When we think of marginalized groups, we don’t envision adult wrestling fans. But, we should. Not because they’re the most vulnerable of populations, but because they’re among the most trivialized and misunderstood. Adult wrestling fans, exuberant about the athleticism, storytelling, snarky commentary and showmanship that accompany most professional wrestling and sports-entertainment broadcasts, are often told that their pastime is for children, “you still watch wrestling?” dissenters often ask.
Even though current mainstream wrestling, like that which is produced by WWE, is aimed at teens and tweens – it hasn’t always been that way though. In fact, at a time, it wasn’t kid-friendly at all – it also appeals to adults, if for no other reason than because, on most days, its highly entertaining. Professional wrestling is a hybrid of theater, circus-culture and sports, yet it’s widely looked at as something to grow out of rather than an indulgence to mature with.
Once you grasp an understanding of how the professional wrestling industry works – the character development, the body sculpting and the insanely brilliant marketing of intellectual properties – it commands a level of respect, or at least it should. Is it staged? Of course it is, but what on television isn’t? For example, reality television, a lucrative genre, is as staged as professional wrestling, which is to say it has its writers, casting, producers and manufactured moments.
But where professional wrestling differs from reality television is that their stars are true athletes; their bodies are greatly at risk from the choreography performed, their words are mostly scripted and the show is often live, leaving little room for error, though it happens, and offering few chances for a second, third or fourth take.
Ironically, adult wrestling fans are most times shamed by individuals who find entertainment in the most mundane of activities, like catching and running with a ball; shooting a ball in a basket; or hitting an approaching ball with a stick. Or, the shame may come from someone who cried when a character on a sitcom or hour-long drama, content that is clearly scripted, was killed, or from an individual who relishes in fight scenes from immature, attention-starved housewives: staged wrestling competitions are more juvenile than “real” fighting between grown women over men, money and shade thrown? Really?
I’m not ashamed to admit that, even though I’m not as fanatic about wrestling as I once was, I’m a fan of the business. I appreciate the creativity, I acknowledge the risk taken to produce it, and I understand what’s real about it, and what’s not.
Professional wrestling isn’t for everyone, but it’s also not exclusively for youth. To understand the average adult wrestling fan, focus less on the staged fighting, which can be pretty damn thorough, and more on the in-depth, sometimes wacky storytelling that leads up to it, and therein you’ll realize the entertainment value.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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