Boxing, MMA could argue about that. Basketball, Skating, Soccer, etc are more fast paced sports. Wrestling is more aerial, submission, technical, storyline based.

 

Wrestling is fake.

 

/thread

 

Wrestling is fucking fate mate lol It's just dancing and pretending to fight, anybody with certain movility can do that.

 

Most sports tend to be geared to towards younger players and the sheer pace of the sport can't be as heavily manipulated to cater to athletes who are slowing down/getting older/have sustained several injuries. Pro wrestling is scripted/predetermined any match can/is/should be manipulated to hide most if not all of the participants shortcomings.

 

Because wrestling is scripted while football players are actually legitimately running into each other at high speeds? People like Roman Reigns and Goldberg had to leave football after injuries/illnesses. It’s hard to stay competitive after those types of situations unless you are a generational talent.

 

Sports are a shoot and require peak performance from the athletes, they have to be at the top of their game and can train harder and recover faster.

Wrestling is a work, I'm not going to act like it's easy on the body by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a stuntshow, you have to be able to do the moves and protect your opponent but you don't have to be 100% perfect with everyone working against you trying to stop you from what you're doing, quite the opposite you're in there with someone helping you out just as you're helping your opponent out.

Also unlike in legitimate sports, if there's something you can't physically do like a specific move, you can stop doing that move and change up your moveset, Rollins hasn't done the Phoenix Splash in a while, Styles hasn't attempted a Spiral Tap since he was in NJPW, Steve Austin went from a fast paced technical style to becoming a brawler when he was coming back from a broken neck, and these are just a few examples off the top of my head, in sports it's a more refined skillset you can't just completely stop doing part of it.

 

Because wrestling isn't about winning. When you are young, you are a mark who thinks he has to make tons of moves. It takes experience to understand psychology, storytelling and working a crowd.

 

Wrestling is predetermined and they can book anyone to beat anybody.

It's why Big Show lost all the time, despite being about 250 lbs. heavier than a lot of his opponents.

 

Because wrestling is fake and young guys aren’t told to hold back and make old guys look good in any other sport; except maybe if Gretzky, Jordan or whoever was a good baseball player 20 years ago was playing in an exhibition game. Any other game all bets are off.

 

Because it normally takes times to hone your craft in this business.

35-39 is the peak years of performers which in many ways is comparable to modern MMA and boxing but for different reasons

Take someone like Bret Hart. He won his first WWF title at 35 in 92 and continued to improve as an overall perforner next few years and peaked in 97 at 39

Randy Savage again world champion at 35-36 first time. His peak was 1989

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall redebuted in WCW at 36

Hogans peak as a performer was 87-89 again right in the sweet spot.

Jericho, Orton, Michaels those guys had raw talent as younger men but as performers they peaked in mid to late 30s. Jericho at peak in 2008-09 was million times the performer he was in 99-01.

Lesnar had ungodly ability in 2002-04 but he was super green and not ready for top spot. He beat the steak at 36 and went in the best run of his career then for next 3-4 years

 

Because it normally takes times to hone your craft in this business.

35-39 is the peak years of performers which in many ways is comparable to modern MMA and boxing but for different reasons

Take someone like Bret Hart. He won his first WWF title at 35 in 92 and continued to improve as an overall perforner next few years and peaked in 97 at 39

Randy Savage again world champion at 35-36 first time. His peak was 1989

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall redebuted in WCW at 36

Hogans peak as a performer was 87-89 again right in the sweet spot.

Jericho, Orton, Michaels those guys had raw talent as younger men but as performers they peaked in mid to late 30s. Jericho at peak in 2008-09 was million times the performer he was in 99-01.

Lesnar had ungodly ability in 2002-04 but he was super green and not ready for top spot. He beat the steak at 36 and went in the best run of his career then for next 3-4 years

I actually think you hit the nail on the head. It is not just about pro wrestling being "fake" as so much repeated in the thread. The age and maturity level is usually with age. Before The Rock in 1998 winning the WWF heavyweight title, Vince did not trust a 25 year old to carry the company as his champion.

The Rock broke the mold because of his lineage and trust along with his rapid growth in a year. Look how they tried to shoehorn Randy Orton on a similar path in 2003 and it bombed badly. He just was not ready and mature despite being young and physically able. He got much better and ready within the next 2 or 3 years after gaining experience with feuds with Undertaker and Foley.

