[So Queer] WWE Wrestling vs The Kardashians

Recently I've come under a barrage of criticism for liking WWE Wrestling. Apparently it's a sin for a 20-something-year-old male with university education and a little touch of pink to be watching such "mindless garbage". Yet the same "critics" are all too happy to proclaim their undying love for Keeping Up With The Kardashians and watching "Sushi King" Kenny Kunene go through his midlife identity crisis with his So What reality TV show.

A certain level of talent

While WWE wrestling might be scripted and driven by storylines much like a soap opera, it actually takes a certain level of talent to execute the action that we see on TV. However, I'm not sure if the same can be said about our beloved reality TV stars. They can serve as comic relief, no doubt, but it would seem to me that you need good looks, money, fame and fewer brains to be a successful reality TV show star.

When I speak of reality shows I'm obviously excluding talent shows like Idols and The Voice. By the way, kudos to SABC 3 for bringing us Season 2 of The Voice current to its broadcast in the US. But, my God, two hours is a lot of time to expect viewers to stay glued on their TV screens for a non-live and international talent search show. I think it would work better if viewers were left wanting more instead of feeling saturated by the end of the two-hour-long programme. Just one man's opinion.

Mainstream popularity

Coming back to the WWE wrestling matter, I should point out to you that some of its wrestlers are so successful in the ring that they have managed to cross over to mainstream popularity. I'm sure you've heard of John Cena, Hulk Hogan and, to a lesser degree, Chris Jericho.

But perhaps the most well-known wrestler turned actor is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. There is no doubt that The Rock is one of Hollywood's leading men. In 2007 he was featured in The Guinness Book Of World Records for having the highest salary as an actor in his first starring role for the movie The Scorpion King, receiving a cool 5.5 million dollars. Since then, The Rock has had a number of leading roles from The Tooth Fairy, Walking Tall, The Fast And The Furious, and many more.

So maybe wrestling is not "mindless garbage" after all if it can manage to produce formidable Hollywood A-list stars. I'm happy keeping up with my WWE wrestling, so y'all can chill your mangos and let me be.