10 Ways Hardcore Wrestling Changed Everything

9. Hardcore Delivered A Special Kind Of Intensity...

It is impossible not to be moved, at least in some way, by the sort of barbarism that hardcore wrestlers routinely inflicted upon each other during the heyday of this unique wrestling style. For some, the reaction is purely revulsion, to others; it is a type of morbid curiosity. For most, it is genuine concern for the safety and wellbeing of the wrestlers involved, together with the shock and awe of seeing something you haven€™t seen before. In any instance, it seems to be encoded into our DNA to seek out all things gruesome, gory and gross. Hardcore wrestling brought with it a new kind of intensity, spurred on by the crowd€™s reaction to the blood, guts and gore on display. Matches became more personal, rivalries more intimate and audiences more involved. Traditionally, weapons stipulations in matches were a sort of shorthand for a type of bloody third act to a long running feud, a final showdown in which the enraged hero and his dastardly nemesis might just kill each other in the act of settling their score. In short, it was €˜must see€™ entertainment. Usually, a feud would have raged for months, if not years, before things got excessively violent, so fans were groomed to understand that where there is blood, pain and sacrifice, there is emotional payoff to be had in great supply. The stipulation match represented the blow-off, the endgame, the thrilling conclusion. Hardcore, then, being a round-the-clock repository of such emotionally charged moments, was a bit like going on YouTube with your mates and watching all the best bits from your favourite movies. Endlessly gratifying.