WWE Alum Al Snow Says This Entertainment Medium Is The Closest Thing To Wrestling

Former WWE alumnus and OVW co-owner Al Snow has drawn parallels between pro wrestling and standup comedy and explained why he considers comedy to be the art form most closely aligned with wrestling.

In drawing a comparison between professional wrestling and traditional sports, he stated that most possess some level of understanding regarding sports like soccer, basketball, or baseball, having kicked a ball, shot hoops, or swung a bat at some point. In contrast, he said that very few, comparatively, have taken bumps in a wrestling ring, so appealing to those people is more about believing in who the performers are portraying themselves to be, much like another popular art form.

Appearing on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Snow singled out standup comedy as coming closest to wrestling because believability on the stage is just as important as it is in the ring.

"Standup comedy is probably one of the things that comes closest," said Snow. "If you're not really who you say you are on that stage or if you're not really who you say you are when you go to the ring, they're gonna see right through it."

He believes it's the authenticity, be it in a heel or a babyface, that people come to see, much like what makes a joke funny is the fact that there's a level of truth to it. Invoking two of the strongest personalities in the history of wrestling, Snow, who has grand plans for OVW following the success of Netflix's "Wrestlers" show, delivered a description of wrestling characters that has been echoed time and again over the years to strengthen the point.

"I always tell everybody [that] the Vince McMahon you see on TV is Vince McMahon just with the volume ratcheted way up," Snow explained. "Steve Austin, that guy that goes to the ring, that's the guy you get sitting [in front of you] just dialed back."

If you use quotes in this article, please credit "Insight" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.