WWE Wrestling On FS1 Is An Embarrassment... WTF?

[Edrick]

Professional wrestlers perform scripted athletic performances.

How is this different than gymnasts or figure skaters? Are those not athletes? sports?

[marquette]

Professional wrestlers perform scripted athletic performances.

How is this different than gymnasts or figure skaters? Are those not athletes? sports?

If you are talking about your local 12 year old gymnastics display, then there is no difference. If you are talking about college or Olympic gymnastics, where athletes pre-scripted performances are judged by how well they perform them and then compared against others, very different. WWE has pre-scripted winners and losers. If a WWE wrestler goes in and has a bad performance and his "opponent" has a good one, the pre-scripted winner still wins. An Olympian goes in knowing that if they don't bring their best performance, they will likely lose. Winners, losers. Legitimately earned based on performance. Even the referees in WWE are hired actors with no enforcement powers. If a WWE referee went off-script to enforce the "rules" he would never see work again.

If you want to compare WWE to something it could be stunt doubles performing a choreographed fight scene in a movie. Although there appears to be a winner and loser and a high degree of skill was shown by both I don't think anyone would say they just witnessed an athletic competition.

Ballet is another example. It takes a high degree of athleticism, years of training, and a reliance on your partners to perform the jumps, throws, spins, etc. Still, no one walking out of a ballet would say they were leaving an athletic competition or sport.

The Harlem Globe Trotters are another example. No one is asking about their odds of winning an NBA title this year, even though they're currently "undefeated." It is a show presented as a sport.

WWE is a drama presented as a sport. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, although it does make me cringe when my friends try to point out various wrestlers' "technique" in areas I've trained my entire life. A lot of people like WWE and there's nothing wrong with that. Fox has determined they can make money airing their events and I have no problem that. I won't watch, but not as some protest against them having it on the air. I just don't really have any interest.

[billyjack]

Professional wrestlers perform scripted athletic performances.

How is this different than gymnasts or figure skaters? Are those not athletes? sports?

If you are talking about your local 12 year old gymnastics display, then there is no difference. If you are talking about college or Olympic gymnastics, where athletes pre-scripted performances are judged by how well they perform them and then compared against others, very different. WWE has pre-scripted winners and losers. If a WWE wrestler goes in and has a bad performance and his "opponent" has a good one, the pre-scripted winner still wins. An Olympian goes in knowing that if they don't bring their best performance, they will likely lose. Winners, losers. Legitimately earned based on performance. Even the referees in WWE are hired actors with no enforcement powers. If a WWE referee went off-script to enforce the "rules" he would never see work again.

If you want to compare WWE to something it could be stunt doubles performing a choreographed fight scene in a movie. Although there appears to be a winner and loser and a high degree of skill was shown by both I don't think anyone would say they just witnessed an athletic competition.

Ballet is another example. It takes a high degree of athleticism, years of training, and a reliance on your partners to perform the jumps, throws, spins, etc. Still, no one walking out of a ballet would say they were leaving an athletic competition or sport.

The Harlem Globe Trotters are another example. No one is asking about their odds of winning an NBA title this year, even though they're currently "undefeated." It is a show presented as a sport.

WWE is a drama presented as a sport. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, although it does make me cringe when my friends try to point out various wrestlers' "technique" in areas I've trained my entire life. A lot of people like WWE and there's nothing wrong with that. Fox has determined they can make money airing their events and I have no problem that. I won't watch, but not as some protest against them having it on the air. I just don't really have any interest.

Yeah, i don't understand the confusion.

These are examples of non-competitive activities:
- WWE wrestling.
- the opera "The Magic Flute".
- the musical "Hamilton".
- the ballet "Swan Lake".
- Ringling Brothers Circus.
- David Copperfield's World of Magic.

These are competitions (assuming they're not rigged), which are more competitive than WWE:
- "So You Think You Can Dance".
- "Chopped" on The Food Network.
- Jeopardy.
- The Price Is Right.
- Nathan's hot dog eating contests.
- the Sausage Run at Brewers games.

These are competitive sports:
- basketball.
- baseball.
- football.
- hockey.
- lacrosse.
- gymnastics competitions.
- soccer.
- tennis.
- golf.
- UFC.
- boxing.
- horse racing.
- greyhound racing.
- NASCAR.
- Formula One.
- bowling.
- curling.
- hurling.
- Gaelic football.
- swimming.
- diving.
- track and field.
- cheerleading competitions.
- 100 other sports.

[scoscox]

Just to repeat my original statement...

It absolutely blows that the Big East has to share a sports network with WWE. It's fake and asinine, i don't give a shit about their ratings, and it's not a sport. Better off with "Arliss" or Matlock re-runs. "Chopped" on the Food Network is more competitive. I can't imagine there are many crossover fans between WWE and college hoops. Plus WWE fans must have an average age of 12.

All that stuff can be true, and it mostly is, and I still don’t see why you care. Who cares? Really?

[GoldenWarrior11]

Just to repeat my original statement...

It absolutely blows that the Big East has to share a sports network with WWE. It's fake and asinine, i don't give a shit about their ratings, and it's not a sport. Better off with "Arliss" or Matlock re-runs. "Chopped" on the Food Network is more competitive. I can't imagine there are many crossover fans between WWE and college hoops. Plus WWE fans must have an average age of 12.

All that stuff can be true, and it mostly is, and I still don’t see why you care. Who cares? Really?

WWE had a revenue of over $930 million in 2018. Raw and Smackdown viewership is in the millions weekly. There are worse things for our network to be associated with.

[billyjack]

Just to repeat my original statement...

It absolutely blows that the Big East has to share a sports network with WWE. It's fake and asinine, i don't give a shit about their ratings, and it's not a sport. Better off with "Arliss" or Matlock re-runs. "Chopped" on the Food Network is more competitive. I can't imagine there are many crossover fans between WWE and college hoops. Plus WWE fans must have an average age of 12.

All that stuff can be true, and it mostly is, and I still don’t see why you care. Who cares? Really?

WWE had a revenue of over $930 million in 2018. Raw and Smackdown viewership is in the millions weekly. There are worse things for our network to be associated with.

Ok, we're associated with a range of like-minded other sports groups, all under the FS1 umbrella, like a family. We're all serious legitimate enterprises, well respected and growing our businesses, except for our nosy gossiping aunt who represents TMZ and who lives in the attic and no one pays attention to.

After six years, for no reason, we're introduced to a tacky sleazy rich guy with a mullet and dressed in a clown suit (except when he's sitting in our office lobby in a wife-beater t-shirt and cut-off jeans), showing up as WWE, and rifling through our wet bar, and representing the wing of the family that profits off tobacco, vaping, gambling, prostitution and heroin.

Oh, yeah, and this new guy is going to be promoted as one of the big draws of our group. This is freakin insane. It's like if the Ivy League gave a 9th membership to The Cranston School of Cosmetics.

[scoscox]

Oh, yeah, and this new guy is going to be promoted as one of the big draws of our group. This is freakin insane. It's like if the Ivy League gave a 9th membership to The Cranston School of Cosmetics.

some of you guys care way too much about this. it's not a big deal in the least

[MUPanther]

One thing I see that is not said the new show WWE NXT, FOX wanted to put on FS1. It went to USA Network as FS1 doesn't have open spots in winter on Wednesday nights.