It was one of the most polarizing match-ups in the WWE in years going into Sunday’s Survivor Series, and by Monday morning, it was more so. Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar, in what the WWE had been calling a “Mega Match” for weeks. And while the outcome will be talked about, over thought, over analyzed, scrutinized and criticized, it could lay the groundwork for something that could ultimately bring back some nostalgic fun as well as help push the historical narrative that the WWE Network is ultimately trying to sell you on.
The Mega Match.
It was a match billed as “Fantasy Warfare Just Got Real”, a blatant marketing tie-in with the recently released WWE 2k17 video game and it’s two marketing stars, Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. But regardless of the outcome, this could be an annual event at Survivor Series that features Legends in dream matches. But the only way that can happen is if people can find that inner youth that first fell in love with wrestling.
Legends Division
Perhaps what the WWE Network needs to help get more interest in these part time or returning Legends is to get them on television more. Ok, I’m sure some of you just cursed at me out loud in real life. But hear me out. Instead of drawing out time on Raw or Smackdown Live (except maybe in the build for the annual 2K Fantasy Warfare Mega Match), they get a one hour program every Wednesday night, following NXT. Much like NXT, they can use a core group of older veterans, with guest Legends in short runs. Hardcore Holly, D’Lo Brown, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, Ivory, Molly Holly, all could start a Legends division where older stars have short, somewhat comedic angles, playing off kayfabe histories and past storylines. Film it at Full Sail over the NXT tapings weekends, so the veterans can mingle with the NXT wrestlers. Let them work alongside past generations. It couldn’t hurt. Veterans from WCW, ECW, and WWE can excite, whether it’s a return to Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer or D’Lo Brown battling Al Snow for European supremacy. The Full Sail crowd may be smarky, but they know their history. They’d probably have a lot of fun cheering for former WWE Superstars in an indie environment. And with potential guest stars like Scott Hall, Honky Tonk Man, or Glacier (Editor: …. ), the opportunity for some great moments is huge.
But First You Have To Believe
The problem most people have is that, much like that moment you discover Santa Claus is your parents, you slowly start to lose some of the magic of the fantasy, just like how you can lose some of the magic of Christmas. As a wide eyed youth or young child, you watched wrestling with the same allure as when you first read comic books. These were Super Heroes, amazing characters of fantasy and wonder, who were beyond the realm of physics and reason. But as we grew older, we found on-line forums, Facebook groups, and dirt sheets, that stripped away the industry so that we were lain privy to things that we should never be exposed to. Would we like Star Wars as much if we knew that the cinematographer was secretly keeping the gaffer from a promotion? Would we believe in the CGI if we read about how it was made all day long?
The Legends division would need that suspension of disbelief once again. Forget about their age. Super Heroes are timeless. People complained on-line after Survivor Series concluded that it made no sense for a 50-year old who hadn’t been in the ring for 12 years to beat Brock Lesnar in his prime. But that’s allowing the backstage knowledge to enter the narrative. You don’t think about a 70 year old Harrison Ford playing Han Solo in The Force Awakens. It’s just Han Solo. Sure he’s a little greyer, but he’s still as cool as Han ever was. The problem with The Squash is that people are treating it like it’s REAL. In wrestling, you still have the same power level you had at your peak. When Andre the Giant fought Hulk Hogan, he was at less physical conditioning than Goldberg is now, but you BELIEVED he was still The Giant. Ric Flair was sub-par for years, but you BELIEVED he was still the Nature Boy. The Undertaker has been the weak link in his last few matches (arguably), but you BELIEVED in the Deadman. Goldberg still looks good, sounds better than ever, you just have to BELIEVE that WCW Goldberg is back, not that it’s a 50 year old man attempting a comeback. Think of it more like Superman coming out of retirement, not your dad. If you can believe that the Undertaker is still an Undead Lord for the past 25 years, you can still believe that Goldberg is still Superman, even for a few moments.
The Mega Match
Think of the Mega Match as the sports-entertainment equivalent of the UFC Super Fight. An open weight challenge that is more curiosity than title implications. Legends can return for proper send offs without infiltrating any active storylines. I’d take one more match from Trish Stratus vs. Lita.
Professional wrestling is often compared to the UFC or other combat sports. But think of it more like figure skating. The independents – like ROH, PWG, EVOLVE, etc. – are the amateur ranks. The Olympics. They are performance stages, where you show off as much of your athleticism as possible to show the world what you have as a performer. And the WWE is Disney On Ice. You see, most of the skaters for these big shows are former amateur skaters who were world class skaters. Some may even have been top medalists. But they are now performing in pirate costumes or as Sesame Street characters. And most of them love it. If you want the best physical representation of the sport, watch the Olympics. If you want some mindless fun and watch a singing candlestick and dwarves, watch Disney on Ice.
With such a vast catalogue of back promotions and eras of their own company, WWE would be wise to have a bit more fun with their Legends than weak reality shows like Legends House, and give them some fun runs with the peers they made magic with previously. And who knows? Perhaps it will let us watch other promotions with the same fun and wonder as we did as 10-year olds. Perhaps we’ll start to grin again instead of analyze, perhaps we’ll become fans again instead of critics.
It may just help us all remember why we fell in love with wrestling in the first place.
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