Is WWE Real or Fake?
The question about the authenticity of the WWE is as perennial as WWE existence. The fact is that World Wrestling Entertainment is fake, just like any movie.
It is full of theatrics, gimmicks, and make-believe. Pro-wrestling is a widely popular entertainment show in many countries.
Its popularity peaked in the early 90s. One feature of pro-wrestling is planning. Everything, ranging from the wrestler’s demeanor, his matchups and skills to his ring performance and speech are planned.
Things that are faked:
1. The match duration, main moves, finishing moves, and outcome are predetermined The major events of a match are planned and discussed beforehand, and so is the outcome.
Some major events are definitely planned; for instance, someone might interfere in a match just as the bad guy or “heel” is about to lose.
The duration of the match is also predetermined, and the time is kept by the referee. If you time the matches on, say, WWE, you might notice that there are, broadly, 5-, 15-, and 25-minute matches.
2. The referee is not just a neutral bystander The referee keeps track of time and tells wrestlers when to wrap up a match.
He also helps communicate things between wrestlers and assists in the overall story by “accidentally” getting bumped into during the course of a match, so that the bad guy or “heel” can cheat.
Sometimes, when a wrestler wants things to get a bit bloody, the referee may slip a razor to him to cut himself (and collect it back later).
At the same time, the referee needs to keep within the illusion of rule-keeping (disqualifications, count-outs, pinfalls).
Lastly, the referee has the full discretion to stop a match if one of the wrestlers is seriously injured, and he has to balance this discretion with the show’s need to follow the scripted narrative.
3. Much (but not all) of a wrestling match is spontaneous. Wrestlers “call spots” to each other (i.e., instruct each other about moves they will give or want to receive). Usually, this is discreet, though occasionally one might be able to hear or spot it on TV.
4. Selling or exaggerating moves. Some moves, like the “stunner” and the “cutter,” are not particularly painful for the receiving wrestler, and he is the one who has to “sell” it to make it look convincing.
You might see wrestlers jump a couple of feet away after getting a chop or an uppercut; some “sell” more than others. The powerhouse wrestlers, of course, deliberately “no sell” moves. If you don’t “sell” right, it looks bad.
5. Wrestlers protecting each other. You will find that high-flying moves almost always hit their target, and in fact, it can be quite obvious in a few cases that the receiving wrestlers open their arms and bodies to “catch” the attacking wrestler.
Wrestlers help each other out in potentially dangerous moves by, for instance, tapping the receiving wrestler when he is about to execute the move (the “DDT”), or by releasing the arms of the receiving wrestler so he can protect his face and head upon impact with the mat (Triple H’s “Pedigree”).
Very large or powerful wrestlers must protect opponents, for instance, by not putting all their weight on the receiving wrestler in high-impact moves. (See an example of “catching” a wrestler trying a high-risk move here.
6. Wrestlers protecting themselves. Wrestlers will brace themselves for impact, for instance, by falling in a certain way or using their hands and knees to cushion an impact so they don’t hit their heads.
In some potentially dangerous moves, like the Undertaker’s tombstone piledriver, you can actually see the receiving wrestler literally hugging the attacking wrestler tightly as a precaution.
The dangerous part of the tombstone piledriver is the fact that the attacking wrestler (wearing black) might lose his grip on an opponent (wearing white) who is suspended upside down with no protection to his head.
Done correctly, the receiving wrestler actually does not impact the ground at all. His long hair and the speed of the movement disguises the fact that the receiving wrestler’s head is above the attacking wrestler’s knees.
7. Wrestlers assisting each other. As Brian says, although wrestlers are very strong and able to carry much more than their own bodyweight, many moves still require the assistance of the receiver.
The “chokeslam,” for instance, often requires the receiving wrestler to bend his knees and kick off the ground a bit.
8. Wrestlers hating each other. Of course, they (usually) don’t hate each other all that much. The strange thing about wrestling is that you have to both hit the opponent and protect him, which compounds the already complex working dynamic between wrestlers who travel with each other 200 days in a year in the WWE’s case.
Things that are real:
1. Taking a bump (how wrestlers fall) Wrestlers actually take a bit more pain than they have to. When the wrestler takes a “back bump,” he is actually slamming himself on the mat with more force than he has to. The mats are rigged with microphones to amplify the sound, but those can only go so far.
2. Chair and table shots. They’re not fake props. The steel chairs are really steel chairs. In some cases some props may be pre-cut, but this is so that they break in a predictable fashion and thus don’t injure the wrestler with unexpected splinters.
3. The pain. The mats aren’t concrete, but they’re not mattresses, either. It hurts when you slam onto the mat. It hurts when you’re whipped into a metal railing, steel steps, hit by a chair, a belt, a ring bell, a 2-by-4
4. The concussions. Concussions are well-documented in wrestling. Many promotions like the WWE no longer allow chair shots on the head due to the very real effects on health.
5. Submission moves. Some submission holds are for show. The “sleeper” is usually meant for the wrestlers to rest and “call spots” for the rest of the match.
