What Do Adults See In WWE?

Zak Flaps

I assume they know it's fake....so what's the appeal?

Potential-Monke

Temporary removal from the shyte that is life? They still have a sense of imagination? They just simply find it entertaining?

I think the better question is what do adults see in soccer.

So answer is: it's subjective.

smck321

Maybe they like the homoeroticism, who are you to judge.

Mellor

What Do Adults See In Coronation st? I assume they know it's fake....so what's the appeal?


You do realise that most popular TV shows are fake. It's entertainment, that's all.

IAMAMORON

Hulk Hogan is irreplaceable and Andre the Giant was a not a real Heel.

And that alot of them die early from steroid abuse, which is a pity.

Zak Flaps

Mellor wrote: »

What Do Adults See In Coronation st? I assume they know it's fake....so what's the appeal?


You do realise that most popular TV shows are fake. It's entertainment, that's all.

I'm pretty sure Coronation St is aimed at adults, and WWE is aimed at kids. So why would they be interested in a kids show?

Man with broke phone

Its fun. Especially the cartoon bad guys. The off the cuff interviews and crowd reactions. Its not about who you think is the best fighter most of the time but you just want your guy to win because he is a buzz.

You need to be physically fit, athletic and look the part, you cant just get off the couch and pretend to punch people. Some of the biggest lads, Otis from heavy machinary at the moment can move like acrobats.

I dont particularly watch it anymore unless the kids have it on and I get sucked in. Last few pay per views I watched have been very good.

I enjoy it more than two lads rolling around on the floor in their jocks trying to out grind each other but I still watch UFC.

When John Cena, or whatever generations face, manages to convince you that this time its different, this time he hasnt got what it takes, this time the bad guy is just too strong, then with the power of self belief or the power of his fans or the power of being punched three straight times in a row in the face, turns the match on its head and keeps the title.

Magic.

bassy

hot women

Potential-Monke

There'll never be anyone better than the Ultimate Warrior though...

emo72

Big daddy and giant haystacks. Now they were athletes at the top of their profession. Getting in shape like those lads wasn't easy back then.

Tired Gardener

Never enjoyed it, but an old friend of mine did. He explained to me that as an adult he knew it was fake, but in knowing that it adds a different level to the experience of watching it.

The wrestlers are essentially very physical actors who display a very well rehearsed dance, which has a lot of danger and physical demand.

Personally I still think it is crap, but each to their own.

kowloon

They ruined it when they changed the name.

Raffo69

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I'm pretty sure Coronation St is aimed at adults, and WWE is aimed at kids. So why would they be interested in a kids show?

I don't watch it but to think it's solely aimed at kids is naive. They've a broad audience including men, women and kids.

PTH2009

its entertainment just like all the TV shows/films/plays etc. It's also a great live show and would be as similar to going too watch a concert or play.

I know its fake and when you see it live you see why its choreographed. One mistake and you or your opponent could be seriously injured. Training is very very hard. One thing wrestlers have to do is learning how get away from normal instinct and too fall on your back when struck instead of the going face down etc

Grew up watching it and never stopped and prob never will . Some just grow out of it and some don't

Man with broke phone

Amazing as well that people watch reality tv even though they know its not real. Its just people doing what the producers tell them, then doing a vt about them doing what the producers told them.

Then having an interview with some davina type about doing what the producer told them. Then having a row with your new boyfriend in pictures with prodyct placement. Then buying an engagement ring with your boyfriend in pictures with product placement. Then splitting up with your boyfriend in pictures with product placement.

Zak Flaps

Raffo69 wrote: »

I don't watch it but to think it's solely aimed at kids is naive. They've a broad audience including men, women and kids.

I know it has a broad audience, but just trying to figure out what adults like about it. I'm not saying it's sh1t or anything, just curious that's all.

One eyed Jack

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I assume they know it's fake....so what's the appeal?

Seems like a bit of craic is all, like their favourite soccer team or whatever.

Rothko

It's just another form of entertainment. It's not really all that different from a soap opera.

.anon.

Even as a child, I despised it. Not because it's fake, but because it's too American for my tastes. Too loud, too crass, too brash.

