Everyone has things in life that they are a bit embarrassed to admit they like. You get those types of people (for example) who will only admit to liking bands that are deeply alternative, critically acclaimed and unheard of by the unwashed masses but you know, somewhere deep in their playlist, they still have a few Coldplay songs that they sing along to when nobody is listening. Well, my Coldplay has always been pro wrestling. There are many reasons why it's embarrassing to admit to liking pro wrestling, one of which is the way people always feel the need to tell you, "It's not real you know." as if they are revealing to you some deep media secret that you have definitely never heard before. In this way, you're treated like a child being told Santa doesn't exist. Here are some of the good things about pro wrestling as well as addressing the often valid claims for it being bad and/or stupid.
Good: nostalgia. As with things like Nintendo, Sega, superhero cartoons and Goosebumps, wrestling is an important part of many peoples childhoods and therefore, will always evoke a strong sense of nostalgia whenever people watch it or read about it. WWE know this and will often bring back wrestlers way past their prime to get a nostalgia pop from the audience. Even though the wrestler you once viewed as a hero might now have sagging pecs and the agility of a newly born giraffe, it still feels good to see them come back now and again. They might now be old but they're still my childhood heroes.
Bad: negative stereotypes. This is probably the most common 'serious' criticism you will see of WWE these days. And it is very valid. In the past especially, female wrestlers were often presented as unintelligent eye-candy and both black wrestlers and foreign wrestlers were too regularly given the comic relief gimmicks. However, there were exceptions to this and things are changing. For example, The Rock was possibly the most popular wrestler of the late 90's and is of Samoan heritage and female wrestlers are now much more valued for their athletic abilities rather than just their looks.
WWE's Lana.Stupid: in 2000, there was a story-line where 77 year-old retired wrestler, Mae Young, gave birth to a rubber hand. Yes, that happened.
Good: multi-media. Wrestling isn't limited to just watching wrestling. You also have a huge number of video games that have been made for it, as a kid who didn't have Sky TV to watch WWE, being able to play 'WWF Smackdown' on the Playstation was a bit of an obsession of mine. There are also the entrance theme songs that are often made or chosen to perfectly showcase and create an atmosphere for the character they are helping to portray. Entering the classroom everyday to the sound of Stone Cold Steve Austin's entrance theme would definitely benefit my teaching, although might be frowned upon by leadership.
Bad: injury and drug abuse. When I was a kid, it wasn't uncommon to see a wrestler get repeatedly hit over the head with a steel chair. Shockingly, it eventually turned out that this wasn't good for their brain. Many wrestlers are now suing WWE for the concussions and brain damage this caused. As well as this, having to maintain a bodybuilder physique whilst living with the physical pain and injury caused by wrestling means that many wrestlers have died young due to addictions to bodybuilding and pain-relieving drugs. However, WWE wrestlers are no longer hit over the head with steel chairs and the WWE's 'wellness policy' is helping to deal with the drug problem.
Stupid: Wrestler 'Max Moon' came to the ring looking like this and it wasn't supposed to be funny.
As stated previously, everyone has embarrassing things they enjoy whether it be listening to Coldplay, wearing Tapout clothing, voting Conservative or watching pro wrestling. On the one hand, you should probably try to live and let live when it comes to other peoples interests. On the other hand, if you like something then you should be able to deal with people having different opinions about it to yourself. Enjoy Wrestlemania tomorrow!
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