why do you watch wrestling?

[boon!]

i was just wondering why people watch wrestling. i watch tna occasionally but mainly follow the wwe on a weekly basis.

in general in the wwe each wreslters matches tend to be the same, e.g. in a typical benoit match u will see the belly 2 back suplex like 3 times in a row, in a kurt angle match you will see him slap on the ankle lock like 3 times before somebody taps out. this gets a little boring after a while.

we all know wreslting is fake and the injuries they suffer are no way near as brutal as mma, (in most cases), so why do we watch wrestling?
i mean we kno that every pinfall before a finisher will be a kick out. its not exaclty exciting having loads of near falls because you kno the match wont end till somebody hits their finisher. matches these days dont exaclty keep me on the edge of my seat.

so again i ask why do we watch wrestling?
is it the promos???
is it because the wwe has this soap opera type feel ending on a cliff hanger each week to encourage you to tune in to watch the next week?
is it the wreslting?? if so then what do you like about it?? i used to turn a blind eye to the fact that the winner of each match was pre determined but i dont think i can anymore.

you kno what really pisses me off? when the ref gets knocked out in every main event! its like come on FFS why does this happen everytime. i also get pissed coz heels never ever win without cheating. in jbls title reign he broke the rules in almost every match he had.

i think the raw storylines are better then they have been in a long time with kane v kane, the dx reunion and the whole cena/ecw thing. but i find myself tuning in to see what is gonna happen with the storyline rather then tuning in to see the wrestling.

why do you tune in???

 

[peopleschamp]

I started watching wrestling 21 years ago (1985) quite frankly for no other reason then that it was on TV. My older brother started watching it before me, and at the time I really had no interest in wrestling (since I was still watching cartoons and such). Then, one day I was watching the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Cartoons and somehow I got hooked, and pretty soon I was watching the “real thing.” I have been watching ever since.

One thing that intrigued me about professional wrestling is that it’s almost like Greek mythology, where you have heroes and villains who would fight one another to settle their differences. Wrestling (particular the way WWE markets it) reminds me a lot of the Chinese wu-xia (martial arts) period series (which I was a major fan of), where many of the characters are based on legends, many of those have special skills (finishing moves), and they are often involved in conflict with one another. Wrestling is definitely a glorified form of mythology and soap opera.

Another aspect of pro wrestling that I find interesting is how wrestling is also a reflection of our society. Many people complain about wrestling because it glorifies sex and violence, and caters to all kinds of stereotypes. In my opinions, pro wrestling doesn’t glorify these things but “reflects” them. A lot of wrestling storylines are merely a reflection of what goes on in our society.

Like watching soap operas, it is very easy to get hooked on pro wrestling. I know because I have been hooked for the last 20 some years. I don’t think I’ll ever stop watching wrestling, regardless of how good or bad the product may be.

 

[boon!]

ive been watching since 1990.

i like your analogy of the greek mythology thing......interesting stuff. same goes for that chinese thing you mentioned. the only things is that greek mythology is like legendary stories. peoples hatred towards each other was supposed to be real. whereas in the wwe, you sometimes get people who are the best of friends feuding and when you watch it is so obvious that after the show they are gonna go backstage and have a beer together. so there is no difference to settle

i kinda liked wrestling more when i didnt have access to web sites like wrestlezone. then i didnt actually kno the backstage staus of wrestlers so i sort of believed that people feuding really hated each other even though somewhere far in the back of my mind i knew it was acting.

but to be honest i dont really see how the storylines are reflective of the society that we live in. maybe 1 in every 10 storylines is but most are quite far fetched. (but that is only my opinion)

im with you when you say that you dont think you'll ever stop watching, irrespective of how bad the show gets. theres just something i love about fantasy like setting.

