WWE Declared an Essential Business in FL

[BobA]

Would someone please pass the pipe?? Gotta love it! Big guys in tights.....

[grebmrof]

Seems to be a rather brilliant decision!

[PJPR01]

This from the same governor that wanted to keep the beaches open...

[cliffrod]

After we moved back to SC and had tv, my wife and I watched wwe every Friday night.  It's a Guilty pleasure with no excuses. Some people drink soda like it has some redemptive value, endlessly stream the most bizarre crap anybody can imagine & produce, whatever.  We have brats or Italian sausage and watch dudes flip & fly without breaking their or each other's necks.  Then it got important, shifted to cable tv that we don't have and we didn't watch anything for about a decade.  It came back to network TV last Oct. we were thrilled.

When - took over, they changed format to do it at their FL training center in an empty ring with no one visible except an announcer and a couple of other wrestlers in front of the cameras.  It's even more ridiculous than ever.  And we've never enjoyed it more.  Those people know they're ridiculous. Now they do it with no pretense to entertain people without the people even being there. 

People can laugh all they want want.   The WWE people have our total respect.   What they're doing right now has less to do with the wrestling than it ever has.

[Guzzistajohn]

I sold an elevator to a retired WWF wrestler (won't say his name) but he had stories about hanging out with Andre the Giant. One time he fixed one of his girl friends up with Andre and she gave the predictable "oh my" response. He held his index finger and thumb up (about 6 inches apart) and said "don't worry, I've seen it and it's only this big.........in the width"    she stayed with him for 2 years.

[Shorty]

One of my buddies back in Pa/Oh was a part time TV wrestler. Not a real big name, so he usually was the "heal". He would do dirty trick behind the referree's back and antagonise the "babyface." Always ended  up getting stomped at the last possible minute. Hey, money is money, eh? One time he got injured as Bruno Samartino bodyslammed him and hurt his back.  When he was near his home town, he was the unlikely hero, and "won" a few matches. I used to haul the wrestling ring in the back of one of my bread trucks, so I got a stipend and free admission to the matches in the local area. (Guzzi content). This guy organised local TV wrestling matches, and also did a traveling ladies mud wrestling show. I had a chance to meet some local wrestlers, as well as a couple national guys. My favorite was "George the Animal" Steele.

[Cam3512]

Not a wrestling fan at all.  Wife and I just watched the movie "Fighting with my Family".  It was really good.  Gives you a funny behind the scenes look at the billion dollars wrestling business (hence "Essential").  Whether you're a fake wrestling fan or not, check it out.  It's a true story. 
 
What else do you have to do?  Ride a motorcycle?

Cam

[PJPR01]

Well...now that the tennis courts are closed here in the neighborhood, we are not even able to play with our own family members.  At least the golf course is still open as long as you are alone in your golf cart, for now, and one can still go for a bike ride or walk as long as distance is maintained. 

As far as the fake wrestling, it's so fake, it's funny to watch for a few minutes, but ever since Goldberg retired, it's not as much fun anymore.

Just hard to see how it's considered "essential"...but I'm sure there's some backroom deal that got it labelled as such...

Back to your regular scheduled programming! 

 

[Bulldog9]

More evidence of the "Tyranny of the Irrational" we have these days........

[Guzzistajohn]

Well...now that the tennis courts are closed here in the neighborhood, we are not even able to play with our own family members.  At least the golf course is still open as long as you are alone in your golf cart, for now, and one can still go for a bike ride or walk as long as distance is maintained. 

As far as the fake wrestling, it's so fake, it's funny to watch for a few minutes, but ever since Goldberg retired, it's not as much fun anymore.

Just hard to see how it's considered "essential"...but I'm sure there's some backroom deal that got it labelled as such...

Back to your regular scheduled programming! 

 

To me it's about as UN interesting as any other TV sport <shrug>

[jwinwi]

Today's sign of the impending apocalypse...

[Motormike]

I don't watch so-called "Wrestling." But I certainly admire their stunt abilities.  That's what they are to me, professional stunt men (and women).  When a 300 lbs man jumps from the top turnbuckle and lands on someone laying flat on the mat, they'd both better know what their doing or somebody's going to the hospital! And then there's the ability to pick your "opponent" up over your head and slam him to the mat.  No way to fake that.  (Well, the guy being lifted kicks off the mat with his feet to help, but still....)

