Is Wrestling Fake

As a fan of men in spandex rolling around, you may occasionally wonder, is wrestling fake? The very frustrating answer is it depends. First of all, what do you mean by fake? Second of all, what kind of wrestling do you want to know about?

Are high school, college and professional wrestling fake? Come on, please, as any true-blue wrestling afficionado should know, high school, college and professional wrestling are obviously "real" if by "real" you mean a legitimate athletic competition not staged purely for entertainment purposes in which one participant physically overpowers the other (rolling around on the floor in spandex onesies) to win. Of course, since there are no sequins, funny character names or fancy costumes to entertain us, this type of wrestling better be legit or what's the point, really?

Is WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, formerly the World Wrestling Federation) wrestling fake? Well, if by fake you mean a very choreographed, very athletic wrestling-like dance between highly trained, and sometimes very attractive, professionals in flashy costumes with a scripted outcome...then yes. But hey, the athleticism is real, and the cheesy backstage arguments and over-the-top enmity between characters is all designed for your entertainment, so don't feel guilty for enjoying it. 

Is mud-wrestling fake? This is another it depends. If you're in a bar where they actually call participants into the ring to wrestle on a regular basis, chances are, the wrestling is the real deal; the stronger competitor wins the match. On the other hand, if you're in the kind of bar where the clients are mostly men and it's two girls sliding around in the mud, no audience participation allowed, it's anyone's best guess, although if the hottest chick always wins, even against bigger, brawnier girls, signs point to arranged victories and choreographed moves, things that most fans consider "fake."

Is "Lucha Libre" wrestling fake? Lucha libre, or free-wrestling, is a popular wrestling style in Mexico. Wrestlers often wear masks and do more acrobatic feats than some American professional wrestlers. While much like the WWE, Lucha Libre involves elaborate costumes and traditional hero and villain characters; in most cases, Lucha LIbre doesn't involve a predetermined outcome and so is considered real, not "fake."