For a long time, wrestling and other combat sports have arguably been the poor relative of bat and ball games. Though they’ve attracted a significant fan base and a large amount of investment, they’ve struggled to enter the wider public consciousness.
We’re not suggesting that certain individuals haven’t become household names, The Rock, John Cena, and Hulk Hogan immediately spring to mind. But these individuals haven’t been acclaimed for their sporting prowess in the same way as top-league baseball or basketball stars have.
Instead, they’ve become media personalities, with WWE and its counterparts being seen more as a form of entertainment and less as a serious sport. This attitude, however, is slowly beginning to change, and one outcome of this is that we’re increasingly seeing wrestling represented in more mainstream culture.
Shining the spotlight on WWE
When a sport enters the popular consciousness, it naturally generates a lot of interest. This is why the stars of baseball, basketball, and soccer, for example, are instantly recognisable, with their names and faces featured on television and in the media.
When we see these individuals, we know them immediately, not just a costume or an athletic style, but with regards to who they are as individuals and how they come across in interviews. For many young people, they become someone to aspire to, with posters of them plastered across bedroom walls and their names driving millions of Google searches each year.
As a result, content creators across various genres turn to these sports and the individuals who represent them to develop new products. This is perhaps best exemplified by the slew of sporting films, documentaries, and TV specials that chart these individuals and their lives.
Until recently, the same breadth of content has simply not existed for contact sports. While some matches have been televised, a lot of people still wouldn’t recognise WWE’s biggest stars if they saw them in the street.
But all of that is changing thanks to a series of new releases that are shining a spotlight on the sport.
The Main Event and more
Foremost among these is one of Netflix’s recent releases. Added to the streaming platform in April 2020, The Main Event follows a young boy who dreams of being a wrestler. The film features cameos from several big and impressive names, from Kofi Kingston and Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin, to Keith Lee and Otis Dozovic.
Netflix isn’t the only entertainment provider helping to bring contact sports further into the mainstream. Online gambling, with a number of sites having been specifically created to share bonuses and special offers, is also including wrestling and contact sports in its offerings.
Popular slots for those who take advantage include WWE-themed Nacho Libre and Andre the Giant, the latter inspired by the iconic wrestler. While it’s also about online casinos and the fun you can have at these, this sort of title can nonetheless act as an introduction to, and means of generating interest in, the sport among those who may not be overly familiar with it.
This exemplifies why this move into mainstream media is so important and significant for WWE. It helps to bring a fresh audience to the arena, breathing new life into old bones and ensuring it will continue to flourish for many years to come.
