Do you consider wrestling to be "Fake"?

[Kidd]

I haven't seen a thread discussing this so I started one. If there is another thread, I'm sure the MODs will merge this with it.

Now to the subject.

I know that no one here is naive enough to think that pro wrestling is "real". Everyone here knows that the guys in the ring work together to put on a good show for their audiences.

That being said, do you call wrestling fake?

After watching for years and reading various books by Mick Foley, The Rock, etc., I cannot bring myself to refer to pro wrestling as fake.

I'll call it "staged" or "fixed" but I won't call it fake. When friends and family refer to it as such, I'll argue with them over it. I tell them that wrestling is no more fake than any TV show they watch including "reality" shows where the producers throw situations out that get the results they want. I go on to tell them how wrestlers put on better fight scenes than any action sequence from a TV show that can be edited.

My opinion is that if you wanna call wrestling "fake", you should go to Mick Foley who lost and ear in the ring and tell him what he does is fake; or better yet, step into a ring and take a few bumps and then come back and tell me it's "fake." Otherwise, shut up about things you know nothing about.

So what are your thoughts on whether or not wrestling is "fake"?

 

[Arkham Noir]

I had this dicussion with one of my friends a few months ago.He is big into MMA, to the point where he actually has been competing for years. When I told him I wanted to one day be wrestler , we got to talking about the age old accusations of wrestling being fake.Oddly enough, he didn't consider it fake. He said it was fixed and let's be real, how exactly to you take a "fake" bump? You can't. As I was saying in my thread I wrote yesterday about wrestling fan's intelligence, people don't take the time to look a little deeper before they label something, it's called stereotyping.Obviously, this goes much further than wrestling.

No, I don't consider wrestling to be "fake" because it isn't, it's fixed.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I always use the words "scripted" or "planned" when someone asks me about pro wrestling. EVERYONE I know (friends,co-workers, family) always make sure to call wrestling "fake" or "phony." Pro wrestling will always be shitted on by a lot of people, and it's just something we have to accept. Yeah, I know it's not real, but the torture these men and women put their bodies through is very real. Pro wrestling isn't a real sport, and we all know that. We watch it because we enjoy it. We enjoy watching the wrestlers put on a good show, we enjoy the storylines, and we enjoy rooting for the characters who the wrestlers portray. It's really that simple.

 

[Disturbed]

I will not call pro wrestling fake either. I used to call it fake when I was younger even as a fan but there is nothing fake about getting thrown off the top of a cell. I refer to wrestling as staged and planned out. The pain is real. The injurys are real. Well most of them. The only thing fake about wrestling is it is scripted and if you think wrestling is all fake than you need to watch Taker throw Mick Foley off the Cell.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I usually use the terms "scripted" or "choreographed" to describe most aspects of pro wrestling. The outcomes are cripted and the matches are choreographed in order to be entertaining. Wrestlers are trained how to do the moves, how to fall, etc. in order to sustain and cause as little physical injury as possible. Professional football players also train themselves, they also practice their plays. They also wear helmets and padding in order to protect themselves from injury as much as possible while still being competitive. However, shit happens and people do get injured despite all the practicing and all the training. It's the nature of the beast.

The physical toll wrestlers put on their body is very real, even the mainstream media has had to acknowledge that in recent years.

 

[Davi323]

fake implies an attempt to deceive. Vince McMahon has acknowledged for decades that pro wrestling was staged, so there is no deception. They no longer attempt to pass it off as something it isn't. I have often used the scripted argument in defense of wrestling. I remind the person calling it "fake" that they watch lots of sitcoms on tv. Do they look at those with scorn, and call them fake too? Invariably, the answer is no, they don't. Then I ask what the difference is. What is the real difference between an actor and a wrestler? Nothing. They tell stories, that's it. Maybe its done in a different way, but the concept remains the same. Maybe they are more like the stuntmen, I suppose...but either way. I always try to relate it to something familiar that wouldn't necessarily be considered "fake", even though strictly speaking, it is. Most people aren't dumb enough to question that the moves hurt any more, that you simply can't fake some of it. I find that the biggest issue is the "its not a sport because its fake" argument...which is easily countered by pointing out that they don'ty claim its a sport, its like a tv show.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I don't like to use fake to describe it or hear someone else use fake as a description for it. Scripted is a word I use to combat people that call it fake, often. The wrestlers do not try to hit as hard as they can when they strike. But a lot of strikes and moves in general sometimes can't be totally perfect. There are mistakes made very often and someone gets hit full boar or lands differently then they would have wanted to. I am very aware of all the backstage decisions that are made for in ring things. But I have never really cared. I think other sports like MMA have more contact and are absolutely real. But I still would not say wrestling is fake.

