Why Do We Really Watch Pro-Wrestling: Storylines or the Actual Wrestling?

For a long time, Pro Wrestling has been full of good athletes. Right now in the WWE at least, they are called sports entertainers because, quite frankly, that is what they are.

Acting in movies and TV shows involves scripts and sometimes choreography. So of course you can relate the WWE and TNA wrestling to a movie or TV show, right? 

But before there was not so much acting than there was just wrestling. Of course it is all choreographed, but there was not much acting other than that. Now there is tons more acting than ever before.

We have "segments" now in the wrestling world, or "promos," even backstage talking, all acting and scripted. But we are supposed to be watching for the wrestling part, right? Or maybe not.

See, more fans started wanting to see wrestling a lot more when the wrestlers began to talk. They would try to make a guy a heel or face in a match, but if the guy never spoke then it was harder to make him one or the other.

Sure he may do a few heel things in the ring, but it was not to much of an impact. However, once a guy starts talking then he becomes available for criticism even more. And that is a good thing because it helps generate heat or love for that particular wrestler.

So how did it start? All from interviews with wrestlers after matches. People actually thought at one time wrestling was all real. Sure, the moves and stuff are real, but other than that, nothing is.

Reporters, just like in football, baseball, and other sports, would interview a wrestler. Then they would proceed to talk to them, and newspapers would write what they said, of course.

People would read the papers and then they would see what the wrestler said, and if he said something nice or hateful it would determine how the promotions knew whether he was a face or heel.

Basically, before there were bad or good guys in the wrestling world. Then when people started interviewing we proceeded to see this.

Some even cherish wrestling so much that they would show up for that. But others wouldn't, until the talking started. When the interviews happened there was no script, so what they said was real.

If they said something nice or hateful, they really meant it more often than not. Promotions realized this, and decided to start scripting them, and then making a story out of it. It would be like watching a TV show live.

Then of course when the NWA, WWF, and WCW arrived on TV we saw more of this. But people used to only be able to see wrestling live.

Wrestling may be the foundation of pro wrestling, but acting is what keeps it going. Sure, you could say you like watching just the wrestling part, but others watch only for what will happen storyline-wise.

It is not that they don't like wrestling, just that they prefer the fact that the storyline is better. You always want to see someone run in a match and hit someone with a chair or something. You may want to see gimmick matches and other things too.

But the fact is that none of it would be where it is today without acting. The storylines make wrestling what  it is.

If we never had a face or heel, most of us would not watch. We could just find out who wins in the paper, internet, radio, or TV. There wouldn't be anything to watch for really.

I personally like wrestling, so I would watch regardless. But most do not, of course. Women especially are ones who watch not because of the men, but for the story involved.

Now, I am not saying that all women are like that, but more often than not, this is true. I have talked to many women about pro wrestling. All of them talk about what they think will happen in the storyline—not anything involving the match.

Quite frankly B/R wouldn't put wrestling on here if people were not interested in talking about wrestling. But if you read any article here, most of the time in the wrestling section, it will be related to the storyline.

Some non-wrestling fans are ones who have either never seen it, or think it is all gay men in the ring. Yet I'm sure if they watch RAW or SmackDown they would get into it.

Some relate wrestling to a soap opera, and I can agree with that. But why is that, do you think? The fact is that it is because of storylines.

The point I am making here is quite easily this, acting is what keeps wrestling around. Without it, pro wrestling promotions like the WWE and TNA would not be around.

Maybe it is just me, but I feel we watch more for a great storyline than for a great match in today's pro wrestling. Do you agree?

Make sure you listen to my online radio show "Joe Burgett's The Wrestling Report" LIVE tonight, as it is every Saturday Night, at 8/7c on www.wildtalkradio.com. Full of all wrestling news and conversation you surely do not want to miss.