Professional Wrestling: This is What You May Not Know

By William Barber

After his sudden passing shocked the world, the legendary Hulk Hogan’s funeral took place this past Tuesday. This followed one of WWE’s hottest events, SummerSlam, this past weekend. The WWE has also been making recent headlines about some of its dealings with Netflix.

Professional wrestling has always made headlines to a degree, but arguably not as much as it has recently with the death of Hulk Hogan. He was a universally recognized name that extended beyond wrestling. Hulk Hogan and ‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnson are two names that even someone who has never watched a professional wrestling match would, more than likely, recognize. But even if these two men have a lot of fans from many walks of life, there are still people who don’t truly understand how huge professional wrestling is and was at times.

There are many things about professional wrestling that many people are unaware of. The following are some of these.

Not Quite What You’d Call “Fake”

Even if professional wrestling isn’t real competition, that doesn’t mean the athletes don’t train hard and work hard to do it. The mat they wrestle on is not as soft as you may assume. Pro wrestlers are injured all the time. In some cases, they’ve been seriously hurt. Think of it like this. If you can break your neck on a trampoline, you can break your neck on a wrestling mat. Many veterans of the ring could attest to the damage to their bodies over the course of their careers.

Wrestling Has a Broad Range of Fans

Some individuals who have never watched a professional wrestling match may assume that only certain types of people enjoy it. However, there are people from all walks of life who watch wrestling. From plumbers to lawyers to computer techs, you’d be surprised at the broad range of professions that are represented at wrestling matches or in its television viewership. I’ve personally met a man with a PhD who watches wrestling, and I’ve even met a priest who attended WrestleMania several years ago.

In addition, many people don’t know how universal wrestling is. Nations around the world have professional wrestling, not just the United States. Countries such as Mexico, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom have had professional wrestling throughout the years. In addition, the WWE has always had international tours, not only reaching out to those aforementioned countries, but also performing in India, Saudi Arabia, Italy, France, and everywhere in between.

Wrestling Has Had Varying Eras of Widespread Popularity

The early days of television heavily featured professional wrestling matches during the 1950s. People from all over would unwind in their living rooms, captivated by the personalities of professional wrestling. I’ve talked to older adults who grew up in this era. Although some of them may have never watched wrestling then, they remember Gorgeous George, a well-known wrestler on 1950s television.

In the 1980s, cable TV became popular. Vince McMahon took advantage of this platform with the WWF (now WWE). As has been documented, Hulk Hogan became a massive star the world over. Celebrities began to pay attention to wrestling amid its global broadcasting. With the WWF’s WrestleMania, stars such as Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T, Joan Rivers, and William “the Refrigerator” Perry made their presence known in matches. Even the recently deceased Ozzy Osbourne made an appearance at WrestleMania 2.

The most recent golden age of wrestling was arguably the late 1990s and early 2000s. The WWF wasn’t the only player in town anymore as Ted Turner’s WCW gained popularity. Stars like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson emerged, and Hulk Hogan transitioned to a villainous role. During this period, the popularity of wrestling skyrocketed. With the WWF and WCW competing with each other every Monday night, an estimated 9 to 10 million viewers were tuning in each week.

Similar to the 1980s, the late 90s and early 2000s featured numerous celebrities endorsing wrestling and participating in matches. Basketball legends Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone wrestled in matches in WCW, while boxing great Mike Tyson refereed a match for WWE. Even television host Jay Leno jumped in on the action.

Ongoing Popularity

Arguably, professional wrestling has not regained the popularity it saw in both the 1980s and 90s. However, it still has a large following. Celebrities have still made many appearances on wrestling programs. In 2009 and 2010, WWE programming had guest hosts and stars on one of their most-watched shows, Monday Night Raw. Not only did Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, return for another wrestling appearance, but many other celebrities also joined the show. Some of them are Snoop Dogg, William Shatner, Florence Henderson, Dennis Miller, Toby Keith, Rob Zombie, Flavor Flav, ZZ Top, and even the Muppets in 2011.

 I attended WrestleMania 30 and WrestleMania 34, which both took place in New Orleans in 2014 and 2018, respectively. The crowds were massive, and I remember meeting people from all over. There are numerous estimates, but they all say that between 60,000 and 65,000 people went to both events. WrestleMania 3, which took place in the Pontiac Silverdome in the 1980s, drew an estimated 93,000 fans to see Hulk Hogan fight Andre the Giant. Reports say that was the largest number of people ever to attend an indoor event at that time. WrestleMania 38 took place in Dallas, Texas, in 2022 and drew what has been estimated as 131,000 fans for the combination of two nights.

Wrestling’s Future and Legacy

It’s uncertain if there will be another golden age of professional wrestling. However, the recent passing of Hulk Hogan has reminded people of how big professional wrestling is and how it reaches out to all forms of entertainment. Both Hulk Hogan and ‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnson crossed over into movies. Even fans of the movie “The Princess Bride” who don’t like wrestling say that Andre the Giant made that film.

Before you call wrestling fake or pigeonhole its fans, take into account some of the things I’ve mentioned. Television has showcased professional wrestling since its inception, and I predict that this trend will persist for some time to come.

Editor’s Disclaimer:
This article was contributed by a new writer to Presence News. The views expressed are their own. Presence News encourages diverse voices and perspectives and welcomes thoughtful, well-researched contributions from our writing team.

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