Founded in 1952 by two men, Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt, World Wrestling Federation (WWE), previously known as WWF, took off as a mere sport back in the heydays.
Founded in 1952 by two men, Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt, World Wrestling Federation (WWE), previously known as WWF, took off as a mere sport back in the heydays.
Soon after Vincent McMahon arrived on the scene, the whole look of WWF changed.
The likes of Undertaker, ‘The Rock’, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Triple H and many more, strengthened their careers in this ‘made-up’ wrestling game. Whoever thought of being watching the blood in the wrestling match as to real, well it is, but may be a small tweak to the game could also make it possible. When our very own Indian, The Great Khali, made it big in the WWE, our Indian contingent went bonkers.
One of our country’s very own was giving nightmares to the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton with his very own, the Khali Chop!
But aren’t they fake?
Isn’t these moves manoeuvred to please the spectators and rake in the TRPs?
When former WWE star Kurt Angle toured India, he was quoted in a newspaper saying, “Wrestlers are basically like Hollywood stuntmen who tell a story with their moves.” Well if the wrestlers were like their Hollywood counterparts, could IPL be the very same?
May be, after the speculations went rift about the alleged ‘match-fixing’ scandal that hit the sport last year, the Indian Premier League somewhat was caught under the red eye. Many of its ‘moolah-raking’ cricketers, touted to be as future stars, too were caught red handed by the police including the 2011 World Cup winner, Sreesanth.
The Indian Premier League which begun in the 2008, was supposed to be a counter threat to the then-Indian Cricket League. The IPL, run under the ownership of Lalit Modi, brought the world boards together and was a participation of the biggest talent available. Modi tried a la Kerry Packer and Vince McMahon, but alas, his term was shortlived when the BCCI bigwigs packed him up 2010.
Though the brains behind the carnival had gone, the sport went on. The auction window (sort of the footballing transfer window) opened up and the franchise owners spent money like French fries on a plate. Even though the ICC governed and made the IPL games as ‘official’, betting still continued under the noses of BCCI. Most notably when, CSK owner Gurunath Meiyappan was handcuffed for his allegiance in the betting scandal.
If the IPL games are not ‘fixed’ as the administrators state it, then why the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni (BCCI brand ambassadors) remained mum on the betting affair?
If that was not all, BCCI came up with the Champions League T20 tourney (yes, UEFA did pressurize them for using the ‘Champions League’).
Even though IPL and its evil-doings hound the sport, the fact of the matter is, people and their love for cricket are still strong. Even if there detractors for Sreesanth, there are some who are still backing him with all their hearts. Every ball bowled, every six cleared out of the park, may be viewed as a ‘fix’, but for the viewers and the spectators alike, that word does not fit their dictionary. For them, cheering on their favourite sportsman is the main motive. Just like they do when John Cena enters the ring during a WWE game!
