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Wagering on sports events has quickly become a top pastime for males around the globe. According to the latest projections, revenues in this sector should reach $43 billion in 2023, with an expected yearly expansion rate of 9.94% up to 2027. While most people would think that brick-and-mortar and Internet bookies only accept wagers on competitions where the result is uncertain, that is not so. Many famed and unestablished bookmakers today allow bets on scripted TV shows, like song contests, fiction/reality-based series, and yes, even pro wrestling matches.
You read that right. You can indeed bet on WWE and AEW PPVs on various online platforms. Nowadays, loads of the top UK betting sites list events like Survivor Series, Wrestlemania, All Out, and Full Gear, and matches featured in pretty much any high-profile wrestling PPV.
Entertainment betting is a growing trend in the gambling sphere, and since professional wrestling also falls into this category and has a massive fan base, it gets included. As everyone knows, match results are predetermined. Yet, specific outcomes get kept secret within management’s inner circles, and operators are willing to take the risk that they will remain in the dark until bell time. It is true that leaks sometimes occur, but bookmakers are often quick to signal this by offering highly skewed odds.
Below, we look at how understanding storylines in professional wrestling can lead to making wise wagers, as usually, boasting a good grasp of how this entertainment form functions and following all the available news outlets can open the way for profits.
In the “sport” of pro wrestling, tried-and-tested practices exist on how to get a specific wrestler over with the audience. Naturally, at the center of most storyline conflicts are a babyface and heel. Feuds between these individuals or stables. Developed out of desires to settle past scores, competition for a belt, or personal animosities. In most cases, they start with one side costing the other a match or an opportunity of some sort, which creates tension that seeks to get resolved in the ring.
In the majority of wrestling stories, bookers look to stretch standard feuds around two to three months, with the heel winning the first encounter through nefarious means to attain heat and build anticipation for the babyface to mount a worthy comeback. Of course, swerves and twists may get implemented to surprise audiences, but veteran fans can sense most of these, as when they happen, they often get inspired by legendary feuds of yonder.
So, having a decent comprehension of how bookers like to put together feuds to get the most out of them gives a pro wrestling bettor a good idea of how a feud will develop. Having an inkling that a turn (heel to babyface or the other way around) is looming is also invaluable in trying to predict match results.
Industry rumblings can appear on social media out of nowhere and spread like wildfire. Such occurrences affect the odds in play and may influence bookers, who, out of fear that the cat is out of the bag, can impulsively change their finishes to maintain an aura of unpredictability to their shows. Hence, gamblers can expect dramatic odds shifts on listed matches, which can get further impacted by wrestlers who are avid gamblers who send out cryptic tweets to mess with sportsbook lines.
Bettors should also expect lower max bet limits and a general lack of robust pro wrestling prop wagers at gambling sites that allow this option. Given that lines/odds get set by individuals who closely follow storylines and circulating rumors, calculating them entails a quality understanding of wrestling narratives. And to some degree, that is predictable. Nevertheless, because of low bet caps, it is unlikely to be highly lucrative, even in successful scenarios.
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