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Ask HN: Would banning obviously fake moves in wrestling improve US reputation?

4 points

by amichail

15 hours ago

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| 6 comments

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Don’t people around the world wonder why such obviously fake moves are tolerated in professional wrestling broadcasts?

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docmechanic

14 hours ago

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I think other contemporary factors are far more likely to negatively impact our reputation abroad.

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science4sail

13 hours ago

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I don't understand this question - professional wrestling is a form of sport/entertainment and generally irrelevant to international relations. Is "wrestling" supposed to be a metaphor for something else?

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amichail

13 hours ago

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It doesn't reflect well on the average American when obviously fake moves are acceptable in professional wrestling.

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JojoFatsani

9 hours ago

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Brother, you are missing the point entirely. Maybe not entirely your fault you don’t understand if you did not grow up in the US or Mexico.

WWE is a soap opera, not a sport. There are impressive feats of athleticism/death defiance (Shane O Mac jumping off a 20 ft cage, etc), but nobody over the age of 6 thinks for a minute it’s actually a real competition.

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amichail

9 hours ago

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Just because it is fake doesn't mean it won't be better by omitting obviously fake moves.

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thesuperbigfrog

14 hours ago

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Sometimes the scripted drama becomes real:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Screwjob

"Maybe stage plays would be more credible if the actors used more realistic props."

Yeah, maybe.

Not sure what this has to do with US reputation . . .

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krapp

14 hours ago

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Also people should check out Super Eyepatch Wolf's "The Unreality of Pro Wrestling," which is a very good video essay on the fiction and metafiction of the genre.

[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POsvxBJfTwg

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cratermoon

15 hours ago

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Pro Westling is not a competitive sport, it's athletic theater. The premise is storytelling, not combat. Look up "kayfabe"

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amichail

14 hours ago

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There is no reason to have obviously fake moves though.

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wryoak

14 hours ago

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Yes and why have fake weapons in action films? The US will never be respected if Hollywood actors aren’t actually shooting at each other

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squeegee_scream

14 hours ago

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The fake moves are to keep people from getting hurt. If you start using real moves it becomes a different thing entirely, one might even call it MMA or Olympic wrestling

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amichail

14 hours ago

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Not all moves in professional wrestling look obviously fake. Just take out the ones that do.

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cratermoon

5 hours ago

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What, exactly, is a "fake" move in scripted mock combat?

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krapp

14 hours ago

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Sure there is, it's entertainment. One of the most popular wrestlers of all time was, canonically, an unkillable undead revenant from Hell. It's comic books in real life, it's fine, no one cares.

If you're interested in (still fake but) more technically grounded performance look into Japanese puroresu.

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pavel_lishin

15 hours ago

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AND it turns out mom was there the whole time! Her face was just hidden behind her hands!

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allears

14 hours ago

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US reputation will not improve unless we become a stable and cooperative partner. We're headed in the opposite direction at the moment.