"No idea how you can watch this garbage. They're not even throwing real punches! You do know it's all fake, right?" We may as well kick off with the most popular jibe of them all: that professional wrestling is fake. ..... Yeah? And? Obviously, any wrestling fan over the age of 12 knows that the results of the matches are predetermined, that the feuds are scripted and that the good guys and bad guys are really friends and colleagues that travel together and have a beer or two after the show. Does it matter?? It's a performance, no different than that of theatre or a TV show. When I watch Sons Of Anarchy, do I think that Charlie Hunnam really shot and killed Ron Perlman? Obviously not. Does it spoil my enjoyment of the show? Of course it doesn't! Honestly, what reaction do these people hope to receive? No wrestling fan is going to be shocked at this "revelation" or stop watching as a result of it. Wrestling is a physical performance, combining athletic prowess with storytelling and showmanship designed to entertain an audience. The fact that the winners and losers are decided ahead of time does not detract from what goes on in the ring, and nor should it. By the way, there is a big difference between "scripted" and "fake", which leads neatly to the next comment....
Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.
