Kick Your Face
Main Eventer
Real Join Date: Sep 2003
Joined on: Nov 25, 2007 17:32:21 GMT -5
Posts: 3,141
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Post by Kick Your Face on Jan 11, 2010 21:02:16 GMT -5
posted 05-02-2000 01:30 PM
"The saddest remark I picked up on is the one so true about wrestling ability not being necessary in professional wrestling today. Can you imagine pro football players without football ability, or tennis without tennis ability. I wonder how many of the stars today have ever seen a wrestling match, or even want to."
That is just a tremendous quote from one of the best of all-time.
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Post by moogie101 on Jan 13, 2010 17:13:59 GMT -5
I get what he is saying, however Thesz is commenting from the perspective of a different era.
Also the reference to other sports isn't applicable. Whilst college football & NFL are similar, as well as tennis whether played on a school court on at Wimbledon that doesn't apply to wrestling.
Wrestling & pro-wrestling are totally different beasts. One is a legit sporting event, whilst prowrestling is a form of entertainment. Yes prowrestling is very demanding on those who are involved but stiil at base roots it is a form of entertainment.
I'd imagine Hulk Hogan in his prime would have been destroyed by Fedor as despite his amusing claims in his book he had no legit wrestling training. Doesn't change the fact that Hogan is by far still the most famous prowrestler EVER.
Nowadays the ability to WRESTLE, or shoot however you want to phrase it is nothing to do with prowrestling.
From what I understand HBK didn't wrestle at school. HHH hasn't trained under Frank Gotch. I'm not aware of Ric Flair's shoot past either.
Doesn't change the fact that these guys are some of the biggest stars in prowrestling both as performers in-ring & entertainment outside.
Legit wrestling ability has no bearing on pro-wrestling & hasn't for many years.
With all due respect to Thesz it's not like his entire career was shoot wrestling. He too performed in worked matches & if a match is worked than legit wrestling ability has no relevance at all on a performer's ability.
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Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai
Main Eventer
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Joined on: Jul 25, 2005 17:12:49 GMT -5
Posts: 3,209
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Post by Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai on Jan 13, 2010 19:00:27 GMT -5
With all due respect to Thesz it's not like his entire career was shoot wrestling. He too performed in worked matches & if a match is worked than legit wrestling ability has no relevance at all on a performer's ability. The difference is that in Thesz's days as champion, the champ had to travel to different territories to defend against every local promoter's top contenders. Even though the promotions were all NWA members, they often bickered over who should be the champion. While Thesz's matches were predetermined, it was still considered mandatory that the champion be a good enough "hooker" to avoid being doublecrossed in the ring by a challenger that isn't planned to win the belt, if he (or his promoter) went into business for themselves and tried to screw the NWA and/or Thesz out of the belt. That didn't matter so much after the late-1980s, because by then, titles were defended almost completely within the promotion that issued the title, eliminating the odds of a rogue promoter trying to pull something. I was lucky enough to have a really long conversation with Thesz the year before he died, and he was explaining this all to me. A great guy, he was. |
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