How Pro Wrestling Replaced Sports (For Me)

[@Dporticus]

Please consider checking out the free AND paid content on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/dporticus

[@isaac.moo921]

Pro Wrestling is almost like a sports movie. Except it’s more of a sport than a movie. It’s a movie that is live and weekly.

[@Dporticus]

I like it lol

[@noahemmanuelkekana2527]

One thing I love about Pro Wrestling that I love more than my favorite sport Soccer, is that the season doesn't end

[@marksreviews2.080]

Bingo!

[@blablablaa14]

Yeah its crazy its 52 weeks a year no real breaks

[@justinarchibald1886]

The thing i mostly love about wrestling is it never ends I've been watching for 16 years (I'm 21)

[@michaelquinones3572]

The people going to the international WWE shows are paying those NFL playoff type prices for WWE. lol

[@doctordatabass6735]

Your enthusiasm for wrestling is awesome! I think that's my favorite part of your channel. Keep the videos coming, Brother.

[@Dporticus]

It's my favorite part too! 😆 thank you

[@TheeCTK01]

Honestly; I see professional Wrestling as more of a traveling broadway musical/play…with violence. :P

[@Dporticus]

And I love it for that

[@thisizn8]

I have a New York Giants tattoo that I got over 10 years ago. I literally have no clue who plays for the Giants anymore. I'm actually going to Fanatics Fest in NYC this weekend w my daughter. There will be hall of famers from all kinds of sports, some of the same Giants I watched win the Super Bowl in 07 will be there doing autographs and a panel....I spent all my money on photo ops w Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley and Punk and a bunch others. They're literally the ONLY reason I'm going. My and my daughter are super excited.

[@Dporticus]

At least you have the tattoo to remember a different time lol that's so awesome you got your family into it as well. I hope you guys have a great time!

[@AkitsukiGames]

You know the ore I listen to this video I can agree with you. I rarely get to attend live events but when I do the prices are with it and overall the community via the internet (sometimes) or in person seems way nicer than actual sports. Like in other countries you have riots and fights from people having personal opinions. It's like the IWC on twitter but in person and it actually gets violent. Meanwhile in wrestling we have different opinions and still have a good time because it's like a fun argument and obviously there is entertainment vs seeing who is gonna win or lose if it wasn't scripted. All in all Wrestling has helped me get out of my introverted shell (at times) because I get to nerd out like the introvert I am and others will with me. Plus to have a good community like yours Dporticus, makes me feel good to be able to even comment on these videos because we all like the same thing, Professional Wrestling.

[@Optilliam]

It depends on how comfortable the fan is, I wear my wrestling shirts in public, I've seen a few but it's very rarely if it's not around an event.

[@Dporticus]

I wear my wrestling merch fairly often. Hoping to find another fan in the wild lol

[@justinarchibald1886]

​@@Dporticus everything I wear is wwe merch💀

[@potatoxkateri]

I constantly wear WWE merch in public, but so far I’ve only seen one other person wearing it where I’m from (New Mexico).

[@RobertJW]

I wore my Hangman Adam Page "Anxious Millennial Cowboy" tee today!

[@KegOfMeat]

I do too. But that’s because most of my wardrobe is wrestling shirts.

[@HoneyImHome514]

Hello from Montreal. With the Canadiens rebuilding and mostly losing, I've kinda taken a break from hockey and watched alot more wrestling. Went to Elimination Chamber last year when hometown boy Sami Zayn was facing Roman for the title, the atmosphere was crazy, louder than any Habs game I've been to.

[@Lihtsleeper]

One More point after watching wrestling u leave happy everyone happy. When u watch your favorite team play or lose just aggravates everyone. I’ve been to a lot of wwe events and everyone is happy and just looking for a fun time

[@Dporticus]

Exactly

[@crstl89]

I’m 32 and I’ve been watching wrestling since I was a kid. Finally this past year I’ve been to a raw in my city and driven to Dallas just to see The Great One, The People’s Champion, The Final Boss, The Rock and it was awesome! Finally being an adult able to afford tickets is pretty cool!

[@Dporticus]

@@crstl89 that's so awesome!

