Can anyone finally, definitively, answer this life question that has always puzzled me?

[HamdenRice]

Is professional wrestling "real"?

[ghostsofgiants]

1. Depends what you mean by "real."

It's scripted, yes, but the risks and bumps they take are very real.

[Dr. Strange]

2. Depends on what you mean by real.

It's like stunt work in movies: it's scripted for the most part, but they're still hitting each other, so if they don't do it just right, they can get hurt.

[ipfilter]

3. 42

[Lil Missy]

4. No

Grandpa always snuck me into the back door of the Civic Auditorium when grandma was working.

It's not real. Sorry.

[charlie and algernon]

5. It's a scripted soap opera

that involves people acting like they're hitting each other as opposed to just acting

[HopeHoops]

6. Watch the movie "Man in the Moon" - Jim Carey as Andy Kaufman (read on)...

Andy Kaufman basically CREATED pro-wrestling. From what I've seen, the movie is a fairly accurate portrayal of what happened, and Danny DiVito was not only a close associate of Kaufman's because of "Taxi", but he also plays Kaufman's manager in the movie. The transition of basic stage wrestling to the "talking shit" show wrestling that became WWE (formerly WWF until the REAL WWF complained), was really the result of what Andy started.

[HamdenRice]

7. That's interesting. Was that around the time Cyndi Lauper also got into it?

getting into "beefs" with the emerging wrestling celebrities?

[robdogbucky]

10. Gorgeous George invented modern Pro Wrestling

The man, aka Gorgeous George, who put the “Sport,” on the map in the ‘50s:

http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/wrestlers/gorgeousgeorge2.html

(Snip):

“…George Wagner was born in Seward, Nebraska and began his Professional Wrestling career when he was around the age of 14 and competed regionally for over ten years before developing a gimmick which would change the sport. He grew his hair out long and curly then dyed it blond. WeaRing gold plated bobby pins in his hair and long sequened robes, George would enter the Ring escorted by one of his Ring butlers, Thomas Ross or Geoffrey, who would spray the Ring and/or opponents with disinfectant or or perfume, all to the sounds of "Pomp and Circumstance," (the same entrance music used by "Macho Man" Randy Savage today.)

Although he will always be known best for his ability to captivate audiences which his theatrics and outlandish "pretty boy" behavior, George reached his peak when he won the American Wrestling Association World Title in 1950. He wrestled for another ten years before being defeated in one of his last matches by a young Bruno Sammartino. Although Wagner died in late 1963, his legacy has survived and grown as wrestlers throughout the years have seen that playing the role of a hated villain can add significantly to the longevity of their careers. There have been many imitators but none compared to Gorgeous George Wagner…”

As a kid I enjoyed watching the local version of “Pro Wrestling,” both on TV and live at local bouts, usually in the summer and outdoors, but when I grew up its appeal as entertainment kinda wore off. I do have fond memories of Moose Cholak, Crusher Luzowski, Argentina Rocca, The Flying Kangaroos, etc., etc., etc., all consummate entertainers using outrageous personas to entertain. The audiences seemed to have an inordinate number of elderly women (usually angry and vocal) and men in uniforms (usually quite drunk).

Hmmmmmmm?

robdogbucky

[conscious evolution]

12. I think Cyndi

got into it a few years after Andy died.

[rurallib]

8. it is RASSLIN' not wrestling

there once was actual real professional wrestling. I don't think it lasted into the second match.

[Beer Snob-50]

9. It is a great soap opera with lots of fake violence

I once went to the springfield civic center for the monthly matches and i was outside watching teh wrestlers enter. that night was a grudge match between the russian bear ivan koloff (my favorite)and this all american cowboy (whose name i forgot). they had met many times on tv hitting each oterh with chairs et al, threatening to destroy each other (all before the collapse of russia). that night the two of them got out of a car together talking and laughing. that ended my belief that wrestling was real.

[conscious evolution]

11. Ivan was from Cincinatti

or some other midwestern city.IRL he sounds a a little like Jimmy Stewart,iirc.

I used to work at a general aviation FBO in Charlotte NC when the NWA was based there.All of the rasslers,good guy and bad guy,all flew together to matches in the same plane.
Any belief that I had as to whether or not wrestling was real or not ended then.
Like other posters have said,it is a scripted show with lots of Hollywood style stunts.It seems that the only difference is that wrestlers are both the actor and stuntman,as opposed to movies or other tv having stunt doubles stand in for the actor.And like in any stunt there is a risk of injury if something goes wrong or does not follow the script.