 

[Dyno Kid]

Fake ? Yes and no. We all know the guys aren't fightng for real, that it's all just a performence and sripted but we love it anyway ! Well maybe not today's wrestling(Sports Entertainment) but you get my drift.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Wrestling is fixed. Aspects of it are fake, like the majority of punches thrown and the fact that a tombstone piledriver does not drop you on your head, but you cannot tell me that getting superplexed off the top rope doesnt hurt. It clearly does, which is why so many wrestlers end up with painkiller addiction, to combat the daily pain they find themselves in.

To me, wrestling is not a sport, due to it being scripted. However, it is one of the most physically demanding forms of entertainment out there, and will the blood being real, and the force that people get slammed into the mat, is is certainly not all fake and it annoys me that people dont realise this.

I would like to see all these haters try and last in the ring with Orton or Triple H, see how fake it is then.

 

[Post]

I have to agree with Mitch Henessey, I call it scripted. I can see why people do call it fake. I imagine those that call it fake do not watch and see how real wrestling can be.

Wrestling is definitely not fake. Spots are planned out and promos are written, practiced in advanced, and edited. But as the old saying goes...Shit happens. Wrestlers screw up and people get hurt.

I would love for someone to tell Brock Lesnar that his Shooting Star press attempt, that resulted injury, was not real. Or tell Stone Cold Steve Austin that the inverted piledriver that he took from Owen Hart didn't really break his neck. And while we are at it, someone tell Mick Foley that he didn't really lose his ear… it was fake.

Look at Ric Flair and Triple H's scarred up foreheads and ask them where they hid the fake blood packets all of those years.

But I do get the assumption...It is just ignorance. When I hear it called fake, I correct people. Sometimes I get odd looks back or people rolling their eyes at me, but it doesn't really bother me. I know that I am smarter than them anyways.

So call it premeditated, planned, scripted, intended, designed, considered, or deliberate, but please, do not call professional wrestling fake.

 

[mikeyboy]

I had this discussion with my 13 year old daughter a few months ago, she walked in the den while i was watching Impact and asked why i liked wrestling , its fake. I told her its scripted but make no mistake its not fake , it takes a a lot of conditioning and training to take those bumbs. we have a family friend who is an independent wrestler and i told her let Mitch take you into the ring and throw you around for a bit and comback and tell me how fake it is.lol.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Well I think Davi323 said that fake implied an attempt to decieve. Years before WWF or even WCW came onto the scene wrestling was a kayfabe heavy industry. The wrestlers were supposed to stay in character even when they were not performing ie if they were heels they couldn't afford to be seen in a bar with faces. So I guess that is where the "wrestling is fake" moniker has come from.

As most of the other posters have pointed out wrestling is merely a form of entertainment. I think the form of entertainment that is closest to pro wrestling is theatre. Think about it. Live performances in front of hundred of fans and numerous ways to appear stupid if you fuck up. The pressure on pro wrestlers is immense.

Plus the strain that is put on the bodies of these performers is much more than those performing in any other form of entertainment. I'm sure nobody has lost an ear while filming a movie. The scars and injuries that wrestlers carry throughout their lives should end any debate on whether pro wrestling is fake or not.

Too much is made of the fact that the outcomes are scripted. The wrestling fans don't care about the outcomes. The fun is to see how that outcome is achieved

Pro Wrestling is real. Its people who are fake.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Wrestling is not fake. The outcomes are predetermined, but what happens in the ring is mostly real. We have all seen the extremely annoying "Don't try this at home" videos. If wrestling was 100% fake then those would not be needed because most people can't get hurt doing fake moves. People get the scripted outcomes confused with being completely fake. That's not the case. The wrestlers have the freedom to improvise a lot of what they do in a match, provided that the scripted winner still wins through the scripted spot, within the timeframe they are told to keep it in.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

I think I should point out that, when most people use the word "fake" in regard to professional wrestling, it implies a few things that just aren't true. What is implied by this statement is that "anybody can do this" and "it doesn't actually hurt." Both of these statements are, of course, total bollocks. We fans, who have actually viewed the behind-the-scenes footage and have listened to the interviews and have seen the results of various bumps, could tell anybody this in a variety of ways and languages.

I personally equate professional wrestling as equal parts acrobatics, professional fighting, and ballet. I heard it once described as a "ballet of violence". Is it staged? Yes of course. It has to be. Wrestling couldn't get as extreme as it does (or rather has in the past) without killing several people in the ring if it wasn't staged. The movements are designed to create the greatest show with the least actual injury...but injuries still happen and there is still pain and exertion, far more than most people could handle. These wrestlers aren't wearing inflatable suits, after all, the majority of them came by their builds honestly and need them in order to do what they do. Think somebody landing on you from great height actually feels nice? Try it sometime and see what you think.

The majority of those who see professional wrestling as "fake", as has been mentioned, should simply try it. If they have access, find someone with that background willing to put them through the paces of what a professional wrestler has to be able to do. Hey, just make them take a few cross-chops in the corner of a ring. They'll come around pretty quick.