Brock Lesnar is another example. Young BEAST, but he just couldn't handle the job as champion of HALF the company with smackdown. He ended up leaving less than two years after breaking Rock's youngest champion record and beating Rock to boot. Too much to handle.

When Brock came back older and wiser, he was much more suited and understood the business' grind. It is just not about the physical. Ric Flair was outstanding in his early years, but some say he actually peaked in 1989 long passed the age of 36. It comes down to becoming a skillful wrestler and that could be at a young age or when one gets older.

An example of a great athlete that was a fast learner was Kurt Angle.

 

Because Pro Wrestling is fake, simple as that.

It doesn't matter if you've physically declined, if you're a step behind, if your reflexes are gone, etc in Pro Wrestling. That stuff doesn't matter one bit you cans till choreograph an acrobatics routine and be carried through a match by your opponent.

In real sports if you're falling behind then the younger, fitter guys get the best of you.

 

Wrestling is scripted and not a real sport where your opponent is really competing to defeat you.

 

Yep. I would say this is the main reason.

 

I personally don’t think your 30s should be considered washed in football or basketball either, Tom Brady was 44 his last Super Bowl, people just consider it washed because of bandwagoning the idea. I’m sure there are players in their 30s still in fantastic shape, usually people only say they’re washed in football because the players start their careers as football players earlier than wrestlers so by the time they’re in their 30s they seem to be washed up because of how long they’ve been in the games and may become more injury prone, people start wanting new players in their 20s because they get tired of seeing the same players making up the team. I’m seeing a lot of answers saying wrestling is fake, but it’s just scripted. Hard knife edge chops that wrestlers take aren’t fake, (wrestlers use to get a legit red chest from Benoit’s chops, flair’s for example, and still do from other wrestlers who perform chops) neither are the dives they do from the top rope when they do a bunch of flips in the air and then land on their opponent, whenever Brock Lesnar power bombed Spike Dudley in 2002, I know he had to have got a whiplash no matter how much Brock and Dudley may have tried making them safe. Yeah stuff like the punches, pins and outcome of the matches might be already decided but wrestlers sweat during every match and there’s also actual injuries that happen in wrestling too, some things they during matches may intentionally or unintentionally connect sometimes. Some may make fun of me and claim I take wrestling too seriously, but I know it’s scripted I just don’t like and find it disrespectful to the industry whenever even wrestling fans use the word “fake”, it’s a lazy way of explaining wrestling.

 

I personally don’t think your 30s should be considered washed in football or basketball either, Tom Brady was 44 his last Super Bowl, people just consider it washed because of bandwagon ing the idea. I’m sure there are players in their 30s still in fantastic shape, usually people only say they’re washed in football because the players start their careers as football players earlier than wrestlers so by the time they’re in their 30s they seem to be washed up because of how long they’ve been in the games, people start wanting new players in their 20s because they get tired of seeing the same players making up the team. I’m seeing a lot of answers saying wrestling is fake, but it’s just scripted. Hard knife edge chops that wrestlers take aren’t fake, (wrestlers use to get a legit red chest from Benoit’s chops, flair’s for example, and still do from other wrestlers who perform chops) neither are the dives they do from the top rope when they do a bunch of flips in the air and then land on their opponent, whenever Brock Lesnar power bombed Spike Dudley in 2002, I know he had to have got a whiplash no matter how much Brock and Dudley may have tried making them safe. Yeah stuff like the punches, pins and outcome of the matches might be already decided but wrestlers sweat during every match and there’s also actual injuries that happen in wrestling too. Some may make fun of me and claim I take wrestling too seriously, but I know it’s scripted I just don’t like and find it disrespectful to the industry whenever even wrestling fans use the word “fake”, it’s a lazy way of explaining wrestling.

You are using examples of the exceptions to the rule. These great players also had to adapt their playing style to cater to their decline from their peak physical status to continue playing at the highest level. If games are played shorter with more rest, many older top players would probably still be able to continue playing at the highest level for a couple of possessions at a time. But the discipline and let's face it PED, to keep up with younger players is tough on bodies in their mid to late 30's.

