It was Wrestlemania 3. It was a huge crowd even if the numbers have inflated as the years have gone. The great Andre, undefeated for 100 years (I really brought into the hype on that one) up against the new champion, the hero of everyone, the great Hulk Hogan. The crowd was in awe as two giants of the sport stood toe to toe. The match itself wasn't a mat classic. But it did one thing that made it memorable, one thing that made it great. It told a story. You felt the end of one era, and the passing of the torch from Andre to Hulk. It was basic wrestling 101. And as Hulk body slammed Andre, something so basic went down as one of the biggest moments in wrestling history.

The sport has changed a lot since the days of Farmer Burns, George Hackenschmitt, and the Great Gama. Wrestling historians tell us that the last time a title match ended with a shoot finish was in the 1920's. Even then people argued about just how legitimate that was. So what makes us, intelligent human beings, get hooked on a sport that has a pre-determined result"

We can go on any number of websites now and read what the results will be, leaked straight from the offices of Connecticut no less. What makes us sit through four hours of people faking it"

For me it's the story each fight tells. It's one reason why Ric Flair was so good as a champion. From bell to bell you where told a story. You watched as the guy was beaten from pillar to post and "beaten like a government mule", to quote good old JR. But he always came back and snuck away as the champion. He traveled the globe doing the same shtick. He could make a local champion look like a "wrestling God" while still walking away as the champion. You wanted to see what would happen next after every match. Not because of what was said in interviews, but because of what was said in the ring.

It seems though that nowadays all that wrestlers want to do is talk. I went to a local show here in Australia and saw what has become of this sport. The wrestlers spent so long telling us what they would do to each other, but told us nothing in the ring.

Toots Mondt is seen as the innovator that gave us what we now know as wrestling. He was a man who created stories. He took a sport that had dwindling crowds and gave us what is now often referred to as Sports Entertainment. He knew the importance of storylines, but his stories where told in the ring. He gave us Gorgeous George. Gorgeous George was one of the first superstars of wrestling seen on television. But he didn't need twenty minute speeches to get his story over. You only had to watch him in the ring to hate him.

The golden era of wrestling was that period in the 50's, 60's, and 70's; or so I'm told - I'm too young to remember. But just reading about it makes me wish I'd been there. It was an era of guys who didn't need to open there mouths to get a message across. And for me that's what wrestling should still be. Triple H doesn't need to tell us in intricate detail what he is going to do to an opponent, just let him get out there and do it. That's why I watch, that's why so many of us watch. If we want to hear some one talk a load of old cobblers for half an hour, we'll watch Larry King.

There are still wrestlers who do tell great stories in the ring. An example was at Wrestlemania. We had a great build up with only limited talk time. What we did see was blind side attacks, in ring action, and actions speaking louder than words. Then the match itself saw one wrestler, the baby face, injure themselves early. The heel picked up on this then worked the injured body part for the rest of the match until they had worn the babyface down. It was an old school wrestling match, everything about it was perfect. Oh, and it was for the Women's Title. I say congratulations to Mickie James and Trish Stratus, and kudos to Fit Finlay for training these two. Between them they reminded us what wrestling should be.

For many wrestling is better now. Some people like the spot fests they see, where it's all about the moves that are done and not why they are done, and I'll admit even these high spot affairs can be compelling. Take Mick Foley's Hell in a Cell match against the Undertaker. Many people talk about the bumps off the top of the cell being what made Mick Foley. Personally for me it wasn't so much the bumps he took. It was the fact that he kept coming back that made Mick Foley.

In my opinion, it's what is missing in today's wrestling; telling a story, and drawing us in.

by Scott McGinn