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They can’t really think it doesn’t matter
I don’t have to mention for the thousandth time that I have been watching less wrestling as a whole, but I will. This week, I took some time while I was at home to watch both AEW and WWE Monday Night Raw. Though I am not as invested in the story lines or the character developments as I once was, there was something that stood out in comparison of the two that I just couldn’t deny. AEW has a live crowd in the building and WWE does not.
AEW’s Live Crowd
Though the crowd presence is very small, it is there and it is noticeable. As much as we think we’re not distracted by canned laughter and piped in crowd noise, we are. A real crowd creates an experience and sets a tone for the entire show. If AEW and WWE are going to insist upon showing in-ring entertainment (and not simply backstage vignettes), then the live crowd has to be returned to. And AEW has done a good job having a live crowd, being “COVID safe,” and remembering that these shows are an escape from reality.
WWE’s ThunderDome
Back when the ThunderDome was first announced, I remember thinking it coiuld be a pretty good idea. I even signed up for the first iteration of it to be on one of the video screens in the back and was going to write about the experience. Unfortunately, I sat in a “waiting room” for 25 minutes with no action on my screen at all and never actually got to see a live feed of the show. That was the one and only time I tried to “get a ticket” for the ThunderDome. Since then, every time I see the video screens filling that arena, I think “this is so dumb.”
For the first week or for the first pay-per-view, it was an interesting idea, but I think WWE failed to think that no one likes video chats, they definitely don’t want to watch a wrestling program as a delayed feed through their phone or computer. But maybe I’m wrong, people are still on that screen every week. Though I wonder how much of that is pre-recorded reactions that the production team puts together for each match set. You can’t hear them, so piping in sound is fake, why wouldn’t the video feeds after a while be recycled too?
Take home message – I’m over it – bring back the crowds
For me, the video screens and cardboard cut outs need to be done. I can’t tell you how much I love being reminded every time I watch wrestling or basketball or football that the world is different and that it will years before we can go back to being around each other in public (sarcasm abounds in that statement). This is not the “new future” I imagine.
I’m proud of AEW for providing people their wrestling outlet in the best way they can. WWE needs to get back to it as well. The video screens are impersonal and played out. We want to personal connection back; to cheer with the fans who are there live. We want to support the superstars who we love with our own voices.
