As I expressed in my first blog, one of the main reasons I have been turned off by modern wrestling is its failure, in my eyes, to be a legitimate sport. I've never fully understood what it takes to become a champion in the ring, and I suppose I've taken the few matches I have seen at face value in believing appearance is everything in the world of wrestling. Because our focus so far has been on the earlier eras of pro wrestling, I can't be sure of the principles that guide modern wrestling. Nevertheless, my discontent with wrestling as a sport was somewhat assuaged after reading Matysik's account of his run with promoter Sam Muchnick.
Matysik immediately makes it clear that Muchnick was one of a kind. Unlike the other promoters of his day, Muchnick seemed to have been more methodical in his booking of wrestlers, making sure to consider both their skills as competent athletes and as entertainers with drawing power. It appears that Muchnick, above all else, truly appreciated his audience. He didn't believe in cheating or fooling the audience into buying into shows that promised more than they could deliver. As Matysik relates, it was, after all, the audience that kept food on his table. Muchnick was successful mainly because he could cater to his audience's interests day in and day out, garnering their long-term loyalty.
In reading Matysik, I was able to appreciate Muchnick unique style of promoting pro wrestling. Through his well-planned repertoire of wrestling promotions and bookings, Muchnick was able to bring to the world of wrestling the sense of true competition between opponents that we find in popular American sports. It's true that the outcomes were planned and the winner and loser of a match chosen before fight night. But Muchnick could set a premise for every fight. There was always a reason for a Muchnick match, the least of which was not the pursuit of a championship title. What I especially like about the Muchnick that Matysik presents us is that he kept not individual champions at the helm of his wrestling program but the championship itself. In doing so, Muchnick breathed that competitive spirit of sport into professional wrestling.
Matysik makes me think I wasn't completely wrong about wrestling today. Titles today change hands as quickly as some wrestlers change their gimmicks. A wrestler's personality and charisma can shoot them almost to the top. It is sort of comforting to read that Muchnick demanded much more from his wrestlers. I can't be sure that Muchnick left no legacy for wrestling promotion today, but I will admit that I probably enjoy the more shoot-like spectacles of Muchnick's era.
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Omar, great points about Sam Muchnick. I think that Larry was more or less correct, although a little exaggerated since he's so down on the modern product. It's not quite true that titles always change hands, every little bit. In the late 90s, this was true, and the titles changed hands so often you could hardly remember who is champion. That has slowed down quite a bit though. The world title changes hands a few times a year at most, which is more than in that era, but much less than a few years ago. And London and Kendrick, who we watched earlier in the day, are the longest reigning tag team champions since the 80s.
The belts have certainly been devalued over the years, but they aren't as worthless as Larry implies. He is just a complete Muchnick loyalist, so everything Sam did was considered great and the opposite of today. Nevertheless, I think there are a lot of points about how to protect the title and make the main event always seem big that this chapter emphasizes. Wrestling needs to always remember how much it can learn from its past, and Larry's book is a strong look at the Muchnick operation that was at the heart of that era of wrestling.
Omar, great points about Sam Muchnick. I think that Larry was more or less correct, although a little exaggerated since he's so down on the modern product. It's not quite true that titles always change hands, every little bit. In the late 90s, this was true, and the titles changed hands so often you could hardly remember who is champion. That has slowed down quite a bit though. The world title changes hands a few times a year at most, which is more than in that era, but much less than a few years ago. And London and Kendrick, who we watched earlier in the day, are the longest reigning tag team champions since the 80s.
The belts have certainly been devalued over the years, but they aren't as worthless as Larry implies. He is just a complete Muchnick loyalist, so everything Sam did was considered great and the opposite of today. Nevertheless, I think there are a lot of points about how to protect the title and make the main event always seem big that this chapter emphasizes. Wrestling needs to always remember how much it can learn from its past, and Larry's book is a strong look at the Muchnick operation that was at the heart of that era of wrestling.
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