The Strange World of Professional Wrestling

 

When people hear the term wrestling they think about people in shorts fake fighting. They generally aren't aware of the unique attributes that the business of pro wrestling has. This is the only industry in the world where perception truly is reality and the actual truth may not be important whatsoever.

I personally believe that people can be attracted to pro wrestling in three ways. One of them is physically impressive maneuvers being executed with  the cooperation of the wrestlers in the match. The second one is exposure to larger than life characters. The final way is the stories being told in context of the wrestling show in a vacuum.

Sometimes when people see a move being done in the wrestling ring that they can't believe is possible they become mesmerized. They may start watching other wrestling in the hopes of seeing something that impresses them as much if not more. Even though this may the most common way people first start watching pro wrestling this will not keep people watching as the novelty will wear off at some point.

The wrestlers in a scripted setting of pro wrestling have tremendous freedom to have outrageous characters that couldn't possibly exist in reality. Most people who become fans of pro wrestling is from method. The fans almost live vicariously through their favorite character. They are always looking forward to what their favorite wrestlers will do.

One of the most charismatic, cartoonish and beloved wrestlers of all time is Hulk Hogan

Professional Wrestling is often called men's soap opera. That is with good reason as sometimes tremendous stories spanning years with complex relationships and rivalries along with props presented as championships is presented to the fans. The people who become diehard fans of wrestling become enamored with the storytelling methods of pro wrestling. Storytelling in professional wrestling at its peak can compete  with any other form of fiction.

The ones who hold all the power in this industry are the fans. Other sports have accurate ways of measuring the quality of an athlete. However, in this industry even though someone may have the most technically proficient in the ring or have the best mic skills but that doesn't mean anything unless the fans are cooperating in the intended ways. If the fans think that a wrestler or story is amazing for any possible reason, they will start to root for the wrestler or give amazing reactions to the segments related to the story and a competent company will script that wrestler to succeed or the story to take the drivers seat among all the stories in the company. And the fans will respond even more positively. This will also result more merchandise sales and better television ratings. On the other hand, if the company is scripting a wrestler to succeed but the fans don't approve of the direction being taken, the crowds at wrestling shows will not give the appropriate reactions to the wrestlers. The stories will start lacking logic. The company will be criticized for making the wrong decisions. The profits will decrease and the wrestling company may even lose their fans forever.

Even though Roman Reigns(left) is supposed to a heroic character, after winning a match he was booed loudly even after getting the Rock's(right) endorsement

Another way wrestling is unique is the reliance on the live crowd at wrestling shows. The crowd can make or break a show. A mediocre match or segment can be elevated by a great crowd. On the other hand, a non-cooperative crowd can ruin the greatest of matches.

Finally, I feel that even though professional wrestling has its strange quirks, it can still be a tremendous medium of entertainment.