10 Plain Wrong Wrestling Myths Perpetuated By The IWC

You still suck.

John Cena Kevin Owens money in the bank slam
WWE.com

Let's start by defining the Internet Wrestling Community:

If you're reading this, you're a part of it. You may not like that. I'm writing this, so I'm definitely a part of it, but I don't like it much either. One of the reasons I resent the classification is because by its nature, it also doesn't exist. We're not a sect, all subscribing to the same set of beliefs. I only need look at the comments in my articles to know that certainly isn't the case...

And yet, there does seem to be some sort of collective conventional wisdom amongst our warring ranks - not a jot of it wholly true.

It's difficult to determine exactly how these untruths have become so pervasive. By definition, they're not untruths. They are subjective opinions. But still - they're wrong.

This phenomenon happens everywhere. Some music fans, even discerning ones, will tell you that jazz is self-indulgent. It isn't. Some film fans will tell you that American Beauty has retained its status as a classic. It has in fact aged pretty badly.

The growth and acceptance of a myth can't be explained. But it can be debunked...

10. Vince McMahon Is A Terrible Genius

John Cena Kevin Owens money in the bank slam
RICHARD DREW/AP/Press Association Images

With apologies to Adam Blampied...

Vince has dropped a few clangers in his time. That might be an understatement, come to think of it; we are after all discussing a man who once proposed a mercifully-jettisoned incest angle with daughter Stephanie yet approved the Katie Vick angle.

Vince, however, is responsible for the tiniest minutiae of what makes WWE great.

Disregarding his status as the finest star-creator in the history of wrestling and one of its greatest storytellers, examples of which are too legion to state here, Vince in conjunction with Kevin Dunn revolutionised the way in which wrestling television is produced.

When you were awed by the otherworldly presence of André The Giant and the Undertaker as a child, that's because Vince made the subtle yet ingenious decision to transpose cinematic techniques to his sports entertainment product, shooting them from low angles and rendering them literally larger than life.

His time has come. One need look no further than his scripting Roman Reigns to utter the words "sufferin' succotash" onscreen in 2015 for evidence of that. But he is a man who, even if under duress, has changed with the times time and time again to stay ahead of and brutally slay his competition.

The IWC are correct in deeming that he might be a racist genius. He might also be a perverted genius. He might be a flawed genius. But he's not a terrible genius.

Having said that, his creative team recruitment policy is decidedly thick. He could actually do with hiring someone like our very own BX leader, who would have done a much, much better job of booking Damien Sandow's Money In The Bank cash-in...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!