Storylines

I’ve been watching wrestling (the WWE) for many years now, and it’s a guilty pleasure of mine.  Just watching people “beat each other up” on television with whacky outfits and over-the-top acting.  It’s strangely therapeutic for me.

I think some people think of wrestling as kind of a crude form of entertainment and they disparage it as something that is fake and not real.  After all, they’re not really “beating each other up”.  It’s all staged.  It’s all an act. 

But having watched wrestling for many years now, I’ve developed a healthy respect for the performers in that squared circle.  Everyone from the wrestlers telling the story in the ring, to the backstage producers crafting the story, to the announcers bringing that story to life through their hype and promotion, all have a unique purpose.  It really is a total team effort.

And I think there are nuggets of wisdom you can glean from watching these shows.  After all, there is wisdom from any type of show that you watch or invest in.

After watching wrestling after all these years, I can vaguely tell and forecast when a face (good guy) should win a match or when a heel (bad guy) should go over (win the match). 

I’m not right 100% of the time, nobody is.  But most of the time, I tend to have a good feeling for how they intend to tell the story in the ring.  It’s a product of following wrestling for all these years.

It makes me realize that mastery of any sort (even for something as silly as understanding wrestling storytelling) comes in slow motion and is a day-by-day long-term process.  It doesn’t come at you immediately but is the product of you watching and studying the wrestlers’ maneuvers match-by-match, show-by-show.

You can master (or at least get better at) any type of skill if you just show interest and consistency in researching and enhancing whatever it is that you’re working on.  And now, after watching wrestling for literally decades on end, I can kind of see where the producers are trying to go with a story and what they are trying to accomplish. 

I watch YouTube videos on wrestling as well, which enhance my knowledge of the wrestling world.  Again, it’s a niche interest to say the least but it’s something that I can learn from and apply to in the general realm of things.

On a side note, I’ve also been asking ChatGPT a lot of economic questions lately, for the past few months or so, and I must admit that ChatGPT is a great asset that can help me understand the world better in whichever form or manner. 

Because of all the questions asked, I’ve gained greater knowledge into the world of dollar reserves and monetary policy and the intricate effects that it could have on the global stage as a whole.  Again, it’s a niche (and kind of nerdy) interest of mine, but it goes to show that we have so many tools at our disposal in this modern world that can help us level up our knowledge and our life.

It just takes time.  Nothing comes easy or quick.  It’s probably better not to look for any quick fix of the sort.  Most changes take time to build and like any skill it takes repetition and continued practice.  Consistency is the key and, of course, a natural interest in the topic.

Back to wrestling, sometimes I feel like I can book the show and figure out which wrestler will come out on top and which wrestler is taking the pin (or the loss).  Of course, there is always the element of surprise in the wrestling world and sometimes I am delightfully wrong in my expectations. 

But of course, it just takes time to predict these things with greater accuracy, and it takes a while to master anything.

So regardless of whether you are trying to get better at cooking, learn more economics, or even get better at predicting wrestling matches, it’s all a repetition game and it just takes time to practice and enhance your knowledge.

Please don’t expect a quick fix or an easy way out.  Most things in life like that come with a significant cost or a huge asterisk.  So, whatever it is that you want to learn or whatever it is that you’re interested in, simply put in the consistent time day in and day out to invest yourself into that topic.  Show genuine interest in whatever it is that you’re trying to learn.  And eventually you will see some real changes in your knowledge for the better.

Any type of skill can have practical advantages in the real world.  Even in wrestling, the more I watch these matches, the more I understand human psychology to see what makes the average fan tick.  What are some nuances that make the producers push a wrestler as a “good guy” or a “bad guy”?  Which wrestlers can you tell will eventually be pushed (promoted) to the top ranks?  These are all nuances that are hard to explain, but you can tell if you just watch enough wrestling matches.

So, practice, practice, and practice consistently.  Draw upon what genuinely interests you and get good at that.  And you can apply the skills that you’ve learned to improve your life and outlook.