Something odd happened recently in professional wrestling — a real fight broke out. Former professional wrestler John Levi Miller, 23, has sued Clinton Woosley (who performed under the name Guido Andretti) for failing to take a fall as planned and actually kicking him in the groin — causing the loss of a testicle. Woosley was the designated “heel,” or loser in the bout. [Image shows Blue Demon, Jr. wrestles El Hijo Del Santo].
Miller said that Woosely refused to map out or choreograph the bout as is customary — allegedly dismissing Miller’s concerns. Miller said that Woosely then failed to go down as planned as the designated heel and then kicked him in the groin causing the injury. He said Woosely appeared intent on winning.
I must confess that I have never understood professional wrestling and why people love to see men pretend to be hurting each other. Putting aside the gratuitous violence, it is all pretend and yet people seem to act like it is real — thrilling to the scene of people busting chairs on each others heads or gouging eyes. Yet two out of ten Americans are wrestling fans.
Sam Cosby, who owns Indiana-based Coliseum Championship Wrestling and is a defendant in the lawsuit, contests the allegations and added in a perfect “in character” comment: “The kid never complained about nothing.” You tell ’em, Mr. Big.
In the end, we are left with the novel question of a negligent fake wrestling match. That should make for interesting testimony. It may not thrill fans who prefer to live in a violent-saturated fantasy. Polls show Miller’s lawyer, Larry Wilder insists “[k]icking someone between the legs is not a normal dance move in professional wrestling.” A dance move? Not exactly the image of the chair-pounding, back-breaking bruisers that fans love to watch.
Source: Daily Mail
Obviously some people are going to ask whether or not wrestlers wear “cups” like other sports. It depends on how you are trained and the types of moves you are doing. Does anybody have a link to a conversation with a wrestling school owner about whether he/she endorses the use of regular size (not the kind boxers wear) cups while in the ring?