Wrestling

[Mike E]

After a brilliant (in parts) WrestleMania 33, it looks as if the greatest ever has finally decided to retire.

The Undertaker left his character attire (coat, gloves, and hat) in the ring, and broke character for the first time in his 30-career by acknowledging his wife at ringside.

After a few years of injuries and performing only at WrestleMania, I'm quite glad he's giving himself a chance of walking.

'RIP' Deadman!

 

[ABBEY]

you do know this section is for sport ?

 

[davebirch]

pmsl

 

[Mike E]

you do know this section is for sport ?

I didn't know whether it should go here or in Entertainment, it's 'Sports- based Entertainment' but people treat it like a sport :/

 

[davebirch]

Must admit, Mike, back in the day when it was on TV here, it was always on sunday, and almost on every occasion I was hung over, so the channel didn't get changed.
That's my involvement with wrestling.

 

[Vinjay]

Exactly why I brought it up in the Tv thread to avoid this redundant debate.

 

[Alan]

Exactly why I brought it up in the Tv thread to avoid this redundant debate.

No debate. That form of wrestling is staged crap to amuse the easily amused.

 

[Vinjay]

Call it what you want but Mike created this thread primarily to express respect for someone who truly deserves it. Someone whom for the record once suffered second and third degree burns (rather unfortunate pyro mishap) yet still went out and performed. Not to mention an extensive list of injuries throughout his career.

So like I said in the tv thread #ThankYouTaker. Hell of a lot more respect for him (and others in that profession) than something what basically amounts to a bunch of prima donnas kicking a ball around a field.

Certainly been better periods in WWE but its still far superior to a lot of the garbage on Tv. Especially whenever the Undertaker was involved.

Very sad day indeed and certainly not something Mike or myself need to justify mentioning.

 

[Alan]

I'll say it again. It's uncouth, crude, tasteless entertainment for the easily amused. I will never darken my television screen as long as I have control of the remote.

 

[Vinjay]

Try controlling what threads you click on as well. I'm not someone easily amused either.

 

[Drog]

tbh I've never liked wrestling much, even from the days of Mick McManus and Jackie Pallow and I'm certainly no authority on it but I simply can't take it seriously. If they fought like that down town on a Friday night they'd all get a good kicking. This cage fighting is pretty new (it's been invented since I last threw a punch in anger) but of all the martial arts the last ones to tangle with imo are the boxers.

 

[Mike E]

As vinjay said, I intended this to be a bona fide thread for fans of wrestling rather than to debate the merits or otherwise of wrestling itself.

Forget the actual wrestling (at which he was one of the world's best consistently for 20 years). Mark Calaway (Undertaker) made a ridiculous character that should never have been suggested to the writers in the first place (undead magic zombie) a beloved character by millions of people across the world for 25 years.

Imagine a character being performed for at least 30 minutes every week for 25 years and not get stale. Even the greatest Hollywood actors or serial actors can achieve that with characters written for them, let alone a character that is their own creation.

Even wrestling's more mainstream, realistic, popular characters (The Rock, Stone Cold) got stale after 5/6 years even after reinventing themselves.

 

[Mike E]

As for the wrestling debate itself, yes it's predetermined 'sport'. But then you'd have to aim that criticism at every sports-based TV show or film ever made. Wrestling is far more about the character development or story-arc than what happens in the ring.

Wrestling is basically a comic played out on TV, and I really don't understand the criticism it gets re: the 'fight'. Of course it's fake, it's low-brow theatre performed by stuntmen on TV.

Still has more merit than most other stuff on TV (which just shows how much shite is on TV).

 

[Vinjay]

As for the wrestling debate itself, yes it's predetermined 'sport'. But then you'd have to aim that criticism at every sports-based TV show or film ever made. Wrestling is far more about the character development or story-arc than what happens in the ring.

Wrestling is basically a comic played out on TV, and I really don't understand the criticism it gets re: the 'fight'. Of course it's fake, it's low-brow theatre performed by stuntmen on TV.

Still has more merit than most other stuff on TV (which just shows how much shite is on TV).

Its 2017 and people are still making this argument. Its clear that some people think wrestling fans are thickos who don't realise its not real. That's nonsense and so is the theory some have that adults don't watch it. Raw has more viewers who are adults (in the US obviously in the UK live shows have more adults viewing) and really throughout history wrestling was geared more towards adults. As for "fake" people won't ever respect it no matter how much evidence is out there. In almost any other industry nobody would perform after being burned. Undertaker did and never complained (well ok he did shout at people backstage afterwards lol but who could blame him?) because he's the absolute symbol of professionalism.