[@alexandru5369]

I assure you wrestling definitely isn't the most popular it has ever been fan wise. It's popular yes but it's always been a niche product. It's making the most money ever though in history that's a fact for sure

[@LetsRunItBack]

Keep up with the good work bro. I'm also from Michigan and a diehard Lions fan, also Pistons (but been so bad over the years that don't waste my time watching, until they become atleast decent again lol). Anyway great videos and having both teams suck for all them years is what got me back into wrestling after ai fell of for a few years in mid 00s to about 2010ish. So happy we got the Lions to be proud of.

[@Dporticus]

One Pride baby! 😆

[@05weasel]

I will say, you came into the hobby(?) at exactly the right time. I’m sure there have been several shows over the last decade that made people feel like they wasted their money, but you’ve made a good point and I’ve never thought about it like that.

[@jakesghost5267]

I've always had a problem getting into traditional sports but wrestling was always easy because I discovered it young. Along with the UFC and Boxing I just love this stuff. It's a great thing to be able to enjoy shoot fighting and scripted fighting. I'm a big fan of art and films so I love the storylines that tap into that aspect.

[@jakesghost5267]

@@pleaseshutup7053 I'd just call them combat sport. It's more of a way of life than a sport tho, I'm from thailand.

[@duckmercy11]

​@@pleaseshutup7053 I wouldn't call MMA a traditional sport. It's extremely young compared to boxing or team sports.

[@Strange_Da_Range]

After Longan Paul Transitioning from Boxing to Wrestling and honestly stating that Pro Wrestling is MUCH harder and more physically demanding... I think WWE deserves to be called a professional sport.

[@rev_kev.y2k]

I know this is a wrestling video but I’m happy to find out you’re also a fan of hockey! Florida Panthers fan here so that feeling of complete empty arenas hits really close to home. The fact that WWE made a comeback and my Panthers finally won their first Stanley Cup, both events happening in the same year, has felt like a rollercoaster of emotions and has made this whole “new era” thing feel like I’m living during the times that will be talked about for years to come. It’s gonna be cool to be that old guy later on down the line in life to say “yeah, I was there”. Makes me wonder what’s to come and makes me feel so lucky to be alive to experience it.

[@Dporticus]

@rev_kev.y2k that's awesome! Yes I grew up playing hockey and been a fan my whole life! Glad you got to experience that

[@carpio531]

My friend, the reason youve lost your way with other sports is simple. you have been enlightened. Welcome home.

[@blablablaa14]

People don't realize that the great thing about liking wrestling is that you get to join a team. Unlike with the NBA, where everyone likes different teams, in the WWE everyone wants WWE to be better. You inherently join a community/team that all want the same thing. Its very nice addition to wrestling

[@SSxEnvy]

I wish that was the case for me. As a Southern California resident, we get 1 or 2 shows a year. Raw is coming next month to Ontario, CA and the prices are absurd. Sucks I won't be able to go. Given that the show is sold out, I don't know why WWE does not come here more regularly if the demand is there (the crowds are usually better here too). When I look at the schedule, it's usually all east and south cities, some cities multiple times a year.

[@Dporticus]

I wonder if it's a time zone thing. Since they'd have to run it at 5pm local time over there in order to keep their 8pm est time slot? Idk

[@MerryShai]

I'm also in SoCal & it's disappointing to me that we don't get many things, I feel like they're out here more during Wrestlemania season & then it's basically nothing. I would have loved to go to Raw in Ontario, but it wasn't feasible & it sells out much faster when it's a televised show. The only one I went to was in Palm Desert back in March. It pains me to say this, but being in California isn't that great when it comes to WWE's shows lol

[@MerryShai]

@@Dporticus It's wild because we don't even get many house shows either, just a few per year & only during Wrestlemania season.

[@Danial_Amirghahari]

I am also from Southern California. Over here I feel like is the worst spot to be a wrestling fan because I don’t know anyone here that is a wrestling fan

[@UnsalteHash]

So i got back into WWE after a long long time of not watching it. Was a huge fan as a teen in the attitude era, saw your video and decided to give it a try again and ive loved it, but idk about it replacing basketball. Its been great to have during thr offseason, but i think if the Mavs play on a monday ill be watching the replay for Raw.

