As the title indicates, do you watch WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)? For those of you who are old school, WWF (World Wrestling Federation) This is pro-wrestling, so while the competitors are great physical specimens and extremely athletic, the actual matches are fake, with the outcome predetermined. However, I have heard people refer to WWE as a "Soap Opera for Guys" and I was wondering what the popularity was out there. I know it's amazingly popular here in the U.S., and given that they frequently go to Britain, I have to assume it is at least somewhat popular over there too.

Opinions, as always, are welcome.

I know, I'm running low on ideas for polls these days. :rolleyes:

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 35 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: WWE (35 votes.)

Do you watch WWE? (Choose 1)
* Yes - 20% (7)
* No - 80% (28)

Hahahaha!

No!

No, but I probably would watch it if they broadcasted it here.

Big burly men together in a ring, pounding into eachother. Yay! :thumb:

Errrr ;)

I don't watch WWE. I used to watch WWF wrestling during the 80s when it was mostly fighting but a combination of my getting older and increasing amounts of silly soap opera storylines put me off of it in the early 90s. I stopped watching around the time that Hulk Hogan lost the championship belt to the Ultimate Warrior (in 1992 I think).

I still hear about what is going on in the WWE via two of my cousins who are big wrestling fans not to mention being respectively 10 years and 20 years younger than I. Based upon what they say
1) I have no interest in watching WWE
2) I wish that my cousins would stop watching it or at least shut up about it around those of us who couldn't care less :rolleyes:

I don't begrudge the contrary choice to anybody else but ...

I can't stand to watch that over-hyped garbage. Lame, boring, and any other negative word I can come up with later.

I myself do not watch in nearly as much as I used to, but I have to admit that I think changing the name to WWE was brilliant - because that's what it is - entertainment. I find most of the stuff there comedic, but it is difficult to have a rooting interest (for lack of a better term) when the outcomes are predetermined.

I used to watch it, about 5 or 6 years ago. I've completely stopped since then, just slowly lost interest.

I used to watch it 15 years ago but not now since I prefer to watch the real thing, which is K1. Also, I would never called the majority of the competitors of WWE/WWF athletic but huge guys full of steroids.

lol I used to watch WWF in the early 90s. When it was still broadcast here in Denmark. we had this funny old Danish pro wresler called Asbjørn Riis, he looked exactly like Hulk Hogan or whatever his name was. He was the funniest commentator I have ever heard.

I used to, when I was 10 years old. My grandfather was a great fan...still is.

Myself, I was totally put off when I realised it was all fake...which happened when I was 12.

Never watched it since then, though my brother still does. And he is 18... :roll:

For those of you who are old school, WWF You call that old school? Ha! I remember when it was called WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation) in the late 70's I believe.

And then there was the AWA (American Wrestling Association) - Mad Dog Vachon, The Crusher, Billy Graham Superstar, Jesse Ventura, Nick Bockwinkle, Sgt. Slaughter, the High Flyers - now that was wrasslin'! :p

I haven't watched wresting in probably the last 20 years, ever since the hype leading up to the fights overshadowed the actual fights themselves.

Good call Splunge. That is the real 'old school'. Don't forget the other old-timers of that era like Antonio Inoki, The Iron Sheikh, Harley Race, and the young Ric Flair (how old must that guy be now?). In the UK, there was also the very famous Big Daddy.

In NZ, we also had our own version of pro-wrestling called 'On the Mat' and occasionally one of those 'international' stars would come and be a guest on it.

I don't think I could name any of the current guys, though.

Well it's broadcasted here and they have had a couple of shows in Finland but personally I find the whole thing just laughable, some of my friends watch it though and seem to be big fans of it.

Used to watch it, but then they started to have long thick story lines that made you watch all the shows plus the payper veiws to undestand what was happening.

I myself just don't have the 4 hours a week for the shows and $30+ a month for the monthly special events.

I watch all material I can get my hands on. I allready posted a topic on the matter a few months ago, and I still watch it. Started watching it now and then when I was 15. But I got into it through the games. Now I own some DVD's from their 2001 period, which was btw their best. All before 1995, their so-called 'hall-of-famers', were idiots. Then it was solely fighting, that licked balls... 2001 was a year full of entertainment, where they changed their name btw. Right now it's not what it was around 2000, but still watchable. Although some of their now PPV's are really lame.

