5) Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins was asked in an interview with the Arkansas Times back in 2014 if fans still ask him if wrestling is real or fake.
Rollins had a fantastic response to anyone that says wrestling isn’t real and compares what he does to other athletes in different sports.
Here is what he said:
“Fake is like the worst word you could possibly use to describe anything, you know? What are you talking about? What is fake? It’s a television show, and a live performance. Nothing’s fake about it. We’re not telling you we’re out their fighting each other. We’re going out there to entertain you. I consider myself an athlete. I train like an athlete, I eat like an athlete, I recover and get sore just like any other athlete. We’re not lying to anybody”
He continued:
“People just don’t understand the art form of what we do. It’s a mental and physical grind. You can’t be a dolt in this industry. On the opposite end of that, you can be the smartest guy in the world and not understand what it is to have a presence on stage. Being a character, executing a live performance, understanding what it is to connect with a crowd and elicit a specific response at a specific time using moves and body language and emotions. What we do is very complex. It’s underappreciated” (Source: ArkTimes.com)
Some great words from Rollins that I think puts it into great perspective. Wrestling is an art form and an extremely dangerous one at that.
6) Bret Hart
Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart has been involved in wrestling his whole life. He is also considered one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots. In an interview with Portsmouth.co.uk, Bret says that the word ‘fake’ is degrading towards wrestlers and what they have accomplished.
Here is what he said:
“I think people who say that are kind out of touch with reality. The least-best word to describe wrestling is fake. There’s a lot of injuries and its high impact. I never thought of, and I still don’t think, of any of my matches as fake. The terminology is degrading”
He continues, talking about the beauty of professional wrestling and the stories that they are able to tell:
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“I think fans understand that there’s a storyline process. As an example, you look at my match with Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13, there was a lot of blood and the sharpshooter, he didn’t tap-out and all that. It was a very violent struggle and it tells the story of a good guy and a bad guy, but it tells this beautiful struggle of a battle of two people fighting for everything they believe in, and it’s a very magical thing that you can have that kind of match and that kind of performance” (Source: Portsmouth).
A great response from the Hitman.
Here are some more wrestlers who will argue that Wrestling Isn’t Fake.