[@Dporticus]

That's fair. For me I'd rather watch the highlights of a game I missed at this point.

[@PhatLayCes7825]

Hello comments from Florida.. enjoy your wrasslin no matter which promotions you view.

[@brentamania89]

I consider pro wrestling a sport

[@Dporticus]

As do I.

[@brentamania89]

@@Dporticus great minds think alike

[@KegOfMeat]

The stigma of “it’s fake” is still and will always be a barrier for entry.

[@Algo1]

I have a football (soccer) Stadium for "my" team like 0.4mi away, literally a couple of blocks away and I've been to a total of 4 games in my 32 years. I wish I had been a WWE fan between 2014-2019 because they came to Chile a few times and I would've absolutely been there, almost no matter the price.

[@edgefr]

So happy for you !

[@sobasaiyan6449]

My life has switched from watching multiple sports to and being a huge Lebron fan and wrestling fan to exclusively watching WWE and the UFC.

[@tylerclayton421]

This makes a ton of sense - you made a lot of great points. I see wrestling (especially in the “HHH era”) as a pseudo TV show/series or movie in which you can follow a storyline for weeks/months/years and get a “pay off” in the end (aka the Cody Rhodes story or Bloodline story) in which 99% of sports fans won’t get that payoff unless their teams win the championship. And it seems this way especially more in the “HHH era” that he wants to sort of “reward” fans for sticking around and following a storyline (for at times months/years) more so than maybe in the “Vince McMahon era” - sort of like a TV show/movie will reward the viewer with the payoff in the end - again something that’s not guaranteed with being a fan of a team. Great video - thanks for sharing.

[@Dporticus]

True. Every PLE has a chance for at least one playoff type payoff. And the bigger PLEs have a chance for several.

[@tylerclayton421]

@@DporticusYep, 100%.

[@Optilliam]

I have a something that adds to you point, very unlikely at a sports event that you're gonna converse with a rival and y'all see things the same way. At a wrestling event, you can converse with another wrestling fan and hear how they view and think wow I thought I had something good but that, that's amazing. Also wrestling works better with everyone being fans of so many different wrestlers but enjoying the overall product.

[@DLovesWrestling]

Great video idea bro

[@Dporticus]

Glad you liked it!

[@derekweaver6384]

I am a season ticket holder of a local minor league hockey team (Reading Royals) I know its not the same as spending $100+ for one game, but its still an expensive investment. Personally for me I find the ups and downs of a season makes me more invested. To me the drives home where my gf and I do nothing but complain about the performance is part of the experience. It makes the good times feel more worth it if that makes sense

[@josefranciscoarcesanchez9246]

You should give European Soccer a chance, the reason crowds in Europe are so passionate is because they do the same in the soccer matches

[@lugenkresse5825]

Also the fans don't just leave when their team is losing. WTF those poor athletes

[@megaton_a]

I'm not a huge sports fan... I've been to a lot of Tigers games and some Pistons games because I've gotten free tickets through my work. Went to a few Wings games back in the 90's because my girlfriend at the time's dad was a fan. I went to the Smackdown after Mania this year, and was kinda blown away by the sense of community. My friend was wearing a Cody shirt, and all night strangers were coming up to us saying "Hell yeah he finished the story!" It seems like if you go to a WWE show, the people all are like "You're here to see the thing I like too, so we're automatically friends." Never felt that at any other sporting event.

[@Dporticus]

I feel exactly what you described when we go to shows

[@PatAnthonyMD]

Imagine being a Cleveland Browns season ticket holder

[@Dporticus]

I refuse 😆

[@derekweaver6384]

Oh my! How long have you been a STH?

[@PatAnthonyMD]

@derekweaver6384 oh I'm not. Km actually a STH for the Ravens. I'm just saying imagine being one. Their poor stadium has never even hosted a postseason game

[@derekweaver6384]

@PatAnthonyMD oh okay! That's not as bad then. I'm sure the Ravens have made that pretty worth the money! I just became a STH for a local minor league hockey team last year and it was a blast even finishing bottom of the division

[@TheGemGaming19]

Once you go to a actual WWE live, show it changes everything for you. You’re surrounded by people that love and have the same interest as you do is beautiful, no fighting no one being judgmental people from all walks of life no matter how big or small you are no matter what race or religion you are people come together for professional wrestling and it’s so beautiful to see I’m a diehard NBA fan, but if the NBA game comes on between the Lakers and Warriors on a Monday at 8 o’clock and you got Monday night raw I’m a watch Monday night raw.

