Well no, I didn't think there was anything earth shattering. I'm just trying to expose some things that I think are awesome to more people who I think would like them.funguy2121 said:I wouldn't say professional wrestling was very important in establishing any culture's identity. I also don't care what country likes what fake sport; I don't like fake sports.
The stereotype goes, nerds are smart and like odd, intelligent things. This of course is bullshit; for more, see Duke Nukem Forever defenders, or for that matter Duke Nukem 3D defenders, particularly those under the age of 15 who don't know what a Pentium is. So there's nothing Earth-shattering about being a wrestling fan and a nerd. It is a soap opera, though, which is worth pointing out. Maybe that's why you don't consider it nerdy. Not a lot of geeks and dweebs watching Desperate Housewives.
And, yes, pro wrestling was quite important to making modern Japan what is today.
Kind of like how important El Santo is to Mexico
After the war, Japan was defeated and broken. Not only did it need some entertainment, but it needed to be shown that while it may not be a big military power anymore, that it still had something to be proud of. When Rikidozan got on Nippon TV, and started beating American Wrestlers in big matches left and right, the Japanese people noticed. They camped out in front of TV stores, and Public television stands, to watch a national hero demonstrate the strength of the country's fighting spirit. To this day, pro wrestling and contemporary Japanese culture have been connected at the hip. You can see it everywhere, especially in video games.