Example A

It is April 5th 2009. For wrestling fan's the twenty fifth anniversary of Wrestlemania.

Shawn Michaels makes a special entrance. Dressed in white and lowered to the ramp.

The Undertaker dressed as always in black is seen rising from the floor.

The imagery clearly set's their contest as good v evil literally represented with the colours black and white.

Yet the attendance of 72,744 seem to be in favour of the undertaker. The demon.

Example B

I attend a wrestling show locally. The 1PW show in Doncaster, UK. I believe the match was Sabu Vs Steve Corino.

The people in attendance begin shouting quite literally for blood.

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Perhaps I’m as bad. Regardless of how good a technical match is how many of us really see King of the Ring 1998 and Mick Foley's fall as the coolest thing ever seen in pro wrestling.

Yes it is all part of the show. But there are moments where I have to question the morality and the bloodthirsty mentality.

Especially when I hear of the many premature death's. The British Bulldog, Eddie Guerrero, "Mr Perfect" Kurt Henning, Brian Pillman, the list is ever growing.

Are we like the Roman spectators in the coliseum that once watched men being eaten by lions. The sort of people that attended those public executions many years back?

Then there are the Kurt Angle V Desmond Wolf or the Lance Storm Vs Doug Williams or the Angle V Eddie matches. Matches were I hear the chant "This is Wrestling" and I like it.

Perhaps controversially I, The Wrestling Analyst, support (not prefer) the PG rated WWE product.

It is the way wrestling needed to go after evolving at breakneck speed with many real casualties at the end of the 1990s. Remember the (then) WWF was child friendly through most of its past up to and including the majority of 1996.

I read that chair shots to the head are banned, that pile-drivers are banned, that blood is not being utilised in matches and I think that is a small price to pay. These changes do not effect my enjoyment of the overall product and I feel they are small but necessary steps.

Best Regards

The Wrestling Analyst

Next Time

Wrestling Heroes, The Superman Effect