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Is wrestling (WWE) Real or Fake? Since WWE was founded in 1952 there have always been people who have gone against it as been called a sport. From my understanding of the WWE the wrestling they do is real but the stunts they do are practised. I think this subject will be worth studying because it is an interest that I have and it is also a subject that I would like to have a deeper understanding of. The primary methodology I will be using is a focus group.
I think that this methodology is perfect for this topic because it will help me get the insight of what other people think of this subject and its less time consuming than conducting various surveys. Also the results are easier to understand. The 3 secondary methodologies I will be using are: 1. Internet ‘ This methodology helps because it allows me to get most of the information I need thanks to all of the reliable sources such as wwe. com and corporate. wwe. com. . Videos ‘ This methodology is good because it allows me to look at interviews that WWE superstars have been in and also allows me to study various wrestling documentaries such as Beyond The Mat. 3. Magazines ‘ Certain magazines such as Power slam publish articles that inform fans which stunts in the WWE are real and which ones were just fake, they also publish interviews which they conducted on WWE superstar were they say the real and fake moments of WWE. [pic]
For my focus group I had 3 participants, 2 girls Carol and Mena and 1 boy Alex. The answers I received from the girls were very similar they seemed to be very uncomfortable and shy when they had to talk about the WWE but the answer I received from Alex was very positive he seemed to know what he was talking about and seemed very confident in his responses. Lina: well okay I asked all of you if you could help me with my society and culture assignment. So thanks for coming I will just be asking you a few questions about WWE wrestling.
Alex: kk cool Carol: Does it matter if we don’t know much about wrestling? Lina: no, just say whatever you think Mena: okay cool Lina: Do you think wrestling is fake? Carol: Yes Alex: some of it is Mena: I reckon it’s fake but entertaining Lina: do you think all of the aspects of wrestling are fake? Carol: well not really only sometimes Mena: some is real and some is fake Alex: I reckon most of it is Lina: well what parts of wrestling do you think are real if any? Alex: the cage matches are so real (laughs)
Carol: well when they fully bash each other and they are locked in a cage Mena: when they bleed Lina: how often do you guys watch wrestling? Alex: Once a week Carol: about once every 6 months Mena: whenever I get the chance to, probably every weekend, but I don’t pay attention to it Lina: what makes you not watch it and what makes you not pay attention? Mena: it’s not in my interest zone Alex: I try to always watch it Carol: I don’t have foxtel Lina: what do you think is the most interesting part about wrestling?
Mena: the countdown to when the person is gonna win or not Carol: yeah same Alex: the storylines are always the best Carol: whats a storyline Mena: isn’t that the story that each character follows Alex: yeah Carol: ohh kk that’s cools (laughs) Lina: according to the way people address to wrestling that it’s fake has that ever turned you off from watching it? Carol: well yes, I fully get excited that people are getting bashed and then you find out that behind all f the hits… it was all rehearsed and that’s the way it was sopoust to happen Alex: no because I reckon everybody has an opinion but most people that really like wrestling know that all of it is not real Mena: Yes, you don’t wanna be watching something you think is real but really isn’t Lina: whenever you have watched wrestling, does it look rehearsed when the superstars are performing their moves? Mena; Yeah sometimes, like the punches are heaps fake Carol: ummmm sometimes… when the movies are really big and they look like they are going to kill each other.
Alex: only when the camera angle is really bad and you can see that sometimes the superstars totally miss their opponent’s body Lina: do you think most of the WWE fans realize that the wrestling is ‘fake’ or ‘rehearsed’ Mena: I don’t know Carol: they are probably to in love with wrestling to even realize Alex: yeah I reckon some fans do know that not all of it is real but some fans and especially the little kids they think that ALL of it is real Lina: DO you think WWE does a good job at hiding whether or not all the moves preformed are staged?
Mena: yeah they do but not all the time Carol: not really because sometimes you can tell they don’t hit each other Alex: yeah they do because they don’t let any information leak onto the net Lina: Do you think WWE as a sport has the possibility of taking over some of the sports on TV? Carol: no Mena: nope Alex: It might, in the years to come Because back in the days hardly anyone knew about WWE and now it’s more globally recognized Lina: as an entertainment business do you think WWE s good? Alex: yeah it’s heaps mad Carol: yeah, just as entertainment
Mena: yeah what she said Lina: Thanks for helping me guys I really appreciate it ( Interpretation WWE is a large sport corporation that tries to keep all of their business in secret. There are about roughly 334,879 fans in the world and the question that is mostly asked is ‘is wrestling real or fake? ‘ Over the past years Various WWE superstars have made statements that indicate to some extent that not all action on WWE is real. On may 9 2008 Scott Steiner stated in an interview with the Baltimore Sun “it’s written in the show…
They had to go out there and pretend like they respected the guy” this statement was directed to Ric Flair which two weeks prior to this interview he had gone on the show and had his public farewell. Another superstar that made it clear that not all we see on TV is real, is Randy Orton. When Randy Orton was asked by Power slam Sports Magazine if he was given much advance warning when he was going to win or lose a title he answered, “You never really know, sometimes they tell you a week before and sometimes they tell you just about as you’re going out to the ring”.
