We've reached that point...

[coldblooded]

Been like that for a few years now for me.

[JCF]

Dec 10, 2020 12:15:03 GMT -5 POOR-ly Cuyler said:

Cool story bro.

Best of luck on your future endeavors.

I don’t watch AEW or impact or buy their figures really. Maybe I’ll make a thread giving out about that.

Well, this was just a fan of 20 years striking up a discussion/sharing his feelings and the response was bigger than expected. Great to read all the comments.

[Ministry of Darkness]

Dec 10, 2020 8:42:28 GMT -5 Warriah' said:

I haven't been able to watch since the early 00s with any consistency.

Doesn't mean I don't absolutely love the 80s-early 00s. Where wrestling is concerned, I am absolutely content to live in the past.

Same. Stopped watching WWE in 2004 but through the years after I only watched Undertaker matches.

[Ministry of Darkness]

Dec 10, 2020 9:30:46 GMT -5 The Shiniest Wizard said:

I really only watch AEW nowadays. It's because I'm a fan of long-term stories mostly. WWE main roster lost me around Mania. And with all the Covid problems and injuries, NXT sadly hasn't been the same to me for that same reason. That being said, I don't hate NXT, but the main roster on the other hand has become unbearable to me. I think that's why I only collect AEW figures now as well.

I also watch AEW since its got elements of what pro wrestling used to be such as long term story lines, blood, weapon use with the rare chairshot to the head, high bumps, organic promos and obviously mature language.

[mrassbillygunn]

I agree, ive stopped watching for quite a few months now and havent been picking up figures from the main roster. Only NXT elites.

[slimjim23]

Smack down has been really good since Romans heel turn. And the last three PPVs have actually been entertaining. Still can’t get into Raw though and the problem will always be is the 3 hrs

[ryanpelley]

I've been considering selling my 'modern era' Elite collection to just focus on the 80s / 90s / 00s. Unless it's someone on the current roster that I really enjoy (a small number), I have the same lack of interest as many of you.

[CollectiblesRob]

Dec 10, 2020 8:32:05 GMT -5 sandeep said:

I got Ric rude from elite 77 and skipped everything from next sets, my last purchases were Billy Graham and NWO Hogan. I have no interest I mean literally zero interest in current roster and current product. Moreover talking about figures the quality has significantly dropped ,I bought 6 figures in last 3 months and every single one has loose joint and sloppy paint applications.

For me it’s 100% more this. I’m on my way out of collecting figures as well and it’s solely due to Mattel’s absolutely pathetic quality control. The amount of figures I’ve passed on due to paint applications that look like a 2nd grade art project , loose or cracked joints , true FX eyeballs or lips floating off the figures like they suffered a stroke, and splattered paint just pushed me away. They’re toys, and they’re not gonna be perfect. I completely understand the “if you don’t like it don’t buy it theory” , so I’m just not buying lately. At the same time elite collection figures for 20$ a pop that are now literally targeted toward adult collectors shouldn’t have this issue. There is no other toy company who has out as many blatant careless errors as Mattel. Funko included. I remember when the line first came out how pristine each figure was. You’d find a figure and wouldn’t even look. You’d run to the register and post your finds. Now, finding them with crap distribution is less than even half fhe battle. Now it’s “are the eyes aligned?” , “do the joints work?” , “is their paint splattered across their chest, back, face?” , “is there paint or glue dripping down their foreheads or hairline”, “do the decals on the tights or singlet match/align/connect?” , “is their leg broken?” .. that’s really the point we’ve reached @jcf

[~*Young $ Money*~]

Sadly I’ve lost most interest. Since football has started I really haven’t watched it. I put AEW on once in a while for background noise mostly. I just can’t get into much wrestling with most of the roster all looking the absolute same for the most part.

[POOR-ly Cuyler]

Dec 11, 2020 3:17:32 GMT -5 JCF said:

Dec 10, 2020 12:15:03 GMT -5 POOR-ly Cuyler said:

Cool story bro.

Best of luck on your future endeavors.

I don’t watch AEW or impact or buy their figures really. Maybe I’ll make a thread giving out about that.

Well, this was just a fan of 20 years striking up a discussion/sharing his feelings and the response was bigger than expected. Great to read all the comments.

I just get tired of seeing so many people give out about the current product. It’s not perfect but there’s plenty of good stuff imo at least.

They’re on every week for 7-10 hours if there’s Ppv or specials. I think if someone hasn’t taken a break this year would’ve been a good time. Sometimes stepping away and coming back with fresher eyes helps appreciate something. I stepped away for 12 years. Hard for anyone to get invested with no live crowd reactions though or possibility of attendance.

