Should we still romanticize the "grind"?

[Epic Springs]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1776310088073883974

HHH's comments during Mania week had fans feeling pretty divisive. Let's have a discussion. Should we still instill the "old school" belief that you must be on the road 250-300 days a year working multiple shows a week to be worth a damn in the wrestling business or the "millennial/gen z" belief that if you can work half the days and make as much money (sometimes) more is the way to go? Should we demonize those that take the latter opportunity and "take the easy way out"?

I thought Paul's comments were stupid. Fuck yes I'm taking the job that pays me more for working less. Get that boomer shit out of here.

 

[Valeyard]

I thought this was a Sable thread.

 

[King Kamala]

Well look at the two biggest WWE stars of the past ten years. They weren’t making towns every night, at least not when they were at their best.

 

[Valeyard]

It's unnecessary. The world doesn't cater to that mindset and it's bad business to put people at risk of injury when you don't need to work more than three days a week. I think touring is still very viable but needs a drastic overhaul to how it's done, and has for 20 years.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

it's a terrible mindset

 

[Lazgistics Supervisor]

I'm mixed on it.

Working that grind is how we got the best talents. That grind is what gave us seasoned veterans that knew what worked in front of which crowds, that knew how to better protect themselves, and, most importantly, knew how to get more reactions out of less physicality.

BUT...

Those same seasoned veterans of the grind? Most of them had shorter careers with considerably more injuries than the top talents we're seeing today. Austin had 3 years on top before his neck issues forced him out, Foley had a year before his various injuries took their toll, HBK took one nasty bump and was out indefinitely (returning 4 years later), Funk died a hobbled mess of a man, and even HHH had so many knee issues by the time he was ready to go for the main that it's an insane miracle he even lasted as long as he did.

And if you're faulting people whose jobs is to risk their physical well-being to entertain others for wanting more time off to heal up so that they can keep working at a higher level? You're an asshole, made worse when you consider that your best friend took that schedule ~20 years ago. Made worse when your top stars for the past few years have been working that schedule. If you're going to deride workers that want to make more money for doing less when the market has changed enough so that they can then yeah, you're the asshole.

So yeah. I want talent to perform at a top level as often as possible, but I also want them to be healthy for their own sake.

 

[Lazgistics Supervisor]

Additional see-saw comments:
The grind is a thing of yesteryear only for a select few. The average independent worker aiming for a career is still doing shows every weekend, double shots when need be, and is struggling to find a way to stand out in ways that vets of the territory days, or even the early-mid 90s (maybe even as late as the indies boom), couldn't dream of.

In reality, HHH never did much of the grind. He worked the long WWF schedule of the late 90s, sure, but the grind didn't hit him as hard as others his age because he had the WWF machine behind him right away. He didn't have to do the international tours for gas money, he didn't have to fight sleazy scumbag promoters for his rate on a handshake deal, he didn't have to show up to random cards with his gear in the trunk ready to go in case someone dropped out, he didn't have to do deathmatch tournaments, he didn't have to post ad nauseum on social media to get an extra three kids to show up at an Elks Lodge, he didn't have to balance a streaming show with training and self-sold merch...

...but then, you have to remember, he does that anyway. He doesn't have to do any of it, he didn't have to when he was on top, but he did it anyway. Because he loves the business, and that cannot be argued. He loves all of it, and if his mentors and best friends and everyone he grew up idolizing praised the grind? Of fucking course he's going to praise the grind.

So I get where he's coming from, and I get why he's an asshole for it. But he's a justified asshole.

 

[King Kamala]

In short, NEW ENGLAND MAN RESPECTS NEW ENGLAND MAN.

The way Triple H has rested his reading glasses on the tip of his nose at the last few post PLE press conference does remind me of every assistant principal I had in school.

 

[Valeyard]

I can't get over how he turned into Fetterman seemingly overnight.

 

[King Kamala]

A guy stays in Pennsylvania for one week…

 

[Epic Springs]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1787957974419300807

Some grind, eh?