Upon reviewing the latest NXT pay-per-view, an impressive spectacle unto itself, it leaves one wondering: is this current era the greatest generation? If not, why not? The sudden incredible rise and interconnectedness of the talent pool allows for more diversity, more robustness of matches.
The increased exposure of promotions allow for a broader showcase of ability and athletic prowess. The world is becoming more aware of a diversity of styles, from the Japanese Strong Style to the crazy flips and daredevil feats of the American independent circuit to the hybrid of the two in the booming UK circuit. Now, more than ever, a man can define himself by the success of his style, encouraging greater feats and creativity within the ring. As a result, the formula of the wrestling match has changed, allowing more diversity and high spots than simple punches, chops, and clotheslines.
Dissolving are the days of the promotional man, the wrestler that would work a single promotion for the majority of his career. This allows for more dream matches, more mixing of talent over promotions, allowing the rise of indie heroes. NXT bears testament to the rise of the self-made man, where living legends such as Kevin Steen, KENTA, Pac, Prince Devitt and El Generico are now main-lighting the under-card WWE promotion. With the ability of wrestlers on the rise, where the demands of match quality are at an all-time high, it is truly a no-brainer to call this a new golden age of wrestling.
The question remains: is this new formula and attitude on the art of professional wrestling the strongest? Or is there ever any leverage to claim that any one era was the greatest? In order to derive any conclusion, it is essential to understand that professional wrestling is a business, and must therefore be adaptable and relevant to its times. A promotion that is not a spirit of its times is one that is out of touch, and is setting itself up for failure. It made sense that wrestling in the 80’s was one of colorful caricatures and sequins, high on style and minimalist in substance. It was an era of clear heroes and villains, where good triumphed over evil, and personality was more important than ability. The 90’s was an edgier time, one obsessed with the cutting edge and therefore pro wrestling stepped up to embody the extreme, the concept of no limits, and the blood and sex attitude of the times.
It is only fair to conclude that the enduring quality of a storyline has a shelf-life of its era. The themes of the 80’s explored today may be seen as naïve, polarizing, and even racist if the material was debuted today. We no longer live in a time of absolute patriotism, smoldering in the uncertain embers stoked by the fires of the cold war. Those storylines may be looked upon with fondness, but with a sense of child-like nostalgia. Watching the matches now, one can see a certain stiffness and fabrication in the matches’ presentation. The 90’s era was the embodiment of the hardcore persona, where matches focused on the gritty and visceral, emphasizing hard hits and horrific slams. The storylines were focused on shock value, oozing sex and sudden bouts of tremendous violence, with an anti-authoritarian outlook. Though some matches stand the test of time, there’s much that can be said about the over-all juvenile feel that one takes away from this period. One can argue that outside of the main event of The Rock, HBK, Stone Cold, Triple H, The Undertaker and Mick Foley, the rest of the roster was fairly bland.
Today you have the NXT names I mentioned above; Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Hideo Itami and Finn Balor ready to swoop in, but you also have Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan to name a few. One can argue this is the greatest roster for actual pro wrestling that WWE has ever had.
Is this to say that the current era is the one that shines as the most brilliant, the most innovative, and the most compelling? No, but it certainly is the most topical, as good wrestling should be. As a fan-base and as a human race, rose tinted lenses may arrive, as one looks upon the past with bittersweet memories, it is a trick of the mind to suggest that wrestling is any better or worse than it was in the past, merely different, adapted to suit the current climate of this present world. This is why we love wrestling; this is what continues to define it as a source of entertainment. As the years progress, so will the face of sports-entertainment. To be fair, would we want it any other way?