It is perfect because the wrestlers get to be within whispering distance of each other. The common feature of almost all submission moves is that they are meant to be adjustable (i.e., they can be loosened a bit) and have a few exit spots to allow the receiver to counter the move.
However, many submission moves genuinely hurt (like Bret Hart’s “sharpshooter”). Many of the submission moves you see on the WWE are borrowed from “real” sports like MMA and jiujitsu, such as the arm trap triangle choke or the gogoplata.
Script and Story Lines in Wrestling
The truth is that professional wrestlers hate to be labeled as FAKE, but wrestling is more similar to scripted entertainment. In the 1920s, wrestlers were observed traveling together and performing at carnivals. There was no motive for them to harm each other because they were not foes. However, because of its immense popularity and media exposure in the 1980s, it was widely perceived as a fake.
Some analysts believe that wrestling should be referred to as scripted rather than fake. Professional wrestling, on the other hand, practices ‘Kayfabe’ for pure entertainment.
What exactly is Kayfabe?
This word is often used in pro wrestling to describe how a staged situation is made to appear authentic or true. To put it another way, since everything is scripted, it must appear real.
It also promotes non-wrestling aspects such as narratives, rivalries, backstage intrigue, and other WWE engagements. Breaking Kayfabe, on the other hand, is a serious offense.
For years, WWE has pretended to be genuine while planning the scene and amusing the spectators.
In a fake WWE, do wrestlers suffer injuries?
Do the WWE wrestlers get wounded as everything is pre-planned and scripted? they can get terrible injuries, but they’re doing everything they can to limit the injury. Wrestlers punch each other and collapse to the ring to thrill the audience, but they do so as safely as possible.
Even when all precautions are taken, accidents do occur. Injuries are unavoidable in WWE, as they are in other sports. Due to injury issues, a number of WWE stars have had to retire. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Edge, for example, come to mind. Furthermore, many injuries are a feature of the plot.
Predetermined injuries do sometimes go awry; for example, Joey Mercury broke his nose after stepping on the wrong ladder. The ladder was expected to strike his hands, but it impacted his nose instead, resulting in a bloody nose, as per the script. It had an effect on his vision. As a result, it is a valid injury, demonstrating that wrestlers can sustain injuries as well.
WWE Fake Moves/Moments
Here are some of the fakest moves in WWE history:
Undertaker Gimmicks
If we’re being completely honest, we could fill this whole list with various moments from The Undertaker’s career. But, as that would be unfair, I’ll simply pick one. But which one should it be?
Perhaps it should be the year The Deadman departed to the heavens at Royal Rumble 1994, only to reappear weeks later to vanquish his doppelganger at SummerSlam? How about the time he kidnapped Mideon and turned him to his Ministry of Darkness by performing a ritual sacrifice on him? Yeah, What about the time the Undertaker used telekinetic powers and fireballs to bring the ring down? Listen, Undertaker is my all-time favorite wrestler, but he’s also the most fraudulent personality. Because of his long-term success, it’s evident that he’s an extraordinarily gifted wrestler.
Batista vs Mark Henry
Not all professional wrestling blunders appear to be staged. For example, Brock Lesnar’s shooting star miss is a major blunder, but it’s far from faked. On the other hand, this is as phony as Nikki Bella’s chest.
Mark Henry ran down to the ring on the May 10th, 2010 episode of Raw to challenge Batista. Henry pushed the famous heroic performer across the arena with a powerful shove. Batista took a dive that had football players taking notes, so it’s possible he was a touch too excited to be conducting his own stunts in the movies. To make matters worse, he fell a few seconds after being shoved. It’s always possible that Henry was employing the use of force. Or maybe it was all a sham.
The Rock’s ‘People’s Elbow’
The Rock wowed crowds with this move because he flung one of his elbow pads into the crowd whenever he performed it. It didn’t have anything special about it. In retrospect, I’m not sure why we all went insane when he made the move. We’d all go crazy again if The Rock did it again.
Mysterio’s “619”
I’ve been meaning to write about Rey Mysterio’s “underdog” reputation for a while now. I don’t see how he’s supposed to be able to beat anyone. The 619, Mysterio’s finishing move, is among the most baffling aspects of his character. When an opponent is shoved, they are left hanging on the middle rope. Like in the shot, Mysterio leaps from the opposite rope and whips his legs through.
Seriously? It’s only his two legs on the person’s head. At first, it seemed like a clever move. I’m over it now, 10 years later.
Big Show’s “Knockout Punch”
That’s right.
I get that Big Show has a big punch and is a strong man, but come on. Is it really only one punch? Even Floyd Mayweather, who knocked out Big Show at WrestleMania, couldn’t cause that much destruction in a punch to the head. After all, what distinguishes that one punch from any other punch he throws?
Conclusion
Except for the staged parts, WWE isn’t entirely fake. Wrestlers, on the other hand, practise their lines before a match.
Wrestlers do not attempt to deliberately damage one other, but rather delight the audience. The injuries, risks, and exhaustion are all genuine. So, if someone attempts to persuade you that WWE is a fake, hopefully, you will recall what I’ve said in this post.
Wrestlers are true risk-takers who put their lives in danger to delight us, and I admire that.
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