Still, many will always dump on wrestling as a matter of principle. People need something to feel superior to and professional wrestling is a common target. I guess that not everybody can be a fan. *shrug*

 

[Kidd]

I remember back when Austin first turned heel, one night he and HHH laid waste to the Hardy Boys. During the beatdown, Lita came out and Austin proceeded to beat her down with a chair.

The next day, a talk radio show was discussing if this was appropriate to show on TV or not when a women said something to the effect of, "What difference does it make? Hello? It was a rubber chair! Wrestling's fake, dontcha know!?!"

This just really pissed me off that someone could be so stupid. Rubber chairs?? Really??

To me that was just disrespectful ignorance.

And to top it off, nobody bothered to correct her.

Ever since then, it has always pissed me off to hear people call wrestling fake.

 

[D-Man]

It depends on how you define "fake."

As a former student of a wrestling school, that is why it pisses me off so much when people refer to wrestling this way. Most ignorant people don't have a clue as to what they're talking about. I guess if you compare wrestling to an actual, realistic sport such as baseball and basketball then sure; it's fake. After all, it isn't a real definition of a sporting contest, considering the fact that the outcomes are predetermined. However, you need to look at the other factors...

Are the rings spring-loaded? No.
Are microphones planted underneath the ring to make the falls sound more unforgiving? No.
Is the pain fake? No.
Are the weapons (i.e. chairs, ladders, garbage can lids) fake? No.
Is the blood fake? No.
Are the occasional injuries fake? No.

So when you look at pro-wrestling from these angles, it changes the way you view things. But to the normal, ignorant audience, they'll continue to view wrestling in the ways that their peers described when growing up.

 

[GameOver]

They are well paid action stars/stuntmen/extra's who can act and entertain aswell.
Just like any actor in hollywood, big difference being actors don't put on shows several times a week and a big movie once a month and generaly have doubles to do the physical stuff.

Some take there characters more seriously than others and impact that onto those they are working with, others go out of there way to make it look as real as possible without injuring who they are working with. simple

"fake" in that it's not a real contest, and not "real" decisions
but certainly real in that
they are really connecting with some moves
they are really busting there asses night in and night out
they are really falling onto hard surfaces every match
they are really fighting each other for a spot in the company to be the number 1 "entertainer"

Simple if someone doesn't want to get over the fact it's acting, and by the way they in the case of WWE atleast publicly stated decades ago, this is not real, it's sports entertainment, why bother commenting or even watching it just to criticize.

 

[GameOver]

as for predetermined outcomes, guess people clearly have no issue overlooking fixed outcomes in most if not all major sports.

Listing just a few
Referees being paid off
whole teams paid to throw a game but still make it look like it was just a bad day.
Team positions in sports like F1 with one driver designated as the only person to be infront unless there's no other choice.

 

[Alastor]

If I am involved in the industry I would be insulted by the fake claims but since I'm not it doesn't really matter to me. I'm a more of a casual fan and I call it fake. To me it is just the interpretation of the terminology. Fake gives off a negative vibe while 'scripted' and 'staged' is more positive but however you spin it, it is just referring to the pre-determined nature of the matches. Some people are turned off by this as they view pro-wrestling as a sport and they expect sports to involve actual competition.

For those such as me that see it as entertainment it doesn't really affect the viewing experience. I do get pissed off sometimes when people perceive me watching wrestling as being childish but then I can't really blame them as that is how wrestling is being portrayed in the media. Besides, wrestling is a guilty pleasure, similar to watching reality tv (the bad ones) and soap operas. Not many are willing to admit to watching these programmes on television.

So... I consider wrestling to be fake and I enjoy watching it.

 

[Tastycles]

If Big Show actually twatted Chavo Guerrero in the face, he would die. If Shane McMahon actually fell 40 feet, he would die. If someone actually got choked out in the manner wrestlers do, they don't get up two seconds later. If someone hit you on the head with a chair, you'd end up brain damaged to the point you might go so mental you kill all your family. Oh...

Wrestling is fake, the moves are mostly fake, and the ones that aren't look worse than they are. If they didn't, there would be no way a human could do that for 200 nights a year. The painkiller addiction etc. comes from the cutthroat nature of the business, which is very real. People go back into the ring too soon from legitimate injuries.

There's a tendency among people who don't like wrestling to suggest its all bollocks, and that the dangers are people copying it incorrectly, which is obviously wrong. However, I think there's a tendency among wrestling fans to overemphasise the reality. While it's certainly true that there is legitimate danger, and some of the moves hurt even when done properly, I think to compare it to legitimate physical competition is wrong. Top MMA fighters and boxers have like 4 fights a year for a reason, and if wrestling was even half as damaging to the body, you would not have people on Raw week in week out. Wrestlers are actors doing their own stunts, but those stunts go wrong quite a lot. It's fake, but it's dangerous.

 

[crymomma]

I can recall the first time that i read wrestling is fake. I was so upset that i could not accept what i had read. This made me look at wrestling a new way. Still many wrestlers get really hurt, this is real, but sometime it's fake injury.