20 Years Later

People often tell me that they were once wrestling fans, a statement I usually question. Wrestling fans are very passionate so I always find it hard to believe that someone could just fall away from something that keeps evolving. It happens to be the fact that it has changed that has caused the majority of those people to turn their backs on wrestling. I think it might just be an excuse! All forms of sports and entertainment need to change as time passes. Without a doubt professional sports such as hockey and football have undergone modifications, so why can't wrestling change too?
I won't deny that certain aspects of professional wrestling have changed, but some things never change.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of Wrestlemania 3, the event which still holds the world record for the largest indoor attendance for a sporting event. 93,173 fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome on March 31, 1987. This was at a time when Vince McMahon's (then) World Wrestling Federation was at it's peak, so there's no reason why such an event wouldn't draw like it did. 20 years ago there were still "babyfaces" (the good guys) and "heels" (the bad guys). Fans erupted with cheers when the babyface made their way down to the ring, and booed their hearts out when the heel did the same. This is simply one of the main components of professional wrestling that will never change.

In order to celebrate the anniversary of Wrestlemania 3, WWE held Wrestlemania 23 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Just as it was expected a record number of fans packed that venue just as they had 20 years earlier at the Silverdome. 80,103 fans were a part of the biggest show of the year. It was astounding to see this many people in one place. Yes, I was there! I have watched Wrestlemania 3 enough times to know that what I witnessed for my own eyes was just as comparable. Many of today's fans wouldn't be interested in the type of show that was put on in 1987. Fans thrive for the most extravagant entrances, death-defying moves, and overall shock value--something we definitely received at Wrestlemania 23.

The important thing to remember is that at a time when "critics" claim that wrestling just isn't the same anymore, vast numbers of fans are still willing to fill the seats at shows. The individuals responsible for putting the shows together need to please the fans, so the product needs to change in order to accomodate their changing preferences. So, for all of those people who claim that wrestling isn't very "good" anymore, it might just be that they haven't been willing enough to update their own tastes.

--Photos borrowed from WWE.com