Relikk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS77onMfxlg

Ekerot

It's fun.

When I was growing up I was really into it from around 2006 to 2010, then I stopped for a while because I began to get other interests and I didn't have Sky Sports either to follow it.
Fast forward to about 2015, I started to get back into again around the time Undertaker and Brock Lesnar were feuding, because I thought (very incorrectly!) that it was leading into the Undertaker's last few matches for the company, a wrestler I'd watched when I was growing up and who'd been wrestling for almost 25 years straight at that stage!
Then I went off it again about a year later.
Still, every year I always check out how things are getting on for them from their Royal Rumble PPV (usually in January/February) to Wrestlemania (March/April.) That's they're season finale so to speak, when all the yearlong story lines culminate in a in front of a 70000+ crowd in a sold out arena.

It's hard to pin down what I like about exactly, but I think it comes down to the actual "wrestling" itself. Yes it's fake, but even from a young age I knew it was fake and that's not how actual fighting goes but I didn't care. It was entertaining to watch, something akin to the fight scenes you see in Martial Art movies by Bruce Lee or Donnie Yen. My father was an amateur boxer and always tried to get me to have an interest it but I never could, it always felt so slow and plodding to watch, I didn't have the patience to watch 12 rounds of two men jabbing and circling and hugging eachother before it went to a judges decision where I couldn't understand how it had been scored.
I like boxing now, but back then it wasn't my thing at all. Neither were sports in general really, but ironically the first thing I ever wanted to be in my life was a professional wrestler.

And being a professional wrestler is no small feat; there's a great deal of skill involved, years of learning and honing your craft in order to do your job safely, to keep not just you, but your opponent/coworker out of harm's reach.
Then there's the sacrifices you have to make, like getting up at 5AM to go for a run and improve your cardio so you don't gas out in your match and look like a complete tit in front of everything. Often trying to juggle a part time job(s) while learning to do this, driving up and down 2 hours each way a day to go to the nearest legitimate wrestling school because if you didn't you'd be considered a green/unsafe worker by others in the industry and wouldn't get anywhere.
In the US it's not uncommon for independent wrestlers to drive up to 200 miles to get to the show they're booked on to perform, working in some sketchy part of town for only maybe at most $50 in order to get your name out in the local wrestling scene.

Then you have to deal with the politicking, the backstabbing, the bootlicking, the asskissing in the very grim and dark world of wrestling booking where the booker decides who gets placed at the top and who gets placed at the bottom of the cards, which affects your drawing power, which affects your livelihood and which affects how much money you can bring home to your family.
It's actually a very hard world to make it to the top, not even just to get to the WWE but in other smaller American companies like ROH (Ring of Honour), MLW (Major League Wrestling), Impact Wrestling and other countries own wrestling promotions like NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) or Mexico's AAA.

Most of the people you see in the WWE have been wrestling for well 10+ or maybe 15+ years, breaking their backs on the independent circuits just to get by, before they get wrestling equivalent of the Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka, and even then the WWE, despite being a multi-billion dollar company, isn't really the best place in the world to work for. (No unions, no health insurance, wrestlers have to pay for their travel and hotels themselves as they go around the USA/the world, a gruelling work schedule, awful stories of conduct from fellow wrestlers/executives that come out of the years etc)

It's in a strange phase now were it (the WWE) has some of the best wrestlers in the world working for them but for the past 15 years have squandered the potential of a lot of upcoming wrestlers through bad booking and burials in favour of maintaining the status quo around John Cena as the top guy and a few part timers like Triple H or Undertaker.
A few of them have jump shipped to AEW (All Elite Wrestling), a newly created wrestling promotion which is now the closest thing WWE has had as competition for the past 20 years, so maybe the quality of the product might improve now back to it once was so I could sit down and enjoy it again.

Anyway, it's 1:30 and I'm ranting, so that should answer it for you somewhat comprehensibly.

Coybig_

It sometimes (not so much nowadays) tells interesting stories through the medium of a pretend fight.

The pretend fight itself involves using visually impressive manouevres which look like they are hurting the opponent, but are actually executed in a way to keep them as safe as possible. These can actually be quite dangerous if not executed properly

No difference to a tv show - people follow a script, they act, they perform and it ends.

