It seems that people are interested in trivial plots, implausible fights and stereotypical characters. Psychologists see nothing wrong with this, so why not…

Endeavor, which owns the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion company, UFC, has announced a merger with the leading wrestling league, WWE. According to media reports, the joint project is valued at more than $21 billion.

Despite the fact that both brands have long established themselves as leaders in the sports and entertainment industry, MMA and wrestling have very little in common. First of all, because any wrestling show is a pre-scripted production with only elements of martial arts.

A brief history of wrestling

Wrestling originated in the late 19th century, when athletes competed against each other at fairs and circuses, using French wrestling as the basis for their combat. At that time, most of the fights were staged, which led to criticism from spectators and journalists. By the 1920s, the concept had finally split into professional honest sport and theatrical performances with wrestlers-actors.

Despite the fact that Greco-Roman wrestling and wrestling have a common ancestor, in reality they represented completely opposite directions. By that time, elements of choreography and dramatic techniques had found their way into circus wrestling, and the fights themselves were short and dynamic. Wrestling developed actively in the United States, but World War II and the Great Depression slowed the growth of the movement’s popularity until the 1950s.

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The basic principles of modern wrestling

At first glance, a silly circus performance, only vaguely resembling a real fight, captured the minds of fans for obvious reasons. Bookers from leading organisations have developed a simple but clear dramatic structure: in wrestling, each character has their own gimmick. One of the fighters is a face (the protagonist with clearly positive traits), and the other is a heel (the antagonist with a nasty character and dirty tricks).

According to the script, a feud develops between the characters, which can last for several months or years. At the same time, the reason for the feud is always variable — wrestlers quarrel because of ideological differences, unfair actions of their rivals, or a banal desire to win the company’s main title. In addition, each wrestler has a set of memorable attributes — their clothing style, catchphrases, and signature moves.

But why is wrestling still loved around the world?

Of course, there are those who are more than happy with creative stagnation — for example, tired American parents whose children frantically buy merchandise from their favourite wrestlers, with whom they associate themselves.

But apart from them, there are separate communities of real wrestling geeks — they meticulously analyse matches, evaluate storytelling and screenwriters’ moves, and criticise the actions of the organisations’ management. In Russia, the VSplanet portal is responsible for this, and in the US — Dave Meltzer and other specialised journalists.

Despite the presence of old-school fans, children and their parents, it seemed that with the development of mixed martial arts and the super-successful UFC, WWE would lose its popularity. MMA fighters inflict real damage on each other, do not fake pain and do not feud within the framework of a script (at least, that was the case in the past).

Among them are their own slightly less exaggerated heroes and antiheroes: the main example in recent years is the confrontation between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

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