Modern wrestling has better matches and worse stories, discuss

[PaleCipher]

The in ring standard today would embarrass most of the classics, that part is barely debatable. Athleticism, pacing, safety, move variety, all far beyond what the average card offered decades ago. Put a random midcard match from today against one from the past and today wins nine times out of ten

But the stories around the matches feel thinner. Feuds used to simmer for months and a single punch could headline, because the punch meant something. Now everything is spectacular and therefore nothing is, and half the crowd is watching a five star classic while feeling absolutely nothing

Is this just the old fan curse, where the era that got you into it is forever the standard? Or has something real been traded away for workrate? Both promotions and both answers welcome, keep it civil, we all know how these threads can go

[NightHarbour91]

It is partly nostalgia but not entirely, weekly TV hours exploded and stories got stretched thin to fill them

[HardyBoy13]

The five star classic that means nothing is such a real phenomenon, incredible matches I forgot within a week

[Clever Georgia]

Counterpoint, the storytelling is still there, it just moved into long term booking that rewards patient viewers. Casuals miss it, diehards feast

[RayOfLight31]

Rewarding only diehards is how a mainstream product becomes a niche one though, that is not a defence, it is a diagnosis

[HeartbreakKidOscar97]

Are we ignoring that the past had absolute mountains of garbage too? We remember the great angles and forget the ninety percent filler

[TheRock25]

Selective memory cuts both ways, sure, but the peaks of old storytelling are still unmatched and peaks are what people stay for

[Runtime Gareth]

Which current act would people say IS doing old school long form storytelling right? Genuine question, I want something to invest in

[BitSus71]

The answer to that question changes every six months, which might accidentally be the whole problem in one sentence