Honest question from an outsider...

[Mike Hunt]

I was never one for the storylines (I made due with them because I liked the "sport" of it) which is why I haven't really watched wrestling in the past 10-12 years (I catch a half hour of Raw or Smackdown per month).

I can tell you that as a kid ('89 to '94), it was the simple idea of good vs. evil that had me hooked. Back in those days, there were clear lines drawn as to who was a good guy and who was a bad guy. I pulled for the good guy and hated the bad guy. I didn't really care what guys had to say so long as they fought on the "right" side. The only borderline story line thing I really liked was when a bad guy became a good guy. That was always the thing that brought me the most joy (ie, Some good guy is attacked by three bad guys and he's lying on the ground lifeless. One of the bigger-named bad guys pops out from the curtains, runs to the ring and starts beating up the bad guys. The beaten good guy eventually gathers his strength, stands up and shakes the "bad" guy's hand or raises it. etc). I'll also say that some of the things that drew me to certain characters were their costumes (ie, the flashier the better for a 7-12 year-old) but even moreso, the entrance music. Heavy guitar riffs and heavy drums were all I needed to decide who my favourite wrestlers were. My favourite wrestler of all-time was The Ultimate Warrior. Dude had bleach blonde hair, face paint, arm streamers and wore flashy colours like pink, orange, green and yellow. His song rocked and he gave more energy during his ring entrance than most guys did in the ring (which is good because as a technical wrestler, he was pretty awful).

The athleticism of the "sport" was always a big draw. IT's probably why I still watch wrestling every once in a while. Some of the things these guys do are just awe-inspiring: A fat guy like Bam Bam Bigelow doing cartwheels in the ring; A big man, in Hulk Hogan, clearly lifting a huge man (Andre the Giant) and body slamming him; And little guys flying around the ring from crazy heights with seemingly no fear. It's hard for me to imagine any kid being able to resist that once exposed to it.

While the athleticism in the sport has not gone away, the idea of good vs. evil certainly has. When bad guys like Austin started being more popular than good guys, the WWE made a major change and pretty much decided to have stars fight stars regardless of whether they were "face" or "heel". At first, people went crazy for it but I think, it's catching up to them now. It's a lot harder to surprise people with weird alliances being made or big twists, nowadays. When everyone is painted in various shades of grey, it's hard for pairings to really clash.

[Dagameplaya PnG]

Merging the brands would be a terrible idea because then a lot of people wouldn't get TV time, which means a lot of talented superstars would never see a push.

[Cliff Levingston]

Hey guys, I'm not here to rip on anyone or anything but I have a serious question.

I am guessing that most of you are old enough to realize that wrestling is fake, and that a lot of these guys are roided out actors trying to make a buck.

So what is the draw? Do you like the stories, the athleticism, the fighting?

I am honestly curious because knowing that there is nothing real about it and that there is no competitiveness literally makes it unwatchable for me.

Whats the deal with wresting and why do you like it so much?

Thanks for your time, and again I'm not trying to offend anyone.

Simply enough, it's a soap opera for men. It literally has a little of everything that most men ask for from a general entertainment perspective: action, athletic competition (even though the result is scripted), sex/sex appeal (hot chicks), drama and larger than life (literally) characters.

As a long time wrestling fan, i can say that there's never been a time like now where you can tune into a show week after week and get such high level matches. Smackdown's "sinister six" (X-men reference) as Cliff Levingston's friend calls them deliver at least one great match every week. They include Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler... and you can add Edge to that group as well before he got hurt. If you used to watch wrestling but don't anymore for any reason, Cliff Levingston thoroughly suggests you tune in to Smackdown one night and check it out. John Morrison has been involved in 3 outstanding matches the last couple months and Jericho has never been better than he currently is.

[Tricky Ricky]

I like it because it is fake, I find something real like UFC extremely boring here you have fun storylines and fun matches.