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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Richard Hougland of Wilmington, Ohio, Torch reader

In all honesty, I cannot give a rating or Best/Worst match to either WWE or TNA's wrestling product on Monday night. What hit home for me is the reality of televised professional wrestling in the modern era.

No longer a classic confrontation between good and evil fought between two individuals or small groups while trekking from town to town and maintaining a strict kayfabe mentality, it is now simply a violent soap opera openly billed as sports entertainment.

As such, the strength of wrestling has morphed from the charisma and physical talents of relatively normal-looking men (and women) working the circuits into a show where athletes and wrestlers try to perform increasingly dangerous stunts with more and more stipulations attempting to entertain an increasingly jaded audience.

Now, the emphasis of an entertainer is almost entirely based on three factors rarely associated with the wrestlers of the "Golden Era." Promoters like Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan value freakish physiques or behavior like Rob Terry and Orlando Jordan to find the elusive "it" factor.

This explains why talented (but boring by today's jaded standards) wrestlers like Shelton Benjamin, Brian Danielson, Chris Daniels, and others are passed over or out-right released while "entertainers" such as Abyss, Jordan, Hall, and other less talented hacks prosper in the squared circle. Granted, as a reality show, sports entertainment has had to evolve past its roots and develop new strategies and gimmicks. Unfortunately, the birthing process has proven painful to watch at times.

McMahon was the first to realize the changing face of professional wrestling and deserves credit for trying to change the landscape into what he was the first to officially bill as sports entertainment. Gone were the regional repeat showings and rotating touring wrestlers. They were slowly replaced by entertainers and finally "characters" written by actual writers and not a booking committee that favored old-school ties and friends. Kayfabe disdain of fans was replaced by the acknowledged predetermination of results.

TNA tried to fight Raw by being more old-school and trending towards violence and excessive blood while ignoring the necessary build up of characters to keep the audience interested. This approach is doomed, as today's TV market prizes the PG label. Only the likes of HBO or Showtime could carry true R-Rated professional wrestling today.

The point I am going for is this: pro wrestling is dead. It is now sports entertainment and it will live or die on the strengths of its characters and storylines, just like any other scripted television show. It won't matter how many four-star matches A.J. Styles or John Cena have if the viewing public does not care about their characters or reasons they are "fighting."

Not only is sports entertainment fighting each other for the media pie, they are fighting any number of better-scripted and better-acted shows taking up more of their market. Any growth in sports entertainment must come from the performers who can not only perform as wrestlers, but as actors as well.

WWE is trying to build character and storylines. TNA is just trying anything Hogan and his regime can throw against the wall. The smaller promotions are dying on the vine and in deep trouble. It will be interesting to see how they all sort out this brave new world of sports entertainment that has replaced pro wrestling, but wrestling will never be the same, no matter how many times you trot out "classic acts" like the Nasty Boys and the Clique.

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