Because kinda sorta mocking them the first time wasn’t enough.
1. They really widen my perception of the wrestling world to an uncomfortable degree- See, things were simpler in my earliest days of fandom. There was WWF, WCW, and ECW. WWF and WCW were the twin giants bestriding the earth, and ECW was the cutting edge indie with the sleazy DIY aesthetic. I was vaguely aware of the indies, but had no reason to care. The-Big-Two-and- A-Quarter were more than enough to occupy my time. Puro and Lucha were at most minor diversiosns; I would read about whatever story was going on there, but there wasn’t a huge, vocal subculture yelling about it like there seems to be now. I mean, I knew that Misawa had formed NOAH back in 2000, I just didn’t have people telling me I was a jerk for not watching all his matches as much as I do now.
Now, with Vince having eaten his competition and kept their remains as trophies, ROH and TNA have tried to fill the void most successfully (even if TNA and success are often oxymorons). While TNA has basically lived up to its origins as WCW’s retarded redneck cousin, ROH has taken ECW’s ball and run with it.
In the process, they’ve built up that rabid fanbase that scares and intrigues me; they’re the flaming car wreck of indie fanbases. But never mind that swipe at people who want me to enjoy good wrestling (go to hell, Glazer! But thanks for the links!). My point is about to emerge, and it’s this:
ROH’s niche as a work rate centric ECW offshoot has made partnerships with NOAH and Dragons Gate possible on a global level. It’s status as the Epicenter of the Indies means guys who would have been unknown to me before, working in places like PWG and what not, flock there and get tons of attention on the net, including from the people whose ROH coverage I read because they’re good writers (like Glazer, that jerk).
So, what I’m saying is, in addition to all the mainstream wrestling I watch and like or at least don’t hate enough to keep watching, and ROH, which I’ve barely been able to devote time to, now I have PWG, FIP, and every Japanese fed being talked up, all because ROH has their fingers in thos pies? That sounds like work, man. It’s a real imposition. Hopefully Vince will buy and gut some of these other indie feds, just to save me the trouble of hunting them down. Not Chiakara, though. That sounds more in my wheelhouse than ROH, really.
But honestly, I’m holding out for the two disc “The Rise and Fall of PWG, ROH, CZW, and any other indie fed that annoyed Vince on a really slow day in 2012” set. That should cover me on all my indie stuff.
2. Larry Sweeney is supposed to be awesome. No one has yet explained to me why this is. Is it big fish, small pond, or am I missing something? Because the one time I’ve seen him (small sample size, but still), he didn’t impress me with his heel skills, he made me experience X-Pac level hatred for a performer. Which is rare. I never even gave X-Pac X-Pac heat. I mean, I guess making someone instantly dislike you so much by existing is an admirable skill in a heel, because I was waiting the whole match he was managing Hero for Nigel to lariat him (and Johnny Fairplay), so that’s what they want, but it’s more because her irritated me than anything else. Heat is heat, but that doesn’t mean I think he’s good. But, again, I can’t judge the whole promotion on one show.
3. Which is also annoying. Of course, maybe I should finish watching that show, because it was recommended on the matches that I haven’t seen, including one where two skinny indie boys tried to kill each other and/or create this decade’s Tully vs Magnum (Supercard of Honor II, in case you’re wondering).
4. I can’t really find a fourth fault in ROH from my position as a novice who fluctuates between interested and resentful of their product. A Mysterious Benefactor sent me some links to choice matches, and I’ve enjoyed them fairly well. I’m not one of the converted, mind you, but I can start to see why they have their fans on more than just a theoretical level. Also, Punk calls Alex Shelley an asshole before their match. That’s certainly not something I’ll be seeing on RAW any time soon, and I appreciate it.
