10 False Wrestling Facts You Probably Believe

Don't trust the boss.

DX Not A Tank
WWE

For the sake of clarity, a false fact here either is what it is - provably untrue misinformation propagated as fact - or a collective opinion that has long since been accepted as fact in circles of sufficient influence.

To illustrate this point using an example, "WhatCulture Wrestling is negative" is a false fact. There is no singular voice behind WhatCulture Wrestling, for a start, as handily pointed out by those things called different letters forming those things called different names at the bottom of the webpage.

One of the writers compared the Firefly Fun House Match to the innovative genius of the first Hell In A Cell match; another penned an article entitled '20 Reasons WWE WrestleMania 36 Was An Absolute Blast'. Both are derided for a supposed anti-WWE agenda. Now, we might subsequently chastise WWE, as an example, for flagrantly endangering the life of Jerry Lawler by having the 70 year-old heart attack survivor commentate on RAW in April 2020 - but that doesn't necessarily mean we are biased. WWE might just be a deeply objectionable company that offers a very mid TV product that fails to maximise its awesome roster.

And it's not Lawler's decision. It doesn't just involve one man. By extension, WWE is endangering the lives of everybody Lawler comes into contact with. Mercifully, younger people tend to show only mild symptoms.

Since it's absolutely not the time to be a cloth-eared dumbass out there, let's start cleaning those suckers out...

10. WWE Made Wrestling Big Time

DX Not A Tank
WWE.com

There's an image of the wider pro wrestling world, pre-1985, propagated by WWE's very specific language of smoky bingo halls, unremarkable wrasslers and low attendances. This all changed when Based God Vince McMahon created the glamour and prestige of WrestleMania, welcoming the nuclear family to his more palatable - and plain better! - sports entertainment reboot and its newfangled approach of telling stories and making movies.

The WWF did not make professional wrestling bigger; it made itself bigger at the expense of the professional wrestling industry.

The glitzy presentation, the MTV connection and the star power of Hulk Hogan did allow the WWF to cross over, but wrestling wasn't some grim niche concern. All live gate data pre-1985 confirms that the WWF's expansion shrank the industry.

In Texas alone, WCCW at its early '80s peak was a massive deal, drawing stadium and rammed Sportatorium crowds populated by screaming teenage girls in thrall to the street cool Von Erichs. When Hogan's run ended, so very nearly did professional wrestling in the U.S.

Vince McMahon didn't make lowly pro wrestling "big time"; he simply towered above that which he had reduced to rubble.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!