I don't know much about World Wrestling, but I see it on tv sometimes in Holland.
To all your fans, I'm afraid it's considered a joke here.
When some of the wrestler gets his ass kicked, head crushed etc....the audience go wild.
But why? It looks pretty fake to me.
Why is it so popular in the US?

Excellent question. I have no idea why it's so popular here. It is fake, way too obviously so. I don't get it, but apparently lots of people do, so I just turn the channel when it's on t.v.

Anyone else?
hrg

I shall reply, because, as I type this, I am actually watching...

So, I began watching when I was very young, maybe 4-5 years old. I would watch with my grandpa and cousins. It started as something we would do because grandpa watched. We are in Minnesota, and, anyone who knows about the history of professional wrestling knows Minneapolis was a big city in relation to the history of professional wrestling. Many big names came through or started out in Minneapolis in the AWA.

My best explanation for why people watch is to just call it entertainment. 5 year old Brian didn't know it was fake. 26 year old Brian knows it very much is. All of the matches are pre-determined, and nearly every punch and kick you see causes no physical harm to the contestants. There are always the physical risks, I mean, these guys are landing on their backs, jumping from relatively high places and not having soft landings.

In the past 3-4 years, I have really re-ignited my love for watching wrestling, mainly because of the history. WWE has put out numerous documentary DVD's that chronicle the careers and lives of individuals and talk about the stuff that goes on backstage. After working for Disney and seeing what goes on behind the scenes at stuff, I found myself wanting to know about what goes on behind the scenes at the wrestling events and with the characters.

When I was younger, maybe 8 years old or so, we went to a live show near Bloomington, MN, the place we saw WWF that night is now the current location for the Mall of America. I vaguely remember a few things about that night, but the main thing I remember was the families. I saw so many people of all ages, but, mainly caucasians. A few weeks ago, I decided to be a big dork and went to the WWE at the Xcel Energy Center, and boy has it changed. Every demographic was represented. The WWE, which is now the main company still in existence, markets to all ages, and all races. Whites, blacks, latinos, asians, women, everyone is included, and they were all there.

WWE is, from what I last heard a few months ago, an 800 million dollar company that has offices in USA, Europe and Asia, possibly Austrailia as well. They call themselves Sports Entertainment, and that is exactly what it is. It is entertaining, but is also as sport as well (kind of, you know, minus the fact that they know who is gonna win).

As you can tell, I think this topic is very intriguing, and I love this thread, and would love to hear all input from those who used to watch, watch, oppose, support. With the steroid situation this company has been dealing with, it has certainly sparked a lot of fuel for people to complain and form opinions.

I very much respect the product the WWE put out. The productions and the marketing they use to bring in SO many viewers every week on their weekly shows, their live events, Pay-Per-Views, DVDs, and merchandise, shows that they really have their head on straight as a company.

Anyone else?
This is fun!
-BK

You kinda want to work for WWE, don't you, Brian?

I watched All-Star Wrestling (AWA) when I was a kid. When the cousins would come from out of town, they'd stay over at my grandparents. While the grownups played cards, we kids would watch wrestling, and Grandpa would yell in from the dining room, "You kids are gonna have nightmares!" This still cracks me up!

The AWA show came through Green Bay pretty regularly in those days, and Mom and Dad did take us a couple of times.

About a year ago, I heard that one of the old-time Minnesota wrestlers, Vern Gagne, assaulted another one of the residents at a nursing home. Apparently he suffers from Alzheimers, and was reliving the glory days, because the assault took the form of an atomic pile-driver (or one of the other moves they did in the way-back).

That's about all I can think of to say about pro wrestling. Well, one more thing, in an attempt to explain the appeal: it's a soap opera. It's really just continuing story lines, plot twists, cliffhangers. And huge guys in their underwear beating the crap out of each other. What more could you want from life?

As a side note: I sure am thankful that there's still a place where we have the freedom to discuss American culture, in our own American language!

Okay, I have to admit...even though I don't watch pro wrestling...

I was a huge fan of American Gladiators. Not quite so much fighting, but big guys running around in nearly underwear, pushing and shoving to victory. I guess it wasn't as successful as the WWE, but you could consider it a second cousin, yes?

Good point about the success of the WWE franchise. Someone with a sense of humor is laughing all the way to the bank. Only in America!

Take care,
hrg

Since is fake, I prefer ultimate surrender, it's better

www.UltimateSurrender.com

Suwwendah?

How vewy, vewy, Fwench!

Since you said, "pwease," I wetwact my pwevious statement. Peace and wuv to all my fweinds awound the gwobe.

Wegahding pwofessionow westwing: I always wuvved Jimmy "Superfwy" Snuka. I was jeawous of his hair!

I came to it a different way - I saw The Rock on Saturday Night Live years ago and was hooked for a couple years. Went to a few live events, paid to watch several PPVs including a few Wrestlemanias - and met the 7 foot tall Big Show when he came into a radio station I was working at in Atlanta (and picked me up with one hand for a photo! Ha!) After a while the storylines and drama wore thin though. I still watch every once in a blue moon just to see who is new, who is still around.

I think Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has proven himself to have some halfway decent acting skills, though some of his choices of roles leave something to be desired.

Here's a bit of the SNL appearance:



EDIT: As it is somewhat embarrassing to openly admit that I watch pro-wrestling, I'll qualify that with the fact that I also enjoy boxing, UFC, and all forms of martial arts - there is a great deal of skill and talent and athleticism required for the pugilistic arts, even the fake ones...

[quote="tvthewiredturtle]
the ONLY fake wrestling to ever watch outside of the UFC= NACHO LIBRE'!! [/quote]

Nacho Libre's fake? I thought that was a documentary...