Pro Wrestling’s Hold On America - OTL 1999

[Playaz Eyez]

If you have some time to kill, here’s ESPN’s Outside The Lines special on wrestling from 1999. What a massive contrast to 2020, even before the ‘rona.

 

[RammerJammer]

I've seen that.

Pro Wrestling really was the biggest thing on TV behind the NFL and now it's struggling to beat Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow, and Love & Hip Hop in ratings

Hate to see it

 

[Rell84shots]

I've seen that.

Pro Wrestling really was the biggest thing on TV behind the NFL and now it's struggling to beat Tucker Carlson, Rachel Maddow, and Love & Hip Hop in ratings

Hate to see it

Blame these companies for listening to smarks who aren't even close to being the majority of the wrestling fanbase. If social media was around during the Attitude Era then they'd be shyttin on Stone Cold, Rock,Taker & Foley for not being technical wrestling machines. Wrestling has always been at it's best when it was characters > ring work. It wasn't too long ago when they were still getting 4s & 3s in the ratings.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Blame these companies for listening to smarks who aren't even close to being the majority of the wrestling fanbase. If social media was around during the Attitude Era then they'd be shyttin on Stone Cold, Rock,Taker & Foley for not being technical wrestling machines. Wrestling has always been at it's best when it was characters > ring work. It wasn't too long ago when they were still getting 4s & 3s in the ratings.

But by 1999, smarks were most definitely in the audience. The audience knew about Jericho and Tazz jumping ship beforehand, yet still lost their shyt when they showed up. Not sure how social media would have shyt on Rock, Austin, Taker, etc for not being technical matches, they loved characters.

 

[Metal Face]

That kid describing the Mark Henry tranny segment

 

[Playaz Eyez]

I went ahead and rewatched the rest of this, and my goodness at some of Vince’s responses to questions

 

[Rell84shots]

But by 1999, smarks were most definitely in the audience. The audience knew about Jericho and Tazz jumping ship beforehand, yet still lost their shyt when they showed up. Not sure how social media would have shyt on Rock, Austin, Taker, etc for not being technical matches, they loved characters.

Have you not seen the flack they get now? There are literally polls asking if they were overrated because they didn't do a lot of different moves. As for smarks being in the crowd by 99, they were in the crowd but not by a lot. I would the crowds back then were 95/5 in favor of normal wrestling fans.

 

[NYChase718]

Theyre all liars and manipulators

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Have you not seen the flack they get now? There are literally polls asking if they were overrated because they didn't do a lot of different moves. As for smarks being in the crowd by 99, they were in the crowd but not by a lot. I would the crowds back then were 95/5 in favor of normal wrestling fans.

Yes, polls in 2020 made by people who were born 10 years after Attitude’s peak. They don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. And 95/5 is a terrible ratio as well. There were a ton of smarks in the audience, young and old, reading WOW and PWI magazine and everything. But unlike today’s smarks, they knew backstage stuff yet simply wanted to watch the show unfold, they didn’t want to be the show and put themselves over.