Wrestling is a form of entertainment worldwide, winning the hearts of people of all genders and ages, from the United States all the way to Thailand. It has endured across generations through famous wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, and passed on to the era of Dave Batista, Randy Orton, and John Cena.
The wrestling industry is beloved globally, with both abroad and in Thailand peaking around the same period—the 1990s followed by the 2000s.
If you are a Thai wrestling fan, the name “Naa Ting” is among the first closely associated with the wrestling scene. It is an undeniable truth that “watching wrestling” in Thailand has the richest flavor because of Naa Ting.
As time has passed into 2024, it needs little explanation now that wrestling is a performance where wrestlers truly endure pain. The storytelling unfolds through wrestlers’ microphone promos where they spar verbally and by the wrestling matches on stage, with predetermined winners. Social media is integrated into the content to continue narratives, creating an endless series-like story.
On 24 Feb 2024 GMT+7, wrestling fans had the chance to watch the WWE Premium Live Event, Elimination Chamber 2024, nearly live on free TV channel Mono29, featuring Thai commentary in the familiar voice of Naa Ting alongside a fresh yet complementary voice — Por-Vasu Klin Kasorn, Naa Ting’s son.
The return of "wrestling" on free TV reflects how wrestling is gaining momentum again in Thailand. Many people who once watched but stopped have started tuning in again increasingly since the transition from 2023 into 2024.
What is happening? Wrestling remains exciting and thrilling. How similar or different is it from the past? Here is an insightful interview that feels like it’s coming straight from Vasu Klin Kasorn’s wrestling ring.
We began by asking what Vasu finds enjoyable about watching wrestling, a Sport Entertainment with scripted outcomes and predetermined winners. He said it requires a slight mindset change. Wrestling isn’t as straightforward a sport as football, which is about winning. Wrestling is a fight for oneself, a goal, or a stance—it has humanity. Imagine watching a drama instead.
“We all know Robert Downey Jr. isn’t Iron Man, yet we get emotionally involved in his acting. Wrestling is similar. The fun comes from following the story, watching stunt performers who really take hits and get hurt, performing intensely with their bodies to entertain the audience. It mixes in human elements.”
Since wrestling is a stunt show with a storyline, how can viewers tell which wrestlers are truly skilled, not just good at playing roles? We asked. “There are many types. Some wrestlers are great talkers—they attract fans, inspire trust and love, and have strong microphone skills or ‘mic skills’ in wrestling parlance, like The Rock, John Cena, or Hulk Hogan.”
In fact, The Rock wasn’t initially a great wrestler, but over time his wrestling skills improved. Similarly, John Cena reached a skill level acceptable to the audience.
Another type excels at wrestling but isn’t good on the microphone, so they need a manager to speak for them. Wrestlers in this group include Brock Lesnar.
The last group consists of wrestlers skilled both in-ring and on the microphone, capable in all aspects—from the storyline to their wrestling prowess. Vasu points to Cody Rhodes, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Seth Rollins as examples.
“There’s also another type who isn’t great in either area but is pushed by the promotion because they have the right physique and are seen as potential faces of the company—examples include Roman Reigns, who has only a handful of moves but keeps winning, as well as Omos and Solo Sikoa.”
How can one judge a wrestler’s skill when everything involves role-playing? Vasu explains, “It depends on whether the wrestling looks skillful and strong. Skilled wrestlers also keep their opponents safe, have good chemistry, and create entertaining matches.”
He cites when Seth Rollins faced Omos, a 7-foot giant not very skilled at wrestling or speaking, yet Seth made the match fun and engaging for fans. “That’s the talent of a capable wrestler.”
However, a wrestler’s progress isn’t driven just by wrestling and mic skills, but also by “promotion” from the company. He thinks wrestlers must first be popular and loved by fans. LA Knight, for example, has ordinary wrestling skills but exceptional mic skills. “He uses words to excel in his role and win over the audience.”
LA Knight was previously an independent wrestler, and longtime fans knew he had more to offer than the roles assigned by the company, leading to demands for his promotion. The company must then decide if he’s suitable to be one of its leading faces. Last year, the call to promote LA Knight gained traction, despite his earlier status as a “jobber”—a wrestling term for someone mainly used to lose to higher-level wrestlers.
Some wrestlers propose ideas to the writing team about character development directions. If the promotion agrees, they advance the storyline accordingly, fitting the planned narrative and the wrestler’s suitability.
