I never really understood people dismissing it as fake. Comparing wrestling to sport is like comparing a soap to real life. One is mirroring the other, but with the advantage of being scripted to keep it interesting.

Pet peeve: this goddamn trend of calling wrestlers "superstars"...they're fucking wrestlers goddammit!

I don't either, but the reality of it is that they do... the reason Brock Lesnar had such a bitch of a time getting accepted in MMA is because all of their fans viewed him as being just another big lunkhead fake pro wrestler. And any mainstream coverage that wrestling does get, it's always with a snicker from the reporter; they may as well be reporting a story about aliens or the Lock Ness Monster for all the seriousness that they give it. Every time wrestling is on a TV in whatever establishment I happen to be at (bar, Boston Pizza...whatever) all I hear is snickering and insults from people...I guess if I wasn't a fan I'd find the whole circus quite amusing myself.

THEN you get the hardcore MMA fans who run around like they're the elitist of the elite, you know, they "eat, shit, breathe and consume MMA dammit," and don't you DARE mention wrestling in the same breath as their sacred past time, or god dammit, they're gonna put you in a leg lock, just like they learned on that Chuck Liddell instructional video they bought last week! THOSE guys are funny as shit...biggest bunch of douche bags I've ever come across, and unfortunately, they have quite a large and passionate clique, and it appears to be growing all the time. No, I really don't see MMA's popularity declining to a great degree....


I just went way off track and lost my train of thought...but you get the gist...

As for wrestling getting another boom, it's quite possible, but the longer it takes, the likelyhood of it actually happening is decreasing. Who are going to train and work with the youngsters? Can you imagine Edge as a grizzled veteran? "And this is how you do the running man hug, got it?"

I never understood it, neither; but for different reasons than you give. Sure, wrestling is scripted. But in many cases it really does take an athlete to do what they do. People really do perform at amazing levels of endurance and agility, people really do need to be at a certain level of conditioning, people really do acrobatic moves off the top rope or bouncing off of ropes, it really does take a certain amount of strength and power to lift certain people, it really does take speed, wrestlers still have to mentally prepare themselves and get in the zone the same as if they were in any other sport, the body really does take a beating, people really do get hurt, people really do get injured. Professional wrestling has everything any "real" sport has except that fact that it follows a pre laid out plan (when things go right ).

There are tons of wrestling schools all over the place. Afa and The Samoan have one, Harley Race has one, Shawn Michaels has one down in Texas, Johnny Rodz has one in New York City, Killer Kowalski's old place is still being run by somebody else over in Boston. Any other wrestler may be willing to train somebody; and there are tons of other wrestling training schools run by lesser known people. I know you claim to hate wrestling these days, but worrying about who will train and work with youngsters has got to be the most illogical thing you've said in your six years here.

I have no doubt that wrestling will have another boom sooner or later. Even if it's not spearheaded by WWE. All it will take is an innovative company and a breakthrough star.