Pro wrestling is often falsely viewed as entertainment exclusively for children. The WWE turning its product PG in 2008 made this notion become even more widely accepted. The days of wrestling featuring the hardcore aspects of ECW or the chair shots of the Attitude Era are mostly a relic of the past, although AEW has pushed the boundaries in recent years.

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There are plenty of adults who still watch pro wrestling. There are also many aspects of wrestling that particularly appeal to adult fans. As they grow with the product, oftentimes, some things that adult fans may not have liked as children become the best parts of the show.

10 The Nostalgia

The core of the Attitude Era WWE roster

Younger fans of wrestling have few "good old days" to look back upon for obvious reasons. Most adults who watch wrestling love the callbacks and clips of "their" era.

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In many cases, wrestling just takes them back to a familiar time when school conversations were surrounded by who won and if it was "real" or not. It's an aspect only older wrestling viewers understand, but one that grows with age.

9 Older Stars Performing At A High Level

Jericho wins ROH title

For some younger fans, seeing a wrestler over 45 destroying wrestlers half his age can be strange or even boring. You can't blame them since a child looks at an 18-year-old like they are 100 years older than them. Of course, younger fans also often gravitate to younger newer stars.

Adults love seeing older wrestlers competing at a high level. Maybe it's the underdog factor? Maybe it's a reminder that aging doesn't have to be a curse? Either way, seeing Chris Jericho, Tanashi, or Edge performing at a high level is a treat for adult fans.

8 Promotions Outside Of The WWE

Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, NJPW, AEW

Many fans entered pro wrestling thanks to WCW or the WWE. Since WCW has been defunct since 2001, the identity of pro wrestling has been surrounded by the WWE. The longer fans watch pro wrestling the more the desire grows to see what other kind of wrestling exists in the world.

It is not uncommon for fans to discover New Japan, Impact, or even AEW after decades of first watching the WWE. If you've watched pro wrestling for a long itme, chances are your appreciation for wrestling as a whole grows beyond just the WWE.

7 Clever Signs

Clever Signs

Signs from fans at matches are a part of wrestling culture. As audiences get older, they tend to be more focused on witty signs rather than "shocking" signs. A kid may find a sign with a curse word in it funny meanwhile a sign that says "Why is his hair so wet?" is a more clever sign reserved for older fans who have watched for years. Adults seem to find signs that force thought to be much more interesting than a sign that is dirty for "dirty sakes."

6 Husband And Wife Wrestlers

Montez Ford and Bianca Belair Cropped

Thinking about having a life partner is something usually reserved for fans out of high school. An adult wrestling fan has usually seen a few good relationships come and go, which makes husband and wife wrestling relationships something that they root for.

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The stakes of those relationships are easy for kids to write off as unimportant, while adults can't stop wondering what it would be like to work with their loved ones in front of thousands.

5 The Actual Wrestling Itself

Hiromu Takahashi vs Will Ospreay

Pro wrestling is so tied to entertainment that most younger fans heavily lean toward the spectacle. Whether that be big-time storylines or insane moves, the more mundane aspects of wrestling are usually the last things on their mind.

Adult fans often know the limitations of the human body and are more astounded by the insane stuff that happens on a wrestling mat. Psychology is also a major aspect of great wrestling that starts to make sense and be appreciated by the older fans get.

4 The Return Of Legends

Steve Austin Vs Kevin Owens WrestleMania 38

Most child viewers are witnessing what will be considered "their era" of wrestling in a decade. Some stars transcend generations, but many are oftentimes a reminder of a particular place in time "you had to be." For this reason, returns from former wrestling stars are always something older fans love.

This makes big returns to wrestling like Bret Hart in AEW or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as Wrestlemania 38 moments that elate adult viewers. Seeing Gangrel on AEW in 2022 may not mean much to some younger fans, but to others, it takes them right back to 1999 even for a split second.

3 Drama Outside Of The Ring

CM Punk And Tony Khan Media Scrum

Any ten-year-old who was alive during the steroid trials or the "Montreal Screwjob" didn't fully understand the insanity of those events until much later. They were "big kid problems" that have no stakes in the life of a child. The older you get, the more you begin to see the humanity in wrestling.

For this reason, adult fans tend to be just as excited (or more excited) about wrestlers' lives outside of the ring. Soapy drama in real life makes wrestling feel like it did before everyone knew it was scripted. Adult fans appreciate real drama because it makes wrestling "juicier" and adds layers.

2 Grounded Gimmicks

AJ Styles WWE Champion 2nd Reign Cropped

Sure, big personalities like Hulk Hogan and Vader appeal to adults, but not in the same way they do to children. They are glorified cartoon characters that younger fans can easily digest. More grounded stars can sometimes be seen as less interesting to kids.

Adults tend to relate more to wrestlers who are real people. "The Deadman" is interesting, but it's not as real as a southern man like AJ Styles who very clearly is playing an elevated version of himself. The more grounded the wrestler's gimmick, the more believable it is to the adult fans and also the more enjoyable.

1 Bad Stuff Getting A Bad Reception

Roman Reigns booed

Adult fans usually have less free time to watch or interact with wrestling. For that reason, anything that comes off as a "waste of time" is much more bothersome for them than a ten-year-old. Therefore, something awful getting a horrible reception is also satisfying to adult viewers on so many levels.

Fans of any age do not like being manipulated, but when adults spend their time and money on pro wrestling it should at least "try to be good." Whereas booing Roman Reign's horrible 2017 push was fun to everyone, adult fans enjoyed it on another level since it was a way for them to tell pro wrestling bookers to "please not waste our time on the bad stuff."