Former WWE star Ronda Rousey recently appeared on Steve-Oโs Wild Ride, where she talked about a number of topics including how pro wrestling is not a sport but an intense performance.
Rousey said, โItโs scripted. Mostly. There is a general idea. They are working together. I like to relate it to figure skating. Two people together creating a performance. As Shayna [Shayna Baszler] likes to say, there is no fake way to take a chairshot. Youโre actually getting hit with a chair. Itโs also not a competition. A lot of wrestlers and stuff will be like, โWrestling is real. I got this injury or that injury.โ Iโm like, okay, as a competitor in an actual sport, Iโm never worried about getting injured. Iโm worried about losing. Thatโs the most stressful part of it. Injuries are not at all what youโre thinking about. Thatโs not what makes it real or makes it hard. Itโs the uncertainty of the outcome. When people are like, โitโs a real sport.โ No, itโs not a sport. Itโs a very intense performance, which I have a lot of respect for, but itโs not a sport. If youโve ever dealt with the stress and anxiety that comes with competition, you canโt take that out and call it a sport. Itโs so tough. Itโs very physical, but itโs not a sport.โ
You can check out Rousey’s comments in the video below.
(H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)