Why do you like pro-wrestling?

[Grimmas]

I was asked this doing a podcast the other night and was thinking about it a few weeks ago (or my wife asked me why which made me think about it, I forget).

 

The answer that seems to stick out to me is I love sports. The problem with sports is the team you want to win doesn't get the great feel good moment win in the end. While in pro-wrestling a lot of the times the wrestler you cheer for usually wins in the end.

[GOTNW]

We had a similar thread like this with some really cool responses on the puroresu.tv board before it died an untimely death

 

 

 

I got into pro wrestling because I saw two guys fighting in the ring. I was a big fan of action movies and kickboxing/MMA. I was informed it was "fake" while I was watching my second show ever but it really didn't influence me one way or the other. I just suspended my disbelief like I did for any other TV show. I presumed 99% of those are fake anyway. In comparison to action movies and real fighting pro wrestling is just clearly superior in creating intrigue and drama without making me unintentionally laugh at them. I liked the wacky action movies but it didn't take me long to get too old for them, just like it didn't take me long to stop being emotionally invested in WWE storylines due to poor acting and writing. In a nutshell pro wrestling is an artistic expression done through violence. It MUST be amazing. And unlike sports I can get inherent enjoyment out of it without caring for any of the participants involved in the match. I also find it really hard to care about a spots team or an athlete these days.

[ohtani's jacket]

Because I like sports, movies and comic books I guess. Initially, I think it was an offspring of comic books because I got into them around the same time. Wrestlers and super heroes are far more colourful when you're 9 years old.

[supremebve]

I think I like wrestling, because it is everything I like about sports without all the self righteousness. No one really cares if you play the game the right way, people are actually beloved for playing the game the wrong way. Wrestlers get to do interviews where they don't just spout off cliches, I really wish Tom Brady would cut a promo on Roger Goodell right now. No one pretends that wrestling means anything more than a way to pass the time and enjoy yourself. Basically, I like wrestling, because fun is the number one goal. It is seemingly the only "sport" that doesn't try to pretend that what they are doing is serious business. Rick Rude didn't get penalized, because he swiveled his hips around. People cheered Steve Austin for giving people the bird. Ric Flair blatantly hit people with low blows and then strutted around like an asshole, and we all love him for it.

[Laz]

At its best, it had all the thrill of an important game/match in legitimate sports with the characterization and drama of movies/theatre. It's a middle ground between the two and, since I rarely watch real sport (only really when it's the Pats, Sox, or Bruins come playoffs), it gives me something to root for.

 

I grew up watching action flicks. Arnold, Sly, yeah...but I really loved me some JCVD, especially his fighting tournament movies (Bloodsport, Lionheart, even The Quest). Wrestling, at its best, gives me that same feeling I had when I was 8 and wanted Chong Li to pay for nearly killing Jackson.

[goc]

Because it's a totally unique form of storytelling. I've always been more interested in the characters, promos and angles than the actual matches themselves. Probably why I have such little interest in current WWE.

[Loss]

I really like the ability to change and manipulate pre-existing perceptions and I find it fascinating to see the multiple ways they can do that. I was never a huge sports fan and looking back, I think a lot of that was because the people involved seemed so boring. That's not the case with wrestling. l also like the mythological side. It exists in this entire universe that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. I also think it's cool that if you make it credible within the confines of that universe, you can get away with just about anything.

[PhilTLL]

As a kid it was a natural companion to my sports obsession, then as soon as I clued into the work I became fascinated with how the work is accomplished--bumping, cooperation, selling, structure, timing, facials, character work, etc. And I still love watching an actual match, all the movez~~ and worked striking and brutal spots that can still make me gasp. And all the bravado, lifelong absorption of which has made me one of the snappiest dudes in my postal area code. And all the drama. And...

[concrete1992]

I don't think I really started watching wrestling out of enjoyment of it. My dad was a fan of it back in the day so I watched it with him. Was something to do with him since he worked a good bit. I was a child brought up on the WWF Attitude Era baby and the fact that I am a fully functional person now is staggering stuff. I attached to the over-the-top nature of it all. In school I would become a drama club kid so it all sorta makes sense.

 

Now I am less attached to that aspect. I watch it cause it is cool? I don't know. Characters performing to entertain in various different formats and settings. Like, watching Claudio's arc as a person in wrestling is awesome. Seeing him in ROH, wXw, Chikara, WWE, and NXT all present a slightly different version of the wrestler in front of a different crowd. I'm not even sure that is why I like it though. My emotions aren't mine to control! I can explain why I like X in the domain of Y but not sure about explain why I like Y. I can tell you why I like Game of Thrones or indie romances with a hint of sci-fi BUT I can't tell you why I like TV or movies.

[BigBadMick]

One thing that always goes against sports comparisons to me is that there's very little rewatching value in sports - as far as I know. Not a sports fan at all, but none of my friends rewatch football matches, to the best of my knowledge.

