Clearing Up the Negativity on Pro Wrestling: A Message to the Haters

Does anyone else find it odd that a person would profess extensive knowledge of a subject, only to show their true ignorance the more they talk about it? 

I find it very weird, because when you are a big fan of something like sports and watch it all the time, you pretty much know everything about it right? Sure, the history of the sport may not be something you are a complete savant on, but you know most of the recent events, happenings, and whatnot.

The reason I bring this up is because I have been seeing a lot of anti-wrestling articles here on B/R. These writers are telling us how bad something we know is, yet there is nothing to back up what they are saying.

It is just like when you go into another opponents house and say, we are going to beat your team hands down and you go out and completely lose without any score what so ever.

These people are not only making us wonder how do people like this get on here anyway, but also, they are showing how ignorant they really are.

Now, to inform all of you, we do not consider pro-wrestling a "sport"; it is called "sports entertainment."

There is a difference. However, because of the fact it is sports "entertainment" people think pro wrestling does not belong on Bleacher Report.

People who do not understand wrestling pretty much dismiss it all together and talk about how fake it is.  

The fact is, these people are the ones who write or talk to the wresting fan, basically telling them that they're silly for liking it.

We can try to explain something, yet if a person has already set their mind not to accept it, it becomes pointless. We can bang our heads against walls, but they will never learn—because they don't want to.

I am writing this for people who want to learn; for people who want to understand. 

If they did want to learn something new, they would listen. Instead some of these overbearing idiots would rather talk about how bad something is and keep ramming the same crap down your throat, which is never a good idea at all.

You would think once they were shown to be wrong that they would learn from this, and quit using the same examples. But no, they refuse. 

People claim that the world of wrestling is full of athletes on steroids. While it was almost fact that most wrestlers were on them in the 1980s, they are not so much now. Actually, there are probably more people in baseball or football on ‘roids currently.

People talk about the size of wrestlers, but what about the size of NFL lineman or linebackers? Many of them weigh between 300-350 pounds, while the average "huge" wrestlers (as many people like to call them) are between 230-260 pounds, with the occasional Batista/Kane/Undertaker type who touches 300.

Which if you ask a doctor, for the height of some of these men, their weight is right on point.

Then you have the people who are just beasts like The Big Show and Great Khali, who are over 7' tall.

So, because some people mistakenly think wrestlers are on steroids, they make the tired argument that these people cannot possibly be this big without help. 

You do know that whether you are on steroids or not that you have to go to the gym and pound the weights, right? It is just like when you take a diet pill, it will always say something like this on the side of the bottle:

"(Blank) is considered to be the best diet pill in the world today. Taking this along with exercise will show wonderful results." 

So think of that, people who take steroids have to work out anyway. So most of the time, you’re better off just working out in the gym for a few hours. Wrestlers realized this and decided to go straight, get completely off the stuff.

Because the WWE (and just about every other wrestling promotion) randomly tests their wrestlers and releases the results to the public, most wrestlers choose not to use them. Some try to get away with it, and they pay for it. 

The WWE has a three-strike system. They will test you, and if you’re positive for something not cleared by a doctor or the WWE itself they will come to you and suspend you the first two times you test positive.

Usually, it is a 30-day suspension without pay for the first violation usually; for the second, it is usually a 60-day unpaid suspension. They will usually offer a fully paid trip to rehab to get better, because despite what people think, the WWE cares about its talent. 

The third time you violate the WWE’s Wellness Program, they release you.

There have been times where they have fined talent, especially if they get caught using marijuana. Even smoking cigarettes is frowned upon by the WWE; smoking weed is seen as an even more serious violation. 

If you come to a match drunk or high, a release is just about certain. They care about the wrestler, but they care just as much about his opponent. Additionally, if the business suffers because this certain wrestler is hurting the WWE’s image, then a release has to come.

With the WWE's rating being PG, then they have no room to have something like this go down.

Also to help the less fortunate people who do not know much about pro wrestling, I will help you out on the “deaths because of steroids” issue. 

There has not been anything proven that a wrestler has died from steroids. Chris Benoit is one that was thought to have, but in the autopsy, they didn't just find steroids, but also alcohol and many other drugs.

So you could easily say the double murder he committed was because of factors in addition to steroids. He was depressed because he and his wife were having issues, and with him having to be on the road a lot, the marriage often suffered. 

You combine depression with other drugs, you get a maniac who is ready to kill himself and anyone around him.

I am sure he loved his wife and child, which was why he probably wanted to take them with him when he killed himself. Remember, killing yourself does not mean you died from steroid abuse, for those of you following at home. 

