Summary

Rob Parker took aim at pro wrestling fandom while discussing the attention around WWE WrestleMania 42 on *The Odd Couple*.

Parker said he was surprised by the amount of coverage tied to WrestleMania weekend, including the involvement of Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith. He also pointed to online criticism of the presentation, saying some viewers were unhappy with the number of commercials and the amount of in-ring action across the four-hour show.

Quote from Rob Parker

"I'm just shocked to see ESPN, and I know [Pat] McAfee was involved, and I get it, he's one of their personnel. Stephen A was there so that they could boo Stephen A, you know, and all that. And that goes with the territory, just tells you a big guy when they're booing you at an event like that. But it was a big ordeal, and I just saw stuff online where social media people were ripping it, that it wasn't good, you know what I mean? And it was a lot of commercials, and at 4 hours. They only wrestled for an hour and a half out of those 4 hours. So there were a lot of people disgruntled. But my point is this: I can't understand how grown men are still into wrestling. I can't. We all went to the zoo, we all went to the circus as kids, right? And at some point, you grow out of it."

Parker later went on to say:

"I just cannot get over how older guys who are sports fans, who are sports fans, who watch the NFL, who watch Major League Baseball, who watch the NBA. They live and die for that stuff, but they have this soft spot for wrestling, and they're walking around with the belts, and they're going to a watch party at a sports bar, whatever it may be. I need somebody to explain it to me because I don't understand it."

WrestleMania 42 pushed WWE into a wider sports debate

Parker's comments underline how far WrestleMania 42 reached beyond the usual wrestling audience. When a mainstream sports personality is reacting to fan behavior, presentation choices, and ESPN's crossover coverage, it means WWE is still landing in the middle of broader sports conversation.

That does not change how wrestling fans view the product, but it does show that WWE's biggest weekend still draws strong reactions from people outside the core audience. In that sense, Parker's criticism says as much about WrestleMania's visibility as it does about his own view of pro wrestling.

Sources

Rob Parker while speaking on The Odd Couple