 

In that respect I've always considered wrestling closer to drama.

[JerryvonKramer]

It's a self-contained, silly, absurd, macho cartoon world where everything in life is resolved with violence. What's not to like?

 

There's also the sort of Street Fighter concept that appeals to me. Look at this:

 

 

I've always been drawn to the idea of putting vastly different types of competitor into combat. It's the gladitorial thing. And I think wrestling has something of that. Yes, everyone is a "wrestler", but Jerry Blackwell is absolutely nothing like Terry Funk who is absoluely nothing like Ric Flair, etc. etc.

 

The personalities factor into that as well: swaggering Ric, completely no-nonsense Dory, completely over-the-top Terry, super-hero Hulk, squeaky clean Steamer, beach bum Muraco, THAT element is also really fun.

 

Given those two things, you'd think I'd be a natural fan of something like UFC, but my attempts to watch it have been frustrated by: 1. everyone kinda being the same, it quickly became too obvious that only one style was going to dominante in a "real fight" and 2. characters aren't big enough.

 

Wrestling does ALL of that so much better.

 

These are some of the things I like in wrestling.

 

I watch real sports "like a soap opera", by the way. My interest in football is centred on the personalities. I am really into tactics yes, but those tactics are an extension of the personalities of the managers. And that's how football can connote for me. In American Football, I got into the Seattle Seahawks primarily through the dynamic personalities of their various "heels" -- Legion of Boom, Lynch, Russell etc. Even my love of Shakespeare and drama comes down mainly to seeing different types of characters tested in various situations. Game of Thrones likewise has that appeal -- especially with its prediliction for "odd buddy" teamups.

[Childs]

One thing that always goes against sports comparisons to me is that there's very little rewatching value in sports - as far as I know. Not a sports fan at all, but none of my friends rewatch football matches, to the best of my knowledge.

 

In that respect I've always considered wrestling closer to drama.

 

I rewatch boxing matches and old basketball games. If my original motivation in watching a game was merely to see who won, I'm less likely to revisit. But if I tuned in to watch a great athlete at his aesthetic peak, I'm more apt to view repeatedly. I think I rewatch basketball and boxing because I find them more aesthetically interesting than baseball, football, etc.

[BillThompson]

The drama, the arc, the in-ring action, seeing people square off who I thin k have a great understanding of their craft. The ability of a wrestling match to draw me in completely, whether I want to be or not.

[El-P]

It's a self-contained, silly, absurd, macho cartoon world where everything in life is resolved with violence.

 

That's pretty much why I got to love it when I was 14. Never cared about sports that much. It was just a living cartoon with violence and goofy characters. I was watching Saint Seya at the time (hell like every other boy from my generation). There was no reason I wouldn't watch pro-wrestling when I stumbled onto it.

 

Then, it became an addiction.

 

Then I had to deconstruct the thing (when I got on the Internet and became "smart"), then reconstruct it (when I realized I wasn't that "smart" after all). And that became fun.

[Wade Garrett]

It's mindless entertainment. Doesn't take a lot of energy or thought to sit on your ass and watch. It's a harmless escape and unwind regardless of age, culture, and gender. For along time it was the closest thing to the Roman coliseum in concept.

[jdw]

It's entertaining.

[Bierschwale]

I think that it's the infinite possibilities presented and the immediacy of how they can be enacted. It's easier to picture how something might happen when you put X, Y, and Z together in wrestling than any other art form or sport. I can think that I'd like there to have been more of an actor or actress on a TV show. Friends needed a whole hell of a lot more episodes with Paget Brewster's character. But then I have to think of more specific elements and then who cares? I can think of how an F1 grid could be composed for more entertaining races, but is the interaction important enough for it to matter? The intense level of interaction is really important, in and of itself.

 

I can watch Hashimoto-Zangiev and then immediately picture about 500 different matches involving them and other wrestlers. I don't know exactly how they'd go, but the idea of it is enough to make my mind race.

[MikeCampbell]

I can watch Hashimoto-Zangiev and then immediately picture about 500 different matches involving them and other wrestlers. I don't know exactly how they'd go, but the idea of it is enough to make my mind race.

 

I just commented in my review of EVOLVE 47, that I wished someone could coax Zangiev out of retirement to challenge Thatcher.

[sek69]

I don't want to blockquote Jerry's whole post but as a video game fan as well as a wrestling fan I agree 100%. My first exposure to wrestling was 80s JCP and there were tons of colorful characters that were all completely different. You had evil Russians, charismatic fat guys, wealthy playboys, dastardly villains, musclebound monsters, pretty boys, rednecks, and football players. There was something for everyone, which was an element missing from WWE up until recently.

