Is wrestling "real?"

[Kane Knight]

I hear that snickering there.

:p

Serious question though. People say wrestling's fake, because the outcomes are predetermined. Fair enough, though there is much of wrestling that is real: Injuries, addictions, the people that are affected (Not the retarded fanboys who backyard wrestle, but the friends, family, etc.).

I say this because people don't generally call music acts fake. Though Manson, Kiss, Nine Inch Nails, whoever put on stage personas which do not totally reflect themselves, play predetermined setlists, and so on and so forth.

The characters are largely portrayed, the outcomes are predetermined, but does this qualify as "fake?"

Yes, I'm bored. I want to spark some discussion.

[The Naitch]

Wrestling is fake. And so is this whole Lita/Matt/Edge thing. It's all a swerve, and we'll find out soon enough that LC was behind this

[Xero]

In the immortal words of JR: BAHGAWD HOW DOES SOMEONE LEARN TO FALL OFF A 20 FOOT LADDER!?

Storylines: Fake
Characters: Fake (For the most part)
Some spots/moves: Fake
Most spots/moves: Real

[PureHatred]

People are ignorant pieces of shit who are stuck with the mentality that wrestling is for white trash and the retarded.

Watching wrestling is like watching a serial drama with coreographed fights. If you are trying to say wrestling is "real" in the same way a sport is "real" then, no. The results are predetermined. The workers are athletes.

The only problem I have with the term "fake" is that there is a stigma attached to it. Like you said, movies are fake, TV shows are fake, live theatre is fake...I would say wrestling is "fake" in that sense, and should probably be proud of it.

I'm rambling a little here becuase the term "real" and "fake" are very limited. So this question, as I'm sure you knew ahead of time you S.O.A.B., is loaded. Wrestling is more fake than it is real, but that should in no way take away from the performers' athleticism or from fac that, at its best, wrestling is damned entertaining.

[Rammsteinmad]

Wrestling's not fake. It's scripted.

[PorkSoda]

When people say wrestling is fake, these are usually non wrestling fans, they back up their argument by saying that its scripted and the storylines aren't real. I had this argument with my physics teacher about 2 months ago. He admitted that the wrestling when they slam each other hurts them but the storylines are fake. The people who say wrestling is fake just don't understand the buisness.

I plan on going to wrestling school over the summer. And I'm going to get slammed and its probably going to hurt...I don't know. :)

[SuperSlim]

well on one side of the coin it is fake. You know this is scripted, that is scripted. You do this and you do that.

But then again music performances are also. You do this here and do that here and then this happens.

I mean all it is really is just a live form of entertainment. So I guess now I'm sayin that it isn't fake but indeed real.

[Kane Knight]

People are ignorant pieces of shit who are stuck with the mentality that wrestling is for white trash and the retarded.
It's not?

[NoRoolz]

Storylines - Fake
Outcomes - Fake
Punches - Fake
Moves - Real
Spots - Real
Injuries - Real

That's fine by me, I wouldn't care if it was all fake. Wrestling is sports entertainment - a combination of the two. People call wrestling fake - yet watch soaps - which are FAKER than wrestling.
Meh, I don't care what people think, I like it - I'll watch it.

[M. Banana]

u r all lying!! wrestling r teh so realzors. rofl

[the_rock's_#1_fan]

Some of it's real it's just not as real as back before the turn of the century when it was revived.

[Londoner]

I bet the people who say it's 'fake' cos its scripted like soaps like neighbours n shit. Fucking hypocrits they all are.

[Mayo]

Like that Rammstein guy said in this thread, its not fake, its scripted. Although this may just be a slight twist of wording, fake implies that the wrestlers don't feel pain and that landing off the turnbuckle is not painful at all. These guys work through injuries and even finish matches where they get hurt, so I don't believe it is fake.

[YOUR Hero]

Take nothing away from the work inside the ring and the dangers that it poses. The 'drama', the outcome, are largely predetermined of course. Howver getting from 'point A' to 'point B' is not always as simple as planned.

[Nervous Ferret]

I think the best word to describe it is "staged"

[3:16]

As fake as movies, plays, TV series, soap operas and sitcoms....and people still watch them and BELIEVE them. The next time your girlfriend cries while watching a chick flick, remind her it's fake, let's see what she says...

[redoneja]

Plus, what about the technique that it takes to perform wrestling holds and moves. I've had some basic training in submissions and it is pretty freakin hard to put together a good chain of moves, pull them off right, sell them right, and keep going. It takes good carsiovascular conditioning.

[olympic hitman]

In a word, yes. "Sports-entertainment" is fake. The "in-ring action" is predetermined:

But, the problem I have with calling 'wrestling' "fake" is simple; I think DDP summed it up best in WCW when he asked "how do you fake GRAVITY?!", which is true. Bumps are NOT fake. Although they know they are gonna fall on their backs, the actual mat hitting their back part IS NOT fake.

Same with injuries. Injuries are very real; just ask Jeff Hardy or RVD :lol:

Wrestling is a series of pre-determined spots that consist of very real physicality used to tell a predetermined story.

[TerranRich]

I agree wholeheartedly with you olympic hitman, but have there not been scripted injuries? Like Scotty 2 Hotty's "ankle" injury after Kurt Angle used the ankle lock on him? He was really out with a shoulder injury, but since the WWF told us all that the ankle lock injured him, some fans assumed that Angle botched it and really broke S2H's ankle, hence the immense heat Angle gained from a lot of fans following the incident.

[Londoner]

I agree with ferret, the best word is staged.

[Sadistic]

Wrestling is not fake, it is pre-determined.
But the problem is that people think because it is pre-determined, that means it is fake.
That is certainly not true. If i say 'i'm going to hit you on the head with a steel chair', we both know it will happen, it is pre-determined, but the chair slamming off your head will be real.
People who assume wrestling is fake just because it is pre-determined are ignorant pricks.

[Lamuella]

wrestling is a demonstration sport.

It's a show of ability by two or more performers.

It's "fake" in the sense that you are presented with a conflict where no conflict exists. It's "real" in the sense that you are watching two people exert themselves to put on a display of ability and skill.

It's only fake if Jackass is fake
It's only fake if all plays and movies are fake.

[redoneja]

I don't care if its fake or not, I still love this SPORT

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Wrestling's not fake. It's scripted.

[the_rock's_#1_fan]

I love the sport, but hate "The Game". 'Nuff said.

[Marcyo]

I don't care if its fake or not, I still love this SPORT

:kiss: