Martial Arts vs Pro Wrestling

[Bernkastel]

Which do you guys prefer, Martials arts or pro wrestling, I have been a wrestling fan since 2001 but to be honest, after contantly seeing different masters and grandmasters peform their different syles to thier highest extent, and since wrestling just seems to be just really dull these days, I tend to opt towards martial arts, especailly full contact jujitsu, that is the shit. Though I still watch wrestling to remain loyal to my favorite superstars who still give their time and efforts to try and entertain.

What are some of you guy's opinions?

 

[Prax]

Well to be fair I think they're two very different things that shouldn't really be compared straight up, but I have to go with Pro Wrestling. Wouldn't be here every day if that wasn't the answer. Martial Arts are great and I obviously respect the people who like to watch them and perform them, but I'm not someone who'll watch those things, it's just not my style.

I'll stick to my stories thank you very much

 

[Bernkastel]

Well theirs a lot of pro wrestlers who incorporate martial arts into their movesets, granted most of them just know the basics, there are some of them like RVD, Tajiri and Great Muta (I think their all sandan or 3rd degree), while not Experts, they do know more than just the basic shodan (or 1st degree).

 

[Prax]

Actually I'm more of a fan of Storytelling wrestling, the old school stuff and some of the stuff we still see today in WWE more than I am of the high-flying/martial artsy stuff.

 

[Bernkastel]

Thats fine, Im not judging you. Im just saying that their are guys that do incorporate alot of martial arts into their movesets, granted most just have a basic knowledge. I don't think thats there's ever been someone who is an expert and at the master level of martial arts, to transfer over into pro wreslting. Just to imagine what that person would be able to do in the ring scares me.

 

[Prax]

Yeah and I'm sure it scares a lot of other wrestlers as well... that's probably why they're not in the WWE. That's part of the reason Sylvester Terkey got fired.

it's hard to make the transition from Martial Arts, boxing, football, or any legitimate sport into wrestling. Football's a little easier, granted, but you're going from using the full force of your body in boxing and Martial Arts etc. to protecting your opponent and essentially working a near choreographed match.

It's also why a lot of pro wrestlers have trouble when they try to get into legitimate sports.

 

[Bernkastel]

I wondered why they let Terkay go, The man was already a successful MMA star,and he had loads of talent, did you see his debut? Scared? I think some of the other wrestlers backstage were pissing themselves. I guess he was better suited for martial arts than wrestling, and it just goes to show you were pro wrestlers really stand.

 

[Prax]

I think it's like comparing apples and oranges. Two very different things.

Entertainment vs. sport.

About Terkay... Frankly I didn't see him going anywhere in WWE.. he had talent, yes, but could he put on a good wrestling match? I'm not so sure.

 

[X]

Well I have to go for wrestling on this one simply because I just don't find martial arts spars or MMA to be entertaining...at all. I liked a little bit of the Pride fighting when I was bored out of my skull and had nothing to do, but overall I just don't find it entertaining in the least. Wrestling is much more personal, the feuds are deeper, the stories are what keep me hooked to it maybe. But also because they are two completely different things. Martial arts I've always thought was about self-defense, and I don't see how having MMA matches is in self defense, while wrestling is like a contest to see who can look better out there, who can amaze the fans with their talent the most, while in MMA it's more just like "who can knock their opponent the fuck out the fastest" and I don't find that entertaining. If I did, I'd go watch fist fights in the streets. Just my opinon, don't take offense bro.

 

[Bernkastel]

None taken XFear. While there is a lack of a storytelling angle in martial arts, I enjoy it because the piont of martial arts, or at least jujistu, my favorite, is about patience and discipline. They say that attacking a true jujitsu master would be like attacking yourself. And the reason I bring this topic up is ,again, I see many wrestlers, especially in Japan, starting to rely less on the tradition methods of pro wreslting and more on martial arts, and by doing so they are creating a pro wrestling/ martial arts hybrid that hasn't been seen before. And like I said, Its only a matter of time before we have a rokudan or higher make the transition over from martial arts to pro wrestling, and when that happens, I would expect the face of pro wrestling to change.

 

[Kasey]

I like each for their own specific reasons, but not one more than the other, really. I've been an MMA fan since 1995 when I first took an interest in the UFC. Wrestling, on the other hand, I've been watching since 1985 or so. I don't really find a worthwhile comparison between the two mostly because they're such different beasts. I love the genuine competitive aspect of MMA because in many instances it cuts through the red tape of politics you see in pro wrestling. On the other hand, though, the entertainment aspect and spectacle of pro-wrestling can't even come close to being touched by MMA.

What pisses me off to high heaven is that neither one of these institutions gets nearly the amount of respect I feel they deserve. It's pathetic that ESPN and other neighboring types of channels don't even cover MMA results on an even remote scale that they do some of the other "sports." Boxing these days is pathetic and hasn't been worth pissing on since before 1990...an even then it was in a downhill slope. And a lot of other "sport purists" are complete dicks who don't understand any of the sacrifice or danger that goes along with wrestling, so they just condemn it right out of the gate. What I'd like to see is someone like Phil Mushnick or that stupid prick Jim Rome get stretched and take some bumps for five minutes by someone like Angle or Benoit only working at half-intensity and then come tell me it's all "fake."

And conversely, I hear Floyd Mayweather's dumb ass talking about how MMA is a fad and that he isn't afraid of Chuck Lidell. That made me laugh so hard I nearly pissed myself. Hey Floyd! Remember when nobody gave a flying f**k about your sport and didn't care about your upcoming fight with that womanizing scumbag De La Hoya because your sport is a joke? Oh, yeah. That's RIGHT NOW. So sad when the best boxing to happen in the last fifteen years has to take place in a f**king Rocky sequel.

 

[Bernkastel]

I thought ESPN 2 covered MMA and UFC? I never was a real fan of boxing, do you watch anything else besides UFC or PRIDE? I try and watch actual tournaments online, that way you get to see some of the best of that style, whether it be Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu, or hapkido. And it just amazes me, what some of the masters and grandmasters are capable of doing. Its insane.

 

[Kasey]

^Yeah, if I'm able to get the time. Lately I've tuned in to Bodog and Chuck Norris' World Combat League (which kind of blows). Also, I've frequented some WEC and King of the Cage stuff in years past, but wasn't really impressed with the quality of the competition. I also set timer recordings for ISKA/K-1 on ESPN sometimes (I watched an old but solid title fight featuring Peter "Sugarfoot" Cunningham the other night that was pretty sweet). ESPN 2 might cover MMA, but it doesn't receive remotely the kind of coverage and respect I feel it should have. MMA is the logical evolution of combat sports and it is the genuine test of who is in fact a more skilled fighter, regardless of what someone's bread-and-butter discipline is. Besides, I grew up in a household that was pro-sports as a kid and we were moderately into watching boxing, but all the competition and legitimate desire that was once part of it is gone now. Don King ruined that. At present, MMA hasn't gotten that bad yet, but I know Dana White and the Fertitta Brothers are doing their best. I don't mind watching other types of full-contact stuff, but point fighting is stupid to me unless I'm watching the Karate Kid. That's the one thing I absolutely cannot stand.

 

[Bernkastel]

I don't get ESPN, but I am able to get MMA on other stations, but I don't know what the network is called. I watch the majority of my martials arts online.

How do you feel about martial arts mixing into pro wreslting?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I've been doing Kickboxing for about 14 year's now. But I'm not intrested in watching it. I only watch if there's somebody I know taking part. I prefer wrestling. The atmosphere is better and obviously the outcomes are know. If you watch ROH your unlucky if you get a duff match. But with martial art's it can happen regularly.

 

[Kasey]

How do you feel about martial arts mixing into pro wreslting?

I don't mind it at all as I'm a huge mark for the Japanese Strong Style wrestling that has put martial arts in play for decades now. Some of my favorite spots are martial arts based (RVD's new hold-the-skull kick, Joe/Punk's running knee smash into the corner, anything Low Ki does). I feel that when executed correctly and realistically it provides a great respite from what I'd just consider standard professional wrestling action. But for every one of these solid performers who interweaves martial arts into their wrestling repertoire, there is also a Glacier or Ernest Miller.

 

[X]

C'mon dude! You know as well as I do that Glacier was the biggest thing to never go over! Dude was crazy amazing! I don't understand how he didn't get over what with it snowing during his matches and his uber-cool karate stances...