5. Having A Knowledge Of Independent And Japanese Wrestling Trends
Gone are the days of WWE sourcing their best performers from weightlifting gyms, collegiate wrestling mats and backrooms of bars worldwide. The independent wrestling and boom of the 2000s has blended with the surge in interest in Japanese pro wrestling to create a hybrid-style performer who is equally as influenced by throwing European uppercuts like Jumbo Tsuruta as they are borrowing a highspot made famous by The Amazing Red. If a WWE performer not aware of indy wrestling, Dragon Gate, or heck, even New Japan's Bullet Club, you're losing right now. While possibly shocking to some, WWE's far more Ring of Honor in 2005 than WWE in 2015. For some fans, the idea that creative is hesitant to embrace these outside influences is problematic.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.