Unique Place
Professional wrestling, more widely known as “sports entertainment,” occupies a unique place. Some contend that people should treat wrestling more seriously, even though they have historically viewed it as lowbrow entertainment that primarily appeals to the public through drama, brutality, and spectacle. This time, before comparing it to other recognized forms of artistic expression, we will assess whether professional wrestling counts as “high art” by considering cultural relevance, spectacle, storytelling, and the fusion of many art forms.
Professional wrestling, with its dramatic, brutal, and spectacular appeal, deserves appreciation as a high art form. It is comparable to theatrical plays in terms of artistic expression, cultural commentary, audience participation, and performance art. Wrestling’s storytelling, choreography, and athleticism display high creativity and physical prowess. It also mirrors social, political, and cultural aspects, providing clues on circumstances affecting humanity.
Truly, wrestling is a high art form because of the intense emotions associated with it; its history elevates this art form beyond categorization. Therefore, we can classify wrestling under the category of high arts.
First, we must define high art before answering whether it works well with professional wrestling. Authorship, knowledge beyond amusement, and aesthetics set “high” art apart from “low” or popular art. Usually, it poses challenges to its audience to transform them. Better still, great art makes people reflect on who they are and how they relate to others. Classical music, opera, ballet, novels, and museums brimming with masterpiece-caliber paintings, sculptures, and poetry, among other genres, are a few examples.
The general public should be able to enjoy art intended for them, experience it readily, and not require any special training—just as they love any other kind of poor-quality art. But the finished product is still there for the public to enjoy. But with the beginning of postmodernism, when the lines separating high and low culture have blurred, this distinction has changed dramatically. According to contemporary art critics, even subpar forms of entertainment can produce meaningful and complex work.
One of the most compelling justifications for professional wrestling’s status as a fine art form is its performative nature. Wrestling is a live entertainment genre that shares many characteristics with ballet and theater, such as physicality, choreography, and dramatic tension. Wrestlers practice for years to perfect their athleticism, timing, and emotional intelligence (just like dancers or actors do).
Essentially, professional wrestling operates similarly to a theater production or motion picture. Still, there are passages in this script that leave room for imagination, improvisation, and unexpected turns of events. Like in playing, the wrestlers play heroes and villains, favorites vs underdogs, and lead superhuman lives. The “storyline” in wrestling mirrors a conventional narrative, as both follow a similar dramatic arc: tension rises, conflict builds, and the story ends with a stunning fall. Therefore, it finds verbal and physical expression through the many acts in the ring.
One could consider the physical activities in the ring to be merely spectacular. However, another way to look at them would be as kinetic art. Wrestlers utilize their bodies as instruments to express stories, much like dancers incorporate emotion into their moves. Not only are holds, grappling scenes, and high-flying maneuvers athletic accomplishments, but they also serve as symbolic gestures that advance the plot. The anguish and excitement portrayed in the professional wrestling experience are similar to emotions felt while viewing a suspenseful drama or an intense ballet performance.
Furthermore, wrestling is comparable to the “catharsis” of classical Greek and Roman theater, in which the audience is purified emotionally by the situations performed on stage. Mostly, it happens in wrestling when the hero defeats his opponent or when a long-running feud ends in a match that decides it all. As a result, feelings can grow vast and integrated into the performance itself because they rely on the friends who attend in person, fostering a symbiotic relationship between the artist and his fans.
A Comparative Analysis
Something that can tell a tale that resonates with the soul is considered high art. At first glance, professional wrestling might seem shallow. However, a deeper look reveals that it deals with universal themes like ambition, remorse, betrayal, and devotion.
The best way to accomplish this is by using a long-term narrative, as WWE and New Japan Pro-Wrestling do. Rich character histories, complex plots, and developments in most serialized TV dramas characterize many wrestler feuds. These feuds can linger for months or even years.
Due to its peculiar display performance, many have often dismissed wrestling as an art form worthy of high standards. The fundamental reason for this is that it doesn’t meet the usual standards for high art, which include audience participation and enjoyment. The intricate storylines of wrestling might aim to distract spectators rather than provide a thorough explanation of more weighty philosophical issues.
Compared to genuine forms of high art, professional wrestling as a discipline within academics is often shallow regarding critical analysis and depth. Nevertheless, one can argue that an ongoing performance, including narrative writing and audience interaction, creates an art piece made solely for itself.
Vince McMahon and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s feud in the late 1990s WWE is one notable example. Austin, a working-class antihero, confronted his violent boss, McMahon, in the classic underdog story at the center of the scandal. This plot went beyond the conventions of wrestling drama, striking a chord with contemporary grievances over strong authorities and unscrupulous businesses. Due to Austin and McMahon’s dynamic, which took advantage of the public’s wrath, the feud rose to prominence. It became one of the most well-known in wrestling history.
The storyline went beyond pre-written promos and backstage scenes, with the action taking on inside the ring being extremely important. Fans saw the argument materialize as Austin consistently used unconventional and surprising tactics to outsmart McMahon and his associates. His bold personality and cunning strategies, which frequently produced wins against insuperable odds, further solidified his status as a fan favorite. The feud ended when Austin shook McMahon’s hand after helping him defeat The Rock at WrestleMania X-Seven.
Storytelling and Character Development
In Japan, pro wrestling also has a storytelling approach that constantly honors the medium. The legendary rivalry that lasted for many years between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada extended beyond their wrestling careers and impacted New Japan Pro-Wrestling. People will find that the story’s themes of respect, ancestry, and brilliance are fundamentally timeless, much like those found in operas or great literature.
