# How don't more people die in Wrestling?



## MattofSilat (Jul 12, 2014)

I'm no professional wrestler, I don't really know much about wrestling.

One thing I do know is that people die in Rugby. People die in NFL. People die in Boxing. Why do I never hear of people dying in wrestling?

People take knees to the spine, head stamps, drop kicks to the head (How does that NOT give Brain Damage?) and somebody's full body weight concentrated in their elbow thrown right to the skull.

I haven't done my research. But do people die a lot in wrestling and if so, Why is it still like this? If not, HOW?


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## Kung Fu Wang (Jul 12, 2014)

I don't know about western wrestling, but in Chinese wrestling, to protect your training partner from injury is your number one responsibility. In tournament, if you "intentionally" try to hurt your opponent, after tournament, your opponent's gang will knock on your door with axes. This is why through Chinese history, nobody get serious injury in Chinese wrestling. It was (and still is) a very safe "sport".


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## Touch Of Death (Jul 12, 2014)

MattofSilat said:


> I'm no professional wrestler, I don't really know much about wrestling.
> 
> One thing I do know is that people die in Rugby. People die in NFL. People die in Boxing. Why do I never hear of people dying in wrestling?
> 
> ...


People die all the time, but you can thank that ref, for saving peoples brains.


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## ballen0351 (Jul 12, 2014)

MattofSilat said:


> I'm no professional wrestler, I don't really know much about wrestling.
> 
> One thing I do know is that people die in Rugby. People die in NFL. People die in Boxing. Why do I never hear of people dying in wrestling?
> 
> ...



You do know it's not real right?


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## Touch Of Death (Jul 12, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> You do know it's not real right?


Actually, they really are throwing each other around, and jumping off the ropes. It is a show, but they really are doing what you see.


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## ballen0351 (Jul 12, 2014)

Touch Of Death said:


> Actually, they really are throwing each other around, and jumping off the ropes. It is a show, but they really are doing what you see.



They are not really stomping on heads and elbow dropping on faces. They aren't driving heads into the ground ect.  It's an act like stunt men.  So no they are not real long doing anything they are pretending.


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## Touch Of Death (Jul 12, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> They are not really stomping on heads and elbow dropping on faces. They aren't driving heads into the ground ect.  It's an act like stunt men.  So no they are not real long doing anything they are pretending.


They are really doing that, but they make sure not to put any weight behind it. 
Sean


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## ballen0351 (Jul 12, 2014)

Touch Of Death said:


> They are really doing that, but they make sure not to put any weight behind it.
> Sean



Ok they are pretending like i said it's an act.  But you win I'm not debating fake wrestling with you.


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## Touch Of Death (Jul 12, 2014)

ballen0351 said:


> Ok they are pretending like i said it's an act.  But you win I'm not debating fake wrestling with you.


It's an art form. There is nothing to debate.


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## elder999 (Jul 13, 2014)

In one way or another, people in pro-wrestling have died. More people don't die because, well, *it's fake.*


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## drop bear (Jul 13, 2014)

I did professional wrestling for a couple of months. It was quite fun.

And by the way it is pretty dangerous and people die.

Pro Wrestling Injury Report and Disabled List

WWE: 11 Wrestlers Who Almost Died In The Ring


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## punisher73 (Jul 13, 2014)

elder999 said:


> In one way or another, people in pro-wrestling have died. More people don't die because, well, *it's fake.*



I remember watching an interview with Vince McMahon one time, and he was asked about WWE being "fake". He responded that it's a soap opera targeting males from ages 18-40, you wouldn't go see a play at the theater and say it's "fake". It's entertainment. (paraphrase)

It is a high impact choreographed fight scene that both participants help each other as much as possible to make it look as real as possible while maintaining safety. Accidents happen, and injuries happen just as they do while filming a movie fight scene. To make it to the top level, those guys have to be very athletic and highly trained to do what they do without more injuries.


PS: Not in disagreement with you, just expanding on your idea.


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## Transk53 (Jul 13, 2014)

Was never a fan of WWE/WWF. Aside from Owen Hart's tragic stunt gone wrong, I don't remember any others. Anyway, to me it was just theater. I'm not sure what would constitute professional wrestling anyway?


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## elder999 (Jul 13, 2014)

drop bear said:


> And by the way it is pretty dangerous and people die.......



......from painkillers and steroids......................:lfao:


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## donnaTKD (Jul 13, 2014)

^^^LoL ^^^


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## Buka (Jul 13, 2014)

Professional Wrestling is a brutal sport/entertainment/whatever. Similar to stunt work - except there is only one take, nobody yells "cut" to set up the next stunt. And some of these guys are HUGE. You can't really appreciate their size until you meet and talk with them. Even if you're used to NFL guys, wrasslers are bigger. Hulk Hogan was a friend of one of my instructers. Terry (real name) was so fricken big it was funny. Watched him one Friday night at Cape Cod Colosium and hung for a while with him afterwards. We had planned to take him out after the show but had to cancel because they were flying to New York for a 1 P.M show at the garden that had been a that day schedule change. That meant they had to do the same show in thirteen hours. Same show, huge men crashing into each other. I can only imagine the aches and pains those guys have now that they are older.

