Heroes of the Squared Circle 40: Running the Gauntlet

[mithen]

Title: Running the Gauntlet
Relationship: Clark/Bruce
Characters: Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Bane, Dick Grayson, Brainiac
Continuity: Heroes of the Squared Circle, a DC/pro wrestling fusion ( click for notes and all chapters).
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
Word Count 3500
Summary: Bruce prepares for the first of his two big matches against

Comments

[rdfox]

There's a bit more to it than that, though, I think. I mean, in non-predetermined sports, you might hear people cheering for a minor injury (and you wouldn't believe the number of times I've seen fans at a NASCAR race cheer when someone they despise crashes!), but a major injury, the sort that can end a career or worse, that usually gets sympathy from the audience.

What I'm thinking of more is situations where someone who gets "X-Pac heat" (i.e., not "You are an evil person and I want to pay to see you lose!" boos, but rather, "You suck at your job and I want you the hell off my TV!" boos) suffers a major injury. Sid, for example, while reasonably popular with the general fanbase, was absolutely DESPISED for his slow pace and limited skills by the IWC back in 2001, but when he snapped his shin in half at the "Sin" PPV (if you want, you can look it up on your favorite video sharing site, but be warned, it's pretty hideous--lots of people who'd seen both have compared it to Joe Theismann's career-ending broken leg), there was a sudden outpouring of support and sympathy and hopes that it would heal quickly, largely out of pure human decency--even if you can't stand to see him work, nobody wants to see someone's livelihood lost to an accident like that.

(Side note: When Sid broke his leg, WCW asked him how he wanted them to explain the situation on Nitro the next night. He specifically told them not to kayfabe it, and, indeed, to show all the footage of the injury on Nitro--and explain that they were showing it this one time because he had requested that they do so, as a warning to backyard wrestlers about how dangerous it really is, and how even guys who are trained and have fifteen years' experience can get severely injured, so Don't Try This At Home.)