WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was very animated during a recent episode of his podcast, Grilling JR. Although the main topic was WWE’s first Taboo Tuesday event in 2004, Ross also talked about fellow WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson and Patterson’s role in crafting WWE’s product.
While praising him for being a creative genius, Ross mentioned that regarding wrestling, Patterson had a propensity for humor. Ross admitted he’s not a “humor guy” before sharing his candid thoughts on pro wrestling, specifically, his current place of employment, All Elite Wrestling. Said Ross:
“I’m not a big humor guy, and as it relates to wrestling, I think humor should be organic and real and natural. I think that pro wrestling should be more athletically oriented. That’s just me. Somebody might say, ‘Well, why are you at AEW?’ Because they pay me a lot of money and I like the people I work for and I love wrestling. I love helping these young kids.
“Are they doing too many flips and flops for my taste? Yeah, they are. To be honest with you, they sure are. But they’re weaning themselves off that a little bit because… that type of wrestling is not new and fresh anymore. How many times have you seen a 450, a 620, a blah blah blah blah blah? And now it’s not new anymore.
“It’s not new, so we got to figure out something else that’s going to get the people’s attention. It might be a wrestling match; it might be using psychology and grabbing them by the emotional balls and pulling them right along on the story.”
Over the past year, AEW has seen a steep drop in TV ratings and attendance. Many fans and experts have offered different explanations for this downturn, but perhaps wrestling style is a factor to consider. While exciting, the surge in high-flying moves — once a hallmark of smaller wrestlers but now common among heavyweights — can sometimes blend into a monotonous spectacle. When every match features a high number of these moves, it risks diluting their impact and results in no one standing out and less fans tuning in.
What’s your take, Cagesiders? Are there too many “flips and flops,” as Ross called it? What do you think AEW can do differently to catch people’s attention? Share your thoughts in the comments section.