You know, when I was younger, I thought wrestling was as real as anything. Folks down the street used to talk about it all the time, how them big guys in the ring would throw each other around like sacks of potatoes. I remember my old man sittin’ in his rocking chair, watching the TV, and shoutin’ at the screen like he was right there in the ring with ‘em. But as I got older, I started to notice somethin’. Wrestling ain’t all it seems. And I ain’t talkin’ about them fancy Olympic wrestlers you might see, like in the Greco-Roman stuff. Nah, I mean the wrestling you see on TV, with all them big ol’ characters in WWE and places like AEW. Now that’s a whole different ball game, ain’t it?
People always ask me, “Is wrestling fake?” Well, let me tell ya. It’s a tough question to answer, but it ain’t exactly what you might think. When I was younger, I used to think them punches and body slams were real, and them fellas gettin’ hurt—well, I thought that was real too. But, honey, turns out it ain’t as simple as all that.
See, a lot of folks don’t know this, but professional wrestling, like what you see on TV with WWE or AEW, it’s scripted. That means the winners, the storylines, the feuds—well, they’re all planned out. Ain’t no real fightin’ goin’ on. Them wrestlers, they ain’t really tryin’ to hurt each other. But don’t go thinkin’ they ain’t workin’ hard. Oh, they are! They get thrown, slammed, jumped on, kicked, and more. And it sure does look real to someone like me or you sittin’ at home on the couch watchin’ it. But when you get up close, and if you can hear them wrestlers talkin’ to each other, you’d know they’ve got it all worked out beforehand.
I remember the first time I figured out it wasn’t all real. I was sittin’ there with my grandkids, watchin’ them wrestlers toss each other around, and one of ’em—well, he stopped in the middle of the match and whispered something to the other one! I was shocked! I thought, “Wait a minute, they’re not really hurtin’ each other like I thought?” It was like a light bulb went off in my head. It wasn’t real, but it sure was entertaining, I’ll tell ya that!
Now, some folks—well, they just don’t want to accept it. They call it “kayfabe.” That’s a funny word, ain’t it? But it means that all the drama, the rivalries, the whole competition? It’s all a show. They pretend like it’s real, like they really hate each other and like they’re actually fightin’ to the death or somethin’. But it’s all made up. A big ol’ story that everyone agrees to play along with.
Some people get upset when they find out it ain’t real. I heard one fella say, “Well, it’s all fake! The punches don’t even hurt!” But you know what? That’s when I tell ‘em, “Honey, it might not be real in the way you think, but those wrestlers? They’re real people, and they’re workin’ real hard to entertain ya.” The moves they do? They’re all choreographed, but it takes a whole lot of skill to make it look like they’re actually hurtin’ each other. They ain’t just playin’ around; they’re putting on a show. And for some folks, that’s enough.
And don’t get me started on the crowds. Them fans, bless their hearts, they get so wrapped up in the action. They cheer, they boo, they shout at the TV like they’re in the arena. And let me tell ya, that energy is contagious. You can’t help but get caught up in it, even if you know it’s all scripted. There’s somethin’ about it that just draws you in.
Now, I’ll admit, when I was younger, I thought all them wrestlers were just fightin’ for glory, to prove who’s the best. But over the years, I’ve come to realize it’s more than that. It’s about tellin’ stories. It’s about larger-than-life characters, each one with their own little saga. You’ve got the good guys, the bad guys, the underdogs, and the champions. It’s a drama, a soap opera with slammin’ moves and high-flying action. And if you ask me, that’s what makes it so fun to watch!
So, when folks ask me if wrestling is fake, I tell ’em this: It’s fake in the way that it ain’t real fights, but it’s real in the sense that the wrestlers are real people, they’re really out there puttin’ on a show. It’s like watchin’ a play with punches, or a stunt show with a bit of storytelling mixed in. You can’t forget that, even though it’s scripted, those wrestlers still gotta train like crazy and put their bodies through a whole lotta pain to make it all look believable.
In the end, whether you think it’s real or fake, one thing’s for sure—it sure is entertaining. And that’s what keeps people comin’ back for more. Ain’t that what really matters in the end?
Tags：[Wrestling, Fake, WWE, AEW, Professional Wrestling, Kayfabe, Entertainment, Wrestling Fans, Storytelling, Fake or Real]
