining the fun for everyone else.

Don’t believe me?  Rewatch the last few weeks on your DVR.  You’ll know I’m right.

Let’s start at the Rumble.  You were given an AMAZING show.  Brotherhood vs New Age Outlaws was a solid opener, which went far better than expected.  Bray Wyatt defeated Daniel Bryan in a fantastic match, with an incredible ending, that lent credibility to a later angle.  Brock killed the Big Show. And then the crowd turned on the show itself.

Randy Orton and John Cena were having a fine match when the crowd decided to stop having fun, and start disrespecting the guys in the ring.  It went on until Bray Wyatt came out to kill John Cena, and continued when the crowd realized Daniel Bryan would NOT show up in the Rumble.

The next night on Raw, WWE (sort of) made good with the crowd by delivering Daniel Bryan, in a very big way.  Bryan was presented as a star and a threat to Triple H.  He earned a WWE World Heavyweight title shot. Not a week later, he pinned the WWE World Heavyweight Champion –clean—despite interference from his former tag team partner.  He won a pay-per-view quality main event match against Antonio Cesaro.

So the crowd stopped cheering for Daniel Bryan, abandoning their underdog hero for CM Punk.

CM Punk—the same guy who walked out on the promotion, its superstars and staff, and the fans themselves.
Why were fans chanting for Punk, instead of Bryan?  Why, it’s quite simple—they were getting what they wanted with Bryan, and had to find something else to be upset about.

Last week, Chikara paid off an 8-month long angle, and announced the return of the company.  Fans online went nuts in support, praising the angle and the workers involved, and celebrating the promotion’s return.  They (myself included) also thanked the company for surprise gifts that were mailed out this week.  I’m still giddy over my Leonard F. Chikarason autograph, and my “I Am Chikara” lucha sticker.

Fans that love “their” company, and a promotion that loves them back.  Imagine that?

Instead of crying about CM Punk, and disrespecting the stars who actually decided to come to work this week, I want you to try something different.   Enjoy the show.  Cheer Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Kofi Kingston, and Sheamus.  Boo Randy Orton, The Wyatt Family, Damien Sandow, and Bad News Barrett.  Have FUN.  If you refuse to enjoy the show, WWE’s going to refuse to give you what you want.  Nobody wins. (Spoiler, someone wins. It’s John Cena.)

This Monday, there will be an arena full of people who may or may not enjoy the show.  This May, a couple hundred people will eagerly pack a small gym in Pennsylvania, ready to have the time of their lives.  The only thing stopping you from having that much fun at a WWE show IS YOU.

@AndyMillerJMS

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