Unless you’ve been under a rock (or just don’t follow the UK scene), you’ll know that on Sunday, PROGRESS had their biggest show of the year… and next year, they’re hoping to beat it. Potentially five times over.
Like with all wrestling – and life, in general – there’s no one thing that’s universally loved. Or hated. So why are so many in wrestling tripping over themselves to espouse views at either end of the spectrum. Take, for instance, the Indy Corner podcast – perhaps the highest profile speak-out as of late, which you could argue was dropped intentionally to time with the Alexandra Palace show… several opinions and views were aired, which of course provided a lightning rod for people on both sides of the fence to leap on.
Problem is, like with all elements of fandom, you’ll find people eager to criticise the smallest thing, and willing to defend just about any incident. The thing is, when you wrap up valid points in subjectivity, things easily get lost in the shuffle… although taking an extreme or absolute viewpoint at either end rarely helps.
Yes, we’ve hinted at it on this site and in our tweets, but the “beating stick” of the year has been the ties between WWE and PROGRESS. So far it’s only shown publicly in the form of the odd WWE appearance on PROGRESS shows (Aleister Black/Tommy End, Finn Balor and Jack Gallagher to name three), along with PROGRESS appearances on WWE show; Jim and Glen at the Performance Centre on a recent NXT segment…
Yet for some, this – and rumours of PROGRESS going onto the WWE Network – has turned things up somewhat. People vowing that the link-up will kill the company. Others swearing off the promotion because of the WWE ties… which has led to social media exchanges from those inside and around that could at times be described as militant. Yes, the fabled Facebook group has its share of fans whose reactions can be off-putting, but the same is true of any fandom. Football clubs, bands, video games – if there’s fandom, there’s zealots.
But let’s be realistic. No promotion is perfect. Almost every show has things, no matter how small, that could be better. There’s shows I’ve been to where there’s been eye-rolling moments or things that you could argue shouldn’t even be a part of a wrestling show, but you accept as a part of the wider product.
Pretending that isn’t true is misleading on all parts. Taking the extreme of “company x is bad because they’ve ties with WWE” is inherently wrong. Nobody on the outside knows the ins and outs. After this weekend, for example, if you’re of the sort of mindset of “PROGRESS is bad because they’re booking Wolfgang… because “lol WWE””, consider this: are Fight Club: Pro in the same boat? Or is one just fashionable to go after these days?
Next year, PROGRESS are running Wembley Arena for their September supershow. A building that, at most, will hold six times what we had at Alexandra Palace over the weekend. To get to that level, a lot of things need to change: more exposure, more compelling stories and perhaps a few more flown-in names than PROGRESS tend to use for a non-Super Strong Style weekend. There’s a lot of water to pass under the bridge before September 30, 2018, but either way it’ll be fun to watch – or take part in!
I’m guilty of over-thinking stuff, and perhaps jumping aboard these things, but there’s a difference between that and some of the viewpoints espoused in the last few days. Has it tarnished this past weekend? Not really, but we can all do better. Whether it’s handling criticism from fellow fans or customers, or accepting others viewpoints.
Being a fan shouldn’t be a competition. If the wrestling is good, we *all* win in the end.