Ask a pro wrestling fan anything you want.

[Atmos Duality]

You obviously know by now that it's all fixed, why do you keep watching?

Not watching wrestling because it's scripted is like not watching movies for the same reason.

Eh...yeah that's true on paper.

But in practice..well..

My problem is that a show isn't entertaining when you can call play-by-play accounts of the story weeks before it happens. Without intrigue there's no real reason to care about what's going to happen next.
In a "normal" show/movie, good/interesting characters with personality can salvage that, and indeed become the main draw (for example: this is the working theory behind nearly ALL sitcoms; the audience knows that the 'Status Quo' must be re-established by the episode's end, so there's usually no real tension, yet people tune in anyway because they want to see the characters).

But that requires good acting, and this is pro wrestling.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

What, exactly, is the appeal?

Every time I've tried watching it I've spent about 2 minutes with my mouth hanging slightly open and my eyes slightly squinted with my mind reeling, "This is so...stilted. This is so...goofy. How can anyone take this seriously enough to even find it entertaining, much less be invested in it?" Then I change the channel. If someone else is in the room, we make snarky remarks about how ridiculous it all is.

Harsh, I know, but it's how I feel.

To me, it inhabits some strange middle ground between a stage play and gladiatorial combat, but with none of the appeal of either. In a play, the audience involvement is in the tension of wondering what's going to happen with the plot or the characters and watching an involved story unfold; in a wrestling match the plot is always "talk big, staged fight, talk big, staged fight, declare champions, lather/rinse/repeat" and the characters all cut from the same "I'm a tough guy" cloth, so the "story" hardly holds anything worthwhile for me. In a true combative competition, the appeal lies in seeing athletic skill played out organically and the tension is found in wondering who is going to triumph (such the nature of any true sport); in pro wrestling, it's not skill but script that determines "victory," undermining the essence of competition and robbing any tension from me.

So, I return to my original query... What is the appeal? If I tune in, what about it is supposed to entertain me?

 

[metal eslaved]

I found wrestling entertaining for a good two decades, but I began to get bothered by a couple of things that have arisen and I stopped watching.

The misogyny and I am not talking about hot babes showing off their bods but when those babes are told to bark like a dog on command. I recall Vince MchMahon doing this to Trish Stratus (or maybe it was someone) and being pretty disgusted by it.

What's your opinion about Vince McMahon treatment of his wrestler's, particularly the Ultimate
Warrior and Brett Hart. I know the Warrior was difficult but did he actually deserve a direct to video movie that was nothing but a smear job?

Okay Misogyny first: Vince McMahon find that bark like a dog thing entertaining (if i remember correctly that was in the middle of the attitude era) and that means he was going to entertain the public, what many people in the business says about Vince is that if he finds something entertainment he is going to use it,no good, no evil, no personal believe, just entertainment for the sake of entertain the fans.

About the treatment of wrestlers: ultimate warrior did no deserve that movie( The self destruction of the ultimate warrior if i remember correctly) ,that shows how much of a asshole Vince McMahon can be if something is personal.

Bret hart: He deserve the Montreal screw job, why? because he denied to drop the bell(lose the WWF championship)to Shawn it doesn't matter how you are, if they say to you have drop the bell, you have to drop that bell to anybody.

 

[metal eslaved]

How's the Undertaker doing?
It's been years since I watched WWE.

He comes a couple of months before Wrestlemania to defend the streak, and then after wrestlemania is over he disappears again.

 

[mikeybuthge]

I found wrestling entertaining for a good two decades, but I began to get bothered by a couple of things that have arisen and I stopped watching.

The misogyny and I am not talking about hot babes showing off their bods but when those babes are told to bark like a dog on command. I recall Vince MchMahon doing this to Trish Stratus (or maybe it was someone) and being pretty disgusted by it.

What's your opinion about Vince McMahon treatment of his wrestler's, particularly the Ultimate
Warrior and Brett Hart. I know the Warrior was difficult but did he actually deserve a direct to video movie that was nothing but a smear job?