Yes Al people can have an opinion (referring to the "threatening" PM you sent me lol) but is there anything more tiresomely redundant than pointing out professional wrestling is staged? If you look up redundant in the dictionary it should have a picture of someone pointing out pro wrestling is staged next to it. If I had started this thread would have made sure to mention that because you just know someone is going to make that comment. Is it lowbrow entertainment? Sometimes but in many instances that can be entertaining and wrestling works better when its not politically correct. Unfortunately WWE has become more corporate and PC like many other things. Don't like lowbrow all the time (I don't like simplistic evil foreigner storylines for the most part though Muhammad Hassan's character was outstanding AND contemporary) but even if you don't like the stories or characters what they do in the ring takes tremendous skill. I don't like a lot of the flippy, floppy cruiserweight stuff (and I prefer shorter matches on non PPV shows) but can see it takes athletic talent. Undertaker was a tremendous athlete for someone his size.

 

[ABBEY]

As for the wrestling debate itself, yes it's predetermined 'sport'. But then you'd have to aim that criticism at every sports-based TV show or film ever made. Wrestling is far more about the character development or story-arc than what happens in the ring.

Wrestling is basically a comic played out on TV, and I really don't understand the criticism it gets re: the 'fight'. Of course it's fake, it's low-brow theatre performed by stuntmen on TV.

Still has more merit than most other stuff on TV (which just shows how much shite is on TV).

ER NO ITS NOT .
REAL WRESTLING IS AN OLYMPIC SPORT !!!!
http://www.britishwrestling.org/

 

[Vinjay]

ER NO ITS NOT .
REAL WRESTLING IS AN OLYMPIC SPORT !!!!
http://www.britishwrestling.org/

Glad you noted my distinction between the 2 lol.

Kurt Angle resented pro wrestling when he was growing up so its correct that amateur wrestlers felt resentment. Angle had never watched it but changed his mind when he did. Part of the resentment was down to pro wrestlers claiming it was real but that stopped in the 80's. Even in the 70's and prior most fans knew it wasn't real though pro wrestling itself did evolve from various forms of what would be classed as "real wrestling". If you look at early pro wrestling you can see its slow and far more mat/hold based. It became blatantly staged and increasingly based on showmanship due to real wrestling being boring.

Angle would tell you himself how hard pro wrestling is and even puts his pro wrestling achievements up there with his gold medal. Its true that he made the transition quickly considering he had no experience (and had only just started watching it) but that's purely down to what an athletic marvel he is. Yeah there's still some fat, lumbering types around (I've never liked the old "world of sport" stuff for the record as it was boring plus Big Daddy was the ultimate symbol of fat and lumbering) but Angle certainly isn't one of those.

 

[Mike E]

ER NO ITS NOT .
REAL WRESTLING IS AN OLYMPIC SPORT !!!!
http://www.britishwrestling.org/

Come on Abs, you know I mean WWE/ROH/NJPW/LU type wrestling rather than the traditional competitive sport. Amateur wrestling is competitive on the mat.

Professional wrestling is competitive in showmanship, acting and character development, as well as having its roots in amateur wrestling. As Vinjsy said, it became more outlandish to retain viewership.

I view amateur wrestling as being like ballroom dancing, whereas professional wrestling is like Strictly.

 

[Alan]

Its 2017 and people are still making this argument. Its clear that some people think wrestling fans are thickos who don't realise its not real. That's nonsense and so is the theory some have that adults don't watch it. Raw has more viewers who are adults (in the US obviously in the UK live shows have more adults viewing) and really throughout history wrestling was geared more towards adults. As for "fake" people won't ever respect it no matter how much evidence is out there. In almost any other industry nobody would perform after being burned. Undertaker did and never complained (well ok he did shout at people backstage afterwards lol but who could blame him?) because he's the absolute symbol of professionalism.

Yes Al people can have an opinion (referring to the "threatening" PM you sent me lol) but is there anything more tiresomely redundant than pointing out professional wrestling is staged? If you look up redundant in the dictionary it should have a picture of someone pointing out pro wrestling is staged next to it. If I had started this thread would have made sure to mention that because you just know someone is going to make that comment. Is it lowbrow entertainment? Sometimes but in many instances that can be entertaining and wrestling works better when its not politically correct. Unfortunately WWE has become more corporate and PC like many other things. Don't like lowbrow all the time (I don't like simplistic evil foreigner storylines for the most part though Muhammad Hassan's character was outstanding AND contemporary) but even if you don't like the stories or characters what they do in the ring takes tremendous skill. I don't like a lot of the flippy, floppy cruiserweight stuff (and I prefer shorter matches on non PPV shows) but can see it takes athletic talent. Undertaker was a tremendous athlete for someone his size.

PM's are meant to be private Vinjay. I think I said that I didn't mind you having a different opinion and the "threat" amounted to telling you to be careful what you post. Please don't push it.