9 Things We Learned Watching Southpaw Regional Wrestling
1. Give The Talent More Freedom
If there's anything this little experiment taught us it's that the talented performers of WWE don't always need their hands held. All reports are that this project was something for the crew, by the crew, and without the restrictions placed upon them by WWE they were able to make something original and incredibly entertaining.
The overscripted nature of the modern word of pro wrestling stifles creativity, and Southpaw Regional Wrestling is a perfect example of what can happen when the talent is granted more freedom over their characters and angles: magic.
This may not be everyone's cup of tea in the same way that some fans found the TNA Hardy saga to be the greatest thing ever while others thought it insultingly stupid. That's not the point.
What this shows is that when you trust in your workers and loosen the reins on them a bit, you sometimes wind up with something special. If the staggering YouTube view count for SRW is any indication - and it should be considering the show has tallied over 640,000 in less than 24 hours - it would be a wise idea for WWE to take a few steps back and let these men and women flex their creativity more often.
The four-episode run closes with production realizing that the show they've been building to this entire time, Leathal Leap Year, can't take place since 1987 wasn't actually a leap year, and Lance Catamaran absolutely losing his sh*t when he finds out. It's a nice payoff and beautiful attention to detail and continuity that we rarely get from a team of 71 professional wrestlers.
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What did you think of Southpaw Regional Wrestling? Will you be buying the shirt or tickets to Lethal Leap Year? Let us know in the comments.