Wrestlers don't face competition that can out run or out jump them. They are literally dance partners helping each other out. They can wrestle a safer and slower style while keeping some fan favorite spots to create the illusion that they are at the same physical peaks as in their 20's. More rest holds or fake punches before going full speed for half a minute of the signature spot, instead of non-stop spotfest moves after moves before the signature spot.

 

Most professional basketball, football, hockey or soccer athletes have been training since they’ve been children. Most pro wrestlers aren’t training until they are adults and you really need a crowd before you can really learn anything about wrestling and not many people are putting on wrestling shows involving children.

 

If Pro Football teams intentionally never hurt their opponents, Bret Favre would still be a starting Quarterback.

 

Thanks to wrestling I've learned that you can be cool and in shape, even when you age.

 

Because professional wrestling is not a legitimate contest where actual fighting/wrestling ability matters, other metrics are used in order to classify them as great. Stuff like drawing an audience, putting on great matches, being able to cut a promo, believability (well, it used to matter; not so much anymore), being reliable, and being a safe worker are important. It usually takes a wrestler several years to master this and to get a large enough fanbase to make corporate notice them and give them the main event push. This is why many of the greatest World Champions were in their 30s when they won their first World Championship. So, if you are in your early 30s when you win your first World Championship, it makes sense that you are still a guy in the main event scene when you are 36+ (provided you are healthy, and the fans are still interested in you as a wrestler).

To provide reference for what I said above. Below are the ages these wrestlers were when they won either the WWF or NWA/WCW Championship for the first time:

Harley Race - 30
Dusty Rhodes - 33
Ric Flair - 32
Hulk Hogan - 31
Randy Savage - 36
Sting - 31
Bret Hart - 35
Shawn Michaels - 31
Stone Cold Steve Austin - 34
Mick Foley - 33
Diamond Dallas Page - 43

 

I take wrestlers much more seriously when they are older. Muscle maturity certainly plays a role but they generally look more intimidating as well.

 

Because sports are a waaay bigger industry and an even bigger meat grinder than pro wrestling.

How many people are permanently injured before they even make it past high school or college. You're taught to actually fuck up your opponents.

The fact that people work togeather so as not to injure their friends is part of what I love about wrestling. Lay it in stiff, but hey chill it out brother you don't have to actually cave the dudes skull in!

Otherwise its just a bunch of this noise --

 

Because wrestling isn't a sport while everything else you list is. Wrestling is physical theater. You would be better off comparing them to actors in action movies.

In an elite level sport, being very slightly off your physical peak is a major problem. You can't promo your way out of it

 

Wrestling is not a real sport. They're not actually competing against people trying to beat them in competition. In wrestling they have 'opponents' trying to help them through the process.

 

because a 44 year old big name with a bad back and knees draws more than a 22 year old rookie in perfect health.

 

Exactly.

Hulk Hogan became huge at 30 when he won the WWE Title. By the 90s there is no way he would survive in a professional sports league given his bad knees and other injuries. The Rock vs Hogan WM match was great from a psychology-theatrical POV, but Hogan was 49, and was probably on tons of painkillers just to make it through the match. There is no way he would have been able to win a shoot fight with Chris Jericho, let alone future World Champion Brock Lesnar. He would have been killed in the ring.

 

Because WWE is not a sport. It's a sitcom with action scenes and stunts. Action movie stars in their prime go way into their forties before feeling a bit old when it gets beyond that. Identical to wrestling.

Matt Damon was 45 when he did the last Bourne movie and that was probably the end of his prime action movie career.

 

Jackie Chan

 

Because athleticism isn't actually important in wrestling. Good cardio helps, that's about it.

 

Because sports are real not scripted. Skill and athleticism in sports like basketball begin to decline in your mid and late 30s. Basketball is a young peoples sports. A lot of players are drafted straight out of highschool at just 18 years old. By the time they are over 30 they already have over a decade of playing. It takes a toll on your body.

Wrestling is a scripted sport, so even if you are considered a veteran you can always be made to look good and scripted to win. Lack of youth and athletic ability can be made up for with good booking. Wrestling is also psychological, so you can be considered in your prime even with diminished athletic abilities by being a very smart worker. In summary, physical abilities and skills aren't as important in wrestling as they are in real sports.