The Ripple Effect 4.20.07: Why Wrestling?
Posted by Zac Calhoun on 04.20.2007
After two of the absolute worst weeks of my life, the RE is back with a vengeance. This week we drop all the bullshit and get down to one of the key questions for people like us: why do we watch wrestling?
The last couple of weeks…have not been good to me.
When I made my not-so-triumphant return from the national speech tournament last Tuesday (the reason for no column last week), I walked into my apartment and was surprised to find a note taped to my bedroom door. The heading on the note: Eviction Notice.
Without going into too much detail, something was in my apartment that shouldn't have been in my apartment (unbeknownst to me), and my roommates and I were very promptly kicked out of our place, with only twenty-four hours to have all our shit gone. To say this event fucked my shit up would be the understatement of the year. Between catching up on the week of classes I'd just missed and moving ALL of my stuff pretty much by myself, some things just started to fade into the background. Case in point, it took me a whole two days to even remember I was a wrestling columnist.
So imagine the hesitance in my heart when it came time to fulfill my responsibilities to this site and contribute the next edition of the RE. To be honest with you guys, nothing seemed less important. The fact that I wrote speculative/commemorative weekly columns centered around muscular guys having a scripted fight wasn't as motivational as it was the week before. Chatting with cops and having to shack up with friends will do that to you I guess.
What does this have to do with wrestling? Well, three days after everything had subsided, I was channel surfing and came across Friday Night SmackDown on the CW. With all the nationals preparation in mind, I had hardly gotten a chance to watch the blue brand recently and was very excited to find something familiar to sink my teeth into. It wasn't the greatest wrestling show of all time (or of the week for that matter), but when I saw that retro video intro they've been showing for the past year or so, I felt this overwhelming sense of comfort, a notion that as long as I could watch wrestling, things would never be too far from normal.
This whole situation has thrown me into a huge existential crisis and has caused me to question everything, including wrestling's newly increased role in my life as a result of my position here. So I'd like tackle a special topic this week, one that fans ponder every time they tell an outside they're into this shit: WHY WRESTLING? Why the hell do we get such an overpowering, obsession-inducing kick out of such a trivial form of entertainment? And how the fuck do people become so knowledgeable and passionate about it they devote their time and energy to discussing it in cyberspace, knowing full well that our opinions aren't going to change a damn thing?
To tell the truth, I'm pretty curious myself.
Maybe it's because wrestling has always been portrayed as "larger than life." Promotions go out of their way to making their stars look positively superhuman, with heroic babyface comebacks and dastardly heel attacks being popular booking choices since the sport's beginnings. Because the fighting isn't "real", and performers can control the ebb and flow of the fight, you're free to pump up the drama at your will and make every match an exciting one (in theory). Sure, the MMA's may be more legit and brutal, but I just can't get into those fights. I love the fact that the everything is scripted, and I also appreciate the positive effects that has on the health of the wrestlers. To be certain, there's something the way wrestling presents itself that makes the audience truly believe these scripted fights are important.
Or maybe it's because we as wrestling fans are holding on to a nice part of our respective childhoods, seeing wrestling as a way to maintain our youth. Think about it: how many of us out there became fans after the age of about fifteen? I'm guessing not many. The mere concept of pro wrestling does seem pretty stupid when assuming the perspective of a forty-year-old who's never been exposed to the business. For the most part, wrestling fans who are adults were wrestling fans when they were kids. After all, it's easier to suspend disbelief when you're young and untainted by this cynical bastard of a world. I would argue that a lot of fans are simply used to buying the ridiculousness of the whole thing and don't let things like logic ruin their experience.
And then there's those "moments" we always hear WWE telling us about. Nowadays more than ever, promotions are not only shooting to put on a good match but give the fans something by which to remember the performers, that one picture they take with them when the bright lights are turned off. I won't make an obligatory list of great moments (I'm sure you've all got yours in mind), but to be sure many careers have lived and died based on one event that set the tone for the character. Hell, we just finished up WrestleMania week, and no PPV puts a greater emphasis on producing moments than WWE's flagship show. It's no wonder why; in the fans' eyes, the thrill of those brief periods when everything seems to go right cannot be understated .
Now while all of these are invaluable for maintaining a loyal fan base, I don't think they quite get it done by themselves. A big bunch of childhood memories…is just that and isn't enough to keep a person watching year after year. And in this writer's humble opinion, the source of loyalty like that is simple unadulterated faith.
What I realized when I was feeling two inches tall last week, accidentally tuning into SmackDown, was this: I keep watching because I know no matter how bad it gets, it'll be better one day. Okay, this might sound a little Maya Angelou, but it's the fucking truth. Wrestling has always given fans a product we can rely on and, at the very least, something to look forward to. For example…
I know that every WWE show I attend will have some awesome pyro, lights and entrances, even if the wrestling kind of sucks.
I know that as long as JR's face doesn't completely cave in, his voice will open every major show until he sees fit for that to change.
I know that our WWE Champion John Cena will work his ever-loving ass off to entertain the crowds, regardless of who decides to chat "You Suck" at him.
I know that wrestling has its own specific laws of physics and logic (including but not limited to the "ref bump of death" and the awesomely destructive force of a fifty-year-old's legdrop), and I respect them.
I know the Divas will always be smoking hot.
I know that guys like Edge, Chris Benoit, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Dave Finlay, A.J. Styles and Christian Cage will continue to represent the business with respect and honor.
I know that even though the Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and Survivor Series may suck once in a while, WrestleMania will always rule!
So why am I a wrestling fan? Probably most of the same reasons we're all fans. The pomp and circumstance, the makeup, the promos, the sweat, the blood, the boobs, the submissions, the pinfalls, the beatdowns and the triumphs…all of it adds up to a phenomenon that twenty-year-old guys everywhere are finding hard to give up, including this one.
