Wrestling has the Edge Over "Real" Sports

[nightrain]

A TOP WWE official has explained why he thinks scripted wrestling shows have the edge over 'real' sports such as football and boxing.

Andrew Whitaker, who runs WWE's international department, says being able to determine the length and outcome of matches makes wrestling more exciting.

In an interview with MeettheBoss.tv, Whitaker said: "We believe very strongly that because we are producing scripted entertainment on a weekly basis, 10 hours every single week, we have an advantage over sport.

"We can calibrate the delivery of each episode across the course of a year, to run a storyline over a period of time.

"If you're watching a particular sporting event — take a boxing event as an example — there's a lot of hype before the event and it leads to the grand finale and you're thinking it's going to be a 12-round-plus fight and it ends in eight seconds.

"Or you can have a nil-nil draw in football and not the result that people were expecting when they're going to see Chelsea play Manchester United.

"That, obviously, is one of the disadvantages of sport.

"So while it's compelling, in most instances, watching pure sport, the reality is, in some instances, we have an advantage in the sense that we are able to calibrate the delivery of our content and how it's delivered on a daily and weekly basis."

Whittaker — whose favourite wrestler is The Undertaker — also reiterated that WWE are an entertainment company first and a wrestling brand second.

He added: Obviously, the E is in our name. WWE is an entertainment company. It is a globally known brand now.

"Part of our being able to go public has allowed us to be able to do that.

"We see ourselves very much as an entertainment company that happens to also produce product in this genre and is the kind of — let's call it the flagship leader — of that particular genre of programming."

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/2972273/WWE-official-Wrestling-has-the-advantage-over-real-sports.html#ixzz0ntCafDbx

[Yankee1012]

Interesting article. However It is much more fun to watch a very intense NFL game than watching wrestling. I am a huge wrestling fan, but there is not much that can top Super Bowl 42 and how intense the game was between the Giants and Patriots. There are times where wrestling is more entertaining than football no doubt about that.

Wrestling does have advantages over other sports. I do agree with that.

[Hammy]

They have the advantage in the sense they can in theory script it so it's never boring but the irony is it is so often    At least "Real" Sports have an excuse.

Plus "Wrestling" has to contend with getting fans to suspend their disbelief, and actually get into what is happening, emotions and all, people struggle with kayfabe being thrown out the window, with "Real" Sports, well, ya know it's real, right?

[Izzy]

It really doesn't help when they try so hard to ruin the illusion

'Its all fake! Now our main event, a ''loser gets melted flame match''!

[Lineker10]

Like Hammy said - real sports are, real! Wrestling might be able to plan and dictate exactly what happends , when and where - so it produces the goods when its expected too, but it will never have the excitment, prestigue or importance as real sports.

[James Lofton]

Funny how the guy didn't even use the word wrestling.....