Many laugh at the idea that professional wrestling has anything to teach a person about life. Having followed professional wrestling closely the point it felt like a science, I can safely say I have learned a few valuable lessons from the WWE.
It’s more fun to hate authority figures
Principals, office managers, and stepfathers are all nuisances in life who have a “by the book” attitude making life less fun. They are some of the most important authority figures in our life and siding with them is like agreeing to be the devil’s right-hand man. Bring in the professional wrestling aspect, most specifically the Mr. McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin feud. Stone Cold made a career out of making his boss’s life hell. ‘The Texas Rattlesnake’ may have taken things a little too far for the real world at times (destroying Mr. McMahon’s car, spray painting him with beer, etc.) and it should be noted that doing any of those things to an authority figure in real life will probably get you more than a handicap match against Triple H and The Rock.
People who make decisions are usually easily distracted
Professional wrestling continually hires referees who seem to have trouble paying attention to the action. They turn their backs allowing the bad guys to use foreign objects on their opponent, helping them to a cheap win. This is of course kayfabe, the polite wrestling term for fake. In real life decision makers are also very distracted people. The more power a person has, the busier they tend to be. They want to avoid having to make the tough calls much like a wrestling referee. There could be a whole psychological element to this. Maybe the person is in a place of power because of their ability to be easily distracted and this has helped them to not dwell on past mistakes, allowing them to be successful. It’s just a thought.
The entrance you make can be a difference maker
You only get one chance to make a first impression. A professional wrestler has to make that first impression every night before his match. Their entrance says a lot about them. If they walk to the ring with confidence or with cheers from the audience, their competition may feel a little more intimidated. Unfortunately it’s hard for most of us to have a fireworks display go off behind us whenever we enter a room. There are still some similarities. You should want your presence to be known. Learning an original dance or playing some music every time you enter the room will certainly put eyes on you, but the hands attached to those eyes might be searching for the number to the nearest mental hospital. Entrances are still important; just keep them simple.
Life would be easier if we all had a common goal
In the real world it’s difficult to make one thing the true purpose behind it all. Until the meaning of life is answered we cannot distinguish what common goal everyone should have. Success is measured in many different ways and all are subjective. Professional wrestling has this common goal that measures a person’s value, the championship. There are several belts of different values and having any around your waist gives you automatic respect from the rest of the locker room. The closest we have to this in life might be financially. Most of us are smart enough to realize that money isn’t everything. The same way a wrestler can go on a successful run without being in the title picture, we can have successful lives without being wealthy.