10 Biggest Mainstream Misconceptions About Pro Wrestling

10. The Fans All Think It's Real

The obvious one. It's much, much less widespread than it used to be, and really, it doesn't make much sense to hear it from someone younger, as wrestlers don't stay in character when doing media interviews anymore. The things that really distinguish pro wrestling from other TV shows are that the shows are shot in sports arenas, there are no credits, and the big one: They use character names when doing promotional work and sometimes their real names when wrestling. That last one is the remaining hurdle. Even if Big Show is completely out of character and referring to himself as an entertainer, he's still Big Show and not Paul Wight, so the lines are blurred. If WWE wants to be treated like any other TV show, they have to start there, but then they lose out on some of the "real life superhero" appeal. On the other hand: The Muppets have appeared on Raw and gotten involved in matches. I think we can safely say the cat's out of the bag even with the other issues still in play.