How Exactly Wrestling Will Return Better Than Ever

Dolph Ziggler Otis The Miz
WWE.com

There are points at which - on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, whatever - that the silence can be heard. There's an eerie, wrong-feeling buzz to it. Professional wrestling in the empty arena era isn't merely at best admirable, or very good for "what it is". It "is" something that should not be; wrestling is a fringe concern and has flown under the radar of a wider world that couldn’t give a sh*t about it, and it feels like both WWE and AEW are getting away something the NBA, Premier League et al. could not.

These are fascinating, wrong-feeling wrestling shows promoted with wrongheaded intentions, and the feeling of denial is not limited to the style of wrestling on one channel. If ethics aren't of any concern to you, these are flawed, deflating wrestling shows, and if you are in possession of a moral compass, they are tainted. What makes wrestling so special?

Wrestling at some point will return to normal. You have to believe that.

Those first shows are going to be magic. It would be insensitive not to recognise the severe economical impact - those early shows are not going to follow early 2020 attendance patterns - but those fortunate enough to be able to attend will do so on a wave of relief-tinged euphoria. The heat is going to be positively unreal, all across the board. One complaint - shared by your miserable bastard of a writer - is that wrestling fans are far too detached from the experience and seek to get themselves over.

CONT'D...(2 of 6)

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!