Whats the difference between Professional Wrestling & Sports Entertainment?
Professional wrestling is two (or four) trained athletes engaging in hand-to-hand combat. There are rules of conduct governing what they can do. The outcome of the match is decided before the match starts and it’s the wrestlers’ job to make the combat look as real as possible leading up to that outcome. The wrestlers hype their upcoming matches and talk about their opponents (some trash-talk, some put their opponents over to make themselves look good as well) in promos. Sports Entertainment is what Vince McMahon changed professional wrestling into. Wrestling skills are no longer important; they mostly just punch and kick anyway. Looking good and being able to memorize a pre-written speech are what really counts. You also need some acting skills for the skits and melodramatic storylines. And you must be willing to play any character, no matter how ridiculous it is. Sports Entertainment is not too far-removed from burlesque.
