I generally agree with your insights, Cap.
One thing I will say - the fans may demand more high-flying moves, but I actually place the blame for this on the promoters and bookers. Modern promoters and bookers are defaulting to high-flying moves and spot-fests for the ticket sales and clicks.
There is definitely an absence of skillsets today on ring psychology, pacing, realistic selling, and story-driven move sequences. Bookers and promoters just don't seem to want to put those kind of matches on regularly, even though a double axe-handle or a suplex can be huge moves that change momentum. The audience needs to get invested in the match story.
Some of the NJPW matches among and between Omega/Naito/Okada/Tanahashi over the last 10 years really captured that you don't need to be stuntmen for every waking minute in a match. Even some of those 90's matches between Austin/Hart/Michaels/Razor had some of the best story-telling and pacing that made you invested as a fan.
It's why I find NXT completely unwatchable, and some of the people in AEW like Guevara; being a spot monkey and constantly flying off the turnbuckle and jumping over the ropes has diminishing returns.
And selling, oh god selling. It's atrocious today. I'm on Bret Hart's side on this one. I know he's a crank, but damn if he wasn't right about the lost art of selling.
I swear, patience and build that you saw in classic wrestling matches is gone as we know it. WWE and AEW just don't cater to that kind of match anymore (although Swerve and Hangman II really captured that IMO).
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