Okay Misogyny first: Vince McMahon find that bark like a dog thing entertaining (if i remember correctly that was in the middle of the attitude era) and that means he was going to entertain the public, what many people in the business says about Vince is that if he finds something entertainment he is going to use it,no good, no evil, no personal believe, just entertainment for the sake of entertain the fans.

About the treatment of wrestlers: ultimate warrior did no deserve that movie( The self destruction of the ultimate warrior if i remember correctly) ,that shows how much of a asshole Vince McMahon can be if something is personal.

Bret hart: He deserve the Montreal screw job, why? because he denied to drop the bell(lose the WWF championship)to Shawn it doesn't matter how you are, if they say to you have drop the bell, you have to drop that bell to anybody.

I think that the fallout of the Montreal Screw Job was ultimately for the better (WWE winning the ratings war), but being Canadian, it bothered me how it happened to Bret, if you watch it, Shawn didn't like it either, I think there were other ways to go about it, whether or not you're asked to drop the belt to someone, especially if it's your last show, in the company you helped build, in the country you're from, and against someone who stands against everything you were taught. As for the Ultimate Warrior, both sides were assholes

 

[metal eslaved]

What, exactly, is the appeal?

Every time I've tried watching it I've spent about 2 minutes with my mouth hanging slightly open and my eyes slightly squinted with my mind reeling, "This is so...stilted. This is so...goofy. How can anyone take this seriously enough to even find it entertaining, much less be invested in it?" Then I change the channel. If someone else is in the room, we make snarky remarks about how ridiculous it all is.

Harsh, I know, but it's how I feel.

To me, it inhabits some strange middle ground between a stage play and gladiatorial combat, but with none of the appeal of either. In a play, the audience involvement is in the tension of wondering what's going to happen with the plot or the characters and watching an involved story unfold; in a wrestling match the plot is always "talk big, staged fight, talk big, staged fight, declare champions, lather/rinse/repeat" and the characters all cut from the same "I'm a tough guy" cloth, so the "story" hardly holds anything worthwhile for me. In a true combative competition, the appeal lies in seeing athletic skill played out organically and the tension is found in wondering who is going to triumph (such the nature of any true sport); in pro wrestling, it's not skill but script that determines "victory," undermining the essence of competition and robbing any tension from me.

So, I return to my original query... What is the appeal? If I tune in, what about it is supposed to entertain me?

You don't know how is going to win it doesn't matter if is scripted, you still don't know how is going to win the match, until one is declared the winner, the characters are very different from the I'm a tough guy" cloth the problem is that like you said if you can't stay watching more that 2 minutes of course you are not going to see the different characters pro wrestling has to offer.

And in the end what the appeal? see guys telling a history in the ring with their bodies and outside the ring with their mouths is that simple, and if you don't like that, then is not for you.

 

[metal eslaved]

You obviously know by now that it's all fixed, why do you keep watching?

Because is fun, is that simple, i see great feats of athleticism and sometimes amazing things that you can't see anywhere else, and is all for entertainment.

 

[phatty500]

do you purchase the pay per views. if not do you stream or pirate them, buy them on dvd or simply not watch the at all.

 

[tthor]

Why?

..Just, whyyy?

Seriously, why????

..I guess to me, pro wrestling just kinda seems like male-redneck version of soap operas, (no offense,), so i don't really get the appeal. If its for the athleticism, why not watch UFC? If its for the acting, why not watch.. anything else? If its for the storyline/drama, why not watch.. well, ANYthing else??

 

[phatty500]

Why?

..Just, whyyy?

Seriously, why????

..I guess to me, pro wrestling just kinda seems like male-redneck version of soap operas, (no offense,), so i don't really get the appeal. If its for the athleticism, why not watch UFC? If its for the acting, why not watch.. anything else? If its for the storyline/drama, why not watch.. well, ANYthing else??

as a wrestling fan myself i watch it primarily for the athleticism. I mean with wrestling i can watch an on average ten minute match with impressive choreography and feats of strength. With Mixed Martial Arts i find i only ever get to watch either 20 seconds of two guys punching each other in the face or if im lucky 20 seconds of guys punching each other in the face followed by four and a half minutes of one man laying on top of another.