Nope, if I wanted to watch a panto I'd go see real soap stars from the UK in them at christmas. Scary thing is many people think it's real and the 'fights' aren't rigged.
Remember if you ever go to one of these shows, run up to the ropes and shout "He's behind you!", or "steal a kiss Alladin" or some other well known panto phrase. And send me the tape so I can see their faces when they realise you've rumbled them :) .

I only watch the last five minutes of their shows because I'm waiting to catch the next scheduled show. :)

I have a friend who follows wrestling like a little boy, and I always tease him about that.

We watched it a lot when we were kids... and still thought it was for real! It's way more appealing before you know it's fake. ;)

Haven't watched it in 10 years now probably... It's not broadcast on any of the channels we're getting.

Wrestling is the biggest pile of ****e this side of an elephant after a dozen bottles of laxatives. [snip] The most obviously choreographed thing since the last world cup :p .

[Warning pending.] -Tal

[ July 08, 2004, 10:07: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

Women's wrestling is kinda entertaining though. :D

I used to watch GLOW sometimes when i was a teen. It never met my expectations however. :D

I certainly enjoy watching it, even though I know it's fake and have known for years. Simply because I can't help admiring the athleticism of some of those people. And it also helps that you do still get moments like the Undertaker vs Mankind Hell In A Cell match from some years back.

Unfortunately it doesn't get screened on Free-to-air TV here and I can't afford Pay TV so I've missed the last year and a half or so.

Hahahaha!

No! I'd have hoped that people were more open-minded. I'm a dedicated fan and enjoy it even more knowing that it's fake. It's no different to watching a soap opera, or a comedy show - it's pure entertainment (as Aldeth said) and should be enjoyed on that level. Who cares if it's not real? It isn't purporting to be in most cases. And sure, there are plot elements that aren't so great (necrophilia, anyone?) but overall I fail to see what's so shameful about watching it.

I still watch it on some occassions. Not really for who or what the story was about, simply for the athletic moves. If you can disregard the crap going on, those flying moves, kicks and punches are a marvel to look at.

I used to watch WWF and enjoyed it inmensely. Hulk Hogan, the Last Warrior, the Undertaker and real monsters like Andre the Giant were our heroes. It was plain it was all fake, but it was still way better than the thing it's becomming now. I watched 15 minutes of the show last week and after seeing those big guys saying their lines by heart, and then "fighting"... had to turn the TV off... it was so lame!

EDIT:
I meant the ULTIMATE Warrior there. The English part of my brain was asleep
:coffee:

[ July 13, 2004, 15:51: Message edited by: Colthrun ]

I would never called the majority of the competitors of WWE/WWF athletic but huge guys full of steroids. It depends on who you are talking about. If you're talking about someone like Batista, Scott Steiner, or if you're old school, Ultimate Warrior, then I agree whole heartily. However, people like Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, with their gymnastic moves and flexibility, combined with a good deal of strength are arguably some of the best athletes in the world.

That having been said, I still don't watch the pay-per-views. As has been stated they run about $35, and they are once a month. The "big" pay-per-views like Wrestlemania are even more, $50 this year. I'll watch the shows that are "free" (provided you have cable or satellite TV), but spending a few hundred dollars a year on pay-per-views is something I find hard to justify just to entertain myself.

Yeah, I really don't like watching guys like Steiner or Batista because they're so over-muscled. Especially that freak Stenier. Actually, my favourites (since they each joined/ re-joined WWE/WWF) have always been guys like Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio Jr, Edge and Jericho because of their styles and of course perrenial favourites like Stone Cold, Undertaker, Kane, Bradshaw and Farooq (who I hear is now going by his real name of Ron Simmons) because of their take-no-BS attitudes. Particularly Kane.

Oh, and you can't help but love guys like Al Snow and Tazz, they were heaps cool in the first two Tough Enough series', my favourite bit was the guy who ripped on Tazz in his application video and Tazz kept him in a couple of rounds to get even. Plus Al and Mick Foley were great to watch together.

Mick Foley rocks big time, I really admire guys like him and Mark Calloway (Undertaker) for sticking with the same company so long and doing everything they did and still do for everybody, be it the fans or the other wrestlers.

