On the latest episode of the “What Happened When” podcast, Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson revisited the 1989 holiday episode of WWF Prime Time Wrestling. PTW was the precursor to Monday Night Raw and it’s main purpose was to drive fans to by tickets to live event and pay-per-views. The show occasionally would feature a marquee match but it was primarily full of squash matches, ie. matches where an established star would beat an enhancement talent.
Schiavone shared his perspective on the enduring debate surrounding the place of squash matches in modern professional wrestling.
“Well, that’s a good discussion. I’m from the school that they do [have a place], but it’s got to be done correctly,” Schiavone stated. He emphasized the importance of protecting the credibility of established stars in these matches. “The reason I say that is I don’t think, and there’s a school of thought here, as a quote/unquote star, or superstar, that you can go into a quote/unquote squash match and give the person you’re wrestling a lot. You gotta look great. You gotta show how tremendous you are. You gotta show your moves and your ware, and not give that person that much.”
Schiavone acknowledged that while the outcome of a squash match is predictable, giving the enhancement talent too much offense can diminish the impact of the winning star. “If it happens that way, I think they’re worth something because first of all, if you turn on an enhancement match, you know who’s going to win. I mean, there’s no question about who’s going to win. However, if you give your opponent some, it’s not doing you any good. That’s my thought on that, and I know a lot of people behind the scenes feel the same way.”
He attributed the tendency of some wrestlers to “give their opponents too much” to their experience on the independent circuit, where squash matches are less common. “Sometimes they give their opponents too much and that comes from, in this day and time, that comes from spending a lot of time in the independent circuit and not really knowing what squash matches are all about.”
While Schiavone believes squash matches have a place on wrestling shows, he cautioned against overuse. “I don’t think you should do a whole show on them. Back in the day, that’s all there were, and it was the promos you watched the show for, so I think there’s a place for them, just not too many.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
