Is It Ethically Impossible To Watch Pro Wrestling?
Without conflating the #SpeakingOut movement with other problems ingrained in pro wrestling too insensitively, this sort of thing makes one wonder just how worthwhile all of this is. The spectre of Mitsuharu Misawa and the internal decapitation that ended his life looms over every demented apron bump. Those taking the bumps are not remunerated to a level that is even close to acceptable in contrast to the wealth possessed by the owners and parent companies of WWE, AEW and Ring of Honor in particular.
WWE's history with horrendous ethical practises is without end and will not be elaborated on here. This is not the platform for a hatchet job, and will not be weaponised as such, but the necessary systemic change wrestling needs will not happen with that company leading the market. AEW has strategically positioned itself as the babyface alternative, and frankly, no matter how excellent the product is, it's nowhere near good enough. They only have to be seen as not morally repugnant.
The majority of talent are still classed as independent contractors, and while the cans of White Claw might pour freely - a scene that has developed a certain Yikes quality in recent days - a high morale working environment in one mainstream company isn't anything close to the reform needed in the infrastructure of the professional wrestling business.
Watching wrestling will be a struggle, in the weeks and months to come, and that struggle is recognised here as a privilege. It's a dangerous and sleazy game that has been revealed to come at grotesque cost. It was difficult enough to persist with professional wrestling through adulthood before this movement unfolded.
CONT'D...(4 of 5)