So I've been pondering over this issue...I'm a right ponderer me....
... because it does appear that these wrestling circus characters have seemingly attained hero status amongst their fans, which appear to number the many thousands looking at the arena's they are filling.
Now I think it would be safe to assume that these wrestling fans have each their own favourite "fighters" who they go to support as this is displayed clearly at the performance by observing the collective fervour.
So I'm trying to reconcile the notion of how somebody can hold this type of character up as some type of sporting hero.
So I decided to look at what charachteristics are required for somebody to become an all 'miricin hero. What's the blue print? What defines being a sporting hero?
Well over my generation I think probably the best example of this portrayed in movies it has to be this guy....
One of the biggest hits at the box office, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars it's impact on society was more than subtle, you couldn't walk away from a fight victoriously by the end of the 70's without somebody making a flippant Rocky comment.
But when you look at the character itself, it appears to be slightly flawed.
All those early morning runs, all those punched pigs, the speed skipping, the countless push ups, the pain, the medicine balls, the heavy bags and all those gut sapping town hall steps is a price this guy has to endure to become the best he can possibly be...
...now with his pugilistic skills finely honed he steps into the ring...So far so good...
...but for some very strange reason, unbeknownst to me, and probably every other boxing fan on the planet Rocky Balboa then decides that his very best form of defence would be his very own face.....hmmm?
So Rocky now implements the tactic of wearing his opponent out by letting them pummel his face to the point where his facial injuries resemble somebody just pulled from a road traffic accident. The referee somehow oblivious to the subtle signs of a partially smashed cranium allowing it to continue...(both eyes shut, boxer not resembling himself at all from round 1, etc)
Fortunately Balboa still retains the medical knowledge to understand that his over swollen face is reducing his general vision and was unable to actually see his opponent so knocking him out was proving troublesome so asks his sadistic corner man to slice his face open to reduce a bit of pressure...which he duly does...
This vital emergency medical procedure proves to be the pivotal point of the fight as it allows Rocky to see again and hence slay his opponent in one last lung busting spurt of masculinity.
I do remember walking away from the Cinema after watching the original, I was 8 years old...all my friends were saying "wow what a fighter" but I was thinking "wow what an idiot!"
Maybe it's just me I dunno.
But the message of the film is kind of a macabre analogy of life.
Work your bollocks off all your life, stay on that treadmill, every step of the way we will be smashing you in the face. And if you do actually manage to make it your brain will be that mashed you can't enjoy the benefits anyway.
So taking that into account I have now pondered enough on the mentality of your average wrestling fan.