I was a huge wrestling (or rasslin') fan as a kid. My family used to go to Tulsa and watch matches featuring some of the great Southern wrestlers: "Cowboy" Bill Watts, Danny Hodge, The Spoiler and of course, Chief Wahoo McDaniels. Anytime wrestling was on TV, you could sure my grandmother and great-grandmother had the TV tuned in. I grew up on a steady stream of NWA/WCW wrestling matches. Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., Junkyard Dog, The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff and my favorites, The Four Horsemen. I thought it was real. The Horsemen beat anyone who got into their way. Following them into the parking lot, beating them and leaving them bloody. Ric Flair was the pretty boy. The dashing ladies' man, stylin' and profilin' all over the place and at his side, one of the greats, Double A, Arn Anderson. The Enforcer. Not the biggest, not the strongest, but smart and tough. Rounding out the Horsemen, were Tully Blanchard and a revolving fourth member after Ole Anderson left the group. I remember Tully Blanchard feuding with Magnum T.A.. Things got brutal. Magnum would get split open and the injury looked ten times worse because of his incredible blonde mullet.
"Wrestling is fake, you know that right?" I would constantly hear this from random people as I was talking about wrestling to friends. I had grown up and knew wrestling was scripted, but I also learned that a lot of the injuries were not faked. These guys worked insane schedules, from state to state, with very little time off. If you got hurt and couldn't wrestler, you didn't get paid. Some had to constantly pop pain pills just to get out of bed. Some became bad alcoholics to numb the pain of their job. And what is that job? Entertaining us. Giving us a couple hours a week away from all the awful shit going on in the world. They create epic stories of good vs bad, where the good guy almost always wins. He may get beaten down several times, but eventually he beats the bad guys. They do this for us. Sure the top guys get paid pretty well, but they also destroy there bodies performing for us. That is pretty awesome. Oh, and the "crimson mask"?, that is not fake blood. That is the result of taking a small razor blade, jabbing it into your forehead until you hit bone, and making a little slice. Did they actually get busted open when they got thrown into the turnbuckle? No, but does that make it fake?
I don't know why people have to point out wrestling is fake. I think 99% percent of fans know it is scripted, and they don't care. It is no different than watching your favorite TV show. They are all scripted. And your favorite reality shows? Scripted. I would have to say wrestling is far more real than most reality shows, it is just little less over the top.
It is hard to explain the joy you get, watching a great match. When both sides are on their mark and hitting every move and counter, it is a beautiful thing. Like a great fight scene from a movie, except this is done in one take, with way less rehearsal time. When you think your favorite is about to get pinned, only to have him kick out before the three count is a great feeling. Listening to the crowd of thousands cheering and booing, gasping and chanting really gets your blood pumping. If you haven't experienced that, give it a shot sometime. You would be surprised how good of actors some of these guys are. They are a weird mixture of athelete, choreographer and improv actor rolled into one larger than life character.
Yes, wrestling is scripted, but the injuries can be very real, as can some of the fighting. The is no more shame in watching wrestling as their is in watching The Vampire Diaries or Survivor. It is all just escapism. Sit back, relax and have fun.
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