Vasu continues that during Vince McMahon’s era (former WWE owner), promotion decisions were different. Vince personally decided which wrestlers to push. “Vince would say, ‘I want this guy only. Is he skilled? That’s your problem; I’m pushing my kid.’ That’s why despite WWE having many skilled wrestlers and fans who liked them, Vince’s protégés dominated, leaving the company in a sad state.”
Currently, weekly show storylines, match setups, and narratives—Monday Night Raw and Friday’s SmackDown—are overseen by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Vince McMahon’s son-in-law and one of wrestling’s most successful legends both in skill and role.
One of the hottest topics is comparing wrestling of the past and present to see which era is more entertaining. This classic debate was exemplified by observations on the fan page 619 by Naa Ting, used by Vasu and Naa Ting to connect with wrestling fans on social media. The most mentioned point was that wrestling used to be more brutal and intense.
“That’s not surprising because in the past, ratings weren’t regulated, and anything could be done. It was the raw, unruly Attitude Era with no rules,” Vasu said. He added that now, wrestling is more popular worldwide, reaching broader audiences including children, so ratings regulate content to keep violence within limits.
“Under PG rating, rules ban chair shots to the head, visible blood is rare, and insults aren’t harsh because children watch,” Vasu noted. He added that with WWE planning to air on Netflix, some violence might return but not to Attitude Era extremes.
“Triple H once said good wrestling doesn’t require excessive violence. Good wrestling is about fun and suspense, not bloodshed or crude insults. Recently, though, there’s been hints of the old era, like when The Rock beat Cody Rhodes bloody and used strong language—a nostalgic feeling unseen for a long time.”
Regarding differences between old and new eras, it’s undeniable that current wrestlers “are more skilled” than their predecessors. The wider world allows promotions to attract talented wrestlers more easily. Modern wrestlers don’t rely on steroids for size like before; with better medical science, everyone has improved over time, so it’s natural that athletes today outperform those of the past.
In 2024, wrestling’s popularity seems to be rising again after several quiet years, contradicting past views that wrestling’s dawn in Thailand was gone forever. The topic of wrestling steadily increased from late 2023 into 2024. As a wrestling announcer, Vasu has noticed this shift too.
“Using my page 619 by Naa Ting as a benchmark—I’ve run it for over a year, now close to 24,000 followers, jumping 13,000 in just 2-3 months. It’s crazy,” he said. The comeback might partly stem from WWE’s merger with Endeavor to form the new company TKO, sparking interest in what changes might occur.
Previously, WWE operated under Vince McMahon’s guidance, but post-merger it’s clear Vince can no longer manage wrestling as before. His sexual misconduct case coincided with a creative shift to Triple H’s era, bringing better match quality and relevant, up-to-date storylines, unlike Vince’s outdated work.
“Some say Vince McMahon made wrestling famous, but that was 10 years ago. The world has changed, but Vince’s thinking stayed the same, wanting to keep old degraded storylines, which bored viewers and led to sloppy wrestling.”
Triple H’s approach is basically the opposite of Vince’s (he laughs). Fans are enjoying wrestling again. Those who had given up on WWE see improvement and better shows, especially as a new promotion, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), emerged as WWE’s biggest threat with clever match-making.
“When Vince left, fortunately AEW started wrestling like Vince McMahon’s style, causing some fans to leave AEW and return to WWE.”
Regarding Triple H’s creative work, Vasu sees old-era influences alongside the return of long-absent stars like CM Punk. Despite years of conflicts between CM Punk and WWE and later AEW—often quite public and hostile—he made a surprising WWE return at the Survivor Series premium live event in November 2023, a signing by Triple H that reignited excitement in wrestling and among WWE fans.
“It’s like in football when Michael Owen returned to Liverpool,” Vasu chuckled.
Finish the story
Additionally, Cody Rhodes’ “Finish the story” storyline—his quest to become world champion for his family, a plot WWE started building since early 2022—has been another key factor exciting fans currently.
At the end, we asked what Vasu most hopes to see at WrestleMania 40. His answer: “Roman Reigns loses the championship. That’s all.” This made both of us burst out laughing.
“I don’t care how Cody Rhodes wins the title, I just want Cody to be champion and Roman Reigns to lose. That’s all—I’m both cheering Cody and hoping Roman loses.”
Finish the story