"Wrestling is Fake"

[MCMG]

I'm a big wrestling fan but most of my friends are not. When they ask me why I like wrestling I say it is because I find it entertaining. They usually reply "but it's fake".

This pisses me off and i was wondering if this bothers/burdens anyone else. I realize wrestling is scripted but I watch it as a TV show. To be entertained.

 

[klunderbunker]

"Wrestling is fake."

Yeah you're right. What do you want to watch instead?

"I don't know. Law and Order?"

But....that's fake.

That's my personal favorite response.

 

[Lowdown]

The ones that trip me out are the ones that deride people that watch wrestling, yet they watch shit like the Kardashians and Jersey Shore. Almost the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[MrLamper]

"Wrestling is fake."

Yeah you're right. What do you want to watch instead?

"I don't know. Law and Order?"

But....that's fake.

That's my personal favorite response.

My exact response, too. It used to be directed at House, but now it's finished.


I get this crap on a weekly basis from my flatmate, but it's okay. I ridicule him for getting drunk every night like an alcoholic!

 

[ABMorales787]

"Wrestling is fake."

"Fuck, really? All this time I though these people were above the law trying to kill each other, committing obvious illegal acts but still going through the trouble of putting on 20 minutes of athletic prowess when they could just bash the ref and then get a chair to beat each other with. Thanks for the wake up call. I totally did not realize this was fake. Wanna watch cartoons instead?"

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Well the thing is, is that most non wrestling fans think that wrestling fans think it's real. That's why they'll tell you it's fake. They assume that everyone who goes to shows thinks it's real, when it's really the opposite. This is my experience with non-fans anyway.

Most don't realise that everyone there in the crowdis suspending their disbelief, that's what it's all about. A lot of them also think wrestling is faker than it is, eg most people think the blood is fake which as we all know is not the case.

I've tried to convert non-wrestling fans many a time lol usually I find they only like spotfest matches so I'll show 'em X Division matches and they love those but find main event/heavyweight matches boring as hell obviously cuz they're not fully invested in the storylines and characters.

 

[Slyfox696]

Wrestling isn't fake, it's scripted, just like almost every other television show that isn't a live broadcast.

 

[ABMorales787]

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Wrestling isn't fake, it's scripted, just like almost every other television show that isn't a live broadcast.

My typical response.

 

[klunderbunker]

Wrestling isn't fake, it's scripted, just like almost every other television show that isn't a live broadcast.

Going off this, my personal favorite is when people say that reality TV is real stuff. I've been around when a reality TV show is being filmed and I know enough about wrestling to know the basic idea of how it's set up. What you see on Raw is about 100x more realistic than a reality show.

 

[Alastor]

Fake or scripted...isn't that the same thing?

 

[Poop Master Flex]

All TV shows are fake, even reality shows are somewhat fake as well, even the news is somewhat fake.

TV is entertainment, wrestling is entertainment therefore they go together. A lot of people just don't get wrestling, all they see is 2 men in a ring fake fighting and that's where it begins and ends for them and think to themselves "why would I watch a fake fight when I can watch a real fight like UFC?". They view wrestling as a fake sport instead of what it really is, a male soap opera.

I've only been fired once in my life and it all started by someone at work calling me a *** because I liked to watch "A fake sport to indulge my latent homosexuality" which went on for 2 days straight. Finally after hearing this for 2 days straight I made a rebuttal along the lines of "if watching wrestling makes me a ***, what are you for spending so much time in a 13 year old's locker room 5 nights a week?". From there he threatened to kill me at work, I talked to the bosses about the situation and I got fired because he was senior and I wasn't. True story and it all started with me being called a *** for watching wrestling.

It never pissed me off that he hated wrestling because he thought it was a little "homo" but doing things to my computer, berating me every day (all day) at work for watching wrestling, calling me a *** and insulting my girlfriend (saying there is no way she was quality because I am a ***) were things I did take issue with.

Overall if all a person says is "wrestling is fake" then it's really no reason to get upset about it, if they don't understand wrestling who cares? I don't understand why people find 18 kids and counting entertaining, not a big deal.

 

[Slyfox696]

Fake or scripted...isn't that the same thing?

No. Fake indicates there is not real contact, there is no real pain, that these guys aren't really working. Scripted said they are working, there is contact and pain, it's just that the outcome is planned and agreed upon before hand.

We don't say "TV fake", we say "TV script".

 

[MrHashasheen]

Going off this, my personal favorite is when people say that reality TV is real stuff. I've been around when a reality TV show is being filmed and I know enough about wrestling to know the basic idea of how it's set up. What you see on Raw is about 100x more realistic than a reality show.

Then how much of it like scripted or set up? Do the producers go "all right, episode one you two are going to besties, and you two are going to be building up some tension that'll boil over around episode five into a drunken fist fight at a club. And when that happens, generic girl number three is going to bitch about how they ruined her night and how she was going to get it on with this cute guy."

Or is it like "All right, go to the club, feel free to get into a fight or stupidly drunk."

 

[klunderbunker]

Then how much of it like scripted or set up? Do the producers go "all right, episode one you two are going to besties, and you two are going to be building up some tension that'll boil over around episode five into a drunken fist fight at a club. And when that happens, generic girl number three is going to bitch about how they ruined her night and how she was going to get it on with this cute guy."

Or is it like "All right, go to the club, feel free to get into a fight or stupidly drunk."

I had one filmed at my high school and stuff would be filmed again for dramatic effect, people would be given direction during scenes, the people were given props to use (even stuff like the food on their shelves was placed there), there was an "annual" dance which has never been mentioned before or since, stuff like that.

 

[Alastor]

No. Fake indicates there is not real contact, there is no real pain, that these guys aren't really working. Scripted said they are working, there is contact and pain, it's just that the outcome is planned and agreed upon before hand.

We don't say "TV fake", we say "TV script".

But wrestlers don't make real contact when punching or stomping too, similar to most fight scenes on TV or movies which they are trained to do.

Because fake is not a noun used for text so we don't say "TV fake".

All I'm saying is I don't think the two terms are that much difference in meaning.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

These people usually like UFC. They will then not like UFC in 3 months because it is fighting with no control over entertainment.

 

[Slyfox696]

But wrestlers don't make real contact when punching or stomping too

Sure they do. They pull punches, but they still make contact. There is still real damage done to their bodies when they take bumps.

Because fake is not a noun used for text so we don't say "TV fake".

Exactly. If they were interchangeable, fake could be used as a noun. The words aren't the same, that is my point.

All I'm saying is I don't think the two terms are that much difference in meaning.

They are.

 

[Vincent Michaels]

 

[Elmarcoz]

I dislike people who call Wrestling fake. I've actually been in a ring a few times, and experienced what it's like to actually wrestle matches. It hurts. Sure, the outcome of the matches are predetermined, and the basic run-through of the match is usually discussed beforehand (any high risk moves, spots etc) but the pain of a body slam from a 250 pound guy, or a chokeslam onto a metal ladder is very real.
To call it "fake" would be an insult to those that have broken their bodies over the years to entertain fans.

EDIT: in fact, I don't dislike people who call it fake, I just don't think they've educated themselves enough on what actually goes into wrestling.

 

[shattered dreams]

I usually just hit them with a stunner and go about my day.

 

[Radical]

When people question why I like pro wrestling I usually use a few examples to try and get them to understand.

I say pro wrestling is kind of like an action movie, you have your good guys and bad guys but they are playing roles and they have scripts.

The difference is in an action movie there is probably less actual contact because even if there are kicks or punches they are usually done on angles so no one actually gets hit but in pro wrestling the punches and kicks usually land but they are soft... but they still land!

The other difference, which is one of the things that keeps me from being a mega fan of pro wrestling is that they are fighting in their shiny underwear. Obviously, that's where a lot of the comments come from people who tease others for liking wrestling and I can't say that I wouldn't like to see wrestlers wear more clothes, because I would, and I always prefer the wrestlers who are wearing more but I have been able to 'deal with it' enough to enjoy wrestling matches overall for their athleticism, over-the-top showmanship and special moves.

I also have long watch pro wrestling and knowing it was scripted actually found that made me enjoy it more. It's funny some of the moves that they pull off because they are all about showmanship.

I mean how funny is it that after HBK hits the flying elbow off the top rope and goes into the corner and starts stomping his boot that the opponent always staggers TOWARDS the sound of the boot stomping... surely he can hear it and would have enough sense to roll away. But, if they did that all the time the showmanship of that move would be lost and so too would the entertainment value of the match.

Same goes for the People's Elbow. There's no way after a spinebuster (really, just a little pick up and drop on your back) would you be unable to roll away even slightly while The Rock takes almost a minute to showoff and run the ropes before dropping the elbow. But fans don't really care, they suspend belief to enjoy it.

 

[Lee]

I hit them with a chair.

Or say "Your sisters orgasms wern't"

 

[smizzy]

Yeah, because Benoit's brain aged about sixty years on its own accord.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I'm a big wrestling fan but most of my friends are not. When they ask me why I like wrestling I say it is because I find it entertaining. They usually reply "but it's fake".

This pisses me off and i was wondering if this bothers/burdens anyone else. I realize wrestling is scripted but I watch it as a TV show. To be entertained.

Most don't see it as entertainment like a TV show. They see it as a parody of sport. It is pretty easy to see why though. It takes place in an arena, there are titles, the wrestlers are generally very athletic looking and the fans react very loud and emotional to the actions and outcomes. This is more like football, baseball or boxing and not like House or 24.

There is no reason to be pissed. The fact that you find enjoyment in life without hurting yourself or others out of something that others don't like makes you the winner and the detractors just bitter losers.