Growing up, I was never into professional wrestling. Most of the fans I encountered were about as over-the-top as the superstars themselves were, and frankly, it was a little scary. From my brief experience, watching no more than 60 seconds of a single pay-per-view match, I couldn't understand what the big deal was. To me, it was a blur of flashy, sweaty oiled-up lunks trying to jump off the top ropes to pound each other.
Yeah... Wrestling was weird. That is, until I recently gave it a real second chance. After watching a few episodes, I found myself actually enjoying what I'd seen - and for a person who had spent 30+ years thinking you had to be a STUPID IDIOT to enjoy wrestling, that was a big deal for me!
It was then that I realized that the WWE Universe is made up of three distinctly different types of fans. I discovered that I didn't have to be anything like the superfans from my youth to enjoy wrestling just as much as they do. There was a place for me to fit in this whole time, and I never knew it!
So, without further ado, allow me to introduce the beliefs that separate the three types of professional wrestling fans.
WRESTLING IS 100% REAL.
There is no plan. There is no script. There are no fake hits.
Everything that happens during an event is organic, and real relationships hang in the balance. These superstars are putting their bodies on the line for our entertainment every week. Each match is full of amazing surprises! When a title match is won or lost, it is based on skill; to suggest that a result has been predetermined is akin to heresy.
Wrestling is REAL athletes in FLEXIBLE scenarios.
Since this group contains the largest number of fans, there are a wide range of beliefs, but they can be summarized as follows.
Professional wrestlers are here to put on a good show for our entertainment, and sometimes this means following a script and hitting certain marks. As to the matches themselves, the superstars have a certain amount of freedom, but sometimes the outcomes are fixed points. While some of the things that happen are organic, a portion of the goings on are happening because the powers that be have willed them.
Wrestling is 100% scripted.
And that's not criticism!
Fans who believe that their favorite superstars are performing carefully choreographed and practiced moves against one another every week still enjoy the experience just as much as the other fans do! It's amazing to see these sports entertainers pull off a flawless match without anyone suffering a career-ending injury. That doesn't mean that injuries never happen (I mean, have you seen the damage a kendo stick can do?!) If anything, it's even more impressive that these superstars can not only hit their marks, but make it look convincing enough to impress thousands upon thousands of discerning fans.
So no matter what camp you're in, we can all agree that the WWE Universe has room for everyone, no matter what kind of fan you are! It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're having fun.