[Cam3512]

Watch the movie!

[Guzzistajohn]

After spending a few hours with my retired wrestler - elevator client, I can attest, it's not all fake. He's suffering all the aches and pains that most any aging professional athlete suffers. He didn't put a elevator in his home for fun, he has some serious mobility issues. And he's not THAT old. He said it takes HOURS of rehearsals to do all those moves. Yes, they're not always really pounding the crap out of each other, but it's physical stuff. 

[Perazzimx14]

From the little I've watched Dark Side of the Ring on Vice is pretty good too. Not as good as Action Bronson watches Ancient Aliens but better then Bong Appetite.

[cliffrod]

After spending a few hours with my retired wrestler - elevator client, I can attest, it's not all fake. He's suffering all the aches and pains that most any aging professional athlete suffers. He didn't put a elevator in his home for fun, he has some serious mobility issues. And he's not THAT old. He said it takes HOURS of rehearsals to do all those moves. Yes, they're not always really pounding the crap out of each other, but it's physical stuff.

That's what we talk about while watching them- how much that's going to hurt in a few years and how someone who's done that for many long years can still function.  Being physically active and strong (not gym muscles) has been a large part of our lives.  Watching someone 250-350lbs do the things they do, even though it's fully choreographed, is what we like to see.   We know how & how much we hurt and regularly comment how much more it must and will hurt to do that for a living.

There's a former pro wrestler here in town.  After being introduced, I had a long talk with him one day about the business.  He told me about the scheduling of contracted career ascension for the right people.  He had fulfilled his obligations and met the right goals.  He only had a relatively short stint (few months) in Japan to complete before becoming a headliner here in the USA.  During the Japan tour, he began to exhibit symptoms of MS and that ended his career before he went "big".  Another friend here in town started wrestling around 92-93 as Mr Wonderful and really enjoyed it. Said the money was great.  He made some posters around the time I moved in 94 but apparently didn't go big.

when I was 16 or 17, I was at a nearby pool hall on a Sunday afternoon between chores with only 1-2 people. A big Cadillac that we didn't recognize stopped at the gas pumps and out stepped Nikita Koloff, Adrian Street & Hart and one of the younger long-haired redneck gonna-get-beaten fighters.  Of course, there was no big Russian accent when Nikita talked.  Just regular guys, but fun to meet them.  They bought some chips and drinks, politely received us and drove off to the next event.   

[Turin]

+1 for Dark side of the ring. I also recommend "Beyond The Mat" from about 20 years ago.  I'm not a big wrestling fan, but a lot of those folks are genuine athletes. I don't think very highly of the CEO.

[elvisboy77]

After we moved back to SC and had tv, my wife and I watched wwe every Friday night.  It's a Guilty pleasure with no excuses. Some people drink soda like it has some redemptive value, endlessly stream the most bizarre crap anybody can imagine & produce, whatever.  We have brats or Italian sausage and watch dudes flip & fly without breaking their or each other's necks.  Then it got important, shifted to cable tv that we don't have and we didn't watch anything for about a decade.  It came back to network TV last Oct. we were thrilled.

When - took over, they changed format to do it at their FL training center in an empty ring with no one visible except an announcer and a couple of other wrestlers in front of the cameras.  It's even more ridiculous than ever.  And we've never enjoyed it more.  Those people know they're ridiculous. Now they do it with no pretense to entertain people without the people even being there. 

People can laugh all they want want.   The WWE people have our total respect.   What they're doing right now has less to do with the wrestling than it ever has.

That's great, I agree 100 percent

[Guzzistajohn]

That's what we talk about while watching them- how much that's going to hurt in a few years and how someone who's done that for many long years can still function.  Being physically active and strong (not gym muscles) has been a large part of our lives.  Watching someone 250-350lbs do the things they do, even though it's fully choreographed, is what we like to see.   We know how & how much we hurt and regularly comment how much more it must and will hurt to do that for a living.

There's a former pro wrestler here in town.  After being introduced, I had a long talk with him one day about the business.  He told me about the scheduling of contracted career ascension for the right people.  He had fulfilled his obligations and met the right goals.  He only had a relatively short stint (few months) in Japan to complete before becoming a headliner here in the USA.  During the Japan tour, he began to exhibit symptoms of MS and that ended his career before he went "big".  Another friend here in town started wrestling around 92-93 as Mr Wonderful and really enjoyed it. Said the money was great.  He made some posters around the time I moved in 94 but apparently didn't go big.

