The new superheroes have names like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and The Undertaker. John, seven, and Joey, nine, talk about their favorite wrestlers but can t agree on whether the fighting they see on the small screen is real. Parental reservations aside, hard-core wrestling is now being marketing directly to children in the form of wrestling toys, collector cards, and a variety of merchandise with decidedly youthful appeal. Though TV wrestling is nothing new, fans and foes both agree that the sport has changed dramatically in the past few years. Even so, interviews with children reveal that watching wrestling is a family affair.
Kids watch with their parents, particularly their fathers, and with older siblings.