BORING? I'LL SHOW YA BORING!!!!
A Stickman Editorial
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It's interesting. There always seems to be at least one at every show. You know what I'm talking about: We're well into the match. The wrestlers have just finished executing a spectacular series of moves. The pace of the match slows a bit. One wrestler applies a hold, perhaps the dreaded rear chinlock, and really starts to sink it in. Before long, you can hear it.... "BO-RING!!!!!!" Maybe it's just me, but I've never really understood the purpose of the "Boring" chant. I mean, I don't personally know any other venue where people do this! When the action slows down at a hockey game, you never hear people shouting "Bo-ring"(unless the Leafs are playing - then it's to be expected!) After a heavy action scene in a movie, when things slow down to advance the plot (yes, some movies these days do still have a plot!) you don't hear someone in the theater yell "Bo-ring!" Why does wrestling seem to fall under a different set of rules? I just don't know. Is it because televised wrestling has conditioned us towards having a shorter attention span when it comes to wrestling? Maybe. Could it be that with the persistent undergrowth of, um, "not so good" wrestling feds run by promoters who only seem interested in making a buck and who don't care about the product, ring psychology has become lost on some fans? Possibly. What about the argument that, society changes over time, and the ways of wrestling in the "olden days" just don't carry over to today's fans. Who knows? I do know this. Three things that make up a great match are: Physicality, ring psychology, and pacing. Without these elements, you end up with either a crazy spot match, or a complete and total botchfest. If you don't tell a story with your match, no one will care about why Wrestler X and Wrestler Y want to tear each other's heads off. If no one cares, why should anyone, wrestler or fan, bother even showing up? Matches that are just crazy spot after crazy spot may be exciting at first, but after enough time eating nothing but filet mignon every night, you'd be craving a burger. Ya get where I'm coming from here? I remember reading about a particular wrestler (the name escapes me at the moment - memory's not what it used to be) from the "olden days", who told how he felt about those "Bo-ring" chants. If he started to hear the word "Bo-ring," he'd slap on a chinlock or headlock, and hold for about five minutes or so. If the chant started again, he'd slap the hold back on, and hold it for about six or seven minutes. The message he was trying to get across to the fans being, "You think that's boring? I'll show you boring!" While that may be a bit extreme, the point is pretty clear. Most wrestlers work hard to provide a match that will be both safe and fulfilling for them, and enjoyable and entertaining for the fans. When the pace of a match slows a bit, instead of just shouting the heinous "B-word," maybe we should try to show a little patience, and wait to see how the match develops. After all, I don't ever remember anyone starting chants of ennui during any of those phenomenal sixty minute matches of yesteryear, any no one went away from those unsatisfied. (That we know of, anyway. Work with me here!) What it boils down to is this. Why not just sit back and enjoy the show that these talented men and women have worked so hard to put on for you? If your idea of a great match is, "High spot, high spot, high spot, pin!", then just stay home and watch TNA. If you want to shout "Bo-ring", save it for the Air Canada Centre. Enough yammering. I have a show to go to. SUPPORT INDY WRESTLING!!!! ~~+~~ Stickman
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