Pro Wrestling Essay -- Wrestling Sports Entertainment Essays

Pro grapplingBret Hart Wrestling with Shadows Written and Produced by Biography Special interview 15 December, 1997Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling Narr. Steve Allen Written and Produced by A&E Special Documentary A&E smart York, New York 1 March, 1998WCW/nWo Sting Unmasked Narr. Toni Shiavone Written by Eric Bischoff, Produced by Turner Broadcasting Co. Special Interview, Turner Entertainment Atlanta, Georgia 5 May 1998Nagurski, B. Professional Wrestling Microsoft Encarta 99 (Electronic Version). Copyright INSO Corp. 1993-1998 PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING SPORT OR ENTERTAINMENT?I. Introduction Do you smell what the Rock is cookin? shouts The Rock. This is the new crudeface of master copy wrestling. But it wasnt always like this. Havent you ever wonderedabout the real history of pro wrestling, not the history of what happened last week onRaw or Nitro? People either watch it or dont, or some watch it and dont a dmit it. Inany case, what is it really? Some call it a controlled riot with commercial breaks, amelodrama of mayhem, or a brawl with a referee. Whatever you call it, its an old form ofentertainment with plenty of ups and downs, but recently, it has become a part ofmainstream America. II. The Early Years Wrestling is as old as homosexual history. It has always been apply for dominance orcompetition. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Arabs all were great grappling hooks. Platos name literally means broad-shouldered, and he wrestled in his early days. The Irishused it as a way to settle differences. In fact, it was Irish immigrants living in Vermontwho brought the sport to America. Because of this, Vermont would produce the bestwrestling talent for the next 50 years. Presidents like Washington, Taft, and Coolidgewere all rasslers, and Abraham Lincoln was very much a professional wrestler. Professional wrestling began when veterans from the Civil War used the skills theyhad picked up in gang to grapple for money. Wrestling in the late 1890s was a verysuccessful international sporting event. It was the most popular spectator sport in theUnited States. It was proben as more scientific than boxing, and football and basketballhadnt appeared on the national level. The use of magaz... ...im. Nevertheless, they are thereason their chiropractors are so successful. (A&E, Unreal) So why do over 5 million people tune in to watch wrestling in a week? Becausethey want to see the dramatic reenactment of rituals, like belonging to a group that reflectswho you are, like the nWo, The Corporation, The Four Horsemen, or Ministry, and thesign language that goes along with it, of course. Its a soap opera, and scarcely like one, issuesare never resolved, or new ones develop.(Dr. Gerald W. Morton, Wrestling to RasslinV. Conclusion Is wrestling fake? Well if we look at it as fake, we are discernment it for tryingto be something that it wasnt intended to be. It is drama. So is Shakespeare. Would wecall his work fake? No, because that word is irrelevant. It is said that a society can bejudged by how it entertains itself. At least we arent throwing Christians to the lions, andwhen we celebrate violence, it isnt real. Professional wrestling is only as real as theimagination allows. The father of professional wrestler Jeff Jarrett once said, For thosewho believe, no explanation is needed. For those who dont, no explanation would do.