Jordan Cooper & Jon Alba discuss character motivations to compete in matches, how it provides the audience a hierarchy of emotional investment, whether or not individual wins and losses even matter, the fallacies of "protecting" talent, and how antiquated match booking philosophies often get in the way of more compelling or serendipitous stories.

Jon Alba's Patreon & Discord: https://www.patreon.com/WrestlingAccordingToAlba

Jon Alba on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonalba

Jordan Cooper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blenderhd

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheoryofProWrestling

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theory-of-pro-wrestling/id1692460190

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoryofprowrestling

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoryofprowrestling

Jordan Cooper & Jon Alba discuss the title shot "cash-in" stipulation popularized with the WWE Money In The Bank ladder match, how the winner is framed in the narrative, the ways tension can be built by the contract holder, the storytelling dynamic differences between cash-ins by babyfaces versus heels, and how it can be utilized as a vehicle for character turns.

Jon Alba's Patreon & Discord: https://www.patreon.com/WrestlingAccordingToAlba

Jon Alba on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonalba

Jordan Cooper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blenderhd

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheoryofProWrestling

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theory-of-pro-wrestling/id1692460190

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoryofprowrestling

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoryofprowrestling

Jordan Cooper & Jon Alba discuss the "tweener" character dynamic, how their role is framed heavily based on opponent, whether modern audiences accept pure babyfaces or heels anymore, the foreshadowing of character turns compared to illogical "swerves", and how successful turns are dictated more so by audience reaction rather than storylines.

Jon Alba's Patreon & Discord: https://www.patreon.com/WrestlingAccordingToAlba

Jon Alba on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonalba

Jordan Cooper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blenderhd

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheoryofProWrestling

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theory-of-pro-wrestling/id1692460190

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoryofprowrestling

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoryofprowrestling

Jordan Cooper & Jon Alba discuss the importance of protagonists & antagonists in pro wrestling storytelling, why virtue may be an antiquated descriptor when identifying "good guys" and "bad guys", how the audience dictates the alignment of characters more than anything else, and the difference between presenting a single main character versus an ensemble cast.

Jon Alba's Patreon & Discord: https://www.patreon.com/WrestlingAccordingToAlba

Jon Alba on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonalba

Jordan Cooper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blenderhd

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheoryofProWrestling

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theory-of-pro-wrestling/id1692460190

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoryofprowrestling

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoryofprowrestling

Jordan Cooper & Jon Alba discuss how rules within the fictional universe of pro wrestling are used (and often abused) for storytelling purposes including time limits, count outs, disqualifications, title stipulations, legal tags, multiway matches, usage of foreign objects, ringside managers, referee bumps, steel cages, and more. Are some outdated and not as effective as narrative devices anymore?

Join Jon's Patreon & Discord community: https://www.patreon.com/WrestlingAccordingToAlba

Follow Jordan Cooper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blenderhd

Follow Jon Alba on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonalba

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheoryofProWrestling

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theory-of-pro-wrestling/id1692460190

Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoryofprowrestling

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoryofprowrestling

Jordan Cooper & Jon Alba discuss how Chekhov's gun can be a useful tool to judge storytelling narratives presented in pro wrestling, both from a storyline perspective as well as the in-ring matches themselves. Also, we debate the thesis of what is "modern" pro wrestling and how the expectations of the current audience may differ from previous eras.

Join Jon's Patreon & Discord community: https://www.patreon.com/WrestlingAccordingToAlba

Follow Jordan Cooper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/blenderhd

Follow Jon Alba on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonalba

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheoryofProWrestling

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theory-of-pro-wrestling/id1692460190

Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theoryofprowrestling

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoryofprowrestling