"for most of the last century, wrestling fans believed every storyline and bit of pageantry as the God's honest truth"
This is quite a generalization. Pro wrestling has always had its share of marks, but nearly all the fans I met, knew it was fake. In fact, they liked it because it was fake. And this was during the kayfabe era - before Vince McMahon's public revelation. Incidentally, McMahon was not the first to go public on the true nature of pro wrestling.
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They looked at me in total astonishment and one guy said, "You're NUTS. Some of these guys are so mean they have to lower them into the ring in cages!"
I’m sure some will remember what happened to journalist John Stossel when he suggested that wrestling was just a show or fake (to paraphrase him) to a wrestler he was interviewing. The wrestler, whose name I forget but I’m sure others will remember, promptly boxed Stossel’s ears (causing serious injury) and threw him violently to the ground, exclaiming, and again I paraphrase, did that seem fake?
The story about George “The Animal” Steele reminded me of a gym teacher I had in elementary school in Chicago. I went to a wrestling match, the only one I ever attended in Chicago, and there he was! He had never mentioned his side job.
I sure hope that evil banker didn't foreclose on her mother's farm. I used to watch GLOW every week, just to make sure she was OK.
Wrestling is no more a fake than the Obama presidency!
A friend told me of his experience as a child. He loved TV wrestling and his heros got into a knock down drag out with the bad guys!.
One day his dad had to go to OKC and they stopped at a cafe on the way. Inside were TWO of his wrestling heros. Suddenly in the door came two of the bad guys! OMG he thought! A war was about to break out!
Instead they greeted each other as long lost friends, ate together, one paid for the meals, and when they left one carried the bag for the other.
My friend, as an 8 year old child got his eyes opened and realized, WRESTLING WAS FAKE!
In the 1980s, a colleague went down to FL for business. While waiting for the airport shuttle, Hulk Hogan shows up for the shuttle, and would not break character.
I watched enough matches to see the wrestlers standing off in a corner after their match shooting the breeze. The fights in the stands were real though LOL.
I do remember one night some fans took things way too serious and stabbed either Whitey or Ron in the parking lot that night out in the parking lot. One rushed the other to the local hospital best I recall.
I actually respect Ric Flair even more after reading that. To be the man, you’ve got to beat the plane. WOOOOOOO!!!
And Nikita Roloff and George Steele are mighty trolls.
My favorite was Andy Kaufman wrestling girls.
Someone a long time ago—I don’t remember who—described professional wrestling as Shakespeare for the masses because of its drama of evil villains and flawed heroes, and dramatic scenarios.
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