The biggest battle in professional wrestling...

[Chuck Taylor's Grenade]

and no it's not Hart vs. Michaels, Flair vs. Hogan or Rock vs. Austin. This is the battle between promos and matches. Everyone seems to have their opinion on which is more important to wrestling. And each wrestling company has their opinion on which is more important (WWE/TNA=Less match more promo, ROH=more match/less promo). Arguments for promos being more important than matches include:

1. Good promos/angles increase ratings-The NWO, Austin/McMahon, Raven and Tommy Dreamer. What do these three things have in common? Well besides being the definitive angles of the big three they are all incredible angles that led to increased viewership for each company. If you have good storylines you create fan interest (oh damn what are they gonna do next time? which helps boost ratings.

2. Good promos/angles improve the quality of matches-Matches become pointless without a good storyline behind them. Otherwise Raw and Impact become random matches with no rhyme or reason. At the same time good promos/angles can make matches seem better than they actually were. Examples of this include Austin vs. McMahon and Sting vs. Hogan. Those two feuds had incredible build even if the matches weren't 5 star classics. Also think back to ECW some of the matches were less than spectacular but the storylines made up for it.

Now to the flipside-Matches are more important because:

1. Matches are what people pay to see-The true payoff to any angle is the match itself. It's called professional wrestling not professional talking for an hour. People pay money to watch two people damn near kill each other. The matches need to have a decent amount of time to make the storyline payoff seem worth it. Imagine if Jimmy Jacobs and Austin Aries went through this whole huge feud and at the end of it Austin beat Jimmy in less than three minutes. You'd be pretty pissed wouldn't you?

2. Good matches can make up for bad storylines-A really good recent example of this is Macho Man Randy Lethal vs. The Guru Sonjay Pitka. We all know the storyline was predictable and stupid but the ladder match for Val's services was incredible. A match can have a really awful buildup and storyline behind it but still have a great match. At the same time this is a catch 22 because if the storyline sucks too bad people might not turn into the blowoff match on ppv based on how the angle has been playing out.

Now is the time that I turn it over to you the wrestling fans with these two questions-

1. Which is more important-Angles or Matches?

2. Is it easier for a good match to save a bad angle or for a good angle to save a bad match?

Be gentle it's my first time doing one of these rant things.

 

[seX-Power]

I being a fan of only basically the 2 big promotions, am in belief that promos are more important as without them, the feuds don't seem so special. I also think that it is easier to save a bad match with a good angle, as it has happenned on more occasions.

Nice rant. *is gentle*

 

[Evil Austin]

To hype a feud up - Promo's

But you asked what is more important in wrestling - matches

That's basically my two cents.

 

[J]

To hype a feud up - Promo's

But you asked what is more important in wrestling - matches

That's basically my two cents.

I agree 100%, It seems like asking what is moer importent. A doctor being able to descrive to you and detail and really sell you the fact that he knows how to perform an operation right or actually performing the operation right.

Also my two cents.

 

[Qwake]

I guess the angles are the most important. Even though this is wrestling and the matches SHOULD be more important they aren't because these days people are looking for build up or a story behind the match they are watching and without that build up it will not draw as many people to watch or be interested in the match. Then again without the match at the end all that build up would be for nothing and since the match is what ends the feud you could say that is more important. You could choose either but I think ill stick with what I first said.

Also to the second question, having a good match to finish off a bad feud would be better. I mean, who wants to see a good feud only to be pissed off by it ending badly with a bad match, that would suck, I would rather have a bad feud and end with a good match so you think "Oh well, the feud may have sucked but atleast it ended well" where as with a a good feud/bad match you would have done all that hype for nothing...

Good thread

 

[seX-Power]

I agree 100%, It seems like asking what is moer importent. A doctor being able to descrive to you and detail and really sell you the fact that he knows how to perform an operation right or actually performing the operation right.

Also my two cents.

That's a really invalid comparison imho.

Lennie is right, the promos create interest.

 

[J]

Not really for the simple fact when It comes down to what's more importent and what you would rather watch. A fued with bad promo's and amazing matches. Or a fued with amazing promo's and bad matches. It seems like the choice is almost bluntly obvious.

 

[Moonlight Drive]

If anything in the way of angles, character and the like fall under it's umbrella, promos are far more important. Without them, who here would actually be a wrestling fan? I for one was reeled in by the storylines and feuds, I did love the matches, but they would've got old fast without the rest of it.

 

[seX-Power]

Not really for the simple fact when It comes down to what's more importent and what you would rather watch. A fued with bad promo's and amazing matches. Or a fued with amazing promo's and bad matches. It seems like the choice is almost bluntly obvious.

I respect your opinion but the doctor example was irrelevant.

As for the question you ask here, I have to go with a feud having bad matches and good promos. Firstly, there are generally more promos in the feuds and if they are bad then I can't get drawn in, and even if they pull off a great match, then I won't care. It's just me I guess, even in BTB I always enjoy writing and reading promos more, as I just value them over matches.

 

[Moonlight Drive]

The Rock = the perfect example of why promos > matches. I can enjoy a ** Rocky match thanks to his mic work much more than I would a technically 'great wrestling' ***** match from an indy guy with no charisma.