My father never used the word “fake,” but “exibition.” He also strongly believed that the wrestlers (bad guys and good guys) were all good friends. Being a co-worker is not the same as being good friends.
One other thing: The promoters were down the line notoriously cheap, not wanting to spend a penny on anything more than they had to–and that included cleaning the mats. Chances were if you saw a blood stain on a mat, it was there years ago, and would be there years hence.
So not surprisingly, the mats were notorious breeding grounds for bacteria, and some of the skin rashes that wrestlers would come up with were often assumed that it came from the unsanitary mats.
Foley mentions in his book that when he got to wrestle his inspiration, Jimmy Snuka, he had a hard time because Jimmy was so gentle and Mick was used to getting the snot knocked out of him. Snuka was also legitimately blindsided by the coconut to the head by Piper. Piper asked to do the spot, Snuka said no, Piper did it anyway. The money it made the both of them eased the hard feelings and lump on Snuka’s head.
Wrestlers of yore, on the whole, were legitimate ‘tough guys’. Just because Dusty Rhodes wasn’t ripped doesn’t mean he wouldn’t lay a world of hurt on 99% of the people who might try to take him on. Most of them today are still not people you want to mess with, but not necessarily tough guys.
Growing up in the northeast, pre-cable, I only had the (W)WWF. I started watching around the time Sammartino lost the title. Finally found CWF on the Spanish station; then cable brought wrestling from Georgia. Ric Flair beat Hulk Hogan in just about every way, in my book.
The match with Snuka was a trip. Foley was booked to win the match, because he was being pushed as a monster heel, but there was no way he was going to let Snuka, his childhood hero, do the job for him. So they improvised what I think may be the only double countout finish in the history of lumberjack matches.
I don’t particularly care for Foley’s ringwork, but his book is a great read. The guy is smart, has a wicked sense of humor, and a knack for storytelling. He’d make a great Doper if he were inclined to visit this place.
When I was a kid growing up in the 80s, I thought the WWF was real for a while. When I realized it was fake, I had a harder time than I did when I found out the truth about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy.
Back when Pro Wrestling was promoted as a Sports Competition, it was thoroughly accurate to call it fake. That was the word addressing the salient point - that the matches were rigged.
Now that Pro Wrestling admits that it is a show and not a competition, calling it fake serves less purpose. Of course it’s fake, it doesn’t claim otherwise.
Instead, think of the refrain: “Remember folks, it is an exhibition, not a competition. No wagering.”*
But the word “fake” is completely accurate.
If you sense disdain from the people using the word, perhaps it is because they would prefer an actual competition instead of a show. Or perhaps you are sensing their disdain for the lowbrow feel of the thing (“it’s redneck sports”). Or rejection for other reasons (promoting and admiring brutality).
Maybe they are ignorant of the athleticism and skill required to pull off the show. But that doesn’t make it less fake.
Heh, I still wager on wrestling PPVs. I’m in a pick 'em league.
I can’t recall thinking wrestling was real (might just be selective memory), but what really gave me an idea of how hard it was came from Florida wrestling. First enziguiri I saw was Eric Embry smacking Dory Funk Jr. in the ear. That is one of the moves that simply can’t be faked. Cured me of the fake WWF punching.
As an occasional fan of wrestling who thinks it’s totally fake and doesn’t mind the adjective, I’m really fascinated by some of the history that folks are mentioning, and since I came to wrestling quite late (watched for a few years with a friend in the early 2000’s; he had been a fan since childhood), a lot of it is new to me. Is there a good book out there about the history of wrestling pre-80s?
And BMada, you keep using that word ‘ignorant’. I do not think it means what you think it means. Most people who call wrestling fake know that people do actually get hurt, and they know that what those guys are doing in the ring requires practice and a great deal of effort. They are not ignorant of what goes on in wrestling, they’re interpreting it differently than you. So stop calling me ignorant if I call wrestling fake, 'cause I’m not.
From what I’ve heard, one of the best books around is the one by Playboy Gary Hart. I think it’s currently out of stock, but there have been some used copies on Ebay. Another one is “Assassin: Behind the Mask” by Jody Hamilton. I personally haven’t read either one, but the people I’ve heard talk about them have said they’re both great reads.
I’ve personally felt that a well-researched documentation on the early 1970s “Battle for Georgia” would make an interesting read. Had some interesting facets to them: A promoter’s death at the hand of a larger than life villain. The widow with the movie-star good looks. Possible skulduggery from the deceased promoter’s partners. Her attempt at going toe-to-toe with them, and by extension, the NWA.
Oh, and for another book on the NWA organization, check out “Chokehold.” Now, the author “Jim Wilson” fluffs up his own importance a bit, but the documentation on the organization is pretty well researched.
For many years, a pro wrestler was like a department store Santa Claus. HE knew what he was doing wasn’t real, all the grownups knew it wasn’t real, most of the older kids knew it wasn’t real, even a lot of the smaller kids SUSPECTED it wasn’t real… but it was seen as important to maintain the pretense.
Asking Bruno Sammartino “Is wrestling fake” in front of a TV camera would have been as silly as asking a department store Santa, “Is Santa Claus a fraud” in front of a bunch of little kids. What the heck do you EXPECT him to do, except lie and maintain that the whole thing is on the level?
Why would you expect him to shatter a paying customer’s illusions?
