My second choice for my main popular culture topic was televised wrestling, mainly WWE (WWE, 2009). I have always found this “sport” interesting. I have to admit that I am a long-time follower (but don’t tell anyone). I started watching in the days when The Junkyard Dog still had teeth to bite with. The ring had about three sets of bleachers around it with less than 10 rows each. It was shown once a week in a time slot that didn’t compete with anything else worth watching, unless you were a fan of cooking shows or the farm reports. At that time of my life my main use for cooking was how long to set the microwave and did we have both milk AND butter for macaroni and cheese. I also didn’t realize, as a teenager, the importance of crop prices – unlike now.
As the years have gone by, wrestling has grown unbelievably. Ticket prices have increased from “2 free tickets with purchase” to over $30 for mid-level seating. Wrestlers used to follow their managers into the arena with an announcement from the referee on who they were. Now you aren’t anything special without full fireworks and loudspeakers. They even have their own theme songs. The only part that hasn’t changed over the years is the feel of it being scripted.
If one of the aspects of popular culture is that it lasts over time, wrestling certainly meets that requirement. It has been at least 30 years since I first watched it. It doesn’t necessarily appeal to everyone but it does have a large following of fans. Even though it seems to appeal more to the blue-collar types, I have to admit that I wear a business suit to the office every day; and still enjoy sitting on the couch, ordering a pizza, and wasting two hours that would be better spent on schoolwork.
There are so many products that have been created to signify just who particular fans idolize. There are items such as T-shirts, hats, armbands, etc. Wrestling has to be one of the top money-makers in the world of popular culture. Even gestures have been created to show alligence, for example, crossed arms for DX and only showing the whites of your eyes for The Undertaker. Wow…I do know too much about this, don’t I?
Works Cited
WWE. (2009). World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
I had to laugh when I read, "I started watching in the days when The Junkyard Dog still had teeth to bite with" - that was just great(I needed the laugh)!! I find it amazing how much Wrestling on television has played a role in the lives' of so many, yet it never crossed my mind about it being related to pop culture until I read your post. Who knew this class would be so fun?? Your article was quite insightful and well written. Through reading your post I now understand what all the wrestling hype is about, at least more than I did previously. Thank you for an excellent read!
ReplyDeleteNice post, kept me interested the whole time! I remember watching this with my grandfather when I was little and him yelling at the TV because he could tell something was fake, yet he still enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amie, I thought I had a good understand of pop culture, but this class is making me see it in new light.