that was almost it. for the WCW that I grew up with in the 80s and 90s it would have been exactly it. people tended to forget that wrestling is theater, the tyler durden effect takes hold and people who are (or aspire to be) like the characters these wrestlers play miss out on the fact that these are characters being played by actors. the audience wasn’t guaranteed to be 100% in on the joke.
nowadays everyone knows. kayfabe is permanently broken and everyone is having a fabulous time. CM Punk shows up with a sign that says “support trans youth”, Anthony Bowen has a storyline where one of the female wrestlers tries to seduce him only to be shut down by the crowd spontaneously (and very supportively) chanting “He’s gay”. There are dozens of out LGBTQ wrestlers across the major and minor promotions. Professional wrestling is very gay. It always has been, but only in the era of the smart mark have they started to be open about it and that openness has helped them find a shockingly deep well of support among the fans.
you’re underestimating how gay and self-aware wrestling is right now by some distance.
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I actually thought the implication was the opposite, as in the WWE is not nearly as conservative as the people who watch it.
that was almost it. for the WCW that I grew up with in the 80s and 90s it would have been exactly it. people tended to forget that wrestling is theater, the tyler durden effect takes hold and people who are (or aspire to be) like the characters these wrestlers play miss out on the fact that these are characters being played by actors. the audience wasn’t guaranteed to be 100% in on the joke.
nowadays everyone knows. kayfabe is permanently broken and everyone is having a fabulous time. CM Punk shows up with a sign that says “support trans youth”, Anthony Bowen has a storyline where one of the female wrestlers tries to seduce him only to be shut down by the crowd spontaneously (and very supportively) chanting “He’s gay”. There are dozens of out LGBTQ wrestlers across the major and minor promotions. Professional wrestling is very gay. It always has been, but only in the era of the smart mark have they started to be open about it and that openness has helped them find a shockingly deep well of support among the fans.