In a recent episode of his podcast, “Everybody’s Got a Pod,” WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase Sr. shared his thoughts on the current state of professional wrestling. He specifically focused on the perceived lack of realism and compelling storytelling in today’s wrestling scene.
Here are some highlights from DiBiase’s podcast:
On his time in wrestling, DiBiase stated, “A lot of fans tell me that the period from the mid-’80s to the mid-’90s was the last grand era of wrestling. I can’t completely disagree. Wrestling has always been a spectacle, like a movie. But if the athletes in the ring are good, they can immerse you in their narrative. I’ve been a wrestling insider since I was young, and even though I knew it was a show, I still found myself getting engrossed in the story being told by skillful wrestlers such as Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr..”
However, DiBiase believes that much of current wrestling lacks story, saying, “Today, I see performers getting into the ring, doing all kinds of acrobatics and finishing the match in about five to ten minutes. But wrestling is more than just beating each other up. In real wrestling, it’s all about strategies and subtleties. If I targeted an opponent’s arm, I’d consistently work on that. I’d return to that arm whenever I had a chance, creating a continuous narrative.”
He also criticized the loss of believability in wrestling, pointing out, “I’ve seen matches where a wrestler grabs his opponent by the hair and runs him across the ring into the opposite turnbuckle. In a real fight, it would be near impossible to drag someone across the entire street by their hair. Wrestling used to capture elements of real fighting, making it believable to the audience. I feel that this factor is missing in most wrestling matches today.”