Attitude Adjustment - My thoughts on Pro-Wrestling

It's ironic how real wrestling, the one that happens during the Olympics, is called "amateur wrestling", whereas, the supposedly "fake" wrestling that you find on TV channels is called "professional wrestling".

Some people might feel offended by that statement, especially at that part where I mentioned it to be "fake". Don't get me wrong, I love "pro-wrestling" as much your average teenage kid going through raging hormones. But is it right to call it "fake" just because the stunts are choreographed and the outcomes are pre-determined?

I mean, the ring is tangible, the wrestlers brawling inside are tangible, the crowd is tangible...so why is it fake? Ask this question to those who don't appreciate/loathe pro-wrestling and they might give you these answers albeit with some slight variations:

The brawling is not real.
Okay, it is not.

The wrestlers who beat the ever-living crap out of each other are actually friends in real life.
Okay, they are.

Everything is an act.
Okay, that is acting. So?

I mean, these people are okay with Bruce Lee kicking the crap out of Robert Wall, but not okay with Brock Lesnar slamming The Rock?

They are okay with T-Rex eating people sitting in the loo but not okay with The Undertaker rising from the dead? 

                                                          See where I am getting at?

Pro-wrestling might be choreographed but the blood,the pain and the sweat that these wrestlers go through is very real. There is nothing fake about a skinny dude picking up a fat dude and throwing him on the mat (I feel a little stupid writing this sentence for all the "sensible" adults reading this since most of the accusations of wrestling being fake actually does come from adults). Though choreographed, these fights are not always safe. In fact, they do a lot of damage if the stunts aren't performed with extreme caution. These wrestlers always take care of their "opponents" more than they take care of themselves inside the ring, so as to not cause any loss of life due to injury. For instance, Steve Austin, one of my favorite wrestlers' wrestling career ended due to a botch by Owen Hart. Many wrestlers have died in-ring due to mistakes by their opponents. So, not everything is fake.

There was a thing called "The Attitude Era" on WWE where anything and everything goes, meaning, wrestlers can hit or get hit by anything and everything for the sake of audience's pleasure. During this time, the wrestling mats were almost always filled with blood, pain and suffering, all for the sake of our entertainment (we are one sick race of people!). Though I enjoyed it as a kid, I now realize that the "PG era" (where there won't be any bloody violence) is for the betterment for these wrestlers and the pro-wrestling community as a whole. Mick foley is one such wrestler who can go to any length to make the match interesting (Undertaker vs Mankind, Hell in a Cell match 1998 - I kid you not!).

Then there were these dreaded matches called "Death-matches" of which I am definitely not going to talk about since just the mention of this just sent chills down my spine. Youtube it under your own discretion. Below is an image of a death-match. Mind you, not for the faint of heart! 

So, the next time somebody laughs at you  for watching PW, show that image to them and after they are convinced, Chokeslam them to the ground!
 

P.S. There is a movie called 'The Wrestler' starring Mickey Rourke. Watch it and you will see what I am talking about.