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Mark Fitzhenry
Tuesday, February 01, 2000 Page: 1B
Before I dive headfirst onto my soapbox, here’s a confession.
I enjoy professional wrestling. No, you don’t understand. I watch “Raw”
on Monday, plus tape “Nitro.” I don’t adjust my schedule for other shows.
And if I’m not home for pro wrestling, I tape it.
I’m entertained by the outrageous characters. I enjoy performers who push
an audience’s buttons, which is why I’ll cheer for Jeff Jarrett or “Your
Olympic Hero” Kurt Angle when everyone else is booing them out of the
building. I nearly fell off the couch last week when 78-year-old Mae Young
announced she was “pregnant.”
It’s a great escape, and I don’t mind saying it. So Monday night, as I
taped “Raw,” I attended World Championship Wrestling’s “Nitro” at the
First Union Arena.
So did many other adults.
And so did many kids.
It bothers me that pro wrestling companies don’t at least have a conscience
about this.
Check out their collection of toys. Action figures that make bone-crunching
sounds. Dolls that trash-talk. A ring for pretend matches isn’t enough;
chairs, coffins, trash cans and wheelbarrows can make for a dandy
free-for-all.
All to be scooped up by grade-schoolers and young teens.
Sport is in hypocrisy business
Pro wrestling has changed. It’s meant to be watched by adults. Yet it
attempts to lure children, and it’s a hypocrisy the business cannot justify.
The promotions say their content isn’t any more racy than some cop shows,
and their stunts aren’t any more violent than some cartoons. I agree.
They say ultimate responsibility rests with the parents. I agree.
They say if parents don’t like what their children are watching, they
should change the channel. I agree.
But here’s the problem: One minute a child is watching two pro wrestlers
brawl while some well-endowed woman (henceforth known as “prop”) stands at
ringside. The next minute, there’s a commercial for action figures, or a video
game, or a Disney movie. Sometimes the ads include children young enough to be
in grade school.
Pro wrestling isn’t standing by innocently. The companies are encouraging
children to watch. WCW is guilty and, to a greater level, so is the World
Wrestling Federation.
Granted, pro wrestling isn’t the only offender. Movies do it, too: Get
ready as Will Smith serves out justice by killing everyone in sight. Then come
to our fast-food chain for a free cup and action figure!
But this formula has propelled pro wrestling to unseen heights. The WWF has
battled bad publicity over this issue for more than a year. Officials counter
with this: “Raw” and “Smackdown!” are geared toward adults during prime
time, and two programs on weekend mornings show cleaner versions for children.
OK then. So children watch these weekend shows, and what does the WWF say?
Hey kids, don’t forget to watch “Sunday Night Heat,” which in turn urges
viewers to tune in the next night for “Raw.” The shows also hype the
pay-per-views – the last two, by the way, have included nudity.
So now we have a generation of young fans saying “suck it” and talking
about how cool it was to see the Godfather and all his “hos.”
The shame is, at their best, the WWF and WCW put on entertaining shows. The
flap from the WWF’s “Royal Rumble,” when Young apparently revealed her
breasts (the WWF says they were plastic), overshadowed an event where the
storylines made sense and performers worked their tails off.
The WWF doesn’t need nudity and excessive language to put on a great show
(WCW’s ills would take too long to list here). Yet there’s a demographic that
yearns for T&A, and if it means viewers, the companies will air it.
I’m bothered that children see it, but if their parents allow it, I can’t
control it.
Pro wrestling, however, can help control it.
If it’s a kids’ product, cater to kids.
If it’s an adult product, cater to adults.
Fitzhenry can be reached at 829-7218 or markf@leader.net