Zak Flaps

Ekerot wrote: »

<<Snipping long post, just a few above

Great post. Thanks a million.

Strumms

Loved it up to my early 20’s. My grandparents got me into it from watching it on ITV, the English stuff mid ‘80’s... I’d dip into it and out of it now the wwe that is but it wouldn’t grasp my attention per say. There really isn’t the drama or suspense or action storylines of the caliber that there once seemed to be....it being less cartoonishly put together is probably a plus but it’s all been done... they could spend a lot less time having fellas involved in so much of the soap opera shîte backstage and actually have more matches...better matches....

Bring back Typhoon...

tonycascarino

Strumms wrote: »

Bring back Typhoon...

That's Tugboat

Strumms

tonycascarino wrote: »

That's Tugboat

Same lad playing both wrestlers.

Kylta

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I'm pretty sure Coronation St is aimed at adults, and WWE is aimed at kids. So why would they be interested in a kids show?

Most men watch it because they will always be a child at heart. Plus its escapism and harmless entertainment

Badly Drunk Boy

Lucha libre should be the big thing now. Those Mexican wrestlers had the foresight to see Covid-19 coming so always wear masks when they're wrestling.




(Although the 2 metre rule won't work.)

bucketybuck

I hadn't watched wrestling since I was about 12, but recently for some reason I have been going through old clips from the Attitude era on Youtube, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock and all that gang.

I genuinely wish I had been watching it for real in the late 90's, there seems to be such a buzz from it, the crowds are mental and I can completely see why the Monday night wars were a thing back then. That old school idea of anything could happen but you have to wait a week to find out!

I don't watch any of the new stuff, it just seems boring in comparison, but those old clips and interviews are fun.

Badly Drunk Boy

I just remembered...in the first half of the 90s, whenever I'd visit a certain friend, all the kids in his estate used to shout out "The Undertaker!!" at me, and think it was hilarious. I assumed it was because I always wore black clothes, so black -> death -> undertaker.

I also used to have very long hair, wear a long black coat, and I'm 6'5'". It wasn't until my younger brother (a wrestling fan) mentioned it to me that I knew of the existence of the wrestler, The Undertaker.

celt262

Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »

I just remembered...in the first half of the 90s, whenever I'd visit a certain friend, all the kids in his estate used to shout out "The Undertaker!!" at me, and think it was hilarious. I assumed it was because I always wore black clothes, so black -> death -> undertaker.

I also used to have very long hair, wear a long black coat, and I'm 6'5'". It wasn't until my younger brother (a wrestling fan) mentioned it to me that I knew of the existence of the wrestler, The Undertaker.

Is the brothers name Kane by any chance?

iguana

I've taken my son to a couple of the live wrestling shows that (used to) travel around the country and it's genuinely great fun. It's like going to a pantomime with flying scissors kicks. You get to watch some genuinely impressive gymnastics and choreography and being in the crowd while they boo and whoop at the overacting is kind of exhilarating. And at the end, there's always a confetti canon!

Badly Drunk Boy

celt262 wrote: »

Is the brothers name Kane by any chance?

Oh, so you know him?

jim o doom

What do they see? Big meaty men, slappin' meat!

FTA69

I used to be the same in my utter disdain for it until I went to Mexico City and saw the Lucha Livre live. Absolutely hilarious craic, necking beers watching this mad acrobatic theatre with insane storylines playing out in front of me. By the end of it myself and me mate had tears streaming down our eyes from laughing so hard. It’s a form of theatre, a show to be watched and reality suspended for a while.

weldoninhio

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I assume they know it's fake....so what's the appeal?

What do adults see in movies/soaps/tv series? I assume they know it's fake....so whats the appeal?

weldoninhio

bucketybuck wrote: »

I hadn't watched wrestling since I was about 12, but recently for some reason I have been going through old clips from the Attitude era on Youtube, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock and all that gang.

I genuinely wish I had been watching it for real in the late 90's, there seems to be such a buzz from it, the crowds are mental and I can completely see why the Monday night wars were a thing back then. That old school idea of anything could happen but you have to wait a week to find out!

