The Real Reason Wrestling Has Never Been So Hard To Watch

Like most forms of film, television and theatre, wrestling should be escapist first and everything else second. It's not real, your mates all told you in an effort to undercut it whilst spectacularly missing the point of why you loved it. But look at wrestling right now, really look at it - it's as real as the world gets.

Mick Foley's supposed inability to put butts in seats was a touchstone in the Monday Night Wars because it remained the old marker for what reflected something good. The seats are butt-free because of the world right now and welcome to another two hour reminder. The wrestlers can't continue the stories they were midway through telling because of the world right now and here's to a few angles that will help that about as well as ibuprofen will deal with the thing the world is trying to avoid. Wrestling goes live as often as possible because the "it's happening right now" vibe still gives a show currency, but the biggest wrestling show of the lot will be taped because of the world right now but stick with us because the airborne pig is still good, it's still good.

It's gone. And let it go. Because something ages old yet brand new will fly back in its place.

When all of this is over, wrestling will be back and it's going to kick your f*cking *ss and serve as the most thrilling way to celebrate a returned freedom. With any luck it'll do so with the largest possible quantity of healthy wrestlers, fans and other officials thanks to showing just a little bit of respect and contrition for something temporarily bigger than Scott Steiner's arms.