My Top 5 TV Influences, and how I think they merge with Pro Wrestling

Intro

Every writer has their own influences, in the world of Pro wrestling, some people look at the likes of Stu Sacks. Dave Meltzer, and. Brian Alvarez, but some like myself, at a young age, were captivated by tv shows that they grew up with. I think tv has counteracted in the zeitgeist of Pro Wrestling, for decades, and these are some of my inspirations.

5 Buffy The Vampire Slayer

In the verse of my inspirations, this is high on the list. The build behind the Scooby Gang is something, that has been adapted by Pro Wrestling, especially in recent years. How has this been a influence on me? The Storylines were groundbreaking, from the LGBTQ+ representation, which at the time in the late 1990's, this was lacking in Sci Fi Horror tv, to the never ending grasp that the show has had, from it's sharp writing, to its daring attitude, that spoke to fans, young, and old at the time. Wrestling has always had this ability, because lets be honest. It always has us coming back for more.

4 EERIE INDIANA

As Pro wrestling fans, we're a bunch, that love the unexplained, like what was the basis behind Jake Roberts love for Snakes. Who Slapped Kevin Owens with a pie. And what was in. He Who Shall Not Be Named's box. EERIE INDIANA, is a perfect example of this. I love this show, as a fan of Sci Fi tv. It still holds up to this day, the unexplained is something, that has always had my attention. The dialogue at a young age, made me wonder. what it would be like if  I worked in television as a career when I was older? I was thinking like this at the age of 11. This Shows Influence, may not be felt today, but to me it was vital in my development.

3 My So Called Life

This show is the most honest portrayal of teenage life, ever put on tv. Now I know what your thinking, What does a teen show have in common with Pro Wrestling? Well, It's honesty. I feel that in the early stages of AEW, their was a sense of freedom, that hasn't been a thing in Pro Wrestling at the time, for over 20 years. Honesty was seaping into the industry, as fans were taken on a ride of great storytelling, that was navigated by Tony Khan, in a way that in my opinion, echoed the same path of Angela Chase, the shows main protagonist, played by Clare Danes. My writing has been heavily influenced by this show, and it remains an influence on teenage television to this day. The wrestling industry can learn lessons from this show.

2 Sons Of Anarchy

This is one of my favourite tv shows of the past 20 years. I feel it's influence has been massive on The Bloodline, from Romans uprising, to his grooming of his own family, and Sami Zayn. This was a mirror Image. In Sons, the main character was Jax Teller, a man who was conflicted with the elements of his own family, and him wanting to change the dynamic, and in the verse of WWE, There's Roman Reigns, who at the time was a parasite who wanted to hold a grasp of control on his own faction. Jax Teller is Jey Uso, and. Sami Zayn, to men who tried to act like the moral compass of the family, whilst Roman was Clay Morrow, a man who was hell bent on grooming his gang into his own form of thinking. The writing of this show, to me is a stallwart in the way tv is produced, and how wrestling is influenced by the Drama.

1 The Simpsons

If you're the head of a company, that produces weekly tv, then you need to take some form of influence from The Simpsons. It is one of the most well observed tv shows ever, how does this mesh with Pro Wrestling? In the 1990's The Simpsons was a ratings powerhouse across the globe, and the controversy it was caused, would be felt. Parent groups hated it, as modern culture was moving, and changing in order to keep up with the times. The then WWF's Attitude Era latched on to this, and it would pay off heavily. The Monday Night Wars was a time period in Pro Wrestling history, that would see one company's demise, and another regain their dominance, the career counteractions provided the evidence, because controversy created cash.