The winners of a match are usually chosen by the owner of WWE Vince McMahon or the creative writing team. A certain wrestler usually wins a match because it ties in with their storyline (A storyline is the direction of a character, consisting of several plots) or gimmick (Scheme, especially one designed to attract attention or increase appeal). Some storylines do contain real life experiences but most of the storylines are made up for pure enjoyment.
The creative writing team are usually the ones that write the scripts of what each wrestler has to say when they are cutting a promo or the way their characters have to act. WWE does not always do a very good job at hiding the fact that their stunts are rehearsed, for example at the Royal Rumble 2004 you can clearly hear Big Show say “I’m gonna go Cena first then RVD” and instantly after he says that, that is exactly what happens. One interesting statement I found was when Stately Manor said “I’m not suggesting we all pretend its 1987 when magazine writers acted like we didn’t know how the business worked.
But one thing that has NEVER changed is, we as fan all play along with the programme to some degree, this giving as a rooting interest in the outcome of matches; and it’s character development that most drives us to want to see Mr. A kick Mr. B’s ass, regardless of how ‘real’ a match is” One Source that was the most helpful was a documentary called ‘Beyond the mat’ this film states that although the winner of a match is pre-determined and the violence is choreographed the results of the violence is very real. Superstars don’t get injured every night but injuries do happen.
These athletes are in the ring risking their lives; if a move goes completely wrong they could seriously hurt themselves. Such injuries can result in broken bones, careers ending and lives ending. [pic] The wrestler that is been hit thrown or slammed is always in control they are able to apply little or alot of pressure into the throw, punch or slam. Turn buckles, which are the cover that is placed over each exposed corner of the ring are basically big pillows, they are padded with alot of cotton so that when a wrestler is thrown into the turnbuckle or corner the force is not so big.
When a falling move takes place the wrestler applying the move always lets go of the wrestler half way done she he is not easily injured. Wrestlers are trained in both physical matter and they must be good at acting because both of these elements are must haves to be able to become a top WWE superstar. The corporate side of WWE states that all WWE events are conducted in a safe environment, which means that there are always police, medics and security guards always nearby incase any action that is unnecessary takes place.
A documentary called blood stained memories where an ex WWE superstar called kid Kamikazee states that “Wrestling is planned/rehearsed and whenever a wrestler starts to bleed it’s because they have a razor tapped to their boots and when they are in the recovery position they cut themselves” How and when are the cuts made? Well cuts are made on the crease of the brow with a blade. The referee hands the blade to the wrestler when he is down and the wrestler cuts himself when he is on the floor in the recovery position. This technique is called juicing and is used to add more realism to a fight.
Now a day’s some wrestlers such as Chris Jericho prefer not to cause damage to their body on purpose so they use blood capsules instead. Blood capsules are little compartments made of plastic and when they are squeeze red liquid comes out, and this is what some wrestlers use to create the illusion of real blood. WWE stands for World wrestling entertainment the key word in their name is entertainment and for this main purpose the majority of WWE fans understand that it’s all scripted but they watch it for pure entertainment.
I found my research to be very successful because it helped me answer all the questions that I had when I began this assignment and it has given me a deeper insight and understanding of this certain topic. The strong point in this assignment was definitely the fact that I chose a topic I was very interested in which helped me enjoy conducting the research. My one weakness was when I conducted the Focus Group, it was very hard for me to stay on topic and it was also too structured for my likings.
The advice I would give to any future researcher is to pick a topic that you are very keen on because this will make you want to know more about the topic and you will enjoy every moment of it. In conclusion all the results I gathered have demonstrated to me that in fact WWE wrestling is staged/Rehearsed. Do admire the wrestlers for putting their bodies, careers and lives on the line but the truth is that not ALL the stunts are real. I have learnt that it’s not good to judge a certain topic unless you have thoroughly researched it and have a moderate understanding of it.
Bibliography Internet: WWE Corporate http://corporate. wwe. com/ This website was very valuable because it came directly from the source I was studying and gave clear answers. WWE http://www. wwe. com/ Documentaries: Barry W. Blaustein [Director], 1999, Beyond the mat, produced by universal pictures This documentary was great. It went through all the aspect of wrestling, such as the drama, the risks and the real action. It was also very interesting to watch. Magazines: Hurley. O, 2008, ‘Duty Bound’, Power slam the wrestling magazine, issue 173, pg 24 Martin.
F, 2008, ‘You can’t keep a good man down’, Power slam the wrestling magazine, issue 173, pg 32 Manor. S, 2008, ‘I flips, whips, snips & Quips’, Power slam the wrestling magazine, issue 168, pg 11 Martin. F, 2008, ‘Just for laughs part 3’, Power slam the wrestling magazine, issue 168, pg 30, 31 Chartra. M, 2008, ‘They said what? ‘, Power slam the wrestling magazine, issue 168, pg 38 Manor. S, 2008, ‘I flips, whips, snips & Quips’, Power slam the wrestling magazine, issue 170, pg 11 Jones. P, 2008, ‘Orton the irrepressible’, Power slam the wrestling magazine, issue 170, pg 32-35