You might enjoy http://www.georgiawrestlinghistory.com/ which is an excellent resource for all things related to Georgia wrestling. I haven’t been there in a long time, but there were a bunch of old school workers that posted on the board, and some of them are probably still there. Jody Hamilton, Bill Eadie, and Les Thatcher are are few of the ones I know were involved at one point.
I don’t think that is true. I usually play “fly-on-the-wall” if the subject comes up. Many who don’t watch think it is as fake as Joan River’s face, and they think that those who watch it think its real. That is why fans tend to not like the “fake” adjective - it is usually used in a way that connotes that we are to dumb to know that the outcomes are rigged.
I had heard that the owners of the NWA pick Lou Thesz as their champ because this was before TV. The champ would have to go out on barnstorming tours out in the country, sometimes with local boys with the understanding that ‘we throw each other around a little, give everyone a show, and then you lie down when I tell you’. They picked Thesz because he was not only a good showman, but an excellent legitimate catch wrestler. So if some local yokel got Big Ideas and decided to turn a work into a shoot, Thesz could accommodate him.
The older matches often look a lot more like legitimate wrestling than the high-flying stuff nowadays.
I wonder how long it will be before MMA turns to works. I have heard accusations that the Inoki-Ali bout back in 1978 was supposed to be a work, but when Ali arrived in Japan he figured out it was a cross - so he insisted on the rule that said if he grabbed the rope they had to break.
Ali was smart to do so, though - Inoki would have tied him into knots.
That’s true. The NWA, at least up until putting the belt on Flair, tended to chose guys with legitimate skills, in part because they wanted someone who could protect the belt in a shoot if anybody decided to get cute. Lou told some stories about guys that actually tried it with him. It generally didn’t turn out well for those guys. Lou was more than just a shooter. He was a hooker, possibly the last of the true hookers, and he could take care of himself against anybody.
I don’t know all of the details on the Ali-Inoki thing, but like you, I’ve heard it was set up to be a work. Something happened, not sure what–it could be that Inoki decided he wasn’t going to do the honors for Ali–and all of a sudden, it became a shoot. I’m pretty sure this was understood by both sides before going to the ring, so this wasn’t a double-cross. The resulting fight sucked. Inoki went to Guard and stayed there. Ali couldn’t really do anything with him, and suffered legit damage to his legs from Inoki’s kicks.
Once in awhile a scripted feud turns personal. I watched mid-south as a kid. Danny Hodge was an ex boxer and a pro wrestler. He feuded with his former tag team partner Skandor Akbar. That one went on a long time and got pretty ugly. IIRC they had some cage & brass knuckle matches.
Bob Sweetan held the mid south brass knuckles belt several times. He was definitely a hooker.
I heard it was decided to switch to a shoot when Ali got into the country and realized that it was going to be a shoot whether he like it or not. I was told by the guy who told me about it - it was when Ali saw Inoki training. That was why Ali insisted on the “grab the top rope” rule that made it such a snore fest. I heard the story from one of the guys marginally involved in the simultaneous wresting card that was held in conjunction with the Inoki-Ali bout - Andre the Giant vs. Chuck Wepner. He didn’t say if that was a work or not, but I kind of suspect it was.
That’s for sure - fifteen rounds of nothing much. I doubt Ali would have stood much of a chance if he tried to actually fight.
Hodge and Ak didn’t have any heat that I’m aware of, Ak speaks very highly of Hodge–as does pretty much everybody. Their feud did feature some stiff matches, but that’s just the way those guys worked.
Mid South did not actually have a Brass Knucks belt. Think they used a trophy, and the title was only used semi-occasionally. Sweetan did hold it, but I’ve never heard anything about him being a hooker. He was a tough guy, and not somebody to mess with outside of the ring, but that’s not at all the same thing.
Sweetan went to prison for reasons I won’t mention. Dunno if he’s still there, dead, or what. Can’t say I care, either.
Similarly, when Jack Brisco was being groomed to be the champ, he went on a tour thru the NWA territories in which he lost hard-fought battles to the local champs. Then, we became the champ, he was already lined up with “return matches” with the local champs that had recently beaten him. Also, by all accounts, the schedule of the NWA champ was murderous: Constantly on the road or in the air, and never realizing the promised “one week in four off.”
Oh, and about sometimes the local talent trying to get in a shot against a champ, here’s a youtube clip of Jim Cornette talking about about an incident in which some local guys tried to get some extra shots against the Midnight Express. Cornette’s impression of Dusty is amazing! WARNING: CONTAINS FOUL LANGUAGE, so I’ve broken the link:
While that clip was not about the NWA champ, the point still is that the champ was somebody that could handle himself in case the opponent decided to go into business for himself. It would make for either really short work, or a long, painful match.
The NWA champ also had to put up thousands of dollars in deposit money in exchange for becoming the champ. That was to keep him in line with the promoters.
I saw Stan the Man Hansen beat the dog doo-doo out of Tommy Rich at the Cobb Civic Center back around '77 - that shit was real! Most entertaining 10 bucks I’ve ever spent. People swinging from the rafters, packed out, Tommy Rich teenybop fan girls in their Tommy Rich t-shirts, all kinds of other fans and supporters that drove from miles around to see their hero, Tommy Rich, the good boy, vanquish the land from the likes of the big meany Stan Hansen and Hansen just literally beat the teetotal snot out of him. Blood and everything. Damn near a riot broke out. I mean the whole place went up. Helluva show.
