Professional wrestling takes on world
The popularity of professional wrestling has
been growing since the beginning. The World Wrestling Federation is one
of the most powerful corporations in the world. The genre of sports entertainment
probably has more disciples than Jesus Christ.
Ken Hanson
Minnesota has enough wrestling fans to
elect a former wrestler. Jesse ìThe Bodyî Ventura was elected to the stateís
top seat, on a Reform Party ticket no less.
After that strategic political maneuver,
another wrestler decided to run for office. Hollywood Hulk Hogan decided
to run for president at one time. If it werenít for the blasted two-party
system, he might have won the presidency. There are really that many wrestling
fans in this country.
Wrestling is becoming popular all over
the world. The Mexican wrestling league holds its matches here in Compton.
And a professional wrestling movement is growing in Asia and Europe.
The appeal has grown from white trash,
trailer park entertainment to popular mainstream spectacular. It has gone
from the limits of cable and pay-per-view outlets to network TV.
Someone actually had the brains to put
"WWF Smack Down" on UPN channel 13. That person must have seen the explosion
of popularity for the Federation and its wrestlers.
WWF merchandise is popular among mostly
young men between 12 and 35. But the loot does attract a fair share of
young women who want to support their favorite wrestler, male or female.
The draw of the WWF is easy to understand.
It is packed with excessive violence, gratuitous sexual references, and
enough exploited hot bodies to fill an entire sports arena.
There are beautiful women for the men to
watch. Wrestlers like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin have good bodies
for the ladies and enough attitude to keep guys excited about the match.
In addition to the violence in the ring,
these wrestlers talk enough trash to overflow a landfill.
Some people think professional wrestling
is stupid. They feel that because all the matches are scripted, it is not
a true sporting event. They are right. It is called sports entertainment
for a reason.
Yeah, maybe it is lowbrow entertainment.
But it is no worse than "The Jerry Springer Show" or any of those after-noon
soap operas or those lame teen-opera shows on the networks.
The same crowd that watches Jerry Springer
is into wrestling. Whether it is the WWF or World Championship Wrestling,
they like the action and intensity.
The WWF has brought a lot of controversy
into the ring lately.
Several of the wrestlers act like male
chauvinists. One of them, Jeff Jarrett has been on a rampage against the
women wrestlers who dare to get in the ring with him.
One week, he smashed a guitar on the head
of a retired female wrestler. When her friend came to her defense, Jarett
put her in a figure-four leg lock, one of wrestlingís submission moves.
Then the next week he attacked Internet
vixen Cindy Margolis and knocked out China, a female wrestler challenging
his title.
Despite the violence against women, no
one has really complained, a fact especially surprising considering these
misogynistic antics have happened on national TV.
Usually, someone will complain about such
violence, but we havenít heard any such objections.
The only problem is that children at school
are practicing their wrestling moves in the schoolyard. And because they
are not "trained professionals,î they may be hurting one another.
Despite the problems associated with professional
wrestling, the sports entertainment industry is going to continue to grow.
It is kind of like a car accident. You
may think itís sick to watch, but once you see a little bit, you just canít
turn away.
Ken Hanson is the opinion editor for
the Daily Forty-Niner. |
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