Car Crash Theatre.

Two nights ago I was entertained by a form of theatre I had never experienced before. It made me wince and feel uncomfortable. It made me shake my head in disbelief and question my own sanity. But did I look away? No, I didn’t. Why? Because it was fun.

At the TD Garden in Boston on Tuesday night, a good friend of mine and I made a decision to go watch WWE Wrestling on a whim. We got cheap tickets and for two hours we watched grown men and women dance, cavort around a ring and mock punch each other. It was hilarious. For pure unadulterated entertainment, it has changed my own perception of wrestling. But only just slightly.

What was more worrying (and more entertaining) were the attitudes and characters in the audience around us. Some views were abstract and quite narrow minded. Grown men jeered the wrestlers onstage calling them homophobic names – yet they had bought a ticket to come watch buff, athletic men fight other fit men in tight shorts. And I’m talking budgie smuggler tight.

But despite some ignorant name calling, the vast majority knew their wrestling. They knew all the names of the moves, throws and the types of slams. But the kicking and punching is the funniest part of the show. They barely even make contact. But on television, the reaction of the person being punched or kicked sells it. But some of these punches ‘land’ from two feet away.

This form of entertainment is huge in America. This show tours all over the country, selling out everywhere they go. They sold more tickets last year than U2. So why is it so popular? And then it hit me with a mock punch – it appeals to all people, young and old. No one really gets hurt, good normally triumphs over evil and everyone goes home having being entertained by a spectacular show.

The vast majority of the crowds are middle class Americans, who had come with their young children to be entertained. Of the twelve or thirteen thousand that attended, I would say three or four thousand were children under the age of ten. A lot of the slogans and hooks that each wrestler has have a positive message. John Cena’s slogan is “Never Give Up.” That’s positive reinforcement for any budding young American.

But leaving the stadium, we saw the fanatics. I know every sport and form of entertainment has their own eccentric type of fans, but these were bananas. And most of these eclectic fans were grown men who worshipped these wrestling icons. They truly believed the spectacle of what was being sold.

I’m not really sure if I need counselling after it. But the crowd, the show, the outfits, the acting and the pure madness will live with me for a long time.

Only in America.