Damien Barling: Am I Still A Fan Of WWE?

I find myself asking that question a lot more then I used. It's usually followed by, "Why do I watch this s**t?"

Three hours of a WWE Network event that could barely hold my attention because of the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Not to mention there were few compelling storylines on the show with the exception of the Sasha Charlotte Iron Man Match. More on that later.

Three hours of a Monday Night Raw program that was nothing more then fluff and show filler that concluded with the terrifying prospect that Braun Strohmen may soon find himself in the main event picture with names like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

Am I still a fan?

Do I enjoy this?

I've loved wrestling for as long as I can remember. I didn't care about GI Joe or He-Man or Transformers. I was all about Hulk Hogan. Admittedly, there were stretches were the product got dull and I didn't pay as close of attention. The early 90's were rather brutal with Diesel being the champion with foes such as King Mable.

Then the Heartbreak Kid came along, followed by Stone Cold Steve Austin, then the Attitude Era.

Wrestling has always kind of grown up with me. The Hulkamania era fit and grew with my childhood. When the Attitude Era began I was 17 years old. When it concluded, I was 22. The product, with strong language, beautiful women, and violence, catered directly to me. Thats no longer the case. The product, understandably so, is geared towards children despite the fact a great portion of their audience is my age. Some would argue the casual fan is gone. Those left watching each week are the life long hardcore fans. Because, really, who else would put up with six hours of dragging program.

The goodness is its almost Wrestlemania season. The badness is its ALMOST Wrestlemania season. The Royal Rumble is over a month away. That means the storyline development will be minimal at best, non-existent at worst.

Am I still a fan?

I'm a fan of the stuff I used to watch. I'm a fan of wrestling. I'm a fan of the business as a whole.

Am I still a fan?

Yes. I think so, but Diesel and King Mable feels like 5-star material at this point.