since MMA heavily involves grappling, that being actual wrestling, I'd say this is erroneous as well.
The grappling has nothing to do with it, its how people view it.
Wrestling is viewed as fake, so is avoided by those who do not consider it a sport, whereas MMA is real, like boxing, and appeals to a very similar crowd.
the grappling has a lot to do with it. from two different standpoints. 1. it's reeducating the audience to the actual effects of real wrestling moves, making them more appreciative of seeing those moves in a wrestling match (instead of simply chanting "boring!", which was a frequent occurence in the 80's and 90's).
2.) it provides the MMA fighters with a larger moveset to potentially pull from during their matches. I've seen at least two different MMA fighters use a powerbomb in a match, and more than a couple use suplex variations. now where do you think those moves came from? not from boxing or deluded fans. . .
While wrestling fans are very likely to become MMA fans, MMA fans are not so likely to become wrestling fans.
I do agree with this. a great deal of wrestling fans have turned to MMA to get their "fix" in recent years. myself included. but the majority of MMA fans at this time are not into pro wrestling. but since the majority of pro wrestling fans are also not into pro wrestling right now. . . I rarely feel compelled to make the argument or "educate" them on it.
