How did you find out that wrestling was not "real"?

[majormayhem1]

I was thinking about how I found out about Santa Claus not being "real" and the similarities between pro wrestling and Santa. So, how did you find out that wrestling, like Santa, is a big horrible lie perpetuated by our elders?

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski]

I think my dad told me.

[Guest]

After renting tapes for a few weeks when I first started watching wrestling, my parents hinted at me that it was fake, and not worth my time to watch. I didn't care, until Bash at the Beach '96. I got mad at Hogan turning heel, and finally, they told me.

[Danville_Wrestling]

My parents tried to get me to not like wrestling and told me it was fake but as a seven year old at the time I thought they were being dumb. Other people at school also loved to ridicule those of us who were wrestling fans (this was in early 1995, years before the boom period when wrestling got "cool" and suddenly those same people who once ridiculed were talking about it) and told us it was fake and stupid.

 

However, I really didn't "get" that it wasn't real until I saw a MTV special on going to wrestling school that featured Les Thatcher. It may not have been that exact show but I saw something on TV a year or so later that exposed the business to me, although it would take until 1999 with WOW Magazine for me to start getting the "smart mark" terminology such as workrate, face/heel (instead of the regular good guy/bad guy), pop, overness, blading, etc.

 

To be honest, now that I am a "smart" fan I don't think I am as creative with wrestling. I used to come up with great storylines in my head and use them for the N64 video games or the action figures I had but now when playing TEW and stuff I can't seem to come up with much of anything useful. It's like I'm trying too hard or something.

[Fartsauce]

I honestly don't even remember how I figured it was fake. I do remember that when Jim Ross cut his heel promo back in 1996 it was the first time I realized that Vince Mcmahon owned the WWF. I always thought Jack Tunney or Gorilla Monsoon were the owners.

[Ced]

When GamePro's review of Wrestlemania Challenge for the NES mentioned pro-wrestling was fake, I think I started to piece things together from there.

[theintensifier]

When my 400 pound cousin broke his sisters back when he jumped on her. I realized that it'd kill/injure a grown man all the same. This was last week.

[The Buzz]

I don't remember where or when the first time I heard it was fake, it was always known it was fake to me even as a very small child, I just didn't know how they did it, how much was real and how much was fake, etc.

 

I think it's so funny and sad how many people out there try to ruin someones love of a hobby by constant ribbing over it being fake. It'd be like me constantly bringing up how almost all team sports can cure insomnia.

[Frankie Williams]

From reading this thread.

[Retard Girl]

you mean it's not real?

[theintensifier]

Okay, this thread is certainly going downhill now....

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins]

The room is spinning.

[King Kamala]

I can't remember one exact moment. My dad told me it wasn't real a couple months after I started watching but I didn't truly believe him until years later. It was just a bunch of collective moments that killed that myth. The first instance I remember of being a "smark" was going on all the newz websites after Russo did a "shoot" on Hogan at Bash of The Beach 2000 and thinking it was awesome. Yeah, I'll admit I thought WCW 2000 was awesome and I actually watched it over WWF at times that year.

[foleyfanforever88]

IT'S STILL REAL TO ME DAMNIT!

 

 

 

 

 

..Did it really take 14 posts for that to come up?

[Jingus]

I wasn't a wrestling fan as a kid, but I happened to see one Hogan match and one Undertaker promo and figured it out real quick.

 

How did you believe that wrestling was real?

[Guest]

From 7-10...you believe a lot of things.

[Ravenbomb]

I knew it was fake from the start. My parents made sure I knew so that I wouldn't try to imitate it.

[Nate]

well my mom's best friend told me when I was 6 or 7 and I thought she was full of crap, I forget at what age it made sense it wasnt real

[Retard Girl]

movies are fake, and they don't even do their own stunts.

[Kinetic]

There was one instance where Tugboat was "injured" and my Dad opined that he was probably just on vacation or something. This seemed a curious statement to me, but ultimately got the ball rolling toward my realization that wrestling was fake. Like with Santa and sex, this involved a lot of piecing together of things that I heard at home and at school.

[The Dames]

My 8 yr old nephew knows that WWE is "fake", but thinks ROH is real...

 

What's really sad to me is that most kids growing up stop watching once they discover its not legit, yet they don't have that same mentality towards sitcoms and other shows.

 

Dames

[geniusMoment]

Honestly, I started watching wrestling when I was 7 in 1992, and I knew it was fake from the start. How did some of you actually think it was real? Did you sniff a lot of glue or something?

[JST]

Internet. Thanks a LOT.

[Jericholic82]

I guess I had always heard people say it was fake and I saw some pieces on news tv shows that said that, yet I still basically refused to listen to that. by the age of 12 I had a good idea about it, but stayed markish until I guess late 97 when I discovered internet rumor sites thru a friend. by 98 when I got a webtv box and started going to these sites all the time, thats when I finally became a smark I suppose.

[Guest Vincent Vega]

i always knew it was staged but that never stopped me from thinking steve austin was the toughest man on the planet.

[Obi Chris Kenobi]

Hmm, I honestly can't remember, I used to watch as a kid around 90-94, then stopped and watched a lot of Football (Soccer) instead. Starting watching again in 96-02, and in all that time I can't remember anyone telling me it was fake. I guess I just 'figured it out myself', as part of growing up. Maybe my Quaker Grandparents told me - I used to watch it around their house when I was young, they didn't mind but weren't too keen on the Undertaker.

[yankovic fan]

My dad used to scream at me for watching "that fake shit" every monday night. Seriously having interests that weren't his is basically a major crime in his eyes. I was a rebel (YEAH!) and watched anyway, ignoring him since he pretty much condemned anything that wasn't his interest, and I figured he was just doing the same thing.

 

I argued with him "If it's fake why would they ruin a ring with Bererker driving his sword through the mat trying to kill the undertaker!? Them things costs hundreds of thousands of dollars!!!"

 

 

Eventually I dated a girl who was related to a local indy guy and he pretty much set me straight. Plus seeing a live 'rec center' match and all the missed punches didn't help.

 

 

But yes all of those "ITS FAKE" types need to go play in traffic.

[edgehead69]

Invasion Storyline.. I just did and i was 12

[Diamonddust]

My parents would always make sure I knew it "wasn't real", especially when I was younger, but they didn't discourage me from watching it.

[haws bah gawd]

We all know its staged, planned, and the occasional real-life backstage feud, but it doesn't make it any less entertaining. I agree how funny it is that people are so fast to jump on the fake bandwagon. When I started my current job in May of this year, I was going around chatting and getting to know some of my new co-workers. When they would ask what my favorite TV show, or sport was, I would always bring up how much I enjoy pro wrestling. So, what's the first thing out of each and everyone their mouths: "You know that stuff's fake right?"