Fake Fights, Real Fun
Zackary Laberge
Sports Editor
Professional wrestling is not a sport. After all, sports imply that there is an unscripted competition taking place, and that just isn’t true in wrestling. However, it’s impossible to say that pro wrestlers aren’t athletes. The perfect showcase of this fact took place in the Bell Centre on February 18th, when WWE put on their annual “Elimination Chamber” event.
Full disclosure, I am a wrestling fan. However, when I was in the arena for this event, I decided to think like I wasn’t one, just to try and see exactly why a lot of people hate it. After watching a man climb fifteen feet in the air and backflip onto five other people, I realized that I just don’t understand it.
Forms of entertainment like film and television get lots of respect for crafting narratives, but when professional wrestling does it, it gets mocked as fake. As scripted as it may be, it’s kind of difficult to look at a really big dude put two even bigger dudes on his shoulders like they weigh nothing.
I’m not saying that everybody should be a wrestling fan, because it’s not for everybody. Some art forms just aren’t geared towards certain people, and that’s more than okay. But, as somebody that went to the show with non-fans and witnessed firsthand how much they enjoyed it, I encourage you to go to an event if you have the chance. When there’s 15,000 people screaming while watching somebody jump twenty feet down, straight through a table, it’s difficult not to get caught up in the action.