In wrestling, character arcs can begin and unfold like those in novels and television shows due to the sport’s long-term framework. Changes that could occur include character degeneration into villains, personal development, or shifting allegiances. As a result, the plot becomes more complex, leading to a more sophisticated storytelling style than one would associate with something intended purely for entertainment.
The fact that professional wrestling blends several art genres into one cohesive experience is another factor that qualifies it as high art. It includes visual art as well as dance, music, and theater. The lighting, the dramatic opening music, the arena’s stage design, and the wrestlers’ attire are a few components that enhance the well-rounded multimedia presentation.
It is impossible to overestimate the effect that music has on enhancing the emotional appeal of specific moments and establishing the mood of a game. Wrestling entrance anthems are audible cues that define characters and heighten emotions, much like a movie’s music might build suspense or draw attention to a stressful scene. Similar to how opera and classical music employ leitmotifs, the music’s characteristic strains—like The Undertaker’s death-like song with its iconic gong or Hulk Hogan’s “Real American”—instantly reveal to the audience the type of persona they are going to watch.
The Role of Spectacle
Wrestling also often employs visual metaphors, symbolism, and recurring themes. For example, The Undertaker’s “The Deadman” character delves into themes of supernaturalism, death, and resurrection, all while maintaining a gothic horror aesthetic. He crosses from sport into performance art by creating spectacular entrances marked by fog, fireworks, and spooky music.
People can occasionally liken wrestling matches to theatrical or narrative collages. Consider the particular regulations that give the “Hell in a Cell” and “Royal Rumble” matches their distinct narrative framework. These matches typically serve as one of the pinnacles of an extensive plot, so their structural design adds further layers of complexity. Consequently, professional wrestling is comparable to ballet or opera, where dance and drama are combined to create a singular artistic creation.
Professional wrestling presents a unique way for audiences to find emotional engagement, reflexivity, and cultural commentary. The stories frequently include moral issues, fairness, and human identity, symbolizing both personal and societal battles on a broader scale. Wrestling elicits intense emotional reactions, which might prompt introspection. It is also a mirror of society, thus offering commentary on current events or cultural norms.
Character development and ferocity of performance are essential elements of this wrestling art form. Wrestling doesn’t fit into the traditional high art definitions. But it has its genre. While it exists, it allows for challenging and transforming its audience.
Because high art frequently reflects the civilization that creates it, viewers may see professional wrestling as societal ideals, anxieties, and concerns. American culture, especially in the United States, has long been closely linked to wrestling. Since audiences saw heel figures like Nikolai Volkoff as representing America’s foreign foes during the Cold War, wrestling has mirrored society. However, contemporary storylines address issues like gender, race, and class.
Audiences have long associated wrestling with bizarre characters that embody societal stereotypes. For instance, Hulk Hogan represented American exceptionalism in the 1980s, a decade characterized by Reagan-era patriotism. Saying “Say a prayer and take your vitamins” was by the conservative ideals of the day, and he went on to become a cultural hero. On the other hand, crucial people who personify the dread that society has of the “other” in terms of race, nationality, or philosophy are The Iron Sheik and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
Wrestling has been increasingly adept at delving deeper into societal themes in the past few years. One example of how attitudes toward gender equality have drastically shifted in society is the advent of female wrestlers like Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, who have defied gender preconceptions and headlined major events like Wrestlemania.
Challenges and Criticisms
Furthermore, there has been a rise in LGBTQ representation as transgender wrestlers like Nyla Rose and openly homosexual wrestlers like Sonny Kiss become more well-known in big promotions. These events demonstrate that wrestling has the potential to be a potent tool for social transformation and cultural critique, even beyond its absurd entertainment value.
Also, there is a worldwide fan base for wrestling, and several wrestling styles have developed from various cultural backgrounds. Japanese “puroresu” are renowned for their potent narratives that are more subtle and physically accurate. Considerably, for its ornate masks and aerial maneuvers, Mexican “lucha libre” takes inspiration from mythology and folk heroes. It is because of its rich cultural legacy. The diversity of art forms demonstrates how each style reflects the values and aesthetics of its culture.
However, it’s challenging to acknowledge professional wrestling as a high art form. Mostly, it is because, at its core, professional wrestling is mass entertainment. As a result, wrestling is more likely to be boisterous, ugly, and widely promoted, more on quick satisfaction than intellectual endeavors. Critics have continued to argue that wrestling is inappropriate conversations about art because it emphasizes spectacle too much, which people might construe as violence.
Reevaluating Artistic Value
Wrestling’s “worked” nature, which involves staged violence and predetermined results, is another issue. Some contend that because of this “inauthenticity,” wrestling cannot be considered an art form. Unlike most sports or classical theater, which are primarily physical or intellectual, wrestling exists in a gray area that makes classification challenging.
Conversely, these arguments overlook that many well-known artistic mediums, such as ballet, theater, and film, require staging and choreography. Conversely, scripting wrestling increases its artistic worth by giving you more creative control over how the story unfolds, when events happen, and other details. Thus, what matters most is not a lack of creativity but rather a performer’s ability to successfully communicate emotions to the audience. To effectively transmit emotions to the audience, an actor’s tears are only as good as their ability.
Professional wrestling is an example of art in many ways, even though it may not fit neatly into traditional high art categorization. The amalgamation of performance, narrative, cultural relevance, and the melding of several artistic mediums makes a strong case for reevaluation. Wrestling can affect, inspire, and provoke its viewers like other creative forms.
People may view professional wrestling as high art as long as they understand its ability to perform beyond boundaries and create an emotional, collective experience, even though it will always retain some association with “lowbrow” entertainment.
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