I was scrolling through my Twitter timeline the other day, when a tweet from Daily Waffle head honcho Peter caught my eye. You’ll have to excuse me for not remembering the exact wording, but it was a complaint about all of those people who love to constantly remind wrestling fans that it’s ‘fake’. If you’re a fan of wrestling, you know the type I mean (and if you’re not a fan? Then I’m sorry, but I’m just going to have to assume you’re one of ‘them’. Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you). They’re usually spouting lines like: “Why do you watch that? You know it’s not real, don’t you?”, and laughing out loud every time a punch is thrown, before shouting “Look at that! He stamped the floor as he was punching to make it sound real! This is pathetic!”. Both Peter and I agreed that it was really very silly, because most of these people will probably then turn over to Coronation Street, Friends or Mad Men…and I assume they don’t choose to remind themselves that it’s scripted. When I was younger, the ‘why do you watch it when it’s fake?’ brigade used to drive me crazy, but I’m over it now. I’ve matured.
Except…not really. There’s still one little thing that I find hugely insulting, and I just want to get it out here. Maybe it’ll prove to be some sort of therapy, and maybe I’ll finally be able to get past it. It’s just a little thing, really. I mentioned it above:
“You do know it’s not real, don’t you?”
Believe it or not, I still get this. At 28 years old, with a husband (who, incidentally, I met through our shared love of wrestling), a child, a degree, and years upon years of wrestling fandom under my belt. “You do know it’s not real?” What do they think I’m going to say? “Wait. What? WHAT? It’s not real?! You’re lying. PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE LYING!” It’s truly incredible. Yet I still get it, just about every time I happen to mention that I’m a wrestling fan…and I know I can’t be the only one. So, what is it about us wrestling fans that makes non-fans think we must be the most naive, stupid people in existence? You only have to think about it for a couple of seconds. Which groups, in the most stereotypical sense, openly like wrestling? Geeks and nerds, right? Because, yeah, those two groups are so well-known for their lack of intelligence. I’m going to let you into a little secret: all wrestling fans over the age of eight years old know it’s scripted. Let’s face it, it isn’t really that hard to guess, and these days, it isn’t even a secret. WWE openly admits to being ‘sports-entertainment’, even preferring to be described that way instead of as a wrestling company, while the internet is also full of sites dicussing wrestling storylines and characters. Countless wrestlers have released autobiographies (being particularly cool, I own them all), and none of them have hidden the fact that wrestling is scripted. It’s just assumed that everyone knows, in the same way it’s assumed that the audience don’t really believe Leonardo DiCaprio died on the Titanic, or that Angie really gave divorce papers to Dirty Den on Christmas Day and let the BBC film it. I was four years old when I figured out that I wasn’t watching Australian people called Scott and Charlene being videoed solely for my entertainment, and that it was actually a soap opera. Now, please tell me, what is it about myself that makes you think I’m incapable of figuring out something that seemed so obvious 23 years ago?
There are so, so many reasons to love wrestling, and I promise you, absolutely none of them have to do with believing it’s real. In fact, it’s so hilariously contradictory and nonsensical at times that you’d be living in a state of perpetually confused misery if you refused to accept the obvious. It’s almost hard to describe, because whether it’s ‘real’ or not, wrestling still has a mystique about it that is hard to put into words. The skills and athleticism on show, the larger than life characters, the live audiences, the drive within the performers to create the best show possible for that audience, and the respect between the two groups, knowing that neither would exist without the other…it’s a special kind of entertainment. All forms of entertainment rely on the appreciation of the audience, but it’s not often you see that relationship played out live, and in the case of the WWE, with a crowd of 15,000 and millions of viewers at home. Professional wrestling is dramatic, hilarious, magical, physical, sometimes toecurlingly embarrassing, always stupendously entertaining. It’s not real…and that’s ok. We know it, we accept it, and we love it all the more because of it. So please. Please. PLEASE. I beg you. Stop. Stop mocking. Stop treating us all like toddlers. Just have faith in our ability to enjoy this magnificent form of entertainment for what it is. The geeks of the world have earned that break.
Great article!
I’ve been a wrestling fan since I was 5 years old and over never looked back! Sure a lot of people think its weird but they clearly don’t get it!
It’s about the amazing athleticism on show and that moment when during a promo a wrestler connects not only with the live crowd but with you directly watching at home.
The only thing I will say is since wwe attempted to ruin the industry by taking over nearly all their rivals the company has got soft and complacent! They are not a patch on what they were in the attitude era. They don’t care about wrestling anymore, they don’t care about any fan older than 12. All they care about is how much money can they grab from you and how quick can they do it! Then they shove a moron like cena or the miz in your face and try telling you he’s one of the best in the world.
Personally I’m a TNA guy and yeh for all the company has its shortcomings and old farts that are over the hill they still possess the best young talent in the industry by far, combine the two and you have a good mix! A lot of people tune in for flair, hogan or sting and end up being more impressed by the likes of Austin Aries, mcmg or a j styles.
In short there is a whole world of wrestling out there to enjoy not just wwe and tna and it’s a shame some folk are too stuck up or frightened to give it a go.
I’m totally with you on the problems since WWE eliminated the competition, though I’m going to disagree on one thing (and you’re going to hate me for this): Cena IS one of the best in the world at what he does. He may not be the most talented wrestler that WWE have ever had, but you can tell he works insanely hard, and he is capable of having decent matches with just about anybody. He’s also one of the best promo guys in the business when WWe actually let him loose instead of giving him ridiculous scripts aimed at selling more colourful t-shirts. I know he isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m a proud Cena apologist, and as the mam of a one year old, I hope there’ll still be guys like him around in a few years time for her to have as a role model. You are also right about TNA possessing the best talent; however, I can’t ever take them as seriously as I’d like, firstly because of the atrocious booking which means most of that young talent goes to waste (not saying it wouldn’t happen at WWE too…the Bryan match at Wrestlemania proves they can be just as stupid), and secondly because of the lack of care given to their wrestlers. Trying to beat WWE is one thing, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of the performer’s health. Both companies have big problems, yet despite it all, I could never give up on wrestling because when done right, it’s one of the most entertaining things in the world. As you say, it’s just a shame so many people can’t, or won’t, see it.