“Sports Entertainment” is a much-maligned term among professional wrestling purist.
Growing up, I never thought much about the significance of the term.
It just seemed like the WWE’s way of distinguishing its brand of professional wrestling from others. I wasn’t aware of any malice behind the phrase or that “Sports Entertainment” presented itself as superior to the territory “wrasslin business” of old. I didn’t know that it was designed as a means of distancing the WWE from negative public perceptions, steroids scandals, and the like.
Read MoreThe latest episode of NXT started off with a quick match between Baron Corbin and Solomon Crowe. Baron went over and then got involved in some fisticuffs with Rhyno.
Interestingly, it seems the crowd has finally turned against Baron.
While the incredibly smarky and increasingly obnoxious NXT crowd can be unnecessarily vicious and demanding, the chant “Baron’s Gonna Bore You!” is indicative of the way the character hasn't been permitted to evolve much since his debut many months ago.
Read MoreI sit here before the computer trying my best to discover an entry point into this particular RAW REVIEW. I cannot come up with anything - other than being honest with you.
Monday Night Raw has become background noise for me.
That is both a reflection of the quality of the show of late and a reflection of my viewing habits.
Even when I focus on what I’m watching I can almost feel my consciousness flickering in and out of the show; the three hours blend together in an infinitely recycling loop of deja vu on top of deja vu, each scripted promo or strained attempt at self-referential humor occasionally inspiring a cringe. The show openly mocks itself and the show openly mocks the WWE's past. As a result, I can't help but feel mocked. Because I want to like RAW and I want to like the WWE's past.
Read MoreWhile it’s exciting that pro-wrestling fans have made their voices heard with the #GiveDivasAChance movement, since this trend caught on the WWE has done little more than pay lip service to the fact that there’s an obvious problem with the way women are represented in the company. The “WWE Divas” on the main roster still get less than five minutes on a three hour prime-time television show - a television show that, by the company’s own admission, is difficult to program for due to a massive time-slot.
Read MoreAs the Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens rivalry builds toward the next NXT Take Over special the show continues to hit a beautiful stride. Zayn & Owens embody everything that pro-wrestling fans want out of a WWE product in 2015. Their story is grounded in a recognizable, forth-wall nudging continuity informed by reality, a deeply emotional bond founded on brotherhood and athletic competition. They are not superstars fighting to entertain the crowd - they are athletes fighting for a prize, that persistent motivation colored by the deeper, psychological drama of their characters.
Read More(Writer’s Note: I will not be offering my impressions of this entire episode. I will instead focus on a specific issue related to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship-story and Seth Rollins. If you would like to know the full results of the show CLICK HERE. I hope members of the WWE will remain open minded as they read the thoughts of this concerned, loyal viewer)
The fact that pro-wrestling is a never-ending narrative can sometimes weigh on the viewer - especially if you write about the medium. Repetition is inevitable in any kind of storytelling, but when RAW is as highly structured and formulaic as it is due to the WWE’s adherence to a more corporate, less organic creative-model, the company’s rigid storytelling patterns and reductionist characterization becomes all to clear.
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