Matey Dave has been in touch and posed a question about the authenticity, or perceived authenticity, of wrestling.
He wrote:
Back in those glorious days before wrestlers started using sound fx to enhance there performances, it always seemed to look less fake and more believable. Middle of the 70’s something
started to change. Quick blast on a trumpet and roll of the drums. The floor of the rings started to become rather noisy. As the wrestler hits his opponent he would stamp his foot hard on the rings making a loud noise giving impression that it came from hitting. Also seemed a distraction especially if there was a mike under the ring to amplify the stamping.
Was this one of the gimmicks brought in by the Crabtrees?
Personally I thought it was a urine take and very fake. Could you imagine our Shirley stamping his foot as he hit somebody, would have thought he did not the coordination.
It started to seem less authentic once colour broadcasts got going
Early on in Jim Barney’s WCW in Australia 1960s), some bright spark decided it would be a good idea to place / hide a microphone under the Sydney Stadium ring. The noise coming from the wrestlers, just locking up, pushing and pulling and stomping around the ring, was aweful. Within five minutes, a chorus of boos led to the switching off of the offending mic’.
The stamping of the foot was over-used and still is. I used to get annoyed when a wrestler who had just taken a back drop or body slam and was lying inert, thought that no one would notice if they surreptitiously reached down and pull the strapping on their knees up!
I don’t mind fanfare/ music, as often the wrestlers have to travel a fair way from the dressing sheds. (The choice of music, is a whole different subject).