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Redefined ‘hardcore’ Being a professional wrestling fan in 2016 ain’t a walk in the park. Muggles out there see you as some kind of alien that has just landed on earth, and that’s not even the worst part. Okay, wrestling isn’t as mainstream as it used to be back in the early 2000s. But it is still not a bad place for the fans and the wrestlers to be in. This fact gets overlooked by most of the non-wrestling fans and they come up with some utterly ridiculous questions and conclusions about the sport. Having the patience to digest all of their nonsense is one of the biggest traits that a wrestling fan should have, but there are certain things that we are tired of hearing. So in case you are a Muggle and are going to talk to a wrestling fan, there are things that you should not spit out at any cost.
#10 Is that blood? No, it's just ketchup
In case you didn’t know this yet, get it pretty clear into that system of yours. That red liquid that oozes out of a wrestler’s body during a match is real warmblood with red blood cells, white blood cells and everything else that I missed in biology class.
Blood is used by wrestlers to make the action in the squared circle look more dramatic. They hide a razor blade in their wrist tape with which they slit open the flesh so as to get the red effect.
This might sound barbaric to some but unlike in films, the wrestlers don’t get a break from the action to go on and put some blood make-up. And considering the fact that these performers are putting their body on the line with such sacrifices, claiming that it’s just ketchup is a great insult.
#9 Everyone is a drug addict
Yes, steroids are a mainstay in the professional wrestling business but the ‘everyone being a drug addict’ part is really foolish. Back in the old days, superstars used to consume steroids to look bigger and grow some extra muscles but that was then.
Now, a majority of the superstars in the wrestling business are family men just like ordinary people. Heck, some even don’t smoke or drink alcohol.
And WWE has set up a great drug prevention system right now. Anyone who uses illegal drugs gets suspended or fired, so none of the superstars that you currently see on television are on drugs.
#8 Wrestlers only want the money and fame
There are wrestlers like John Cena and Triple H, then there are wrestlers like Kofi Kingston and Xavier woods, then there is 50-feet of Ring of Honor and TNA, after which comes the independent wrestling circuit.
The top of the ladder gets all the cars, money and big mansions, but that is only when you reach the top of WWE and became a 10-time or 15-time world champion (which is a rarity by the way). The wrestlers in TNA and Ring of Honor live life like ordinary middle-class men who have a hectic travel and training schedule.
The people below struggle to even get food on the table at times. Now, they could just drop wrestling and pick up some other job instead of suffering all this, but these superstars stick around because they love the business, and not because of the money and fame.
#7 There is too much violence in it
Ah! The violence argument. How much violence do we see in a Quentin Tarantino movie? Or how much violence do we see in the Game of Thrones series?
No one has a problem with all that but when there is some violence in wrestling, everyone gets irritated. And if you notice, WWE is a PG product now; there isn’t a high amount of violence in it compared to the Attitude Era.
They don’t allow blood these days. Chair shots to the head and even the piledriver are banned. Sure, there are violent promotions still out there but then again, they are only served for the ones who like that kind of stuff, and not force fed to everyone.
So what’s the problem, really?
#6 It is meant for kids
There are certain programs out there that appeal equally to the younger audience and the older ones, and wrestling falls into that category. We stop being innocent when we grow up, but we don’t stop watching wrestling.
This may sound pretty silly if you are a non-wrestling fan, but once you start seeing the product you’ll know it’s not just for kids. There are storylines, comedy, action, controversy and everything else that you’ll get in an adult program, but at the same time, it’s toned down in quantity to attract the kids as well.
Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon were for kids, but are still crazy about them like fanboys, aren’t we? Well, that’s how wrestling fans feel too.
#5 Wrestling only has freaky muscular guys
Wrestling did go through that phase once, but it’s a whole different story now. Instead of the neatly toned bodybuilder-like wrestlers, what the business mostly has now are guys whose physique looks similar to an ordinary person.
And it’s these same men who go on to main event WrestleMania (that is like the World Cup of wrestling in case you are a muggle) and win the WWE championship.
The wrestling roster does contain muscular guys but the whole business is not about them. It’s not only about power and strength; there are other factors like speed and technical brilliance involved in wrestling too, which makes it a sport for everyone and not just for muscular freaks.
#4 Is WWE still around?
This question is usually asked by someone who isn’t aware of the things that happen around him or her. The wrestling business is out there doing all kinds of charity work and movie promotions and despite that, if someone asks such a question, we know that their head needs to be rewired.
As far as the popularity of wrestling in the present is concerned, it’s pretty good. The business is still going strong in many nations across the globe and the sold-out arenas wherever WWE goes is proof of that.
And for the sake of stats, WrestleMania 29, which had John Cena and The Rock main event, had crossed one million Pay-Per-View buys two years in a row! That is more than the entire population of the United Kingdom!
#3 Wrestlers aren't real athletes
“I consider myself an athlete. I train like an athlete, I eat like an athlete, and I recover and get sore just like any other athlete. Wrestling is a mental and physical grind.”
This was what WWE superstar Seth Rollins had to say when he was asked about wrestlers not being athletes. It’s simple as that – a wrestler does everything that an athlete does and just because everything is staged doesn’t mean he isn’t one.
Weight lifting, stretching and acrobats are not only part of the training schedule for these men, but the wrestlers also need to make use of their training in between the ropes. That said, there is a big difference between the regular athletes and wrestlers – wrestlers don’t get an offseason unless they are injured.
#2 UFC and MMA are better
It’s like comparing a fish and a monkey by their ability to climb a tree. UFC and WWE are entirely different things. UFC is a competitive sport while WWE is a staged sport that tells a story.
You go into UFC and will see a fight that is unpredictable. It might be a big pay-per-view and the main event would just be 10 seconds long with someone getting knocked out. WWE wrestling is different; you are guaranteed something in return for your money.
And also, as Mick Foley said, “It’s scripted, it’s predetermined, I will grant you all of that. But does your ‘sport’ continue when someone gets knocked out? Because mine does.”
#1 WWE is fake
There is a difference between fake and staged. Movies are fake but we still watch them, don’t we? We know that it’s not real, but we still go to the cinema to get entertained.
It’s the same thing with wrestling. There is a script, there is a story, there is everything you see in a movie and the wrestlers tell the story in between the ropes. The only difference is that everything here is real too.
The stunts are real, there aren’t any special effects for the blood, there aren’t any stunt doubles, and there are no cuts or breaks. The wrestlers get legitimately hurt. The shows are performed for more than 300 days per year and every time a wrestler comes out through that curtain, it’s a different story.
There is a lot of hard work put into the business every time a show comes up. Tagging all those efforts as ‘fake’ is the worst thing you could say to a wrestler or a wrestling fan for that matter.
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