Against The Grain with Anthony Cain #6: Curtain Calls

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Against the Grain with Anthony Cain. I’m going to get straight to the point. The IWC can be pretty annoying. Yeah, I know. That pretty much sums up all my articles, right? While that may be true, I at least give coherent reasons as to why this group of internet fanatics drives me to the end of my patience. One reason that irks me the most is the constant begging for a retired superstar, who is well past his prime, to return to the ring.

Now, I’m positive that that this has come across all our minds at one point or another. Nostalgia is a powerful sentiment and sometimes we all wish to see one of our favorite wrestlers from the past lace up his boots for just one more match. But the IWC takes this feeling to another place. I constantly see articles posted on wrestling sites about how The Undertaker or Stone Cold Steve Austin needs to make a return to the ring. Some of these articles make ridiculous claims that if the superstar doesn’t make a comeback, all hope for the WWE is gone. Talk about being melodramatic.

I think I’ve mentioned things like this in a previous article; fans clinging to the “Attitude Era”, letting nostalgia distort their perception of the current product. Many of the points I made in that discussion apply here, as well. Some fans just really need to learn how to let go.

Why, you may be asking, should they stop complaining? The fans are customers, and the customers should always get what they want. Okay, that’s a fair point. But I think most of these fans forget one very important thing. Wrestlers are human beings.

Most wrestlers enter the business somewhere in their early to mid twenties. The average wrestling career is about fifteen to twenty years. Assuming he’s working a regular schedule for most of his career, that’s anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 matches. During that time these men spend countless months away from their families and sustain injury upon injury, much of the time working through the pain. By the time they reach their retirement age their bodies are merely a shell of what they used to be. Even after all of that some fans still demand more!

The Rock made his in ring return at last week’s Survivor Series, his first match in seven years. The Rock looked to be in peak physical shape and he looked awesome in the ring, an obvious sign that he was able to get rid of enough of his ring rust during training. While some may point to The Rock as an example of how bringing back legends is good for business, one needs to keep in mind that The Rock isn’t the kind of “retired wrestler” I’m referring to. Dwayne is relatively young compared to other legends that have hung up their boots. He hasn’t reached that age where his knees start to click or his back starts to act up. Staying in top shape is a requirement for him as a Hollywood actor and when he was a regular active competitor he suffered relatively little injury. It isn’t much of a stretch to say that The Rock has a few good years left in him if he were to ever decide to return on a more permanent basis.  But there are others that aren’t likely to return.

Let’s take Shawn Michaels as an example. Shawn started his pro wrestling career in 1984 at the age of 19. He began his successful career in WWE just a few years later, but it wasn’t until 1997 when Shawn suffered his first major injury. He came back from this injury just a few months later. But, as many of you already know, in January 1998 Michaels suffered from a ruptured disc in his lower back. The injury was deemed “career ending” and Shawn was retired for the next 4 years. After a triumphant return to the ring, which no one thought would ever happen, he continued to sacrifice his body for the entertainment of the fans until his retirement in 2010.

After a very long and turbulent, yet very successful career it, should be universally recognized that Shawn Michaels deserved to retire on his own terms. But at least once a week, I still read people saying they wish the company would bring Michaels out of retirement. They say the WWE isn’t the same without the Showstopper and his return is necessary.

Another big name that has the IWC wishing his return is the Texas Rattlesnake himself. Austin hasn’t been an active competitor since 2003 and for good reason. The man has suffered from multiple serious injuries, including a severe neck injury that nearly left him a paraplegic. Although the man has stated recently that he’s healthy enough to put on one more great match, there is no way Austin should be expected to put his life on the line for an extended period of time. The guy is in his mid 40s and his body has been through enough hell.  Yet week after week I see the articles and the comments demanding Austin come back.

Of course the big name that everyone is talking about, especially as the WWE begins its road to Wrestlemania, is The Undertaker. The Phenom is expected to pop up on WWE television soon to set up what very well may be his final Wrestlemania match. The Undertaker isn’t a young man anymore. He’s been with the WWE since 1990 and has been a main event attraction ever since. He’s been a part of some of the most brutal matches in the history of the company, including his Hell in a Cell matches with Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley. To say that he has a few more good years left in him is not only foolish, but asking too much from a man who has already given more than enough for the pleasure of the fans.

Like I said before, I too have been guilty of wishing to see a legend come back and raise hell one more time. But I know that those that have chosen to hang it up for good won’t be coming back. And I’m fine with that. These performers put a lot on the line for a very long time just for our amusement. Frankly, it’s a pretty selfish to keep wishing for these men to come back and put their bodies at risk, especially when it isn’t necessary.

One of the comments I see a lot from “fans” is that once The Undertaker calls it quits, they’re quitting on the WWE and wrestling as a whole. Pretty stupid in my opinion. Besides, if The Phenom going away for good is all it takes to make you turn away from wrestling, are you really a “fan” to begin with?

Comments

1. Comment #1

   That's stupid, a man doesn't make a company, don't give up on it just cause your favorite is gone, find a new person too follow and get on from there, and you're right we all have our wishes sometimes but too post every week for someone to come back is foolish and selfish, never ask too much of someone that has already given you more than enough

   Posted by viper on Tuesday, November 29, 2011

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