The rapid evolution of professional wrestling has normalized the sheer number of high-impact moves performed during matches in WWE and other companies. Bret Hart recently called modern wrestling phony, and while agreeing to the legend's claims, EC3 recently added how he received heat for being against certain newfound practices.
In the Fight Club-inspired project "Control Your Narrative" founded by EC3, several moves such as suicide dives, superkicks, and Canadian destroyers (which Bad Bunny used at Backlash) were banned, for which the former WWE star noted he was "chastised" online.
As stated above, matches these days feature moves that would easily be considered finishers back in the day. EC3 stressed that overusing such maneuvers made them seem less effective, and he saw a lot of truth in Bret Hart's complaints.
"I am the one that got chastised for banning suicide dives, superkicks, and Canadian destroyers, only to make it mean something. That was the point. Anyway, he's got a point; it's tough to watch," said EC3 on The Wrestling Outlaws. [From 2:26 to 2:40]
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Carter explained that in the past, the art of pro wrestling wasn't a victim of oversaturation as it followed a simple yet effective method of in-ring storytelling involving a heel and a babyface.
The former WWE Superstar highlighted that even bouts that open wrestling shows these days have way too many near falls and are often overbooked, much to his dislike.
He added:
"You had lighting in a bottle back then, too, like you could get away with murder, per se, with the no finishes and things like that. I do think that about finishes, but I don't think you need an opening match to be 20 minutes long with 17 near-falls and false finishes. I mean, dude, in the best opening matches in history, you'd get 16 minutes, you'd get a babyface with a lot of fire that's on the come up, and you put him in there with a wild-enough heel or a big-character heel, that is just like, 'Boo me, cheer him,' and they do, and they're hooked. Every time." [From 15:00 to 15:34]
'It looks like breakdance fighting as opposed to competitive sport:' Former WWE star EC3
The last "modern show" EC3 tuned into was WWE WrestleMania 39, and he actually enjoyed the event as it contained compelling in-ring stories that were hard-hitting and an ideal showcase of the physicality of pro wrestling.
However, Carter wasn't a fan of the overall state of the business as he believed it no longer looked like a "competitive sport," proving that Bret Hart's accusations of wrestling being "phony" were accurate.
"The last modern thing I watched was WrestleMania, and WrestleMania had really good matches because they had time, and they told really good stories, and they were very physical and things like that," admitted EC3. "But for the most part, yeah, there is definitely something missing, and it looks like breakdance fighting as opposed to competitive sport. I tend to agree with Mr. Hart." [From 2:41 to 3:02]
Do you also agree with EC3 regarding WWE legend Bret Hart's statements? Sound off in the comments section below.
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