The Wrestling Bard 03.14.09: The Times They Are A ‘Changin’

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone

What does a classic Bob Dylan song have to do with wrestling? A lot actually. Mr. Dylan had a gift for writing songs that were both relevant to the time and transcendent enough to continue to be relevant today. This song was written in an era of great change, the 1960’s. John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Man landed on the moon. And the Vietnam War drew passionate people from both sides, both certain that their principles were correct, and the other side was wrong. America was in a state of political, technological, and moral turmoil. And while no one was certain where things would go, it was obvious that “times they are a-changin'”.

Wrestling has always reflected the state of the world. People need to be entertained, and need to have hope. After World War II, foreign heels on both sides of the pacific were beaten in the wrestling ring, and homegrown heroes’ victories brought many feel good moments for their respective nations. In times of peace, wrestling has changed to suit the needs of its audience. In the 1900’s, wrestling stopped being a shoot, and become a faster, more exciting product for a world that was moving at a faster pace. With the advent of television, wrestling become even more flamboyant, with wrestlers like Gorgeous George and Buddy Rogers becoming well known characters as well as competitors. Vince McMahon realized in the 1980’s that he could solve the “Is wrestling real?” debate by calling it “sports entertainment”, and was able to lead wrestling into a golden age. A decade later, fans who grew up in the age of information were treated to a new hero, Stone Cold Steve Austin, who appealed to the more mature and rebellious audience.

Wrestling has grown to the point of becoming part of pop culture. Phrases like “tag team” and “sleeper hold” are commonly in use. Things like the vertical suplex, the piledriver, and even the steel chair are recognized as part of wrestling. One has to wonder if George Hackenschmidt, Frank Gotch, or Lou Thesz ever imagined a world where Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, or John Cena would be accepted as world champions in wrestling. Indeed, there are many out there who still claim that wrestling was better “in the old days”, before characters and crowd pops become more important than pure athletic ability. Whether or not something is “better” is up to debate, but one cannot deny that wrestling has been more successful under the brand of “sports entertainment”.

If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.

While history is worth preserving, and traditions worth keeping, it cannot get in the way of progress. Things must evolve and change, for better or worse, to stay relevant. Wrestling is one of those things. While some matches and moments, like Hogan slamming Andre or the Flair-Steamboat series, are as timeless as this song, we cannot pretend that wrestling has not changed. We must accept it. If we can change with the times, then we should keep watching wrestling and see where it goes. If some of us can no longer appreciate it, perhaps they better start swimming to shore, or else they may sink in what they perceive as “wrestling getting worse”. As I’ve said, wrestling may be getting worse, but it may be getting better. But whether you are an optimist or a pessimist, “the times they are a-changin'”, and you have to accept it.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin

Some of us, like myself, have been fortunate enough to have a forum where we can write our opinions on the state of things. We are the writers and critics of wrestling. Some of us preach positivity, while others focus on the negative. Some view themselves as keepers of the past, while others try to predict the future. Sadly, that leaves few who are focused on the present. We look at the state of wrestling and deem it unworthy, and point how it was better before. Or perhaps we point to the cyclical nature of wrestling and talk about how it will be better soon.

I think it is my duty, and the duty of every other writer, to look at the present, with an open mind and attentive eyes. We should be never be quick to judge, to condemn or condone. The present is constantly changing, and while we may not be able to see what is up ahead, we can see what is happening NOW. We are the lucky ones. Our children will look on this era the way we look at the 1980’s. Only we will be able to experience it as the present. “The chance won’t come again.”

And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.

A lot of us make predictions on who is the “next big thing” in wrestling. Some say Jack Swagger, some say John Morrison, and others say Ted DiBiase. But we really don’t know what the future has in store. People are not stagnant. They change, some for the better, some for the worse. Elijah Burke and Bobby Lashley were “supposed” to be huge stars, and where are they now? CM Punk didn’t have “the look”, but he is one of the most popular and recognizable stars in wrestling. Those who are struggling now will sooner or later get their big breaks. The times, and the people who live in those times, are always changin’.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled

Bob Dylan may have been talking to politicians with this verse, but the message is for everyone. Wrestlers must take notice of this. In light of the Benoit Family Tragedy, they must work safer and be careful about what they put into their bodies. Wrestling, no matter how important it is to you, is not worth losing your life or your family for. Sort out your priorities now, or you will regret it later.

As for us, we must remember that fans are part of the big machine. In many ways, we cast our vote for each wrestler. Will they succeed or die in committee? Many of us do not realize the power of our words. However, one need only look at how a minority of the IWC still views John Cena as a talentless hack. A few years ago, the loud argument against Cena was voiced, and it was voiced so loud and so long that some people have accepted it as fact. This anti-Cena filibuster has outlived its relevance. In the end, it is only those critics who suffer. Cena could be the next Hogan or Austin, but we have a very vocal part of the audience that despises him. Why would any casual or non-fan watch wrestling when “the experts” say that the top star in wrestling is a hack?

