When/how did you realize WWE wrestling was fake?

[newwiseman]

The first time I ever saw the wrestlers run into, then bounce off, the ropes and close line their opponent instead of tackling them. I was probably 5 or 6.

I looked up at my Dad and asked why didn't he tackle that guy? The first time I saw a UFC fighter tackle their opponent then pound his face I knew that was real.

 

[Raven's Nest]

I did actually say that it does cause injury... which means pain is included. But it is caused by mishaps and not by will... the fighting in it self is referred to as fake because the fighting is staged, and most of the moves are choreographer between the two fighters.

Again I will point to MMA, the look on an MMA fighter and a WWE wrestler at the end of a normal match say it all.

Did you even listen to the guy in the video? He talks about how the continuous wear, tear and abuse that is placed on these athletes as they perform modern wrestling moves is what causes the injuries. They undertake training in order to reduce the level of damage that is caused. It cannot be eliminated. Being lifted into the air, turned upside down, dropped on the floor and experiencing no pain would mean a fundamental law of physics has been broken.

Any sport where something goes wrong is going to end up causing pain and injury, that should go without saying.

You keep using that word fighting. Wrestling is not fighting. I have said this several times and you are not listening. Olympic wrestlers are known as athletes. MMA artists are known as combatants, WWE wrestlers are known as entertainers. Their job is to entertain by performing choreographed wrestling moves... The only one calling it fighting is you.

 

[Sassafrass]

Oh Scott Steiner, will you ever not suck?

EDIT: Just so you know, your .gif is from TNA.

Scott Steiner is amazing.
Don't know if you still watch TNA but in a recentish match[footnote]Month or so ago, I think.[/footnote], fans where chanting his name and he was yelling at them to shut up. The man's either a genius or a total tool. Not that I'd call him a tool to his face, mind. >_>

OT: Around about the age of 12, I think. I still watch TNA weekly though, as well as the odd WWE video. Plus some of the gimmicks are quite cool too, although TNA is kinda lacking in any fresh gimmicks or story-lines at the moment. Probably because 50% of TNA's roster is ex-WWE guys, who are in turn either ex-WCW or ECW guys.

 

[omega 616]

Even when I had never seen a real fight, I knew it was as fake Jordan's boobs! At the time I didn't know who Jordan was though.

I mean some guy would have the snot bashed out of him, from all manner of slams, dives, punches, kicks and submissions! Then mid way through all this he somehow musters up the strength to fight back and that previously dicky knee he had been given, now doesn't hurt as he runs across the ring.

When I started watching it was the "attitude era" of WWF, so you had the "technical" people in there like Rick Flair and the heart brothers, who used to "work a body part", you know like dropping down on them to injure it and then apply there finisher, which would be a submission.

So Rick Flair would work the knee, then put on the figure 4 leg lock but half way through the match the other guy did his fight back (like you have to) and after selling his leg was injured for a good 3 or 4 seconds, he was picking Flair up, running round, and knee dropping the stuff out of Flair ... till Flair shut down the offense and started working the knee till he submitted him.

After watching 3 or 4 of these matches, you soon see a pattern emerge! The guy who starts off winning, will lose for a bit, then win the match.

It also seems 9 times out of 10 somebody will interfere with the match and what kind of legit sport would allow outside interference? Don't see UFC fighters running to the cage to hit people with steel chairs!

 

[SadakoMoose]

Hey! Holy Crap, you guys went and had this topic without inviting ME!?
What the hell, escapist!? I thought I was the wrestling guy!

Anyway:
I'd go so far as to even strip away the word "scripted".
Really, depending on exactly who you're talking about, any given match could be called in the ring rather than scripted from the very beginning. Given the time scale that most people are given to get to an event, as well as the schedule that some wrestlers work, it's really not all that practical to pre-plan every single thing like you would with let's say a movie fight scene.
If you talk to anyone that's been wrestling long enough, they'll tell you that they rarely ever had more than just a result to work off of before going out to the ring.
You'd be told: "Your going over Wrestler 1, Pinfall, 15 minutes"
And then it was the wrestler's business to figure out everything else in-between.
Sometimes, you'll even hear legends about guys working whole matches by doing nothing but LOOKING at each other.

 

[SadakoMoose]

I just can't stop myself from posting these things!

 

[ProtoChimp]

When I was about 13 I was in complete denial when my friends, who were fans, said it wasn't real.

After a couple weeks I agreed that the stories were fake but maintained the fighting was totally real, and had a naive (okay stupid) idea that there wasn't a determined winner and that they really did fight, and planned accordingly for whoever won.

By age 15 I started hating wrestling and was so bored with WWE I didn't care at all.

Then when watching Wreslte Wrestle by Le Spoony I realised it was total performance, albeit still a sport.

 

[ProtoChimp]

I just can't stop myself from posting these things!

That was fucking AWESOME!

 

[ProtoChimp]

I'm also going to take the time to shamelessly plug a group I just started about MMA and all types of wreslting. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Wrestling-and-MMA-for-all And I don't think I'm breaking any rules here because we're not getting paid.