What is the match you show non-wrestling fans?

[IndyWrestler1]

Yeah I recall, but sadly it was more indicative of how New Japan was using and booking NOAH, and I as a NOAH mark of the time, didn't enjoy it out of protest!

New Japan was trying to make NOAH their own little developmental plaything, bringing up their top stars to work big profile matches and sending down their aged stars or dudes that had nothing to do. They were booking endless Suzuki-gun angles and even got mfn Jado to play Captain Noah. Really bad and dark days for NOAH, and Marufuji being booked to work New Japan is an example of that!

Speaking of, another match that I think is intense enough to give a good example of wrestling but a simple enough story to not require too much background info is KENTA v. Marufuji from, I believe, 2006.

Yeah as a New mark (short for New Japan Pro Wrestling) I liked it

Also, great match! Have watched it before! Everyone in their right mind should watch this piece of beauty right fucking now!!

 

[The Fiend]

Braun Strowman vs Apollo Crews
My wife often thinks it funny that I watch wrestling claiming it fake
You had to see the look on her face when Strowman kicked Apollo out of midair into the ropes.
Strowman vs Brock Lesnar vs Kane
Strowman knees Lesnar on the side the head and Lesnar punches him.
people don’t understand that wrestling is two stunt men working together through matches that have mastered their craft to a fixed result.
It may be a over simplified way to explain wrestling but it is what it is.

 

[Geese]

Great match, in spite of Awesome almost murdering Tanaka and Joey Styles losing his fucking mind.

So, Awesome vs. Tanaka is fine to show to a non-wrestling fan but Hennig vs. Bockwinkel and Joe vs. Kobashi is too hardcore to show to them?

 

[Roadster]

So, Awesome vs. Tanaka is fine to show to a non-wrestling fan but Hennig vs. Bockwinkel and Joe vs. Kobashi is too hardcore to show to them?

Yes. A 15 minute spot fest is, in fact, an easier thing for a newer viewer to understand than a 40 minute marathon from 1987 or a 50 minute marathon at an indy show from 2004. There is a mix of presentation, simplicity, setting, and actual action that most people are attracted to.

KENTA v. Marufuji for example is in a packed house of a few thousand, clearly mega stars, and the match itself isn't baked one way or the other, it's just two dudes beating eachother up, good camera work and audio, that is a lot more attractive for a new viewer than watching Kobashi v. Joe in a dinky ballroom, but then again the length could be off-putting.

That have a leg up on Hennig v. Bockwinkel. Hennig v. Bockwinkel, beyond the fact that it's from a long time ago, is an AWA match, where they wrestle an AWA style, with angles and storylines involved that play a major factor in the match. I really like the AWA, but their style is not something that flies well with people today nor does it grab the attention of new viewers who are expecting instant action.

 

[IndyWrestler1]

So, Awesome vs. Tanaka is fine to show to a non-wrestling fan but Hennig vs. Bockwinkel and Joe vs. Kobashi is too hardcore to show to them?

I agree that Hennig vs. Bockwinkel is too long and dwindled for a new fan to get into it from that. I think Joe vs. Kobashi would still work to show to a new fan, but you gotta understand that non-wrestling fans really don't wanna watch long matches with a lot of build-up or psychology. They don't get it, they don't get the moves, they don't get the significance of the story and the reversals/work within. You gotta have something that grabs attention; Flaming tables, crazy spots, quick-paced action.

I once showed CM Punk vs John Cena to people as they asked me what was the match that really got me into wrestling. I watched it before, obviously, but that made me a superfan. It was 45 minutes of them building to an eventual climax. People that don't know or care, don't have the patience to watch 35 minutes to get to that climax. They wanna see the shocking moments! Punk vs Cena had shocking moments when it regarded the storyline itself - I obviously didn't show them the 5 promos building up to the match, so they didn't get it.

 

[Roadster]

Awesome power bombing Tanaka through a table and nailing him with a steel chair shot could be too violent for a first-time viewer. These types of ultra-hardcore matches normally has a niche audience and isn't for the general population.

You're right Hennig vs. Bockwinkel is a marathon match. It's sixty minutes, by the way, not forty minutes but these types of pure matches does find an audience. The Life & Times of Mr. Perfect DVD sold well because it included that match. Ric Flair DVDs which contain matches with Ricky Steamboat, Sting, and Terry Funk sells well and The Nature Boy's matches goes on for forty minutes to an hour.

I'd think a pure-style match is more palatable to the general audience than an ultra-violent ECW match would be.

Popular perception of wrestling is violence, and action. I don't think I've ever ran into anybody that vomited from watching a table spot or turned the TV off because of a chair shot, let alone didn't expect or get excited by it. This isn't some blood and guts deathmatch.

Also did the Mr. Perfect DVD sell well because of this match? I find it hard to believe that the majority of wrestling fans who know of Mr. Pefect from his time as Mr. Peffect in WWE and his nWo stint in WCW would buy a DVD to watch a match from 22 years prior to it's release. Regardless, the key point there is that wrestling fans buy these DVDs, not new fans so that point doesn't really mean anything.

 

[PaulDB]

Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon, Royal Rumble 1993.

I choose that match cos it showcases David and Goliath in a classic, heated struggle. The sneak attack on Owen Hart adds more fuel to an already bright fire and it offers newcomers the best of both fan favourite and heel worlds.