h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

IF WRESTLING IS LIKE ACTING HOW COME WRESTLERS GET HURT EVEN KILLED?AT THE MOMENT DDP out with neck injury,KANE out with back injury,BENOITout with neck injury KANYON out with torn acl plus a few others wrestling is fake but the injuries aren`t.

kanyonatic

Isn't this exactly what the auther just said in the last paragraph?

Yes i thought that came out beautifully in this essay, story, gimmick, booking on one side, the sheer athletics, physical strain and danger on the other. I wouldn't know anything to add to this very comprehensive piece, except mentioning that for combining wrestling ability with showmanship I specially admire Ric Flair, Sting and HHH, not the least for never being too great to do a spot of jobbing.

This piece really opened my eyes, there is a lot more to pro wrestling than I thought, and it is much more athletic than I imagined. I was especially suprised to learn about the trick of using a razor to make themselves bleed. That is intense!!

I didn't know about the blood, i always fondly imagined it to be movie splatter or the good ol catsup.

One of the surest methods of making something look real is to really do it.
In his autobiography, Mick Foley (aka Mankind, Dude Love, Cactus Jack) says that he always admired Terry Funk's punches: they looked so real and so powerful. When he finally got to work with Funk, Foley discovered that the secret was that Funk just hit people as hard as he could.

Mick Foley is the poster guy for "Wrestling Ain't Fake". His list of injuries is impressive. Even more impressive; he's still alive.

Now that does make sense. I don't feel quite such a Toto anymore because when i first started watching, thought it was for real. Then at a later stage i did notice that some of the hits couldn't be completely authentic, because particularly ribs and skulls can only take so much impact, and joints only so much strain, but if one stays slightly beneath the force that causes actual ruptures or breaks, then it can still be hard enough, and those with the highest thresholds give the best performance. Looks like i should read Mick Foley's book, he can probably tell a lot about the limits of human bodies.

"Have a Nice Day" and "Foley is Good" are both worth a read. The first deals with Mick's efforts to become a wrestler, the second with his later career and some non-wrestling stuff. Both are worth a read since Mick is actually a rather good author.

One of the things I have come to appreciate about pro-wrestling is the skill with which the wrestlers maintain their illusions. As you watch, you start to notice which move the "victim" has to help with and how well that help is disguised.
For example: the belly to back Suplex. The victim actually uses a great deal of leg power to hoist themselves into the air.

Delicia - you're a Triple H fan...what's your take on his current state? He's out injured and yet still manages to make himself the centre of attention. Good or bad?

Oh yes, sometimes in less star powered promotions one can see the supporting moves quite plainly.
Well as much as i would be a fan of anyone or anything, i reckon i'm a HHH fan . Lord, i didn't think anything could stop that guy (well of course i do know they all can be stopped very short by injury) but he transmits that indestructible quality. HHH-Mankind matches were always something to behold, i loved the ruthlessness, the irresistable force meeting the immovable obstacle or something like that
Now i must confess that i haven't been following the latest developments much, as once again we are without Raw here in Germany, it's being shoved from one station to another like something not quite nice . I think HHH is a big draw for the WWE, as they now call themselves. Like, if i knew there is a wrestling event on, whithout HHH, i wouldn't bother to watch. Unless Sting, Jericho, Raven, Vampiro and/or Ric Flair were billed...Also he has got himself into a position in the company and with the fans just now, which i think he is trying to tide over his injury, and i can very well understand that.
I'm always glad to see him