I'm not sure why, but I found it fascinating that Schiavone said he'd never watched the Flair-Steamboat trilogy. Around the time of Warrior's passing, Cornette said he didn't watch any WWF in the late 80s, despite taping and keeping up with most other groups.

 

Is it that that generation looked at it as work, even though they'd grown up as fans, and didn't really bother to plug the gaps on highly-touted stuff? Do younger on-air staff make more of an effort to keep up?

 

I'm not sure what else to say about all this yet, hoping to get some good replies to steer this a bit.

Performers aren't fans. In any art.

Even Cornette?

Performers aren't fans. In any art.

Thats just wrong.

The Fink was in charge of watching the tapes of WCW back in the 90´s.

 

However Schiavone did watch Savage vs Steamboat from WM III as it's one of his favorites marches.

I think what it boils down to is that when you're on the road so much spending time away from your family and being busy the last thing you want to do in your free time is sit and watch more wrestling.

Lawler kind of summed up his reasons for not watching wrestling that he's not a part of as "If you're a plumber, when you get off work do you really wanna go watch another plumber fix pipes?"

 

Obviously not all wrestlers share that same feeling on it but I don't think it's crazy for anyone in wrestling who is already spending most of their time working for the wrestling business not wanting to use their free time to just watch more wrestling. As far as Cornette goes he said he didn't watch WWF in the 80s because he didn't like it. Seems pretty simple I mean plenty of people watch a ton of wrestling on this board and don't keep up with modern WWE because they don't like it.

 

Performers aren't fans. In any art.

Thats just wrong.

 

 

Both statements are incorrect. Like just about everything, its not that black and white. In many fields there are likely countless anecdotes suggesting that performers are not fans, and others suggesting they very much are. But people like big, loud statements and aren't on board with exceptions or contrary evidence that adds any kind of nuance to such discussions.

I think what it boils down to is that when you're on the road so much spending time away from your family and being busy the last thing you want to do in your free time is sit and watch more wrestling.

I agree with that. What I find curious about Schiavone though, is that he's been away for 15 years, has always been a JCP and particularly Flair fan and never filled in that gap.

 

 

Performers aren't fans. In any art.

Thats just wrong.

 

 

Both statements are incorrect. Like just about everything, its not that black and white. In many fields there are likely countless anecdotes suggesting that performers are not fans, and others suggesting they very much are. But people like big, loud statements and aren't on board with exceptions or contrary evidence that adds any kind of nuance to such discussions.

 

Thanks Wingedeagle. Generalisations and absolutes don't help in this particular discussion.

Jim's never been a fan of the WWF going back to the 70's, so I don't see why he would waste his time with it.

What about when performers he does like, such as Arn, Tully and Flair go up north? Is the presentation that different that he cannot enjoy their work there?

 

I think this is the heart of what I'm getting at. Even within the first year that I started watching, in 1990, I was a fan of what I considered 'good matches' and 'good wrestlers'. Where they plied their trade didn't matter that much to me.

 

Does that put me in the minority?

There are absolutely those who are huge fans, seek out everything and will watch wrestling in their downtime. There are also those who look at it as a job. Every single wrestler isn't in one category or the other. What always amuses me is when people who talk about the WON as much as Flair and Cornette aren't aware of things that have been talked about for a long time in said WON.

There are tons of wrestlers that, after their career has ended, find ways to make contact with video guys to get some stuff from their career as they have nothing. It's a job to them, and most, whether they enjoy it or not, don't dwell too long on it while it is happening.

It's not everybody but it's like that for an awful lot of old time pros.

 

 

Performers aren't fans. In any art.

Thats just wrong.

 

 

Both statements are incorrect. Like just about everything, its not that black and white. In many fields there are likely countless anecdotes suggesting that performers are not fans, and others suggesting they very much are. But people like big, loud statements and aren't on board with exceptions or contrary evidence that adds any kind of nuance to such discussions.

 

Some performers are clearly fans, that is undeniable. Listen to Waltman or Bret or Austin talk about watching footage.

 

Listen to Rivers Cuomo talk about other music. Performers can be fans.

 

Saying performers aren't fans in any art is a plain wrong statement. I never asserted the opposite, that all performers are fans, that isn't true either.

Austin on his podcast has talked about getting on the treadmill and putting on old World Class tapes or Continental. To me, that's endearing. Love that about him.

Austin on his podcast has talked about getting on the treadmill and putting on old World Class tapes or Continental. To me, that's endearing. Love that about him.

I second this. I haven't listened for a while but I always enjoyed him suggesting a match of the week to watch that tied into the podcast or was topical in some way.

Austin on his podcast has talked about getting on the treadmill and putting on old World Class tapes or Continental. To me, that's endearing. Love that about him.

 

Stars: they're just like us!

Jim's never been a fan of the WWF going back to the 70's, so I don't see why he would waste his time with it.

This. Cactus Jack got into WCW off the strength of his work in Continental, which almost nobody (save for Cornette) was watching at the time.