I was a wrestling fan long time back… back when Entertainment was actually a Federation :P but every year there are 2 events on the wrestling calender that I never miss… The Royal Rumble and the other was aired today. The single most important night in wrestling calender… Wrestle Mania.

So why do I still watch em even after I hv gotten over the tv show… Its the god damn quality of the two shows.

Frankly I doubt many hv reached until this line coz most ppl I know hate wrestling and probably think its the kid in me taking :P (maybe it is…) So where was I, yep quality… hmmmm, its just that its a very important night and its the rejuvenation of wrestling that carrys it for another year. The matches just grip you and even though you know its all fixed(its “Entertainment” for god sake) and its amazing how the whole thing works…

I hv recently been introduced to the magical world of drama and find it very close to wrestling, bear with me as I explain… Here are a few things a superstar in WWE(or any other sports entertainment show) is doing:
1) Trying to fake all the time: I mean every thing from punches to cries is faked.., they are rehearsed and executed.
2) Play along a story: There is always the case of this guy did this to that guy so that guy wants to kick his ass… They are all the time involved in a story and show anger, frustration and affection to certain ppl depending on the script
3) No place for mistakes: yep its live… and everyone from the commetators, referees, camera men and even paid actors in the crowd… basically everybody is acting and its on tv live… I dont see cue cards anywhere nor do I see retakes…
4) There is a College for Professional Wrestlers: For ppl who didn’t know… there is a college you can attend to be a prof wrestler(or so I heard,,, damn sure there are courses u can take in the US). They teach you where to hit to cause maximum visual damage yet not much physical damage… Each wrestler is a brilliant student of human anatomy(talk about smart guys that kick ass)
5) They read audience reactions: Wrestlers actually analyze how the crowd is treating the fight… some guys are excellent in keeping the crowd in play… Remember the choke hold and the wrestler is almost out and the referee is lifting and dropping his hand 3 times and the crowd is chanting the name of the guy thats down coz they want him to get back. It goes till the last sec and the guy raises his hand to the cheer of the crowd… well its a gimmick and the best do it flawlessly. Wrestlers are actually instructed to end fights that do not get the audience attention… its a way of keeping business… keep ppl on their toes for 2 hours and they will tune in again ;)

Now for comparing wrestling with drama and theater… I feel its the first 4 points are similar situations you face in theater but with varied advantages… like in theater you cant always change lines in case you forget them, in this you surely can. You do one story and one char everyday for many shows in theater but its a different story and part you show each day in the former… In drama its mostly unidirectional ie, the audience is only in max 3 directions(this I know can vary) but here they are all around you and the omnidirectional perfection is kind of a bit more intimidating.

I am certain that there are other differences but all I wanted to say was that I look at wrestling sometimes like an art form which a handful of ppl can perform and like a good movie or a good play, I appreciate it when its done well. So back to my first point, Wrestle Mania and Royal Rumble are always done well :)

PS: This entry is thanks to a conversation with Swetha about the same :P