I have a dirty secret, a guilty pleasure if you will: I’m a fan of professional wrestling. Yes, I’m talking about World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)-style, choreographed, over-the-top fake fighting. Wrestling has a reputation that its fanbase is made up of exclusively white-trash types and children. While that may be partially true, in recent times, wrestling has seen a massive increase in its diversity, both in its fandom and its performers. While it certainly is not for everyone, there’s an appeal that wrestling has that is unlike any other form of entertainment. It is the intersection of soap opera-style storytelling and athletic spectacle, providing an incredibly unique show.

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I’d like to offer a history lesson. Even though its predetermination is arguably professional wrestling’s most noteworthy trait, the business’ roots can be traced to legitimate sports. In the late 1800s, wrestlers toured as carnival attractions, showcasing their feats of strength against onlookers who would pay for a chance to beat the star. Promoters realized they could use audience plants and choreographed matches to make the fighters look weak, hustling fans into believing that they had a chance. Soon, the show morphed into one based on long-running rivalries, with all matches predetermined to allow for the most drama, although fans, or ‘marks,’ were still none the wiser. 

The advent of television saw another shift, with an emphasis placed on wacky characters, family-friendly values, and a clear good versus evil dynamic. This is when wrestling initially started to take off in the mainstream with household names like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and “Macho Man” Randy Savage selling out shows across the globe. As those stars aged and the taste of the general public changed, wrestling entered a lull, before skyrocketing back to its all-time peak in the late 1990s.

Although more and more of the fanbase knew they were not watching an actual sporting event, they didn’t care; stars like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson represented themselves in the anti-establishment zeitgeist so perfectly that it was impossible not to root for them. The shows focused even less on the fighting aspect, with more emphasis given to the over-the-top, soap opera-esque storylines. This is when WWE—then known as the World Wrestling Federation—effectively became a monopoly by buying its only real competition, the Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling. For over a decade, despite progressively waning popularity, WWE dominated the market, stamping out any upstarts that dared threaten the status quo.

Wrestling has still yet to recapture the heights it reached at the turn of the century. Some stars like John Cena or Brock Lesnar have managed to break out of the bubble, but for the most part, wrestling has stayed as just that: a bubble. The business as a whole, though, has been trending up in recent years. Social media has allowed for smaller promotions to gain larger fan bases and money, though all were still firmly below WWE in the hierarchy. In 2018, however, a genuine competitor emerged in the form of All-Elite Wrestling (AEW). Despite trailing WWE in most of the ratings, the simple existence of a competing promotion has revitalized wrestling and opened the door to swaths of new fans.

But how does one define professional wrestling? WWE attempted to answer this question when they renamed their product as “Sports Entertainment,” a move met with resounding backlash from fans of what used to be called wrestling. Despite the poor reception, however, I’d argue that it perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the medium. It’s not technically a sport, as the outcome is predetermined, but it’s not a normal television show with episodes and seasons. It’s storytelling through the medium of fake fighting. 

So why have millions (and millions) of fans across the globe grown so attached to such an idiosyncratic and silly form of entertainment? A logistical answer is availability; together, the two major promotions broadcast four episodes of television a week, every week. And unlike, say, the NFL season, which runs from September until February, wrestling is on year-round. There’s no time to lose interest, and the storylines are, if executed well, constantly ongoing, keeping viewers engaged. 

The fan atmosphere is also unlike any other, a melting pot of interactivity, chants, reactions, and signs. More than any other form of entertainment, the live audience is the most important part of a show. They are an actual part of the narrative and an integral one at that. Their reactions make or break wrestlers’ careers, which rely almost entirely on whether or not an audience responds to them, in a good way or a bad way. Where else is someone considered to be at the pinnacle of their profession if they walk into a sold-out arena to every person in attendance booing? Villains will taunt and mock the audience to elicit their intended reaction. It’s theater where the audience is encouraged to make their voices and opinions heard, while holding the stakes and action of a sporting event.

The beautiful part of wrestling is that there are so many different styles and options to enjoy within the medium. Some fans prefer the acrobatic, Mexican-influenced Lucha Libre, which showcases incredible flips and high-flying action. Some like the more “realistic” style that tries to mimic real fighting, while others enjoy comedic wrestling that deconstructs the medium. There are countless more genres, from Japanese Strong-Style to hardcore to cinematic to British Strong-Style. All fans have their preferences, but there is always a little for everyone. If you want to see incredible feats of gymnastics choreography, there’s some for you, and if you want to see someone get slammed through a table that is on fire, that exists for you as well.

One of the most fascinating aspects of wrestling, though, is the way it is able to blend reality and kayfabe, which is the wrestling term used for the fiction that is presented as real. Even today, when almost everyone is aware of the fake aspect of wrestling, there is still enough of a wall to add a level of distrust. Wrestlers will feud on social media, leaving fans wondering if they truly dislike one another or are simply building a story. Someone lands poorly, and viewers don’t know if they’re actually hurt or just selling. Wrestling can use that uncertainty to create an even better story, one that feels real because it is grounded in reality. For some, that lands it in an uncanny valley between sport and show, but for others, it perfectly combines the stakes and excitement of athletics with the drama of theater. 

Kyle Reims can be reached at kreims@wesleyan.edu.