[Stiva]

I agree that there's a tremendous amount of crossover between 90s fighting games and wrestling and that's awesome. As for why I like wrestling, I think the actual wrestling side of it is amazing; I love the idea that two (or four, or six) workers can tell a story in the ring with only 12 minutes to do so. I love the athleticism but my love of wrestling comes from everything awesome that surrounds it. The angles, the gimmicks, the promos, the deep history to dig into, the fact that different sections of the world all have their own rules and cultures. Wrestling is a world that seems impenetrable but once you get in, once you accept it, it's amazing.

 

Basically, I like wrestling because I watched it as a kid but something stuck with me, something intangible, something unexplained. I remember realising I loved wrestling around about the Smackdown Six Era. Triple H on Raw genuinely turned me away but I came across Smackdown by chance and here are all these awesome tag matches.I was 12 years old and I vividly remember those matches restoring my love of wrestling.

 

Now, I love wrestling because I appreciate the psychology that goes into a great match but I love watching Southern wrestling angles, Stan Hansen kicking the shit out of some poor and Jeff G Bailey Wildside promos.I love All Japan tags, I love lucha six mans, I love WWE gimmick match main events, I love TV cage matches, I love southern tag matches, I love everything. I honestly couldn't tell you why the wrestling bug, in all it's formulaic favour bit me but I love it so, If I had to give a reason, it's because there's an excitement; a genuine love for the product that's missing in every other adventure I couldn't tell you how I got into wrestling but I love the idea of telling a story through battle; I love the idea of someone encapsulating the gimmick for a promo and I really love how pro wrestling, seemingly against itself, is the most carny, self promoting industry in the world. And it's beautiful.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Because I love absurdity.

[Coffey]

Coincidentally, I made this blog post here today but I'll save you having to click on the link:

 

 

 

I've realized that I get enjoyment from WWE, especially RAW, the same way that I get enjoyment from watching bad movies.

I can get on Netflix and watch shit like Wolf Cop and it cracks me up. I can live-Tweet about a new Sharkado movie & be entertained for hours.

That's what I do with WWE & RAW. I get enjoyment & fun from making fun of it. That's where my entertainment from it comes.

There's still good matches and funny moments and what not. However, I don't still follow WWE despite hating it. I don't hate it. I just enjoy it differently than some. I like cheesing on it. It's like a campy horror movie to me in that way.

 

Basically, I get different things from different companies but all provide me with different means of entertainment. I do still watch & actively follow pro-sports (NFL, NBA) & Notre Dame Football. Pro-wrestling just fills a different void for me, especially in the summer time when I don't have other sports to watch as I lost interest in MLB & couldn't get into NASCAR.

 

I like that it's a spectacle. Big, grand entrances, rabid fans, catchy theme songs, ridiculous characters, etc. The passion, when it's there, resonates.

 

I love when you can get completely wrapped up in a moment & pro-wrestling often has me captivated in that regard. When you get really into a match, or a promo or an angle.

 

And at this point, truthfully, a lot of it is both nostalgia & loyalty. When you've watched something as long as I've watched pro-wrestling, you don't ever really just walk away from it completely. It's a bigger part of my life than many of my family members.

 

It's so over-the-top ridiculous that it comes full circle & becomes charming.

[BruceTharpe]

There are many reasons why I like pro wrestling - and actually I prefer PRESENTING / PRODUCING pro wrestling more than I like watching it - simply because i enjoy being involved in the creative process - but I always enjoy a good - closely matched - evenly paced contest - that looks believable.

 

I also enjoy entertaining people. Coming up with ideas that SURPRISE the audience - especially smart fans who think they know what's coming. If you are able to make that audience suspend belief - or just want to suspend belief - and for just an instant wonder if what they are seeing might be real - or even partly real - you have succeeded.

 

It's not about winning or losing that we (try to) teach young wrestlers all the time - it's about working together with your opponent - collectively - to come up with a match that is unique - different - and entertaining to the audience. That's the ultimate goal of two wrestlers in a pro match - not to win or lose - but to tell a story together - that the fans invest in emotionally.

 

That's why I like wrestling.

[Sean Liska]

I think back to being there live for Punk-Cena at MITB. I'm a huge sports fan, and the tension and emotional investment in that building was as intense as any sporting event I've been to, and I've been to some big games. The CM Punk character and his story was as engaging as any TV or movie fiction. In what other form of entertainment do you follow a character like CM Punk for 10 years with so much devotion and then get that payoff? The whole spectacle with the TitanTron and music and video packages is like a great Broadway production. Pro wrestling at its best combines the best of so many types of entertainment.

 

If I ever wonder if I spend too much time watching something so silly, for some reason I always think of Misawa-Jumbo 6/8/90 and think that any form of entertainment that can create that scene is perfectly worthwhile.

[goodhelmet]

I am actually having a hard time answering this question.