So I still see fans claiming that companies rip off other companies, and they are just so offended by that. Why? What’s the point?
I bet you’re already thinking, this is a TNA copied WWE thing isn’t it? Well maybe, maybe not. The thing is, wrestling has been done to death, storylines have been done to death, gimmicks have been done to death, and without a doubt, the best ones have already ran their course.
Back in the old days, independent promotions copied each other. They ripped each other off all the time, way before the mighty WWF took over in the 80’s. How did the WWF get so big? They stole ideas from others and marketed them better. Vince McMahon is the master of ripping something off and producing it better than it was originally. This is why people remember it more, and they don’t seem to care if Vince copied something, because he does it better right?
The thing is, it really doesn’t matter. When a company blatantly rips off another, it’s for one of four reasons:
- Seeking attention, trying to capitalize on the recent popularity of a storyline/gimmick/match from another company.
- As a tribute. Often parodies are made out of respect. Or it’s more of an inside joke.
- The company has done it before, but simply forgot about it. They see it on a rival show, and they decide .. oh yeah, we ain’t done that for a while, let’s do it again.
- Mere coincidence. Believe it or not, but sometimes fans can get severely deluded as they look for any inclination of possible “ripping”. These delusions can often lead to fans seeing things that aren’t really there. It just so happens that two companies did something similar around the same time
I could go on all day giving examples of a company ripping off another company, but you could probably think of a few instances already. In the “Attitude Era”, WWF and WCW ripped each other and did everything to outdo one another. In terms of today’s business with WWE and TNA, most “ripping” would be nothing more but insider jokes. A lot of the wrestlers know each really well, they all have wrestling minds, and they are bound to do it sometimes. It’s a cheap way to get shock value, one that has worked very well in the past, and other times, not so much.
At the end of the day, the “Attitude Era” was a complete rip off of ECW. You can credit Paul Heyman for being such a genius that everyone wanted to copy his ideas. It only makes sense that Heyman continues to be the most innovative mic worker in the business today. The only thing is, no one can replicate his mic skills… but they can replicate his past works.
Old school territories ripped off other territories. WWF ripped off NWA and WCW. WCW ripped off WWF. WWF and WCW totally ripped off ECW. Everyone else since then has rehashed and rehashed and rehashed to the point that shows can no longer be shocking. We just see the same old thing over and over, and why? Because everything has been ripped to death already. So why get so uptight and stressed when you see TNA copy WWE, or vice-versa?
What people should be looking for is the wrestling. Sadly, the actual wrestling never gets the kind of attention that a good old “ripping” story gets. Fans love negativity more than anything these days. I would say to look for the positives in all companies, but it’s like beating a dead horse. With that said, my rant is over. Stay positive, it might bring you a happier life.