[@Dporticus]

100%

[@iamjabby3688]

Im glad that your enjoying wrestling i hope our number of wrestling fan will multiply when it goes to netflix

[@Dporticus]

A lot more people will get access to it, so I hope so too!

[@MinnesotaArcticBlast]

I hear you and agree with you, I am also a Hockey and wrestling fan , I will never lose my passion for Hockey , and Wrestling comes and goes for me . Also i have found myself liking more teams in the NHL then just my local team , the MN Wild for the same reason you have they just are not winning. Also love that this video is all over the place.

[@Dporticus]

I appreciate it lol I actually like the wild as well. But yea i got halfway through the video and realized I'm just talking what's on my mind and I abandoned my bullet points 😆

[@mixxavelly9189]

The event in Nov 11 is my bday. I want to go but I have no car so I'm trying to figure out how I could get there. Also it'll be my 1st time at a raw event. Been to smackdown and house show

[@Dporticus]

Hope you end up going! I'm looking forward to it

[@Xena_Kiss]

Also in most sports, athletes typically see a decline in performance once they hit 30, and they might not be as exciting to watch. However, wrestlers often hit their prime in their mid-30s. For instance, Roman Reigns became the Tribal Chief at around 34, LA Knight is thriving at 41, and Randy Orton continues to shine at 44.

[@Dporticus]

@@Xena_Kiss very true

[@MultitaskingGuy]

0:42 the worst part is when you go to a basketball game to see a specific person play and they’re just hanging out on the bench, not injured

[@Dporticus]

Oh that's so annoying.

[@MrC37]

Canucks fan here 2011 finals was hard but that’s also around the time of the summer of Punk. Which made the cup lost easier to deal with

[@Dporticus]

I can imagine that was a tough summer. I remember it well.

[@alexandru5369]

Fact is, ironically, wrestling has always been more unpredictable than actual sports since they can pretty much bend rules at the whim, too a degree, where actual sports can't. Plus wrestling has manufactured stories that connect with people. Sports doesn't really have stories except underdog story or injury story.

[@Caine_House]

Pro wrestling still has a huge stigma surrounding it. The amount of people who have looked down on me for watching WWE is countless. One time, the midwife me and my gf at the time had came over to do a health check and i was watching WWE. She openly laughed at me for watching such a thing and she said it was the same thing as a soccer/football player faking an injury. I tried telling her it was supposed to be scripted just like a movie but she wasn't even listening because she was too busy laughing and talking over what i was saying. I'm fine about it now, but damn was I frustrated as hell at the time lol.

[@Dporticus]

That would annoy the hell out of me lol

[@Tallywags-lv3qk]

The Lions would be the only team that I would still be interested in watching, but only at home. Good thing the Lions won't line up too much with WWE. Now if they end up having Monday night games, well then I'll probably just end up having them on the side so I can keep an eye on the score.

[@Dporticus]

Omg cute dog

[@MerryShai]

I didn't have any real interest in wrestling or sports in general until I got married, kinda hard to remain indifferent to things when your spouse watches all the big events lol I see wrestling like a live tv drama that airs weekly, it's just very easy to get into. I've only been to one show because they don't come out here often, but it was fun being around people from all walks in their wrestling journeys.

[@Dporticus]

How did you enjoy the show as a newer fan?

[@MerryShai]

@@Dporticus It was one of the funnest things I've ever done, my husband got us seats near the ramp so we could see them up close during their entrances. Shook hands, high fived others & even got a picture with Cody.

[@Dporticus]

@@MerryShai cody took my fiancées phone and took a selfie with us, too!

[@LauraConneely]

My jaw just dropped when you said you could get tickets to Raw for 50 bucks... WWE are coming to Manchester for a *house show* and the cheapest tickets start at £100, which is like 130 dollars 😭

[@dragonrana88]

I only have a few wrestling shirts, maybe 6, but personally I wear them wherever.

