The essential ingredient in successful pro wrestling is the interplay between wrestler and audience. The calls and chants. The booing and cheering. The way you, as fans, can ultimately determine the success of your favorites, which brings on that frisson of electric thrill which no other form of live entertainment provides. Go watch a stage production of Hamlet and see if booing him (he’s an asshole, it’s ok) changes the storyline. It won’t, and that interactivity is what makes pro wrestling work.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/d34jaa/this-isnt-twitch-plays-pro-wrestling-but-its-damn-close