I never watch, partly because it isn't aired here in holland but I wouldn't watch anyway.

What I always wondered is why they are huge burly guys in tight clothes. I can understand if you like to watch nice ladies in tight clothing throwing each other across the ring (preferrably a ring filled with mud) but guys.....no thanks.

Big burly men together in a ring, pounding into eachother. Yay!

Errrr Fie! Faragon! For shame! You will not be invited for my birthday-party this year! :p

I can't watch WWE here. Not broadcasted. But if it was broadcasted, I would be sure NOT to watch it. I simply don't like it.

I couldn't answer the poll because although I would watch it if it were broadcast I am unable to - I live in the UK but WWE (and in fact any wrestling) is only shown on sky (which I do not have).

When it was shown on terrestial(sp?) tv I used to watch it (it was WWF back then), though It was shown at uneven times.

However I do download wrestling clips (from WWE/F, WCW, ECW, TNA, various japanese feds, some lucha libre, some real 'old-school', as defined above, stuff as well).

Therefore I can not answer yes to the poll (I don't watch the WWE per se) but answering no would imply that I have no wish to (at least that i show it seems to me).

I watched it when i was like 8 (7 years ago) because i thought it was real and Goldberg was around. I started watching it again two years ago for a year because of the *Soap Opera for Men* aspect and Rico (the guy who acts homosexual) came around. Eventually I started calling out what was fake and why and where Hulk Hogan got the fake blood from and i lost all interest. But the guys who are in real shape are cool, like Shawn Micheals, Edge and Jericho, Rey Mysterio, etc. Eddie Guerrero(sp.) is still the best actor-who-still-kicks-ass though.

Eddie Guerrero(sp.) is still the best actor-who-still-kicks-ass though. Ah yes, shame on me for not mentioning Eddie on the "real" athletes comment. I think he really was the one who got the torch passed to him when the Rock started doing movies.

I think the problem that Wrestling has always had was that they go too far and in so doing, greatly limit their audience. A case from a couple of years ago will illustrate this point:

One of the wrestlers of a few years back was known as the "Godfather". Basically he was a pimp, and would come out with a group of very attractive young women that he reffered to as the "ho train". He would follow this up with his catch phrase upon entering the ring:

"Roll a fatty, for this here daddy. Light than blunt up and say: Pimping ain't easy."

That's just stepping over the line - plain and simple. Can we even begin to list the things wrong with this act? Objectifying women? Check. Casual use of drugs? Check. Considering "Pimping" acceptable behavior? Check. Denigrating women ("ho" comment)? Check. *sigh* such idiocy.

However, there is a humorous aspect to all of this as well. As could be expected the censors came down hard on the Godfather, and basically told Vince McMahon (owner of WWE) that they couldn't do that act again. In response, McMahon created a group of characters who were extremely straight-laced of which the former-Godfather was included. The name of the group? Right to Censor - of course.

Well, as for the Godfather (later the Goodfather), what I heard was that it actually tied in to the idea that each wrestler's character was to be simply an extension of their true personality and apparently Charles Wright is (or was) in fact the owner of a strip club.

And just a little side-note, I never saw anyone look more graceful doing a moonsault from the top turnbuckle than Kurt Angle.

Ah yes, shame on me for not mentioning Eddie on the "real" athletes comment. I think he really was the one who got the torch passed to him when the Rock started doing movies. Eddie, and Chris Benoit. I know Benoit doesn't talk much, but he's so damn good in the ring and so athletic that he doesn't need to - it speaks for him. The whole internet wrestling community has been waiting for years for these two to get a chance and now they both have jumped to the top. I only saw the last few matches of Wrestlemania this year, but seeing Eddie and Benoit (long-time friends in real life as well as in the business) embrace as the champions of their shows was a fantastic moment made real by the real-life aspect of it, since both men had been wrestling for nearly 20 years and finally had reached the top through sheer skill, patience and diligence. :happy:

And just a little side-note, I never saw anyone look more graceful doing a moonsault from the top turnbuckle than Kurt Angle. Agreed - Angle throwing a moonsault is a thing of beauty, even though he misses it 99% of the time, which makes it even more remarkable.

seeing Eddie and Benoit (long-time friends in real life as well as in the business) embrace as the champions of their shows was a fantastic moment made real by the real-life aspect of it That's another thing that I miss a lot about some of the matches, the sight of the competitors embracing after such great matches. One that really sticks out for me was IIRC a title match between 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and Bret 'Hitman' Hart where Bret couldn't stand properly after he won, Piper wrenched the belt from the ref's hands and stood over Bret looking menacing, then held out a hand and helped Bret stand before handing him the belt.