I met Killer Kowolski a bunch of times, then he opened a wrestling school (pro wrestling) in a building attached to Boston Garden. I went up to watch several times. It was nuts. Walter (Killer) had the crookedest fingers I've ever seen. I asked him about them and he said "we break them so many times it isn't funny, but you do several shows a week if you want to eat so they never heal right".

It must be hard enough crashing into another 300 pound guy as you are bouncing off the ropes and slamming each other to the mat. But add in the jumping _off_ the ropes from six feet high and smashing into each other - with nothing but trunks on, over and over again. And they have to practice the choreography all week, then do multiple shows. It's amazing any of them live into their sixties.

My dad was a pro wrassler in London in 1908. (never won a match) He said it was painful every night, but the pay was good (two bucks). He said many of the guys broke or tore something almost every week. We used to watch wreslting on TV in the fities. He explained who would win and who would lose - and it always worked out that way. I told all my friends, but they didn't believe it was fake. It's amazing how many Americans believed it was real, even into the seventies.


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## donnaTKD (Jul 13, 2014)

i think the training that goes into it must be horrendous.  it must be like finish one set and go the gym and just live between the gym and the ring - now that's gotta be hard on the body as well as the mind  - feel sorry for them in some ways but so long as the renumeration is worth it they'll keep on pushing till it all hits home and damage they've done takes it's toll 

would love to see the likes of Sly dothe same thing --- all his own stunts day after day and see what he looked like in the end


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## jks9199 (Jul 13, 2014)

punisher73 said:


> I remember watching an interview with Vince McMahon one time, and he was asked about WWE being "fake". He responded that it's a soap opera targeting males from ages 18-40, you wouldn't go see a play at the theater and say it's "fake". It's entertainment. (paraphrase)
> 
> It is a high impact choreographed fight scene that both participants help each other as much as possible to make it look as real as possible while maintaining safety. Accidents happen, and injuries happen just as they do while filming a movie fight scene. To make it to the top level, those guys have to be very athletic and highly trained to do what they do without more injuries.
> 
> ...



I'd modify that slightly by saying it's "loosely choreographed."  My understanding is that the wrestlers don't plot out most of their match, just a few key points and the outcome.  That said -- they're still working together, they're still LARGE bodies in motion in a dynamic environment.  And a lot of them do it show after show, night after night, working through injuries while trying to make it to the big time.  I definitely give them a lot of credit for their skill and athleticism, especially since it would be really easy for a missed cue to get someone badly hurt.

The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke is a really good movie, showing a lot of what these guys go through.
[video=youtube_share;61-GFxjTyV0]http://youtu.be/61-GFxjTyV0[/video]

There was also a reality competition a few years back a la The Ultimate Fighter where they competitors were trying to win a WWE contract, as I recall.  If I remember right, the initial weeding out was something like 300 bodyweight squats, as a start for the workout...


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## MattofSilat (Jul 14, 2014)

I'm not specifying to pro wresling.

I know that WWE is fake, I've heard that many times before. However, there are definitely levels below that with real fights where the stuff I named in the OP actually happens. I've seen plently of evidence of casual events of Wrestlers where this stuff actually happens. Well, it appears to, and I think it would be a bit pathetic to fake something in front of such a small audience.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jul 14, 2014)

MattofSilat said:


> I'm not specifying to pro wresling.
> 
> I know that WWE is fake, I've heard that many times before. However, there are definitely levels below that with real fights where the stuff I named in the OP actually happens. I've seen plently of evidence of casual events of Wrestlers where this stuff actually happens. Well, it appears to, and I think it would be a bit pathetic to fake something in front of such a small audience.





			
				MattofSilat said:
			
		

> People take knees to the spine, head stamps, drop kicks to the head (How does that NOT give Brain Damage?) and somebody's full body weight concentrated in their elbow thrown right to the skull.



The items you list- knees head stamps, drop kicks, elbows - are exclusive to pro "wrestling". You won't see any of that in actual wrestling competition.

It's not just the WWE.  "Pro wrestling" shows at any level are a sort of combined soap opera/action adventure play where the actors are also the stuntmen. Since they can't use camera angles and film editing to sell their fight scenes, they do make actual contact (most of the time). However, they have a host of ways to reduce impact so that their fellow performers can get up and do the show again the next day.


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## drop bear (Jul 14, 2014)

I Just had a bit of a YouTube at some fails. And yeah that they don't die more often is pretty surprising.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eQiyPQQ6X-g


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## Warrior1256 (Jul 14, 2014)

MANY professional wrestlers have died, either in the ring, from injuries received or from the use of performance enhancing drugs. Even though pro wrestling bouts are staged these people are professional athletes. All the lumps and bumps that they take over the years takes a toll on their bodies.


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## ballen0351 (Jul 14, 2014)

Warrior1256 said:


> MANY professional wrestlers have died, either in the ring, from injuries received or from the use of performance enhancing drugs. Even though pro wrestling bouts are staged these people are professional athletes. All the lumps and bumps that they take over the years takes a toll on their bodies.


nobody is questioning the skill training and toughness of the actors.  that wasnt the question.  it was asked why they dont die from getting their heads beat in.  the answer is simple they dont die because its all an act they dont really get their heads bashed in.  Its as much real as Marky mark is a real Navy Seal or cop or whatever else hes played


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