Is Wrestling A Form Of Artistic Expression?

[Suneeboy]

The day I learned wrestling was scripted, it changed my whole perception of the business and the structure of a match, the characters, and the show in general. At first it made me upset because I was a kid, but as I got older I appreciated it more and more. These guys go out there and present themselves as larger than life characters, and bring their own unique styles to the ring every night.

Some people refer to wrestling as entertainment, other refer to it as athletic competition, but I am calling it artistic expression. I view a wrestling match in the same way some one would view going to a play, a ballet, or a concert. The ring is the stage where they perform. There is no right or wrong way to do it, as long as it entertains the people, because that's what its all about....the fans.

Do you think non-wrestling fans or the general concesious will ever consider professional wrestling a form of art? I am not a fan of ballet, but I think ballet is artistic expression. When wrestlers get in the ring, if they have good chemistry it is almost like they are dancing together. I was watching Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair, and maybe I had too much Bob Marley last night and over analyzed it, but I thought of all of this and it made sense to me. Wrestling is a form of artistic expression and if done correctly it is a thing of beauty to watch.

 

[Wrath]

For me wrestling is a scripted sport. In wrestling there is no such elements like competition but a wrestler also needs to work as hard as an athlete. That's why wrestling is in the category of sports entertainment. The whole purpose of wrestling is to entertain people so wrestlers are also have to be good entertainers. It what differs professional wrestling from other sports being a good athlete is not enough to make it big in WWE(See Shelton Benjamin) you also have to be a good entertainer.

I think wrestling has two sides. We should look at both sides. On one side wrestling is fake and it sometimes really seems stupid and childish to watch for non wrestling fans. Results of the matches,all the moves,all the spots,everything happening on the show had been planned. So in some in ways it's like watching a series which is based on a wrestling arena. All characters,feuds and matches are scripted and you just watch a show like you watch a movie.

The wrestling has also an another side which we can't see. Wrestling really seems like nothing different than a movie or a tv series but first of all wrestlers gets trained for all of those moves. A small mistake can even cost the life of the wrestler. In wrestling you work like no other with all those house shows SD,RAW,ECW evetns,PPVs and you don't have a chance to time off like in football and basketball. In wrestling you always have a huge chance to get injured and don't forget some wrestlers who use steroids and painkillers. So in a wrestler's perspective wrestling is not as easy as it seems. Thats why in every show WWE tells us don't try at home. A wrestler has to be a good entertainer and a good performer at the same time.

In one side wrestling is just like a tv show has characters,storylines etc. But in other side wrestling is as hard as many sports you have to train hard and even a very little small mistake might not have mercy. Thats why I think wrestling is also a sport but just because the main purpose is entertainment it's a sport to make people entertain so for me it's sports entertainment.

 

[samboisdead]

Without a doubt it is art. I have known the inner working of wrestling for some time and even spent time as an indy wrestler. I wasnt the greatest wrestler ever but I was decent and i could definately see the art side to it. When a guy like Shawn Micheals walks to the ring with 30000 people watching and 20000 of them no exactly how everything is done and the internet has already gave away who will win the match, but he still takes them on a roller coaster ride and makes them forget for 20 minutes or so that it is all scripted, without a shadow of a doubt that is art at its purest form. In my time in the indys I saw 60 year old women who went to church every Sunday go crazy and try to jump the rail to get to a bad guy they hated, then after the show they were giving that same bad guy a hug, without a doubt that is ART. Is it a sport? Without a doubt it is. If gymnastics, bowling, and synchronized swimming are sports then wrestling definately is. And dont tell me it is not competitive because as a wrestler you are always trying to one up the other guys and steal the show so technically you are competing against the other matches. And I think we all no it is entertainment or we wouldnt watch so wrestling is unique it takes all 3 of these worlds and mixes them like no other.

 

[AdamBenjamin]

And dont tell me it is not competitive because as a wrestler you are always trying to one up the other guys and steal the show so technically you are competing against the other matches.

So glad you mentioned that too, as I too used to work, and anyone saying professional wrestling isn't competitive, is completely green, and hasn't the slightest clue what they're talking about.

Professional wrestling is an incredible free flowing artform. Sometimes beautiful things are created solo, like a breathtaking promo, most of the time it takes two for that tango. I really wish people on here, and all over would stop making this general assumption that every single little step in a wrestling match you see, on tv or not, is planned out before hand. Yes, you get your finishes along with the rest of the guys in most situations, and you will always have a booker tell you what high spots they'd like to see, and what point needs to go across for the finish (sometimes even the EXACT finish.) That said, obviously in the WWE there's a lot more actually scripted as far as spots, and in some cases, it is all planned out before hand.. I know some people PREFER their entire match to be planned and worked with their partner (opponent) to a T before even considering stepping through the curtain, with Randy Savage being a good example (He was to the point where he would run through his big matches with whatever opponent in his home gym... ocd, or just a thorough worker?)

Wrestling can be considered art for many different reasons to many different people. For me, it's than instinct and ability to improvise. It's those spots that aren't planned that get worked into the big spots in the match. Those are what tell the story. It's the way a worker from the US or Mexico can (if he's talented and experienced) go over to Japan and work an incredible match with a guy who can't even comprehend the same language.

The bottom line is this- Yes, professional wrestling is an art.. But like most art forms, you need to have more than a basic understanding to really respect it, and understand why it's considered so, and held so highly for some.

 

[absent]

Yes it's an art form as such but I think it also depends upon the wrestler, some elevate it to the level of an art form, others are just session musicians. Labelling it as an art form places a far higher onus on those taking part to live up to. For most wrestlers I think the term "athletic expression" fits the mould far more. In my mind the wrestlers that deserve the label "artist" are far and few between.

 

[Billie Jean]

Yeah I too think that if you look at it properly, wrestling can be looked at as a art. I was watching heartbreak and triumph this evening, and Chris Jericho said exactly the same thing. He compard Shawn Michaels to a genius and made a comparrsion between him and Rembant. I think that its like every thing else, if you care for it enough, and there is something particular in this thing that catches your eye,then sure to you this will be a work or art. Through this may not be the case with anybody else. Its one of those things, its just how you interpit it.