[OT]Wrestling... how much is fake?

[Klaatu B. Nikto]

Hogan has done pretty much everything asked of him, including jobbing to Lesner when Austin refused. This is a little much to be asking, IMHO.

Is this a more specific reason Austin walked? I remember Jim Ross saying he walked because he didn't like where his character was going. It's not like his then current story line couldn't be canned or rewritten.

Heck, the DM's I've had will do the same.

Anyways, I'd rather they push Rey Mysterio (or other cruiserweights) instead of Brock. *shrug* I ain't too impressed with the hulking slabs o' muscle since they're all basically the same tho Bam Bam Bigelow was rather agile for his size.

 

[Holy Bovine]

Oh, so you're saying they just go out there and "wing it?" No way, every match is scripted right down to the facial expressions, if you ask me.

Not true - and pretty impossible to manage as well. The announcers and refs are linked by ear plug mics and basically dictate the matches flow by how the crowd is reacting (I saw this on the wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat (I think - it may have been a different show)). They will tell the refs to have the wrestlers to pick up the action or slow it down a bit with some clutch n' grab moves. The winner is predetermined but what moves they do to get to that conclusion are left up to the wrestlers for the most part (the refs & announcers rarely tell them what moves to do but the wrestlers to talk to each other in the ring and what moves they are going to do next)

 

[Ristamar]

The Sacred Cow is correct, for the most part. There are a few key points in matches that are scripted, though the material used between these spots is improvised in the ring. For this reason many wrestlers consider matches a sort of art form, combining a well-executed, believable, exciting moves with the an illusionary in-ring psychology and proper pacing. In fact, most wrestlers don't refer to it as wrestling for the fans, but instead, performing for the fans.

 

[Ashtal]

Media stuff. *boing*

 

[Black Omega]

You know- for a while I use to really pine to see a real competition between fighters and fighting styles.

Then I saw toughman contests and the UFC- and I realized how boring real fighting is to watch.

I drift to and from professional wrestling. I really like watching some people: HHH, Benoit, and Malinko. It is the watching the many other wrestlers that drives me away.

It really depends on the fighters. The toughman contests suffer from the fact most people in them aren't in great shape or all that skilled.

The trouble MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fight like the UFC and PRIDE have had at times is that there are so many ways to lose fighters have become more careful and aware. In boxing you only have to worry about punches. In MMA it's punches, elbows, knees, kicks anywhere from your legs to face, take downs and submissions. I've seen some excellent fights, but to often a tight rank match will turn dull as two highly skilled fighters circle each other.

From Lou Thesz's book, this is why wrestling became worked. It started in the carnivals and usually the two house wrestlers were not all that evenly matched and real matches would be boring anyway. So they would work together to make the match more competative and exciting, which meant more money.

 

[Black Omega]

The Sacred Cow is correct, for the most part. There are a few key points in matches that are scripted, though the material used between these spots is improvised in the ring. For this reason many wrestlers consider matches a sort of art form, combining a well-executed, believable, exciting moves with the an illusionary in-ring psychology and proper pacing. In fact, most wrestlers don't refer to it as wrestling for the fans, but instead, performing for the fans.

I nbelieve it was Dave Meltzer who commented that there are three levels of working matches.

1. The Hulk Hogan, every move is scripted ahead of time style. Hogan-Ultimate Warrior from years ago at Wrestlemania was practiced move for move for a week before the actual match. This is fairly uncommon.

2. The most common is a prescripted ending and spots with the actual pacing and stuff worked out in the ring. Once you know what you are looking for, it's fairly easy to spot the times when wrestlers are communicating. Shawn Michaels was notorious at times for trying to make people look bad by making the move calling very obvious.

3. Totally freeform performance. Very rare and it takes a good wrestler to pull it off. A famous Great Muta-Brad Armstrong match from years ago was actually a fill in match where the two men were told "We need a match fast. Muta wins with a moonsault in ten minutes. Get to it." and five minutes later they were in the ring, no time to even work out spots.

 

[Ranger REG]

I'm just a newbie wrestling fan, but after seeing Summer Slam and the match between HBK and HHH, I was just wondering how much of it is actually scripted? How is it done?

It would be just like any choreagraphed stunt performance in a movie or tv show, only they have to do it live. So they scripted out the moves they'll make to one another beforehand, determining who gets the upper hand in order to get the audience reactions at the right moment.

But while they practice safety first, what they do is risky, and it takes a great toll on the wrestler's fit bodies.

After all, it is Wrestling Entertainment.

 

[drowdude]

Heh, I was sooooo glad when I heard Scott Hall was out of the WWF..E...whatever... towards the end you could actually hear and see him calling the moves as he wrestled... totally ruined the suspension of disbelief for me

 

[Black Omega]

Heh, I was sooooo glad when I heard Scott Hall was out of the WWF..E...whatever... towards the end you could actually hear and see him calling the moves as he wrestled... totally ruined the suspension of disbelief for me

Scott Hall has had issues with drug and alcohol abuse for some time, sadly. Not as bad as Jake 'the Snake' Roberts, but still pretty bad.

 

[Phowett]

*sigh*...