  Bill was a hoot to chat with, his framed artwork/photos are fantastic! Photos with Ali, Fraiser, Don King, Mean Gene, and all those pro wrestlers like macho man savage and Andre the Giant. Posters from events world wide with his name. When this mess is over I'll have to go see him again.

when I was 16 or 17, I was at a nearby pool hall on a Sunday afternoon between chores with only 1-2 people. A big Cadillac that we didn't recognize stopped at the gas pumps and out stepped Nikita Koloff, Adrian Street & Hart and one of the younger long-haired redneck gonna-get-beaten fighters.  Of course, there was no big Russian accent when Nikita talked.  Just regular guys, but fun to meet them.  They bought some chips and drinks, politely received us and drove off to the next event.

[TN Mark]

Professional wrestlers are certainly some of the world’s best stunt men, athletes and actors.  Sure the outcomes and the choreography is planned but they still have to do all the work to ‘sell’ it. The athleticism of the wrestlers is certainly impressive. I loved it as a kid but seldom watch it anymore. The ‘storylines’ have been embarrassing for many years (decades) now. I do miss the ‘technical’ wrestlers like Brett Hart and Tito Santana. Nowadays it’s way too much talk with too little actual wrestling.

[LowRyter]

I haven't been able to watch wrestling since 2016.

So far as entertainment and so long as it's safe and the participants are tested for virus, enjoy the show.

I used to get a chuckle out of it.  My oldest son and I had been to several WWF matches.  My favorite was seeing Bradshaw get piled driven by Kane and we yelled "get the hell back to Texas!"  But I'll never it watch again.

[roadventure]

What is "WWE"?

[PJPR01]

What is "WWE"?

It's an essential business in Florida!   

[TN Mark]

  My oldest son and I had been to several WWF matches.  My favorite was seeing Bradshaw get piled driven by Kane and we yelled "get the hell back to Texas!"  But I'll never it watch again.

Back when Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were in their prime, me and several of my USMC buddies would regularly go to see WWF (WWE) events in Los Angeles. Hogan would pick Savage up over his head, hold him there then run across the ring to throw him onto the crowd in the ringside seats. Hogan and Savage would do this twice on all four sides of the ring. Sure the outcome was predetermined but that's a whole lot of dangerous and strenuous work. The crowds were yelling and screaming so loud you literally couldn't hear yourself yelling. It was a fun time for sure.

A few years later when I was covering Las Vegas as a sales rep, the hotel gave me free tickets to see WCW live event in Vegas. Not as fun as the old WWF (WWE) was but fun in its own right.

[Two Checks]

Mr. Wonderful aka Paul Orndorff.
Back when I was knee high to a grasshopper we lived at a stable in the middle of St. Louis. The arena was used for pro wrestling when the local venue around the corner (The Arena St. Louis Blues and other pro teams played there) was booked. Dad worked part time there and said I met with some of the wrestlers but I was too young to remember.
This was in the days of Thesz, O'Connor, Kininski, The Bruiser, etc.


It used to be fun to watch but it became so far over the top it was unwatchable.

[TN Mark]

When we lived in Southern California, our family doctor was one of the greatest doctors I ever met. He was often one of the ringside physicians that are mandated by whatever state the events are in. Dr. Steve had pictures in his office with just about any known wrestler that made it to the larger venues in So Cal. He always said it for 'his kids' but I'm thinking he had a blast as well. And yes, these guys get hurt, a LOT. Especially back in the days when they'd cut themselves to make the blood flow. For years now the WWE has had a no blood policy for their televised matches.

[knockerjoe]

My Favorite wrestling movie “The Wrestler”. With Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei plays a
stripper.  A good story of wrestler at the end of his career.

[Two Checks]

Lots of those little birds called boobies in that movie.


THAT'S why ya like it!

[kirby1923]

As far as the fake wrestling, it's so fake, it's funny to watch for a few minutes, but ever since Goldberg retired, it's not as much fun anymore.

 

What! There're Fake??

Damn...

[PJPR01]

What! There're Fake??  Damn...

Heartbroken I was to find out as well!  Crushed!