[@Dporticus]

Same with me lol and my hats

[@klxo14]

In New York, WWE shows could cost as much or more than a Knick game. It’s really expensive here. Even house shows are pricey. It’s worth it though!

[@Dporticus]

I feel like anything at a place like MSG ends up being expensive lol

[@EquinoxDoodles]

It's weird how most of my family are devoted sports fans and I've never once heard that exact scenario come up. I feel like I should hear that more often.

[@Dporticus]

Talking about the team getting blown out thing? They probably don't wanna talk about it lol

[@Lihtsleeper]

Pure joy watching wrestling again.

[@Dporticus]

Hell yea

[@Tation16]

In my experience wrestling came first before sports as a kid. So I would always prefer wrestling. I am happy I got back into wrestling because my team the White Sox are horrible due to many reasons. I stopped watching games and don’t plan to go to any games because they don’t deserve my money. I only went to one game this season because it was WWE night and they had a bobblehead. Also Sports is associated with a city or state so people take more pride in the team. I wear my baseball hats because I like the logo. I just stop caring for the team. Wrestling is for anyone no matter the location.

[@whattheheckification]

I think the reason Wwe feels less popular in spite of it being more popular than ever is because it has almost lower mainstream appeal. In the late 90s early 2000’s wrestling was a bit more mainstream. The culture talked about wrestling. Wrestlers guest stared everywhere. Nowadays it seems like even though wrestling is really popular, unless you watch the show, you know absolutely nothing about it. It really is weird for me as a fan. WWE has over 100 million subscribers on KZbin, and yet I can’t just strike up a conversation with anyone about it. It really feels like most people have no idea it exists. Also, I do think there is a stigma of wrestling. People that don’t know anything about wrestling think it is silly that people enjoy it. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me if I know it is “fake.” Like they think it’s weird that I watch that fake sport.

[@Dporticus]

The fact that people still think wrestling fans don't know it's scripted is mind blowing to me

[@whattheheckification]

@@pleaseshutup7053 I agree. But I don’t think Cena transcended the business until he started doing stuff in Hollywood. Fast and furious, transformers, and Suicide Squad, mixed with a decade of being the top star in WWE, is what made Cena the name he is today.

[@whattheheckification]

@@pleaseshutup7053 Dude, for sure. You could maybe argue Undertaker has, but I think it’s more like he was around for so long that anyone who was ever into wrestling for any amount of time has heard of him, and that makes him seem a little transcendent.

[@TheSmackShow]

I’m 2:30 in and I respectfully disagree. I can pay $40 a pop for GA at the Braves and have a great time, win or lose. I paid $150 a PIECE for nosebleed tickets BEHIND the stage for Bad Blood. Yeah I know it’s a PPV but SSeries ‘15 and Day 1 ‘22 were not that much. Not sure why WWE has gotten out of pocket expensive recently.

[@Dporticus]

@TheSmackShow to be fair my title says "for me" for that exact reason. Prices for sports teams change so much based on the city. Baseball tickets are notoriously cheaper in general for obvious reasons but if you were talking about going to a Falcons game when they're good, it would make those bad blood tickets look like pocket change.

[@WC_Zone]

I really love your videos I think you should say *you know marvel is fake right* When anyone says wrestling is fake I love WWE is because it's a combination of 1. Live audience reaction like sports or theatre/play 2. Drama like a weekly favourite tv show 3. in-ring action like a combat sports

[@Dporticus]

I appreciate it!

[@PatAnthonyMD]

Since this TKO merger....normal middle class families are getting priced out of WWE PLE's too. Example..... my WrestleMania 2012 tickets in the lower bowl were $205 a piece. My WrestleMania 2024 tickets in the same area of the similar stadium... $550 per night, per ticket.

[@joker-sh5hv]

Saying "You know its fake?" to a wrestling fan is like saying "You know none of the Bills are really from buffalo?" to a Bills fan. Its a non issue and people watching their team suspend their disbelief and pretend that those players actually represent their state/city- even tho its just a private org paying for athletes to join them over another private org. Its not like the steelers are all the best football players from pittsburgh

[@dustinfreeman4189]

It’s definitely a closet issue. Because unfortunately it’s still something that people outside of the fandom look down on people within the fandom for enjoying. You mentioned the “you know it’s fake right?” thing, and in my experience, at least 7/10 times that I mention being a wrestling fan in conversation, that’s what I hear. It’s a frustrating conversation to have to keep having over and over again, and it doesn’t feel good to be looked down on or judged for what we like, so I think a lot of us just keep it quiet. I hope that someday we can be more open about it.