It is said to be a contributing factor to what Benoit did, as many defined it as “’roid rage.”

But to the contrary, no doctor out there who saw what was in Benoit's system said steroids were in fact the cause of—or even a major contributing factor to—his suicide or he murders. 

This so called “’roid rage” actually more so hurts the person taking the steroid, not those around them in the end. With Benoit, he did kill his wife and child, but more so lost himself first.

Most people who are on steroids and die are also on other drugs at the time, or commit suicide. Steroids have, in some cases, proven to be a part of the suicide rate. 

Chris Benoit did use steroids, but we cannot say for sure that they were the cause of his death. So the dark part people want to put on the WWE for that makes no sense.

Also think of this: pro wrestlers are independent contractors, meaning that they work for themselves.  

Many think that wrestlers die so young because they wrestle too long.

That they have to use pain killers because of all the stress and toll they take on their bodies. That indeed happens if they stay long, I mean they are adding torture to their bodies.  

The promotions will let the wrestler leave if they want to. So, don't think they make them take the torture they do. Wrestlers want to do it, and all to perform in front of the fans. They wouldn't do it if they didn't love it.

Many believe that some wrestlers stuck around too long and that is why the died so young. Eddie Guerrero was said to have died from a heart attack; however some of his fellow wrestlers say it was probably because of sticking around too long. 

Guerrero is another who used steroids, but he actually quit years before his death. Most feel that the physical demands and pressure he put on himself to wrestle longer added stress, which in turn helped lead to the heart attack.

If he would have retired earlier on, Eddie Guerrero might still be alive today.

However, people don’t pay attention to the details of such examples. They just see the fact a person died in the world of wrestling and immediately connect it with steroids. Some even say that the WWE promotes steroid usage and that is why there are so many deaths in younger people. 

First off, the WWE and no other wrestling promotion has ever "promoted" the use of steroids. Most think they do because of the fact that they are so big, but sorry to burst your bubble.

Also, did you know that more people who die young because of steroids are trying to get bigger not for wrestling, but sports like football and baseball? 

Well you would if you did your research instead of assuming once again.

By the way most of the younger people who do supposedly die from them, like Benoit they commit suicide. Different types of steroids do different things to you, so there is no way to know for sure why they kill themselves.

Most people believe it goes back to depression. Which is a factor in what happened to Benoit.

The fact that the parents do not keep an eye on the child is sad, also not noticing the changes in them and their body can be stupid of the parent too. You would think they would notice something. 

Moving on...

Pro wrestling is usually compared to MMA.

I can see the reason why, of course; the two mainstream companies for these entities are UFC and the WWE. 

UFC vs WWE has been going on ever since UFC started to get big. By then WWE was already a large multi-million dollar company.

In pro wrestling, the matches are predetermined, unlike in MMA, where they are not. 

MMA is a sport; professional wrestling is sports entertainment.

See, wrestling fans do know the difference.  

However, according to the definition of the word "sport," wrestling qualifies as one. The only reason people do not call it one is because of the matches being story-lined, and with the results of matches predetermined.

Still, the competition is there and we do see fantastic athleticism in wrestling. 

Like MMA, there are different styles of wrestling to see. So seeing one person with a certain wrestling skill facing a person with another wrestling skill is cool to see, much as in MMA, with its different fighting skills pitted against one another.

The fact is, wrestling is actually just as entertaining. People who watch it know so. Sure, it is often not called a "sport," but who cares? 

So what is the issue?

So people like to watch wrestling, is it hurting you? Are you going to lose sleep over that? If so, you must have no life, because if you did you wouldn't bother trying to bash people for liking and writing about professional wrestling. 

If someone likes something, shouldn't they have the right to like it without being criticized for it?

If a boy likes ballet instead of football, it is his choice.  

If a girl likes hanging out playing sports with the boys instead of being made up by other girls, it is her choice.

Life is full of choices, and you have to accept the ones people make whether you agree or disagree with them. 

I chose to like wrestling. And so do many of other people from all walks of life.

Some people may not know exactly why they like wrestling.  

It could be the artistry shown by telling a great story inside the ring.

Maybe it is a certain wrestler they have a crush on.

Who knows why? 

But they still do, and that is all that matters.

Accept the decision wrestling fans make. If you don't like wrestling then that is OK, there is no one forcing you to whatsoever. We as wrestling fans just prefer that you keep your thoughts about it to yourself, or at least make valid points and give us a good debate.

Usually in the end, when you try and say how bad it is, there are 100 good things for every bad thing you say about it. I'm just saying...