Clinical psychologist explains why people love WWE
The name of WWE rings a bell to most people even in the remotest part of the world. But what makes WWE so popular, why do people love the sport of professional wrestling and WWE in general?
Professional wrestling is loved by millions around the world. At the height of its popularity in the 90s, pro-wrestling captured the imagination of the people and became one of the most popular forms of entertainment. WWE managed to cash in on the popularity of the sport as they emerged as the market leaders in professional wrestling. Names like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Vince McMahon, Triple H, The Undertaker and Ric Flair are known all around the world.
WWE's flagship show Monday Night Raw is the longest-running weekly episodic program in the U.S. WWE has gone from strength to strength in the last two decades as they are now global phenomena with shows taking place in different parts of the world. The name of WWE rings a bell to most people even in the remotest part of the world. But what makes WWE so popular, why do people love the sport of professional wrestling and WWE in general?
Famous Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson talked about the phenomena of WWE and explained the possible reason being its popularity on the 'Flagrant 2 Podcast with Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh'.
"I was reminded recently of this documentary called Hitman Hart, which is about pro-wrestling. He was the good guy in pro wrestling. He was very very famous, the most famous Canadian of his time. He had this role thrust upon him where he was the good guy. Watching the documentary, I realized that people watch pro-wrestling because it was a battle in a Colosseum between the forces of good and the forces of evil," Peterson said.
"I didn't understand that. I didn't know that it was a drama for people who did not want to go to the movies. It was a level below of fiction in movies. I am not being smart about this. I am not being cynical about this. I didn't realize that it was mythological drama. And Hitman Hart got cast as the hero and the saviour essentially. There was a sophisticated drama that was being played in the ring in wrestling. It was good against evil. And it is the fantasy that you have for protecting the people you love against malevolent and malicious intruders. It is concretized," Peterson said.
"In our religious doctrine, it is stated that the entire world is a stage for a battle between good and evil. And that is right."
The documentary that Peterson is talking about is called 'Wrestling with the Shadows'.
