OK, I admit it. I watch professional wrestling. Have most of my life, since I was 10. In fact, I’m watching the WWE Monday Night Raw, the last one before this Sunday’s Wrestlemania 21, as I write this sentence. But this week, I had planned to tune in to a different type of pro wrestling — RealProWrestling.
Most people know, at least I hope, that WWE wrestling is choreographed; the results are predetermined. While I have a hard time calling it “fake “or even “not real “– if you consider weightlifters or gymnasts athletes, I’ll argue the same can be said of WWE wrestlers — I’m the first to admit it’s not pure sport. Heck, the last initial states it is “entertainment. “The second “W, “for wrestling, is where the question lies. It certainly isn’t the same thing that happens in the Olympics or the Beast of the East.
RealProWrestling claims to be exactly what its name implies. Professional — paid — wrestlers, doing the “real “stuff.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to see it. The one-hour episodes will air over the next two months on PAX TV Sundays and Fox Sports Net Wednesdays, I don’t get either. So I had to settle on highlights from the promotional DVD the organization sent me. It had three full matches, and after watching all of them, I was even more disappointed I don’t get to watch the TV series. Just from watching the exhibition, RPW has the makings of being a success.
In fact, if the broadcast follows form, think of it as what would happen if you put Olympic wrestling, reality TV and a videogame in one. That’s RealProWrestling.
They weren’t afraid to use some of the “show biz “aspects of the WWE, including a split screen with bios as the wrestlers enter the arena to some jams from the in-house D.J. and onto the elevated mat. A package on each wrestlers background was aired before the match.
One showed a grappler and the grocery store, talking about how he had to pass on ice cream to make weight. Instead, he eats a lot of mollusks (octopus, squid, etc.) and says at one point, “It’s got eight legs, it’s gotta taste good. “I’ll pass, thanks.
The organization uses a hybrid style of wrestling that includes freestyle, Greco-Roman and even sumo during two 3-minute halves.
Rules limit stalling, penalizing grapplers for passivity. The “sumo rule “means if a wrestler pushes his opponent out of bounds while wrestling on their feet, he is awarded a point. Even better, grapplers are given a 20-second bonus if their opponents “power meter “– located on the screen under the wrestler’s name on the score overlay — goes down to zero. Here, they participate under Greco-Roman rules (they can’t attack or defend with the legs) and have a chance to attempt a throw. Only the offensive wrestler can score and can begin the match with a lock.
I was hoping the DVD matches would include some high-amplitude throws (worth 6 points), but no such luck. Those are tough to pull off. Still, some of the takedowns were impressive and the rule modifications make it very easy to watch. Only one of the matches had play-by-play and color commentary. While it wasn’t the greatest I’ve heard, it made the matches easier for a casual and novice fan to enjoy than those without (the TV show features former Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner on the microphone). The eight-episode season, which concludes with a two-hour championship show May 15 on PAX, is a nice way to get started and should do OK.
A couple of things need to happen to make RPW a real success though.
With any luck, the show will do strong enough on the channels that air it to have more popular cable networks like ESPN, USA or FX pick it up. With a little more luck, Fox might air it on network television.
Secondly, the reality-TV aspect of the show has to go. The reward for winning this season is a quarter-million dollar prize. Not bad, but I don’t want to watch a sports league that is all about the money — at least not on the surface. Much like the “other “pro wrestling or pro boxing, the prize needs to be a championship.
RealProWrestling could go a long way taking some of the aspects that make WWE-style wrestling work. Individual championships that can be defended week-to-week on television, or even month-to-month or longer like boxing, would make people more interested.
A yearly championship might have people tuning into the big event, but not like they would to watch weekly events.
Next, the show is taped in Los Angeles, yet the “teams “are from places like Iowa, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Texas. Of course, the “big three “media markets (LA, New York and Chicago) have the other teams. Take it to the road. The teams were picked for these regions because of they have strong wrestling communities, so trust me, it will draw.
Finally, let’s do it live! Pro sports have no appeal, in the age of the Internet, if the viewer isn’t seeing it unfold before his or her eyes. Live shows are expensive, but it adds a certain legitimacy to a league that is all about proving it is just that.
There is a lot of potential for this league, and I encourage area wrestling fans to check your local listings (those with Fox Sports Net can catch a broadcast today at 3 p.m.) or call up your cable provider and say you want RealProWrestling. For more information about RPW, visit their website at www.RealProWrestling.com.
Reach S. Wayne Carter Jr. at (302) 537-1881, ext. 105, or by e-mail at [email protected].
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