Growing up, many kids like myself, went through some point in time where they were drawn into professional wrestling. Personally, I was obsessed with it. When you are younger, you watch the entertainment part of the company. As we all used to think until we grew up, it was all real, and then we realized technically we were wrong. Now, as a 19-year old, I have a pretty different view of it.

I was having a conversation with a friend about wrestling, and they had said, “actors can do the same as them.” After I heard that comment, I knew then I needed to write about this.

Yes, I get it; professional wrestling is not like the UFC or boxing where the fighters are really going at it with one another, trying to see who can outlast each other. But here’s the problem with this perspective, if you were to say that to one of the fighters, this would not be a peaceful conversation.

A scripted fight like in WWE and a fight that actors have in a movie are two completely different situations. I always like to emphasize; is it really fake when they jump off a 20 ft ladder onto another human being? There are a lot of different arguments people make when it comes to wrestling, and some people do not even give it the time of the day to watch and see what I am trying to prove.

One of my biggest arguments when it comes to clarifying what is “real,” and what is acting is when I bring up the injuries. I do not see many actors or stunt doubles filming movies who had to miss almost 9 to 12 months of their career from a torn ligament or broken bone.

These wrestlers go through one of the most grueling experiences, and people do not realize that. I feel that I started to get attached and more interested in the product that I was watching once I started to have an actual connection to what they have to deal with daily.

There is a reason why when you are in the UFC, you usually only fight maybe three times a year, and that is because your body needs time to let off the steam which helps prevents injuries. It is extremely rare for a wrestler to go through their career without sustaining a significant injury.

I can understand people do not necessarily watch the shows and know all of the background information on what goes on; It is the reason why whenever someone does bring it up, I am always quick to bring light to the conversation.

I am pretty sure there are numerous different topics that I am not familiar with, and I hope that if I am ever in a conversation where I do not know about the subject, someone will enlighten me on what I should know.

Up until a few years ago, I believe most people did not view wrestling as a sport mainly because it is scripted. People also like to question the reality of it because everyone already knows who wins.

But wrestlers have now fought for their sport to be respected amongst society. If you go into the most popular sports channels’ social media, you will see a section dedicated to professional wrestling. WWE signed a contract with FOX Sports to broadcast their shows on their main channels, which is significant not just for them but for all companies that maybe felt like they did not receive enough respect from people.

If anyone ever has the chance, I highly suggest watching any fighting sports or wrestling, whether it is: WWE, UFC, boxing, and many more. I especially recommend watching it through a different lens rather than just seeing the “fake” parts and understanding what these fighters truly go through for you to benefit from the experience of the product.