New Japan Wrestling is widely praised as the best wrestling promotion in the world and much of that boils down to the sort of talent the company boasts. Among them is Hiroshi Tanahashi and during a recent interview on a Japanese variety show, he was asked why wrestlers don't dodge moves (specifically those from the top rope) when there's ample enough time to move out of the way.
It's a good point to be fair; after all, why just lie there when you know what's coming? Why not roll a little to the left or just stand out? Well, Tanahashi has a very interesting perspective on that!
"Actually, we can dodge, obviously, but we don’t," he explained. "There is a beauty in getting hit. Pro-wrestling is a sport to show one’s strength, to show you can stand up and fight, even when you get hit. We wrestlers make a match more exciting by not dodging, and letting things get heated… We want the audience to empathize with the pain we’re feeling."
Wrestling is considered a serious sport in Japan so it's understandable why he has such a strong opinion on this. Sure, it would be easy enough spending all day picking holes in why wrestlers don't do this or that in the ring but the drama is what makes the sport great and Tanahashi has hit the nail on the head here. What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.