Strictly Entertainment

Possibly the best entertainment for men on television today is World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Though many people see this sport as childish and violent there are many factors that allow WCW to provide millions of men exactly what they are looking for when they turn on the television--entertainment. With the use of over-exaggerated realism and candid plots, WCW has become on of the best-rated television shows in the nation. Boasting better ratings than primetime ESPN and MTV, WCW has lasted nineteen years on television and the best is yet to come.

In the social culture of today, we, as American society, have become more reliant on television programs as a way to escape the everyday stresses and pressures that our culture bestows upon us. Television programs are in effect an alternate life that we can go to and participate in. What better pseudo-world to live in than a place that is so simplified that you are able distinguish good from evil and participate in the struggle for power. In WCW it is that simple. The bad guys in this simple drama are commonly referred to as heels , while the pleasant looking well built good guys are commonly called faces . These faces and heels , each with their own identity, make it easy for viewers to pick out the characters they like and those that they hate.

Evidence has shown that the most popular and long lasting shows are those that imitate life at its very essence. Seinfeld, The Flintstones, All in the Family, The Simpson s, and Cheers all stood the test of time and the more importantly the scrutiny of the public. Likewise, WCW has also stood these tests and survived. WCW imitates life in the simplest form; physical fighting to solve problems, the vision of every male who has felt overburdened by bosses or counterparts. Becoming involved as friend of a character or enemy of another allows viewers to interact in the exaggerated plots. These plots, yet petty and clearly fictitious, contain enough of real life to bring viewers closer to the action as the behemoths of men use brute force to solve problems.

WCW is to men what soap operas are to women. Used as candid small talk and water fountain gossip WCW is becoming the gossip of the man s world. Just as women can identify with characters heart ache and struggles, men can identify with being held back by the powers that be and good guys not always winning as WCW portrays in its plots. WCW gives life a humorous and glorified outlook making the winner the Champion of the World adorned with a golden belt. Men from every occupation and cultural group have dreamed of being the champion and walking into work with a gold belt of sorts. Every viewer, no matter who they are, can relate to the struggle for power that WCW illustrates.

Though these plots are simple and humorous the fact remains that they are seemingly violent. Unconventional and simple they might be, yet they are far less violent than the classics of the cartoon world. Tom and Jerry frequently chop off one another s heads and blow each other up with explosives, hardly comparable to a wrestling match in which the loser can walk away to fight another day. WCW may not be the suitable choice of many parents for entertaining their children, but the industry has made considerable attempts to make it known that what happens in the course of the programs is totally fictitious. It is the simple man to man hand to hand simulated combat that draws men to WCW. The simple fact is this: WCW provides men from all walks of life entertainment, all 2.4 million weekly viewers.

Works Cited

World Championship Wrestling: Monday Nitro. Prod TNT.2000

World Championship Wrestling: Thunder. Prod TNT.2000

Nielsen Media Research: Cable Television Ratings. Mar 19-25, 2000.