As I said, I may have the specifics wrong but I do recall a few similar matches at various points in WWE/WWF history. Now THAT'S what makes it so good to watch. All too rare these days though.

the one even I will NEVER forget though is the Raw night just after Owen Hart died and they spent basically the whole night paying tribute to him. Only got to see highlights unfortunately but the sight of a man as big as Mark Henry (among other of course) letting tears stream down his face freely was more moving than I can express.

the one even I will NEVER forget though is the Raw night just after Owen Hart died and they spent basically the whole night paying tribute to him. Only got to see highlights unfortunately but the sight of a man as big as Mark Henry (among other of course) letting tears stream down his face freely was more moving than I can express. I know - that image is hard to forget: a man who was legitimately "the world's strongest man" weeping openly for his friend really drove it home. I specifically remember Jeff Jarrett's face as well - he had his sunglasses on, but there were tears coming down his knotted-up face. I've seen some backstage footage from that night - they scrapped all the storylines for a night, and only the guys who wanted to wrestle did. The wrestlers are literally bursting into tears the second they walk behind the curtain after performing, and Jarrett is fighting back tears in the ring against Test (especially when he makes Test tap out with Owen's finisher, the Sharpshooter).

I can't even rationally discuss that incident. Evidently, Owen Hart was one of the most popular wrestlers and good friends with nearly everyone. Even moreso, he was related (though either blood or marriage) to many of the wrestlers as well. I saw that particular pay-per-view when it happened. Due to the time delay of the broadcast, they didn't actually show Owen falling, but I will always remember J.R.'s ashen face, looking at the camera and saying, "there has been a terrible accident, ladies and gentleman" and then going on to explain that this was NOT part of the intended performance.

You can't deny they did some incredible stuff, and I believe someone must have at least seen some decent footage once in their lives.

'Life will never, EVER be the same ... again'
--- you bet you B-hind!

It made me laugh 'a million' times, and although I did not really like the old-school-stuff, I am glad I did see some footage. I am still seing btw.

I still get chills just thinking about Owen's accident.

It was pretty obvious just from the highlights that I saw that they threw everything in the bin and winged it all night. Also included in what I saw was some candid interviews with 4 or so of the guys (out of character of course) talking about their favourite memories of Owen. They showed Dustin 'Goldust' Runnels talking about a BBQ at Harley Race's, Ray 'Big Boss Man' Traylor reading otu the newspaper notice, but the most moving for me was Adam 'Edge' Copeland talkikng about how he grew up watching and idolising Owen and he ended up being IIRC the last guy to actually wrestle Owen.

In Mick Foley's book (Have A Nice Day: A Tale Of Blood And Sweatsocks), there's some really touching stuff about Owen and his family. I remember Adam Copeland talking about Owen and only just holding together long enough to wish his family 'godspeed' before his voice faltered. The stuff about Owen's legendary "bad matches" and the Dude Love-Owen Hart feud had me in stitches. The idea of two guys in a no-holds-barred match who decide that all they care about is getting Austin to break character and laugh - and using a massive sack of popcorn as an offensive weapon, leading to a "popcorn angel" (like a snow angel, but in popcorn) - was almost too much, and it's so bad, it's good.

On a less serious and sombre note, though, what I remember most (other than Owen Hart's death) are some of the fantastic characters. Guys like The Rock, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Triple H, the ones who can make you laugh as well as wrestle. Jericho's line about Rhyno and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley as they glare at him from the ring coming up to SummerSlam 2001 was probably my all-time favourite:

"It's true, I've never beaten Rhyno. But at SummerSlam, I'm finally gonna take care of that ugly, sweaty, hairy, nasty beast... and I'm gonna get you too, Rhyno!"