WWE stars are renowned for their showmanship and bitter feuds, although fans may be more accustomed to seeing wrestlers trash talking each other rather than fans of the sport themselves.
Seth Rollins, AKA ‘Monday Night Messiah,’ recently hit out at fans, saying in an interview that modern audiences ‘don’t have the patience for long-term storytelling’.
The former ‘Pro Wrestling Illustrated’ number one wrestler in the world made these controversial comments during a recent guest appearance on the popular Gorilla Position Podcast.
Rollins’ comments divided fans on Twitter, with some agreeing and blaming poor storylines for fans’ loss of interest, and others hitting back at the wrestler. Some even calling Rollins’ own character ‘unwatchable’ and labelling the wrestler a ‘hypocrite’.
In the now infamous interview, the Monday Night Messiah went on to describe the current climate as the ‘age of instant gratification’, saying: “In the age of instant gratification, audiences don’t have the patience for long term storytelling, when you can binge-watch your favourite series in two days, as opposed to two months, it creates a different precedent for how we intake our entertainment.”
Rollins’ comments, although controversial, are very true when it comes to modern entertainment trends. Consumers have thousands of hours of entertainment at their fingertips, gone are the days of the unbearable wait for the next instalment after your favourite show ended on a cliff-hanger; the next episode is now only a click away.
He went even further, saying: "We are consuming our entertainment differently and wrestling is not immune to this shift. We have to adapt, as well, to keep up with our audiences."
Although some fans may see this as an insult to their attention spans or their sport, it is really an accurate comment on the future of entertainment.
However, Rollins will have certainly lost fans as a result of his comments, something which he may not be able to afford to do.
Wrestling, like all sports, must adapt to a modern audience in order to survive and maintain its fanbase. However, comments such as Rollins’ may do just the opposite, and push fans away from the sport.