I don't watch any of the new stuff, it just seems boring in comparison, but those old clips and interviews are fun.

The Attitude Era was brilliant

Robsweezie

indulgent escapism and childhood nostalgia...its a bit of light fluff thats not too heavy on the mind,no blood and gore (well the occasional splatter of blood) ,murder or any of the depressing world issues at play. pure theatre, bubble gum for the brain.

Strumms

I haven’t watched it in about 15 years.. I cannot see the appeal of these everyman blandsville fûckers like John Cena, Goldberg, Roman Reigns, Edge etc.... loads of stuff like interviews with them out of character which ok, we know it isn’t ‘real’ but an enjoyable aspect was wondering about the person who might exist behind the persona, the mystery... it kind of betrays the on camera stuff when we have the chance to dissect everything...but such is the public demand for reality... even the undertaker is while retiring ok, just yapping from his front room in YouTube clips.

Ok the whole persona and personality driven era has been replaced with more of a reality era demand.. not convinced it works.

You remember watching Earthquake walking down the isle purposefully and genuinely believed he wanted to KILL his opponent... now you can appreciate it’s more theater and they’ll be all having a beer together backstage.

Hyperbollix

The actual wrestling itself is interesting to watch if you get genuinely skilled people who can do all kinds of impressive moves. It's just all the typically American BS that goes with it, the whole pantomime of the thing, the trash talk, the fake conflict etc etc.

biko

Zak Flaps wrote: »

I assume they know it's fake....so what's the appeal?

No one knows why they do it, but they do do it.

US2

Why do adults watch movies ?

Aongus Von Bismarck

Is it still as popular amongst adults? My brother and his friends were wrestling fans up until a few years ago, but now seem to have transitioned to that horrific UFC cage fighting instead. They'll sit up on a Saturday night drinking and smoking weed while watching men kick each other in the head for money. Grotesque. Wrestling seems positively twee in comparison.

DeanAustin

Used to watch it in the 80s when, like every other kid, I wanted to be Hulk Hogan. Wrestlemania III was the biggest event. Almost like a World Cup match or something. Been watching a lot of that old stuff on YouTube over the last few weeks out of nostalgia as much as anything else. It was a fascinating era.

Started watching again in the early 2000s as a housemate of mine was big into it. Watching fellas like Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit was fascinating because they were so good at what they did. And watching The Rock’s promos is still hilarious today – there are few people as funny and as good as he is at playing a crowd.

Don’t have any interest in it now at all but have a massive amount of respect for the lads that do it. It’s not real but you’ve got to be tough and committed to do it.

Alejandro68

It was great entertainment. The charisma of Diamond Dallas Paige, Jake the Snake,ect.Even the Iron Sheik!

The White Wolf

iguana wrote: »

I've taken my son to a couple of the live wrestling shows that (used to) travel around the country and it's genuinely great fun. It's like going to a pantomime with flying scissors kicks. You get to watch some genuinely impressive gymnastics and choreography and being in the crowd while they boo and whoop at the overacting is kind of exhilarating. And at the end, there's always a confetti canon!

That's just it, it's theatre that the crowd gets to engage in. It does create magic when done right.

skooterblue2

Mellor wrote: »

What Do Adults See In Coronation st? I assume they know it's fake....so what's the appeal?

You do realise that most popular TV shows are fake. It's entertainment, that's all.

Dont start me on that one!!!! I am blessed that my current wife only like Hollyoaks. Its the same shyte every two years. Someone dies, forbidden romance from mismatched couples, running feud.... it all ends up in the pub. stop run and repeat every two years.

JP Liz V1

bassy wrote: »

hot women

hot men

skooterblue2

bassy wrote: »

hot women

Chyna in her prime.....whoooa be still my beating heart!!!

Pawwed Rig

Fake as it is those guys take some pounding. Alot of them are falling apart by the time they retire. It is a tough life.
Depressing the amount of guys I loved when I was a kid that have died young.
Macho man, Road Warriors, Ravishing Rick Rude, the list goes on and on and on

Dr. Bre

Trish Stratus!!