On top of all that wwe all week there’s other options too so maybe it’s just not for certain people anymore, but the people I like and want to see are on Smackdown, NXT, and a couple RAW people but not enough to invest the 3 hrs.

[TheHitmanKid]

I think the product now is about "entertainment" but not really entertaining.

Yes back then we had the cool guys like Hogan, Warrior and Sting but we also had a clown, a repo man, undertaker, a police officer and a Sargent. Then we went to Austin, Rock, Hart and Micheals but we also had a "pornstar", oddities, a pimp, a burned brother, 2 white guys really into hip hop, a vampire and his disciples. Thats why these times were entertaining for us when we were younger. It was weird and odd and we enjoyed it.

The modern product is not entertaining. The Fiend is something fresh but everybody on the roster tries to come off as too cool and normal. Not everybody needs a character, but thats better than a "normal wrestler" who can't talk on the mic.

[Bobby Heenan]

Apart from a few women's matches, I usually skip the main roster PPVs altogether. I haven't watched RAW or SD in years. I dug what they were trying to do with guys like Otis and the Fiend, but in the end Vince just can't help himself. Man, Bray Wyatt just can't catch a break! Zero interest in the Rollins and the Reignses.

NXT is much better, but even they are a chore to watch sometimes. The constant plundering of the talent to demote to the main roster really doesn't help.

Apart from a few key people (Walter, Dragunov mostly) NXT UK is bland to me, too.

I pay the network to relive the glory days/watch stuff I never had a chance to back in the day, like Mid-South and SMW. I have a buddy who was a very casual fan in the Hogan era WWF, so we watch WCCW, Crockett NWA and ECW a lot. Not a session goes by where he doesn't mention how much better the wrestling was/the characters and storylines were. The genie's definitely out of the bottle.

[Biff Slamkovich™]

Dec 11, 2020 1:37:38 GMT -5 Nivro™ said:

Like Chip said, Ive been watching for over 30 years Im not just gonna stop now. The problem isnt wrestling or the writing/booking...its the fans.

There's always interesting storylines going on in WWE but for some reason, and maybe its just the generation, they never look at things positive and only want to point out the negatives and then in turn feel that they're owed to be catered to. They just see segment A or B or mostly likey just read something Meltzer/Alverez craps on and goes "Gah I cant stand this stuff" Is there bad things? Sure....Is there entertaining things? Absolutely. Fans try to defend their stance by going on about the "good ol days" of Austin-Rock or Hogan-Savage....but they forget about the crap like Kaientai-Val Venis or the 5 star classic feud of Red Rooster vs Brooklyn Brawler

If you can really look at WWE or wrestling in general right now and not find absolutely 1 positive thing that entertains you, then you probably werent really that big of a fan any way.

I respectfully disagree. The problem IS the booking and the writing.

The writing lacks the same twists and turns that it once had. I really feel like my intelligence is being insulted whenever I watch. Whether intentional or not, they have lost the organic feel to it all and gone are the subtle nuances that made things feel special.

Now, it's just "Grr I don't like you let's fight", "Grr I'm better than you and I'm going to prove it!" or "Grr I want your title!". There's just no substance anymore and the entire product has become boring and formulaic. Also it's clear that the current product is intended for a younger audience and it really shows.

I feel like they don't properly utilize their talent either. This is at no fault to the wrestlers themselves, but the lack of any type of gimmick or even a clear direction to where a character is going really doesn't do them any favors. I feel that AEW is doing a way better job in providing their viewers with the methodology as to why someone is challenging someone else. WWE just comes across as bland and repetitive.

To give then some credit, currently the only storyline they have going that feels organic in my opinion is the Roman heel storyline. He was long overdue for a heel turn, and I feel that he really shines now. He's so good that he will still be able to turn face at some point and still capture our attention.

Sorry for the rant. I know this is my own opinion and not everyone will agree with me. At the end of the day who really cares? We have a ton of wrestling to watch now and that's a good thing. I think we all just love the WWE so much that we get frustrated when they don't live up to their potential.

[elitecollector89]

I have not watched in 2 years, except for Taker Retire.

I still buy 1 of each New guy and all of Legends. Im at the point, I want to sell all the new guys and only keep the ones I watched.

[J'Dinkalage Morgoone]

Dec 11, 2020 9:13:07 GMT -5 CollectiblesRob said:

Dec 10, 2020 8:32:05 GMT -5 sandeep said:

I got Ric rude from elite 77 and skipped everything from next sets, my last purchases were Billy Graham and NWO Hogan. I have no interest I mean literally zero interest in current roster and current product. Moreover talking about figures the quality has significantly dropped ,I bought 6 figures in last 3 months and every single one has loose joint and sloppy paint applications.

