'Game of Thrones' Is the Pro Wrestling of Prestige TV

Be warned: there are spoilers below, a fair way below, for episode one of season seven of Game of Thrones.

I have spent the last couple of years, on and off, trying to "get" pro wrestling. I'm going to admit it right now: I tried, but I don't think my heart was in it.

I have so many connections to it: so many of my friends are seemingly obsessed, and point out its pleasures on my Twitter timeline. I adore campness and love a good over-the-top show. GLOW is one of my new favorite series on TV. I used to do ridiculous, physical improv comedy, and one of my college improv buddies is even a WWE superstar! And, best of all, I've gotten extremely into real-life combat sports, particularly Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling. I've started watching submission grappling and even college wrestling, as I've started to train in it.

But I've encountered… resistance. From myself. Try as I might, I have trouble getting into it (I really think it's the lack of blood. I know from very intense personal experience that people bleed A LOT when they get punched in the face). I admit, I have let my own snobby attitude as a person who trains (and would like to compete seriously) in combat sports allow me to look down on an art form. And you know what? That's not the person I want to be.

Remember that spoiler warning? Here is another one. Spoilers follow.

I had an epiphany the other night, watching the opening scene of the brand new season of Game of Thrones, the show that is, at this point, impervious to hot takes. The series is, for all of its budget and literary ambitions, PRO WRESTLING AS FUCK.

It's a show about superstars from various factions going head to head in ridiculous costumes. It's violent. It's sexy. It's more Hollywood than Hollywood. It is goofy as all goddamned get out, and, actually, takes itself a lot more seriously than anything I've ever actually seen of pro wrestling. They may as well get into a ring and beat each other with folding chairs, because that's essentially what's going on in any given moment here. It's best as a spectator sport, as anyone who tweets along to the show can attest. Also, there are dragons.

I say this as a giant book nerd. I was such a Song of Ice and Fire fan that, for four seasons, I refused to watch the show because "I like the way the characters look in my head better," but then, my girlfriend warmly encouraged me to watch, and I fell in love with this hot mess. Or, at least, in like. Again, my judge-y ass was served by watching this thing, giving it a shot, and really enjoying it.

None of this is to dismiss Game of Thrones' issues, particularly with its depiction of rampant sexual violence. That's always given me pause, at the same time, I've enjoyed its depiction of complex, sword-wielding women like Yara (Asha in the books), Arya, Sansa, lady Brienne, Dany, and yes, absolutely, Cersei Lannister.

The scene that caused my grand revelation involves one character pretending to be someone else and killing a whole room of their enemies. There is a dramatic reveal. A gloating smirk. A death count that would do Conan the Barbarian proud. It's fantastic.

And no, I can't take this show seriously anymore, but lord, will I ever enjoy this. And yes, I will give all the pro wrestling series my Twitter timeline has been patiently encouraging me to check out a shot because, again, not everything needs to be so damned serious all the time. Lord knows my beloved MMA could use a spark of levity sometimes (something my favorite fighters at Invicta FC certainly seem to be down for).

How about you, friends? Has there ever been an entertainment form that, try as you might? Just didn't fit? And then, you watched something else—something you liked, and something clicked just the right way? Let's take it to the forums!