Why You Must Read This Wrestling Article

It's getting tribal out there. It doesn't have to be.

Tony Khan
AEW

If you're reading this, it is likely that you engage with pro wrestling discourse on some website or social media platform or other. This site. Aggregate sites. Twitter. Facebook. YouTube. r/SquaredCircle.

Ostensibly, these outlets exist to drive conversation. You want to know what other people thought about the wrestling show you've just watched. You want to share your opinion on it, you want to laugh at the memes created on the back of the odd moments, you want to read insights into why something was as good or as sh*tty as it was. You want to bask in the afterglow of an incredible moment or set the world to rights.

That's only half-true. A lot of you want to hurl scathing abuse at real human beings for expressing their opinion because you are starved of attention and fulfilment.

Online wrestling tribalism is completely out of control.

Wrestling through its very platform cannot be great all of the time. It's a relentless, unending beast that is impossible not to tire of at some point in a calendar year. It is a medium that no-sells its own premise. The point is to build and promote matches. There are only a finite number of ways to do this and make it interesting all of the time. The anticipation is never as constant as the product, and with there being no offseason, even the best or most acclaimed promotions phone it in at some point or other. Nobody, not even three jobs Tony Khan, has the energy to promote 104 10/10 wrestling shows per year.

CONT'D...(1 of 6)

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Contributor
Contributor

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!