The First Time Wrestling Made Me Sad
Troy Taroff vents on WWE Super ShowDown 2019.
This shouldn’t be happening.
It’s 2019, I watch wrestling to find joy and be wowed by in-ring skills. However, I felt the very opposite of that at the conclusion of Super Showdown. The “highly anticipated bout” between Undertaker and Goldberg made me sad.
No, I didn’t cry at the end. But I did feel a sense of dread and disappointment. Not a disappointment that their match was bad or the wrestlers didn’t try their damn hardest. Instead, I was sad because WWE let this happen. Vince McMahon and his associates made us think, just for a second, that this could be a good idea.
In a wrestling landscape that is constantly evolving, including the emergence of AEW, the revitalization of IMPACT, the resurgence of MLW, the departure of Lucha Underground and the shuffling of Ring of Honor, WWE goes to the same well once again. Promoting two men in their 50s putting their fragile bodies on the line for fans who don’t really want to see it. Exactly who benefits here?
Yes, the notion that WWE has to cater to the crowd in Jeddah (more specifically, the regime footing the bill) for its highly scrutinized Saudi Arabia show holds true. But to make the millions of WWE fans around the world believe that an Undertaker vs. Goldberg match in 2019 was a “must see” event is highly embarrassing.
Two quick spears by Goldberg almost gave me hope that this match would be okay at best. Of course, reality quickly set in. Goldberg delivered a tired looking, botched jackhammer. Undertaker severely botched a Tombstone piledriver, almost resulting in Goldberg breaking his neck. By now, we’ve all seen the sheer look of disappointment on Undertaker’s face after the match. I honestly felt bad for the two legends in the ring.
Maybe this is a sign, a wake-up call, if you will. Not only to Undertaker and Goldberg that they frankly can’t cut it anymore in the ring, but also a reality check to McMahon. Legends matches don’t excite us anymore. The expiration date on these dream matches has long since passed, creating nightmares for all parties involved. The current full-time roster is overflowing with underutilized talent anxious for the spotlight. With so many hungry men and women capable of exciting us, the last thing I want to see is two men who have no business being in the ring in 2019, risking their bodies for McMahon, the Saudi leaders and the lack of health insurance WWE is providing its talent.
On paper, WWE Super Showdown may have looked like WrestleMania, but it felt like anything but that. Many have called it a glorified house show, and in reality, that’s what it was. Just because Undertaker and Goldberg have never had a match, doesn’t mean people want to see it, especially in 2019. I shudder to think who else McMahon will lure out of retirement to perform at the next nostalgia show.
McMahon needs to do better, and for the sake of his talent, he needs to keep them safe.
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