10 Ways Wrestling Changes You As A Person

8. You Become Unpopular

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“You either get it, or you don’t” Paul Heyman once said of pro wrestling, and there is no more succinct a take than that. To some, the form is an irresistible blend of action and magic and theatre and comedy. To others, it’s that weird fake bullsh*t you must be an idiot, or even a freak, to watch beyond the age of seven.

Wrestling to these people isn’t just the lowest of lowbrow pop culture—it is a mystery. They are aghast and bamboozled by its very existence. It doesn’t help, either, that its great western cultural touchstone isn’t a Bret Hart or a Shawn Michaels or a Daniel Bryan, but rather Hulk Hogan—a racist caricature whose work, while incredible for what it was, hardly holds up as the sort of athletic accomplishment we try to convince these people is as worthy as any legitimate sport.

People can vaguely understand a piss fetish, if pressed—it’s humiliating, it smells foul, but at least the sensation is warm—but that fake stuff? What are you, a child?

And so, if you’re not abandoned altogether, you are at least treated as somehow lesser than, if even on a subconscious level. Every now and then, somebody on your WhatsApp group mocks you.

You bristle, and become defensive, and then…

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Contributor
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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!