For me it’s 100% more this. I’m on my way out of collecting figures as well and it’s solely due to Mattel’s absolutely pathetic quality control. The amount of figures I’ve passed on due to paint applications that look like a 2nd grade art project , loose or cracked joints , true FX eyeballs or lips floating off the figures like they suffered a stroke, and splattered paint just pushed me away. They’re toys, and they’re not gonna be perfect. I completely understand the “if you don’t like it don’t buy it theory” , so I’m just not buying lately. At the same time elite collection figures for 20$ a pop that are now literally targeted toward adult collectors shouldn’t have this issue. There is no other toy company who has out as many blatant careless errors as Mattel. Funko included. I remember when the line first came out how pristine each figure was. You’d find a figure and wouldn’t even look. You’d run to the register and post your finds. Now, finding them with crap distribution is less than even half fhe battle. Now it’s “are the eyes aligned?” , “do the joints work?” , “is their paint splattered across their chest, back, face?” , “is there paint or glue dripping down their foreheads or hairline”, “do the decals on the tights or singlet match/align/connect?” , “is their leg broken?” .. that’s really the point we’ve reached @jcf

This so much.

I cant remember Jakks ever having a broken figure in the box, sloppy paint, or glue residue. IF there was, it was towards the last year they had the license. 

[Deleted]

Dec 11, 2020 5:42:22 GMT -5 Ministry of Darkness said:

Dec 10, 2020 9:30:46 GMT -5 The Shiniest Wizard said:

I really only watch AEW nowadays. It's because I'm a fan of long-term stories mostly. WWE main roster lost me around Mania. And with all the Covid problems and injuries, NXT sadly hasn't been the same to me for that same reason. That being said, I don't hate NXT, but the main roster on the other hand has become unbearable to me. I think that's why I only collect AEW figures now as well.

I also watch AEW since its got elements of what pro wrestling used to be such as long term story lines, blood, weapon use with the rare chairshot to the head, high bumps, organic promos and obviously mature language.

I myself love AEW. I’d be done with modern wrestling if it wasn’t for them.

[Midnight-Metal-Master]

I stopped watching WWE in 2011....watched since 1988 and ****ing Loved & Cherished every second of The Golden Era, The New Generation, The Attitude Era and even the Ruthless Aggression era but around 2010 I just started to hate it! I've seen clips of some modern day stuff online here and there and it seems to be an absolute joke compared to what it once was. I still watch my favorite Superstars from the 80's and 90's regularly thanks to the internet but I wouldn't waste a second or dollar in my life to watch any current WWE programming!

[ztj_wwf]

I stopped watching the current product around 2016. Other than Wrestlemania each year, I only watch NJPW and classic stuff. I still collect modern guys, but only the bigger names who are important to the product or involved in the main event scene (and only one of each, unless they drastically alter their look or change their character). Naturally that's limited, so most of what I buy in Elite lines now are just flashbacks.

[champofakind]

Raw and SD just watch clips of guys I like..and then just watch the ppvs. NXT I can watch the shows no problem if I remember to watch them lol. But I always watch the ppvs.

[AttitudeLegendCollector]

If you’re a real hardcore wwe fan growing up, I think the loyalty to the company will be with us forever, it’s almost in our blood. It’s been some years now since I’ve religiously watched every show but I’ve always tried to keep tabs on what’s going on and watch most PPVs but last 2 years up to now it’s been less and less for me. It’s so bad and I just can’t ever see it returning to how it used to be. Some say you have to evolve but for wrestling to be successful there are certain rules and staples, cornerstones that make wrestling great and they just aren’t there anymore.

Kayfabe dying a death was always going to lead to this in my opinion, people joke about it but how can you suspend reality or buy into stories (when they bother to do a storyline) when you see the same people together on socials having beers or hanging out doing whatever. We know who’s with who, who’s married to who, it’s game over. Those that try and compare it to films and actors just don’t get it IMO.

It’s probably an age thing but I don’t know anyone who grew up watching 80s/90s and early 2000s who thinks any differently.

It won’t affect my collecting as I collect Mania 1 through to 2002. I love watching old school stuff on the network. I want the current product to be great but it’s been dying a death a long time now and I can’t see how they will ever get it back to life.

The easiest gauge is the live crowds in recent years. Crowds were constantly going WILD back in the day, every single week, RAW/SD/PPVs...just hasn’t been that way for far too long.