8 Things Non-Wrestling People Don't Believe About Wrestling

5. It IS Real

Cena Angle Blood
Good Morning Kuwait

"But it's all fake, right?"

That's a question which has caused the tempers of countless put-upon pros to tip over down the years - not mention an entire table during one infamous incident between an insolent Kuwaiti interviewer and an irate Vader.

Belligerent reporter John Stossel earned himself a mouth full of loose teeth when he posed 'the standard question' to journeyman David Schultz whilst trailing the business for a documentary. Incensed, Schultz smacked the 20/20 reporter around the head twice. It resulted in a day in court and a $425,000 fine.

It's not the suggestion that the industry is pre-determined that has reddened the face of so many grapplers - everyone has known that for decades, as we'll discover soon - but that it's mere play acting. Wrestlers have literally died for the business; in one of wrestling's most tragic episodes, Mitsuharu Misawa passed away in the ring, effectively decapitated after a career landing on his neck. Yet an ignorant number insist it's a form of shirtless ballet. You can learn how to fall from a 20 foot ladder, but it doesn't make you invincible.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.