[@Dporticus]

Thankfully the internet exists so people can find other fans to talk about wrestling with rather than just watch alone with no one to get excited with.

[@dustinfreeman4189]

@@DporticusAbsolutely! And that’s part of why I’m really happy that you found wrestling when you did. I’m not saying that it didn’t exist when I became a fan (2008) because the internet was definitely a thing, but social media was still in its infancy, and connecting with people wasn’t as accessible as it is now. Since coming back to watching wrestling in 2020 after taking a break for a few years, it’s been an entirely different experience from what it was like the first time, and it’s because of people like you, and the community you are starting to build, that it has been so much more fun.

[@Dporticus]

@dustinfreeman4189 happy you're a part of it too!

[@zeroisnine]

I loved following sports as a kid, but these days it just feels dull as its basically the same. Breaking out of the herd mentality, there are all sorts of more interesting and dynamic hobbies.

[@MahdiRanger]

Still loving the content . It's popular but you maybe heard wrong , The most popular time ever for wrestling was 1998-2001 aka the attitude Era. It was common place to find fans in mainstream in 99/00. Now I'm not discrediting today, it's true it's the most popular since 2001. Most wrestling historians agree. A major factor on why WWF was so mainstream was because of controversy, tabloids covered it. The drama between wcw and wwf. The violence and s3xual content at the time. So as we know in 2024, things that are very divisive become MAINSTREAM. Look at wnba, takes Caitlin clark to get mainstream but lot of hate has come with the attention. WWF in 99 was Taylor swift, trump,tiktok, marvel mcu etc. It was the hot topic, good bad discussions. WWE now is hot and is still media friendly but mostly the media is for good/when promoting something. Lastly media has changed, so I'd love to see wwe get mainstream again but a controversy to go with it. Some buzz that gets non wwe ppl talking

[@Dporticus]

@MahdiRanger I think what am referring to is the popularity of pro wrestling as a whole, not just wwe. It was my understanding that with the countless indy shows and many wwe "competitors" it's the most popular the sport has ever been. Not that it really matters, the point is, the popularity is surging. Lol

[@MahdiRanger]

@pleaseshutup7053 Mid 80s and Late 90s, I think ppl can make arguments for both, I stand by late 90s being a bit bigger in pop culture

[@MahdiRanger]

@Dporticus Absolutely, I love hearing you're experience and takes. I agree it's surging and will continue because I truly think netflix will be a game changer.

[@G_Rez]

So I want to emphasize that you mention LOCAL sports teams. WWE is doing well, but it's not really hitting at a local identity. A team can represent a city, or a state, the colors of which fly on flags in those areas. Members of your family might be born into that fandom, purely because they call that city home. WWE doesn't really do local teams, trying to drum up a fan identity through that method. Now, you probably have a local wrestling indie, but they're indie. They're probably pretty small and going strong based on a very passionate small fanbase who go to just about every show, but because of their small numbers, you're a lot less likely to see their brand on t shirts. Now, I'm from Davenport Iowa, we've got one guy, Seth Rollins. He's got a wrestling school downtown. I see Seth Rollins tees fairly regularly (there's a really good Iowa's Own one in our local college team colors) but you kinda need to be on a different level of fame to have a large number of people wear branded shirts not for a collective, but for a specific person. In the late 90s, Stone Cold, The Rock, the NWO, DX all had that level of fame where if you looked in a regular crowd of people you'd probably spot some of their merch around. As good as WWE is doing right now for business, as much money as they're making and as quality of a show they're putting on, wrestling is not that anti conformity cultural milestone that it once was, and doesn't pull the insane number of viewers that it did at that time. I think around summer of 98 raw was pulling in around a 4.5-4.8 tv viewership, nearly 5% of the entire country, around 1 in 20 tvs anywhere you'd go were tuned in to raw. Nowadays we're talking about a 0.6, closer to 1 in 200 tvs. Of course, streaming and KZbin make these numbers a little misleading in terms of the shows true popularity, but I hope you can still see how the difference in public ferver for the sport of wrestling has changed since then