 

[D_GenerationX]

since I've been 5 1995
I watch it because It's the only thing on worth watching
Besides you've gotta respect these guys
love them or hate them they go out on the road
and perform for all the fans all year round
they sacrafice their relationships and bodies to entertain us
the spend Christmas and Thanksgiving on the road just for them
so I think part of me watches it to give a little back
to show my appreciation
and the other half of me watches it for entertainment

 

[5thHorseman]

I've been watching wrestling since 1988, Like boon! said in his post, it is addictive, it is a male soap opera and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Whenever I mention a wrestling event to a friend, I always hear the soap opera line, I never understood how is that a bad thing? Or I'll hear "How do you watch that crap, it's fake" And I still can't see apoint to the ignorance. Other than Sports and News, everything is fictional on TV. Why does wrestling have to be different? At first, I was tied into the storylines and the heat between wrestling, I knew it was fake but I thought the storylines were real. When the nWo debuted on WCW is when I was introduced to the IWC and hooked for life, I wanted to know everything about Scott Hall invading WCW, I thought it was a real thing lol. We are all very critical about wrestling today between the highs and lows of it but we always watch, I have to blame the IWC a little due with our criticism but I always was entertained good or bad, and that's why wrestling is here. You never know what's going to happen(Unless you read the spoilers) and it's exciting. It's like a marraige, For better or worse, I will always love you wrestling!

 

[zero]

Honestly, I have nothing else to do on Monday nights.

I could write a whole editorial like everyone else did, but that's pretty much the basic reason.

 

[Flippyskate21]

I watch it because when i grew up my dad watched it every week so i joined along with him. I've been watching it ever since

 

[FLUFF]

Funny story as to why i watch it. When i was about 9 or 10, I was asleep in my room. My oldest brother was watching WCW and Booker T and Stevie Ray (harlem heat) were cutting a promo. I got scared and thought it was two black people outside my window talkin about breaking into our house, so I went in the living room and just sat down and realized it was them.

Come to find out, our house was planning on being broken into that night by two black people, go figure. jk

 

[deux4hm]

I watch wrestling because Vince tells me to!

 

[J-Slim]

I watch it cuz of Randy Orton, UnderTaker, Candice Michelle, and Melina.

 

[Kahn-chents]

I cant remember when I first started watching, but I would put my money on the mid to late 80's. At first, it was because I would mark out for the faces. then in the 90's, when I was in college, I kept watching, but paying more attention to the marketing and social commentary. Now, I watch and try to figure out who is going to take wrestling to the next level. I do live in Louisville (home of OVW) and happen to know a couple of the guys making their way to the big show. I love watching new talent.


I remember when John Cena was the Prototype at OVW, being managed by Rico.

 

[DakotaDave]

I've been a fan since I was a kid; I am now 30. I didnt really start watching til 1995. My parents wouldnt let me watch it at home. They didnt like it because it was fake, and I didnt need to watch it. When I graduated in '95; my parents bought me a tv, and I then ran across WCW Monday Nitro. I've been watching eversince. Me, I watch for the drama. If it was just wrestling; it would be too boring! Might as well just watch amateur wrestling; if you want technical schit.

 

[DA Troll]

Ive been watching wrestling for about 5-6 years now. I orignally started out as a WCW fan. Man I couldn't wait for Monday nights, WCW Nitro at 8 used to be the hightlight of my Monday nights. A couple of years later, Nitro started getting staled to me. So I would watch the first hour of Nitro at 8, then check out RAW is WAR at 9. Since TNT used to replay Nitro at 11, I would catch the rest of the show then. Needless to say, I quickly came addicted to the women, the high flying matches, and all the drama that is professional wrestling. Yeah the WWE, gets stale sometimes. But I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[new "FN" jack]

Ive been watching wrestling since I was three and I watch it because it is amazing and If the match is good I wont get up to go to the toilet.

I JUST LOVE WRESTLING

 

[Gaijin Khan]

I"m watching in hopes that ECW will get better...

 

[SuperS13]

i began watching it when i was 5 or 6 with my dad. it was like a time for us to bond. he watched it cause he use to wrestle in high school. I stopped watching it when i must have been 8. i dont know why i stoped watching it i jsut stopped. 8 years laters, when i was 16, i picked it up. Mainly cause CSI was done for the season and my best friend is really into wrestling. Now my bro my dad and i all watch it. im more into TNA than WWE only cause WWE is eh...idn there is jsut something that i dont like. maybe its the storylines...

i watch it cause there something about it. you sit there and watch these men and women just beat each other up for the enjoyment of others. its something that me and my best friend and his friends can bond about. Mind you am i the only girl in that group. im sure all wrestling fans dream of becoming a wrestler. am i right? where else do you get to see hot guys on top of each other, hot girls ripping off each others clothes, and drama?

 

[OchoaSTL]

I started watching around the late 80's when I was like 3,4,5ish. My brother liked it and I always have looked up to my brother. So once, he got out of it, I figured I would too but I just kept on watching. I come from a mexican family, so we kind of grew up around soccer. My dad is a huge soccer fan, though I have always liked wrestling more than I have soccer. There was a period for like a year where I didn't watch. Don't know why, probably because I got my first job. But anyway, I like wrestling for the wrestlers and the interviews and all of that. Doesn't matter if people call it fake or gay, they are just ignorant idiots who don't hesitate to get on people if those people like something that they don't. Anyway.... that is why I watch. I'll be a fan for the rest of my life.

 

[E-MAC]

I was 5 when I first started watching wrestling, and I still watch it for the Sport and not the Entertainment. I love guys like Eddie, Malenko, Benoit, Triple-H and it sadens me that the WWE has taken a big piss on wrestling but thank god for TNA becauce it's the closest thing to the kind of wrestling that I love.

 

[Akine82]

I prefer the matches(not the crap Vince McMahon makes but the local shows)
i watch international wrestling were there is alot of heat in the ring and no talking ( i know its fixed and all but you at least 90% sure of a good fight) i mean in boxing it could be a pure mismatch and down in the first round , in MMA you can wind up witha 30 second knockout or 15 min of two guys walking in circles

 

[boon!]

yeh, i hear what your saying akine


by the way just a reminder to people that the question central to this thread us "why do you watch wrestling?"......not "when did you start/ why did you start watching wrestling"

i want to know what keeps you tuning in week after week. even though i am fully aware thats its all acting, i cant help parking my ass on the couch each to watch it, irrespective of the quality of the show.

 

[lalakerz]

entertainment... i love it! lol

 

[Dusty Road]

There used to be a show here in Australia called World Championship Wrestling that was about 38 years ago they would be on TV every Saturday at midday and would wrestle live at Sydney Stadium on Friday nights, other states on other nights. They had all the big name American Wrestlers here, Wrestlers like Killer Karl Cox, Brute Bernard, Killer Kawolskie, The Funk Brothers, Bruno Samertino and lots more I actually met my wife there and we have been happly maried for 37 years and we both still enjoy the WWE today we get all the PPV and watch both Raw and Smackdown. We have seen Wrestlers come and go and some like Rick Flair just keep on keeping on, I love the showmanship the action in, and out, of the ring I'm 62 in a couple of weeks and really do get a lot of enjoyment out of the grunt and groan team of the WWE

 

[Steve]

I've been watching wrestling all of my life, and regularly like to watch events that took place even before I was born. I just love the storylines and actual wrestling that we see take place. Wrestling is like a drug in a way, I don't think I could ever stop watching it now. Sometimes I say to myself, I'm going to stop watching if things carry on as they are, but I have never actually stopped.

 

[yeridle]

I dont know...I really dont

 

[EC MF'N W]

I began watching consistently back in 1995. The 1st match I ever saw was an over the top rope elmination match.

Vader vs Steve Austin vs Bret Hart vs Undertaker

From 1995 to about 2001 Steve Austin carried me through it as did DX, the corporation, and the good storylines. Right around when the WCW angle came in I began paying less attention. But still watched RAW consistently. Then around June of last year I just completley lost interest. I would still hit up WWE.com once in a while but now I am back. DX and ECW are really driving me to watch.

As to your question pertains. Why do you watch a movie? Its scripted. Its characters. But its ENTERTAINING. That is why we all watch wrestling.