How Professional Wrestling Fulfills the Desires of a Man's Heart

Defending one's passion for professional wrestling is never an easy task.

Those who don't understand the value of sports entertainment question why men—from young boys to middle-aged business professionals and beyond, enjoy the weekly antics of World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling or the allure of a local independent show.

Wrestling's fake, they'll argue. It's a bunch of half-naked men grabbing one another, they'll cry out in defense of their own homophobic vibes.

It's just dumb, they'll retort if they have no better answer.

And, as fans of all ages and backgrounds, we all have our own defenses.

Sure it's predetermined, but look at the athleticism. Even if you don't like the story lines, you've got to respect what these superstars put their bodies through. I used to watch it with my dad and it reminds me of him. It's just entertaining.

All logical answers.

But also all overplayed.

The real answer to why we enjoy professional wrestling the way we do may be found at a much deeper level. A passion for this brand of sports entertainment may be embedded deep in our hearts as men.

Let it be noted that the following discussion will pertain primarily to male wrestling fans. Women readers should not be discouraged; this may help you understand those around you who enjoy wrestling, possibly those who brought you on board.

And in the end, you can find yourself as part of this too, but we'll reach that part of our journey soon enough.

In his book "Wild at Heart," well-respected Christian author John Eldridge states the case that when God made Adam, he instilled three core desires into his heart and those desires have been passed down through countless generations.

Deep within each man's heart lives these three primary desires:

1. To have a battle to fight

2. An adventure to live

3. A beauty to rescue

Through the millenia and countless cultural shifts, man has lost much of the focus on these desires and they often remain dormant through his entire life.

Society has presented man with a different societal norm; one that requires men to be calm, passionate, nice and in many ways, feminine as Eldridge contends.

In "Wild at Heart," Eldridge uses many examples of young boys and men living out these desires: a 6-year-old boy decked out in cowboy attire with his toy pistols at his side; an elder Southern gentleman recounting his story of nearly being swept away in a tidal wide at sea and the history of great explorers, willing to take the chances and fight the beliefs of the time a la Magellan and Christopher Columbus.

But, in many ways, the three desires Eldridge believes live in all of us can be brought to life; at least vicariously, through our passion for professional wrestling.

Think back to your individual childhoods or even the teen-age years, when you first discovered the glory of professional wrestling.

Yes, at the time many of us were much less exposed to the inner workings of sports entertainment and allowed ourselves to be swept up in the excitement.

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