[@WC_Zone]

I actually don't like to go for the sports events/WWE because watching at home you got the best viewing experience at your own comfort and 80-90% you are watching at screen anyway so l don't like to go

[@Dporticus]

I agree you have the best view, but you really can't beat the atmosphere of being at the show imo

[@WC_Zone]

@@Dporticus that's why I wish we have an option to turn off only commentary in sports events instead of mute

[@RobertJW]

Nice. 😎

[@redline841]

Atleast I can cope with the fact that if my guy loses, it's part of a story. Compare that to watching your sportsball team fuck up constantly every year

[@Dporticus]

@redline841 yea. You can always hope that your guys time is coming because the story calls for it. But constantly going through 3-5 year rebuilds in sports is brutal 😆

[@Mattyman1987]

I love sports, but man, wrestling just hits different for me. I try to watch all wrestling, but stick with the AEW and WWE.

[@TheUnluckyConqueror3699]

Personally, I've never considered pro wrestling to be a sport anyway due to it being predetermined. I think that framing is why outsiders struggle to "get" it. To me, it isnt that different than reality tv.

[@Dporticus]

That predetermined factor is exactly why I prefer it, too. My money has a significantly less chance of being wasted when it's a show written to be entertaining.

[@dav1d1400]

I’m a huge basketball fan I go see my Spurs every year and excitement for the team is high with Wemby I’ve gotten to see him play 3 times already and I lose my voice more at game than a wrestling show with every play chanting and screaming on defense even during our tanking years tickets were cheap and the crowd always showing love to our team and I have about 12 jerseys and it’s easier to wear than wrestling merch as most shirts have horrendous designs

[@seanstirling2685]

I'm going to All In and my ticket was £27.50.

[@Dporticus]

Seems worth it 😆

[@seanstirling2685]

@@Dporticus they wanted £300+ for back seats at Clash at the Castle. I live 20 mins outside of Glasgow and am having a weekend in London capped off with All In for the same price. Our pricing isn't great for WWE.

[@gatootakufilms5629]

Honestly wwe is bigger than any sport in us cause every sport in us is just big in that country besides wwe maybe is kinda big in us but is also big in many other countries out of us

[@blackbeltbap]

I think the whole "fake sport" part is what turns most people off, but I don't really understand completely the reason why; most shows, movies, plays, etc. aren't real but those are widely accepted; even some sports teams like the Harlem Globetrotters and Savannah Bananas don't play real competitive games. I can't remember who said it, but someone said that the reason is that people don't like feeling "fooled" They think that if they watch wrestling and enjoy it, they will have lost because they have been fooled into believing in wrestling. They think wrestling fans are stupid because they believe in something that is in their words "fake". They miss the whole idea that virtually all fans know that wrestling isn't a real competition and it not being real is irrelevant, its still art that requires storytelling, acting, athleticism.

[@Dporticus]

I've actually said that almost exact phrasing in a few videos so maybe you heard it here 😆

[@blackbeltbap]

@@Dporticus Its possible, I have watched videos from so many different people I don't remember 😆. Whomever said it made a really good point that I haven't heard anywhere else.

[@williamroper5422]

The amount of money you are required to drop for any live sporting event or wrestling show compared to watching for free on TV makes even thinking about going not worth it anymore to me.

[@Dporticus]

In my area, a wrestling show is so much more affordable than most of the other sports. Especially worth it when I know I'm almost always going to get a great show and my team can't get destroyed in the first few minutes lol

[@MultitaskingGuy]

9:33 I would call WWE midstream

[@ThewrldsHearoSpooderMan]

I understand what you mean I'm a diehard Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs fan but the Braves season hasn't been that great and I have went to a lot of games but I feel like I've gotten more enjoyment out of wwe

[@Dporticus]

Way less disappointment lol

[@ThewrldsHearoSpooderMan]

@Dporticus I know but I'm also a seahawks fan

[@Dporticus]

