Wrestling (Entertainment): What is it and how do you bet on it
Wrestling is a theatrical performance, imitating a real sports fight. Its modern realities in the ring are to effectively and professionally combine a variety of martial arts, acting and athletic skills, while also allowing the wrestler to not get a serious injury himself. Betting on these competitions can hardly be called popular, but they have their fans, and this too must be discussed.
If a couple of decades ago it was possible to find people who doubted the staged nature of fights of any of the wrestling associations, now there are very few of them. Most fans understand that the scenarios of the fights are written in advance, and the fighters and their teams know even before the match who will win and how. Despite this specificity, this "sport" does not lose interest among the fans, as well as in the army of those who are interested in betting on wrestling in bookmakers.
Wrestling Federations and their features
At the moment, the sport, which many may reject because of the existence of an invented plot of fights, has several major federations. We will tell you about the features of each.
WWE
The most successful and well-known type of wrestling competition, which has the most popularity in the United States. Who doesn't know John Cena? It is difficult to find a person who has never found merch (t-shirts, caps) with his face or symbols even in Europe.
Each week, the federation releases five shows, which are broadcast live on several channels. The format of the tournament is aimed at spectators of all ages: there is no blood, shocking or obscene shouts and other elements of "adult" spectacles.
This is the most popular type of wrestling competition, and therefore most bookmakers often offer bets on WWE.
"IMPACT!"
This federation used to be called TNA. It positions itself as a fresh and more interesting response to the WWE federation, which turned into something "faceless". "IMPACT!" is known for its bet on an abundance of acrobatics and highly risky stunts. There are high-tech wrestlers, natives and veterans from other federations and very young athletes, who have not yet taken to WWE. Unlike WWE, there are no age restrictions for fighters, and there is blood, obscene language and so on, which adds to the audience's interest.
CWW
One of the craziest federations. There are almost no restrictions: fights go according to the rules of wrestling, but really strong blows and "real pain" are almost not limited. Created by the former wrestler John Zandig and is among those tournaments that are unlikely to ever be shown on official TV channels.
BJW
The Japanese federation, popular with the Japanese and some other countries thanks to violent fights and style, taking some of the characteristics from WWE, and seasoning them with specific "vandalism".
RoH
Relatively young North American format of wrestling tournaments, in which the bet is placed on the entertainment of fights, a variety of techniques and tricks, as well as respect of fighters to each other. All this appeared at the expense of the presence of dialogues and storyline, which is so popular in WWE.
What attracts betting on wrestling?
Despite the fact that wrestling is a 100% staged sport (although some do not want to attribute it to the sport), there are advantages for playing on bets. The main characteristics that attract the prediction of these theatrical fights are:
- The opportunity to understand the logic of the writers and what they lead to (it is better for those who follow wrestling for years);
- The variability of bets on different aspects of the fight, especially in the moments when the wrestlers in the ring are not two, but many more.
Disadvantages of betting on wrestling
Of course, betting on wrestling has significant disadvantages that provoke the rejection of this hobby: the logic of screenwriters is not always obvious, and the favourites can also unconditionally lose, as it happens in "ordinary" sports; due to the nature of staged fights bookmakers are extremely reluctant to include wrestling in their line (and if it is, the line will have the least amount of variation);
The main types of betting on wrestling
It is likely that in the homeland of wrestling the variability of bets on these theatrical and sporting confrontations is very high. The options for betting in countries where wrestling is popular like in America the main bets are:
- Bet on winning the fight;
- Bet on winning the tournament;
- Bet on losing a duel;
- Bet on losing in a tournament;
- type of victory (the variability of this market is not typical of Russian bookmakers);
- The presence or absence of a knockout;
- Disqualification.
What to look for when choosing a bid: analytics features
For the greater success of betting on wrestling, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules aimed not only at increasing the level of knowledge but also at developing a kind of gut feeling which is also not without meaning.
Regularly view English-language news and expert resources, as well as forums dedicated to the topic of wrestling (it is in the West where most fans understand these staged fights better). Try to look for patterns and features: study past fights of fighters, their behaviour, the attitude of spectators and factors that will make it clear how the action can end). Try to predict and bet in one tournament (spraying time and effort will worsen analytics and results). Try not to have a favourite (emotional bets on wrestlers, which you sympathize with, in the end, will not have the best impact on the game bank). Think of wrestling as an event with strict logical patterns that the writers of the tournament build: it will also help to avoid making unnecessary emotional decisions.
