How do wrestlers bleed? How real are the injuries? WWE's darkest secrets revealed

There have been many questions surrounding Professional Wrestling. It is often dismissed as ‘fake’ or ‘fixed’ by people who look down upon the WWE. What they fail to understand is that there is more to wrestling, than just a couple of guys acting like they are beating the crap out of each other. It is not a competitive sport and neither does it ever claim to be. Wrestling is an art. It is the love child of an action movie and a dramatic play, death defying stunts without the option of a retake. In this article, I debunk myths and give you insight on some of the inner-workings of Professional Wrestling.

#1 Are the weapons in matches legitimate?

Weapons have always been a mainstay in Wrestling. First being introduced and commercialized during the heydays of Extreme Championship Wrestling. The violence and adult content on the show had quite a cult following, resulting in WWF allegedly basing the premise of the Attitude Era (1997-2001) off of it, which went on to become the most popular phase in wrestling history.

There are a range of weapons strategically placed under the ring, which wrestlers can use to their fancy. 75% of these weapons are real. Steel Chairs, Sledge Hammers, Thumb Tacks etc are genuine. Wrestlers spend years in Wrestling School learning how to take the impact and deliver blows with a weapon without actually hurting each other.

Tables and Ladders are however slightly re-enforced to avoid injuries. Despite training for years, weapons still hurt, and chair shots to the head along with a few more dangerous moves have now been banned in the WWE.

#2 Don\'t the moves performed hurt the Wrestlers?

The general consensus amongst fans is that the ring is safely padded in such a way, that none of the wrestlers are hurt in the process. To an extent this is true, but then again just like the use of weapons, the secret lies in how the wrestler takes the impact from the blow, rather than relying on the mattress to cushion them. Years of hard work and training allow them to become impervious to damage in the ring.

Wrestling rings may vary in size, with most measuring between 14 and 18 feet on each side. WWE uses a 20-foot ring, while the past promotions of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling used an 18-foot ring.

The white mat has solid wood underneath, with a spring to give suspension and absorb some of the impact. The turn buckles are padded but sometimes left exposed by heel (bad characters) wrestlers. Also a microphone is placed under the ring to amplify the impact

#3 How real are the injuries?

A superstar rolling on the floor like he has just been shot , is a pretty common sight in the WWE. The entire show is one big work, a giant play some would say. It is World Wrestling ENTERTAIMENT for a reason. However, it is impossible to find a top wrestler, who has not suffered more than at least one career threatening injury during their tenure.

It could stem from something trivial like a bad landing on a simple move (Randy Orton and his shoulder injury), to a high risk move going wrong (Mick Foley breaking his back). Stretchers are often brought out to assist “injured” wrestlers, but this is usually done to make proceedings more dramatic.

One way to tell if a wrestler is genuinely injured is to look at the referee. If it is a real injury, then the referee will indicate it backstage, by making an ‘X’ sign with his hands. This means the wrestler needs immediate help.

#4 How much of the match is rehearsed?

The result of the match is always pre-determined. The winner is selected based on how the crowd will react, and whether it will succeed in taking the storyline in the right direction. In terms of how the match is orchestrated, 60% of it is pre-rehearsed, and the rest is improvisation on part of the wrestlers, sometimes even all of it. The performers, the referee and even the commentators, are in on the whole result.

The wrestlers do something called ‘spot calling’, which is basically telling each other which move they want to execute next. If you listen carefully you can sometimes overhear them.

The commentator will indicate to the referee if the match is being well received by the audience in attendance, and the referee passes this information on to the participants, who then come with up a finish to the match via spot calling.

#5 How do Wrestlers Bleed?

Blood and gore is usually associated with Wrestling (not as much as it used to post the PG era). There have been plenty of theories, trying to explain how participants bleed at will. How could they possibly fake blood? Is it ketchup or another thick red substitute, or is it blood capsules?

The internet is full of interesting and theoretically robust theories. However, the truth is, the blood that we see during matches is actually 100% REAL. The process is called Blading. The referee passes a small razor/blade to the wrestler, and he proceeds to make a small cut on this forehead.

This secretes a large amount of blood, which the wrestler spreads throughout his face using his hands.