@@ThewrldsHearoSpooderMan they should have handed the ball to lynch man 😢

[@DominiqueSpikes-i1t]

Did you see the MJF interview on cultaholic it was classic mjf

[@Dporticus]

Is that a new one? I don't think I've seen it

[@DominiqueSpikes-i1t]

@@Dporticus it's new it was posted yesterday

[@DominiqueSpikes-i1t]

MJF is an American hero 😂😂😂😂😂

[@chaoticoldbore]

WWE Stated, (so take it with a grain of salt) that: Cody n Rhea sold out faster than ANYONE else that will be at Fanatics. The includes Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, Jay Z, Mike Tyson and more legends almost too many to name. WWE YT channel also has more subscribers than all of the US pro leagues combined. I think the audience for WWE is more global than the NBA NFL MLB and NHL in that order of global popularity. I think its a combination of being massively global and as you said for some there is still a little stigma attached, but I bet any friend circle you encounter of more than 10 people, 1 or 2 will be or have been wrestling fans.

[@TheCanihavaname]

I wish WWE was just better about their merch designs. They don't seem very fashionable, and you feel almost like a target wearing them. Their shirts tend to be so loud and obnoxious looking. I wish they had more minimal and subtle designs with fewer words. I don't want to walk around wearing a shirt that says YEET in bold caps.

[@Dporticus]

See, I actually like the ones like YEET because it's subtle in the sense that most people won't know what it is unless they're a fan. I love the "if you know, you know" type merch.

[@kratosgow342]

Tbf wearing DX shirt back then does show your rebellious side really well plus doing crotch chop on top

[@YoDaddyB]

i still watch my Niners over wwe but i like wwe better because it doesnt make me as sad lol

[@Dporticus]

I'm a lions fan. Idw talk to you rn 😆

[@FiveeTrees]

Your points make sense but I don’t understand the comparison. Traditional sports are competitive, pro wrestling is entertainment. To me it’s oil and water, never in the same category.

[@Dporticus]

From a viewer perspective, it's all entertainment.

[@rikwilkinson7977]

I was a huge Pro Sports fan. Rugby is our game in New Zealand and I have watched since I was 4. I’m 41 now and I’m old enough to realise that Pro Sport is WWE as much as WWE except Pro Sport pretend to be legit competitions. I’ve watched The NBA for years but I honestly can’t watch it anymore. Every game has as much drama as a WWE show. Results are pre determined just like the WWE. I don’t care if people still believe in Pro Sport I just know I don’t at all. I can’t stand it to be honest. Lebron James. Steph Curry, KD etc all just scripted characters.

[@atomicbrat879]

It’s obvious all other sports are fake anyway. Real ones know what a real champion looks like, eat your heart out Mahomes, throw your ones up ☝️

[@Dporticus]

😆

[@kaedynnshaw25]

For someone thats in school, yeah its still a closet. I only have 2 friends that are active with it but, one of them aren't too big on it.

[@Dporticus]

That's fair. Thankfully with the internet it's a little easier to find folks to share the interest with.

[@conradcooper2710]

Yeah, the stigma is still strong and probably forever will be. Also, wrestling merch kinda sucks in the modern day. You don't want to broadcast that you're an idiot who enjoys fake fighting. No matter how much you want that to not be the case, you never want to fall on your sword to try and get people to understand.

[@Dporticus]

What merch did there used to be that was better? I only ask because I really like current day wwe merch. So you've peaked my curiosity lol

[@prototype27]

Professional wrestling is co-op sports

[@Optilliam]

I have a something that adds to you point, very unlikely at a sports event that you're gonna converse with a rival and y'all see things the same way. At a wrestling event, you can converse with another wrestling fan and hear how they view and think wow I thought I had something good but that, that's amazing. Also wrestling works better with everyone being fans of so many different wrestlers but enjoying the overall product.

[@Dporticus]

It also helps that wrestlers aren't teams attached to cities like sports teams are. So people are more willing to root for more people instead of just stay loyal to their home town

[@Optilliam]

@@Dporticus yes no bandwagon crying in wrestling, you can be a fan of whoever whenever

[@derekweaver6384]

It's almost like going to a NASCAR race in that way. You have fans from all these different drivers and everybody is chill and civil