Welcome to the widespread crazed world of professional wrestling. What is up with it anyways? Now I"m not talking about high school wresting either. Professional wrestling, what is it? Well, this is answered quite easily. It is just another form of entertainment. It is, in essence, a macho version of a soap opera. It has good guys, bad guys, back stabbing, friendship, and fighting. It holds all of the elements to catch interest in an abundance of people. There are two main wrestling shows, the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and WCW (World Championship Wrestling). Recently, the WWF has bought out its rival, the WCW.
In the past few years, these two shows ratings shot through the roof. Millions of people tune in every Monday and Thursday night to watch these shows. Even on Sunday nights, millions of fans cough up thirty to fifty dollars just to watch their special "pay per views". The WWF's Monday Night Raw is the number one rated show on syndicated cable television (Rosellini). They achieve this goal by using three things; sex, violence, and profanity. A fad gaining popularity over the last decade, wrestling has proven it is a force to be reckoned with. Even though wrestling is just a show, it could be sending a negative message to our youth. This essay will give both sides of the story. .
Wrestling has stimulated hundreds of children to start their own wrestling program in their own backyards. Some parents are proud that their kids are out in the backyard practicing wrestling moves on each other, and other parents are outraged that their kids are inventing a wrestler (Fonda). "Last year in Dallas, a three-year old boy was killed when his seven year- old brother stiff armed him in the throat, copying a move he"d seen on TV (Fonda)." This probably isn't the first time a small child will be killed by a older kid practicing a wrestling move, and rest assured it won't be the last. There have been several hundred injuries that have been reported in hospitals throughout the country that has been "backyard wrestling" related.