10 Reasons Classic Wrestling Is Superior To Sports Entertainment
3. Tables, Ladders And Chairs
Yet again, less is more. In 1994, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon tore the house down with their ladder match at WrestleMania X. They used one ladder...sparingly. They understood that the ladder was a tool, not the match itself. The two WWE Hall of Famers crafted a great wrestling match and used the ladder as icing on the proverbial cake.
In the modern age, using a ladder is often just a warm up before the table, barbed wires, thumbtacks and kendo sticks come out. The "weapons" in wrestling have suffered greatly to the law of diminishing returns.
Prior to the 1990s, stipulation matches were rarities, used to conclude a hot storyline at a big money event. Now, "no rules" matches, ladder matches, TLC (tables, ladders and chairs) matches are practically a weekly occurance. Along with the escalation in "excitement" is the escalation of risk. As the perceived entertainment value goes up, so do the injuries. The end result is a viewership that's desensitized to stipulations.
When a "Doomsday Chamber of Blood" match (it's a real thing) pops up every Tuesday on weekly TV, where does one go from there?