"Isn't wrestling fake though?" I was asked this question by a friend about a month ago and its the first time I've ever had that fable question asked of me. Its a question that's been around for a long time now more or less Vinnie Mac decided to declare to his audience and the tax man back about 20-25 years ago that wrestling was a pre determined sporting event. Every time you talk to someone about wrestling the legitimacy of the 'sport' is almost always called into question. "Why do you watch that? Its fake." "Isn't wrestling for kids? Watch a real sport instead." Those are remarks that wrestling fans have to put up with whenever they may mention that they watch wrestling to a non wrestling fan. However, if this people who berate wrestling actually sat down and watched some of this 'fake' sport and they hear about what a wrestler actually goes through during their career I believe they may go from doubters to at the very least appreciative of what these men and women do for 'sports entertainment.'
The first wrestling match that I remember left a real impression on me was the Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25 way back in 2009. Up until this point I think my 9 year old self had just accepted it like many people of my age watching wrestling at that time, that being cheer for the good guys and boo the bad ones. I hadn't yet been exposed to the inner workings of wrestling itself by that point but that match changed my perception a little bit. I don't think I'd ever seen a 'wrestling classic' by that point only the odd 5-20 minute match on TV or on a DVD I might own. But that match... Wow... It went on for around about 30 minutes and was utterly griping from start to finish from the entrances to the carefully orchestrated match itself to the finish I didn't take my eyes away for one minute. At that time, I didn't believe wrestling could get any more exciting I mean it was two men going out there for 30 minutes and putting on a jaw dropping display. I don't remember much else of Wrestlemania 25 but I never forgot Taker vs Michaels and I don't think I ever will. Anyway, the years went by and as I got older, my interest in wrestling began to dwindle. I stopped wanting to watch events on PPV and instead became interested in other things. At the time I thought it was just my natural progression as a human being. Wrestling was a part of my childhood but I'm becoming a teenager now and wrestling isn't that cool anymore. So I took a leave from watching wrestling as I became one of those people who poo pooed it as a fake sport but every so often, I'd put on a RAW catch up episode on Sky 1 just to see what was going on and I'll be honest, I thought me leaving wrestling was good when I saw what I saw on those catch up episodes. John Cena was fighting a cult guy who used children as his pawns and some guys in stab vests were neglecting to use the ramp to come to the ring, instead coming in through the crowd. I thought that this was obscene and so I stopped watching those catch ups and moved on with my life... 2016, I was just starting my summer holiday from secondary school in anticipation for my first year of college. Not much was happening in that holiday I was just doing what any teenager would do in the holidays. Nothing. I spent most days on YouTube and one day I came across some posh bloke claiming to know how to do wrestling better than the WWE. At first I just thought this guy was someone who had no life I mean wrestling in 2016? Nah! Its fake! But then I kept on watching. I kept coming back to the channel and I was gorging myself on wrestling. One part of my brain was telling me I was being stupid. "How could you possibly get back into this rubbish?" It kept saying and at times I agreed, but when I tried to go away I couldn't. So I kept watching. Eventually, I was almost secretly getting back into wrestling. I would watch wrestling videos when I knew I was alone and I wouldn't openly talk about it to anyone. It was like taboo. But I was enjoying wrestling again. Out were the old guys like Batista and Undertaker and Shawn Michaels and in were new people like Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. I watched what these guys were doing and was really impressed. The athleticism and showmanship was tenfold of that back in 2009 and I thought WWE was cool again! But then I watched the independents... Before I only knew of the WWE. That was the be all end all. Nothing else mattered but the WWE. But then I came across the independent wrestling scene and realised it was probably better than the produce of the WWE. The access to independent wrestling has improved drastically over the past 5 years and now companies like PROGRESS and NJPW were easy to watch and the wrestling was usually top class! Wrestlers like the Young Bucks, Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll were now easily accessible by any means necessary. I watched as these guys put on instant classics week in, week out and so I began to tell my friends how awesome these guys were but they still asked "yeah but, isn't wrestling fake?" But then one of them became interested and honestly, I feel like we became better friends because of wrestling. We began to speculate on booking, watching highlights and playing the games. We began talking about it in public not caring if anybody thought we were childish because to us, wrestling was cool. again. So before I sign off. A short message to any doubters of wrestling. Please before you question the legitimacy of the sport, go and watch some matches. If you like it, great! If not, that's disappointing but just remember, those guys who perform this 'fake' sport do have families. They don't see their families for sometimes weeks on end because the only way they get paid is for going out there and getting booked on a show and keeping their bodies in good nick. They go through hell both mentally and physically just to send home crowds, that could vary from 50 in a backroom of a club to thousands in venues like the Tokyo Dome, happy and wanting to come back again. These guys and women work their hardest to ensure that their families have the life that they want them to have. These guys are hero's and villains to people. Kids aspire to be them and people want to be like them. These guys and girls are wrestling.
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AuthorHi I'm John and I am a wrestling fan. Archives
December 2019
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