(Aside to Mod: I put this post here because it encompasses both entertainment and sports.)
I keep seeing this pro-wrestling crap (such as RAW) on the Asahi Network and numerous other cable stations. I thought the stuff was totally hokey even in junior high (unlike some of my friends, much to their present embarassment). Aside from the obvious fakeness of it, they run exactly the same “plots” every time: fighter A totally kicks ass on fighter B for a while, fighter B looks doomed, fighter A starts to get him in a hold, and THEN…OH MY GOSH…HE BROKE OUT OF IT…HE’S COMING BACK…NOW HE’S GOT THE OTHER GUY ON THE RUN. Yawn. Every. Single. Time.
But that’s not the worst of it. Now we’ve got the UFC and Pride. We KNOW what real no-holds-barred fighting looks like. We can see the astonishing skill and athleticism of actual MMA fighers - so how can ANYONE be lame enough to watch this crap? What’s the appeal? I can’t even believe the pro-so-called-wrestlers are thick-skinned enough to even get into the ring, knowing there’re people doing true full-contact striking/wrestling out there.
Then again, people back home watch monster-truck rallies and Nascar - and people in Taiwan listen to Karaoke radio. I suppose nothing should surprise me.