There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.

It is only natural for humans to think only of themselves. When it comes to entertainment (and yes, wrestling IS entertainment) that instinct is perhaps even justified. However, we often view what we “want” and how we think wrestling “should be” as absolute fact. We get set in our ways and cannot fathom the idea that perhaps there is more going on outside our little worlds. The ROH fans may try to convince themselves that wrestling “should” only be about the athleticism and match quality. K-Money may have convinced himself that only what he sees matters. Both sides are wrong. ROH DOES make an impact on wrestling, but it is not the only way for wrestling to be.

This battle of viewpoints on what wrestling should be has changed wrestling before. ECW was able to revolutionize the industry and what was accepted. At some point, WWE will embrace pure wrestling as its main form of entertainment, much like they did in 1994. And eventually, they will push the envelope again like the did in 1998. And one day, they will go back to being family friendly, like they were in the 1980’s and are today. This battle of changing values will always shake wrestling up.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command

I wonder what it must have been like for parents of teenagers in the Attitude Era. How did they handle the sex, violence, language, and overall pushing of the envelope? Could they possibly understand just how different their kids were? Perhaps it is like the twenty-somethings who cannot understand why a family-friendly wrestling program is good for the business. Or why some fans cannot understand the appeal of Ring of Honor, and why some fans can’t understand how Ring of Honor isn’t appealing. People come from different backgrounds, different ways of thinking, and value different things. Some of us just can’t understand why other people value things that we don’t.

But the bottom line is this. Previous generations have very little control over the next generation’s values or tastes. If anything, they can expect that the next generation will have the exact opposite values and tastes that they have. Perhaps we are even the cause of wrestling’s current state. Whatever the reasons, we cannot sit and wish that wrestling was the way it was. We must accept that wrestling is the way it is, and decide what we will do accordingly.

Your old road is
Rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.

The Rock-n-Wrestling Era isn’t getting any more hip, guys. And the Attitude Era isn’t getting any cooler either. You can’t cling to them forever and brood until they come back. To quote another song, “Say goodbye to the ‘Oldies But Goodies’/Cause the good ole days weren’t always good/And tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems”. We tend to idealize what we grew up with, but let’s face it. Someone who grew up in the Attitude Era will see how stupidly cheesy the Rock-n-Wrestling Era was. And somebody who grew up watching Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels wrestling will look at the Attitude Era and wonder where the actual wrestling is. Try explaining to a kid who has watched the X-Division why Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers is considered a classic.

Terry Funk was a guy who made his name wrestling in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. He had been an NWA Champion when the NWA was in its prime, and he didn’t need to prove anything. But unlike most people from his generation, Funk changed for the times and become the grizzled veteran, making new stars in the upstart ECW. Funk realized that none of his accomplishments would be remembered if there were no new stars to carry on after him. If and when wrestling ever ends for good, what will the legacies of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, or Steve Austin be? But as long as there is a generation that follows the stars of yesterday, the legacies of the past will be preserved. People who grew up in a time that has long since passed would do well to remember that.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past

I have talked a lot about people who grew up in other eras, but this piece is also directed at myself and my generation. This is our time, our era. If we do not keep it and remember it, then who will? One day, this time will be forgotten, and talked about in the same way we talk of the last twenty years. And when it comes our time to be the old guard, we cannot stand in the way of progress. The next generation will not be like us, much like we are not like the generation before us. We must continue to evolve with the times, or some future fan will post an article similar to this. If I become what I have criticized in this article, then I will be a hypocrite. While I stand here on my pedestal and ask those who came before me to change with the times, I acknowledge that soon I will be in their shoes. I’m resolved to go with wrestling’s flow.

The order is
Rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last

I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but it is 2009. The decade of the 2000’s is almost over. We are approaching the end of an era, and soon a new one will start. Values will change and the wrestling world will be turned upside down. Our generation’s John Cena’s, Randy Orton’s, and Edge’s will be the next generations’s Rock’s, Austin’s, and Foley’s. And who knows who will be their Cena’s, Orton’s or Edge’s? There is only one thing that is certain, and that is that things will never stop changing. You can try to stop it, but eventually, it will happen.

For the times they are a-changin’.

Post-Column Edit:
I was deeply saddened to start my day by reading that Andrew “Test” Martin had passed away at almost 34 years of age. That’s no age to be dying. Test wasn’t the greatest wrestler, but that’s not important. He was a human being and deserves respect. My condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Test. If you want something to remember him by: