Professional wrestling might be choreographed and rehearsed numerous times before the actual show, but there are other paraphernalia that make life difficult for a wrestler. Here are 5 reasons why being a pro wrestler is harder than being an MMA fighter
#5 Choreographing a fight is difficult
While people demean wrestling as fake, they fail to realize the complexities which go into making a successful match. Choreographing a fight is an arduous task which requires meticulous preparation and numerous rehearsals.
Had wrestling been 100% fake, wrestlers wouldn’t have spent ages in wrestling schools trying to perfect the art. The developmental territories wouldn’t have had any takers had wrestling been just about mindless slamming and hitting people with chairs.
The biggest challenge about being a wrestler is not only the physically demanding aspect that wrestling entails, but also taking into consideration how convincingly a wrestler can put up a show in front of millions of viewers (including covering up botches)!
#4 Over 200 days of being on the road
WWE superstars have their work cut out owing to the hectic travelling schedules. Putting up a show in one part of the country, then immediately taking a flight to another is what makes being a WWE wrestler so hard; not to forget the house shows and the PPVs in between.
Wrestlers not only have to be in prime shape to put up great shows, they also have to get used to the mammoth travel schedules that’s in front of them. As Triple H said, wrestlers spend up to 200+ days on the road putting up shows in different parts of the globe, which even takes a toll on the family/personal life of a performer.
MMA events usually happen once in a month and most fighters train in their respective hometowns, so they are allowed more ‘family time’.
#3 Extreme risk taking
I doubt any of the MMA fighters would even think of going through the ordeal of what the boss’ son Shane O’Mac pulled off at the SummerSlam event of 2000 (even if they are paid big bucks)! Shane was embroiled in a Hardcore title match against ‘The Lethal Weapon’ Steve Blackman. After climbing up the set in an effort to evade Blackman’s vicious cane swings, Blackman ultimately caught up with Shane, hit him repeatedly with the Singapore cane, forcing Shane to lose balance and ultimately plummet to the ground from a height of 40 feet!
That wasn’t it… Blackman then made a leap for Shane, landed on him, pinned him and picked up the victory. Say wrestling is fake?
Both Shane and Steve, for a brief moment, flirted with death! Shane despite being the boss’ son, was willing to engage in this feisty duel that ended in a plummet from the sky. A botch on either one’s part could have meant serious, mortal consequences; but kudos to both superstars to have finished the match with such grace and elan, that people remember the match till date.
Wrestlers have fallen on to tables, been thrown off the cell-top to announcer tables below all at the behest of the entertainment of the fans!
#2 The pressure to look good and perform well even after wearing out
Okay, before you get me wrong, UFC fighters definitely have to endure more pain than their pro-wrestling counterparts but forget not, they still outlive professional wrestlers because once they cross their peak, they retire!
However, the same cannot be said about pro-wrestling superstars who continue to push the threshold! Statistically, there have been over 100 wrestler deaths in the past 30 years and about 60 of them had been in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Do we see a trend here?
Wrestlers mostly die out of substance abuse and heart failure. This is to stay in ‘prime shape’ and forcing the body to grow anabolically. In addition to that, the sustained wearing out of the body when they push themselves to the limit after a certain age, forces the body and mind to give up on them.
Wrestlers, unlike MMA fighters aim for longevity and fight for their spot in the business, yet sometimes, things go a little awry.
#1 Career ending injuries for a sport that’s considered ‘fake’
WWE biggies like Stone Cold Steve Austin and Edge were forced to an early egress because of injuries sustained during matches that were apparently ‘staged’ and ‘choreographed’. While most wrestling matches are choreographed, a lot of it is at the discretion of the superstars performing it.
There are times when the moves don’t go as per plan, (because to err is human) resulting in injuries that have serious repercussions. While MMA fighters, namely Conor McGregor, have called out WWE superstars, calling WWE “fake”, they should be reminded that the hazards associated with the ‘fake sport’ are 100 percent legit.
WWE is altogether a different ball-game and not all of the hopefuls make it to the top of the success ladder.
