10 Reasons Why Wrestling Would Suck If It Was Real

Every wrestling fan at some point or another has had to put up with a friend or family member telling them that it's fake - the F-word for wrestling fans. Detractors seem to think wrestling isn't worth watching because the wrestlers aren't legitimately fighting or trying to hurt each other. Some of the more ignorant haters even seem to think that we fans only enjoy wrestling because we don't realize that it's fake.

Well of course we know it's fake! And to be honest why should anyone care? Non-fans might tell you it's fake in an attempt to turn you off it, but I can't say my love of wrestling has ever been dampened by that knowledge. The whole point is to forget that it's fake while you're watching, and when wrestling achieves this then that's the beauty of it.

Wrestling fans are happy to forget that it's fake and dismiss any arguments against it, but we should be celebrating the fact that wrestling is fake, not dismissing it. Because far from a weakness, being scripted/predetermined is actually wrestling's greatest strength. If it was real (as so many detractors seem to think would improve it) it would be a very different kind of product. 

And not for the better.

So the next time someone tries to turn you off wrestling by "revealing" that it's fake, you tell them that you're grateful for it. Because if it was real - to be quite honest - it would suck.

Have you ever actually sat down and watched some legitimate Olympic style catch wrestling? It's really not that great.

If anything competitive wrestling is closer to the outdated stereotype that "it's just two grown men rolling around hugging." Hell, the whole reason wrestling became scripted in the early 20th century was because audiences found it tedious.

That's not to say that Olympic wresting is universally boring of course: Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan bring that kind of style to their matches and they're regarded as two of the best of all time. Meanwhile on the independent scene, the likes of Chris Hero, Timothy Thatcher and Zack Sabre Jr make it look like a science. 

If that type of wrestling is your thing then more power to you. The sad truth though is that it's an even harder sell to the general public than professional wrestling.

Especially in the 21st Century, wrestling depends on the fast paced, story-based, crowd pleasing elements that come with being scripted. We live in an era of instant gratification and unfortunately genuine wrestling just can't hold a large audiences attention. So from an entertainment standpoint, fake wrestling wins.