So AEW had Luigi Primo on Dynamite this week, and it created the kind of discussion you would expect considering his gimmick. Some folks love a dude who makes pizza while wrestling a match, some folks think it’s ridiculous and has no place in the business.
You know what I’ve come to realize? All of these arguments are fair, because we’ve reached a point where it’s become clear pro wrestling can be whatever the hell you want it to be. It just depends on what position you’re in.
To some, drawing the house is all that matters, and to that end stars who can do so are prized possessions. I’m reminded of an old Al Snow clip from a Kayfabe Commentaries interview:
He asks a simple question: “Who had the best match at WrestleMania 3?” Before Sean Oliver can even finish saying “Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat,” Snow jumps in to say “no they didn’t, dumb shit.” He contends the best match goes to whoever sold the most tickets. For that show, it was Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant.
“They had the best fucking match, because if they hadn’t had that match there wouldn’t be a business for you and I to continue to talk about,” he says. “That’s the truth. 93,000 people paid to see them. That makes it unequivocally the best match.”
There’s some logic to back up his assertion. After all, the point of the pro wrestling business is not to have what many fans would consider “the best” pro wrestling match — by whatever standard they use to judge as much — but to make the most money possible. The match is just the vehicle to do that. If the most critically acclaimed match also happens to be the match that made the most money for the company promoting it, hey, great! But that’s secondary to the making of the money.
Jim Cornette, predictably, has already blasted Luigi for making a mockery of the business. He, like Snow, has always had an investment in the industry different to ours. They depend on it to get paid and want to see it thrive so they can continue to do so.
Thankfully, we, as fans, don’t have to worry about all that! We get to simply watch what the promoters put together and decide if we like it or not. We don’t all have to share the same tastes. It’s all subjective.
If you dig what the pizza man is cooking, don’t let anyone tell you you’re wrong. He might mess around and have the best match on the show one day.
Let them worry about who drew the house.
This has been your graveyard shift blog for the evening. Hope you’re having a good night out there, Cagesiders.
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