The WWE – a Family Business of Global Proportions

Worksheet and listening comprehension by Carsten Storch

The WWE – A family business of global proportions

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Listening comprehension

1. Listen to the first part of the article. It contains seven mistakes (paras. 1 – 4). Underline the wrong words in the transcript of the text given below, and then write your corrections on the lines provided. You will hear the text twice.

“It’s a new day, yes it is!” roars through the stadium. The lights dim as loud ______(1) music begins to play. Kofi Kingston, the reigning Smackdown Champion, ______(2) emerges from backstage and stalks toward a ring in the middle of Hamburg’s ______(3)

Barclaycard Arena. Fans rise to their seat to cheer him on while his enemy ______(4)

Kevin Owens paces in the ring – waiting for the chance to make the title his. ______(5)

It is this type of showmanship, as well as the authentic talent of wrestlers, ______(6) that draw fans from all over the world to the sport. Wrestling is as much ______(7) theater as it is authentic ability and skill. The French philosopher Roland ______(8)

Barthes showed in his essay “The World of Wrestling”, the “virtue of all-in ______(9) wrestling is that it is the spectator of excess.” ______(10)

The excess is guaranteed because matches follow a script with ______(11) choreographed fights. A story of heroes and villains – good against evil – is ______(12) played out in the ring night after night. It’s a timeless theme that effects ______(13) millions to arenas all around the world. The WWE (The World Wrestling ______(14)

Entertainment, Inc.) reigns support in the world of wrestling. And the entire ______(15) empire has been built up by one family. ______(16)

© 2019 Carl Ed. Schünemann KG Bremen. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Von dieser Vorlage ist die Vervielfältigung für den eigenen Unterrichtsgebrauch gestattet. The WWE – A family business of global proportions

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2. Listen to the second part of the text (paras. 4–5), and then put a mark next to the line that will complete the sentence. There will only be one correct answer. You will hear the text twice. a) The McMahon family originally …  made their money as professional boxers.  came to the USA from Ireland.  went to Capitol Wrestling Corporation events. b) In the 1950s, wrestling was …  a big hit throughout the USA.  an entertainment business worth billions of dollars.  a regional sport. c) Vincent McMahon …  expanded wrestling to a nationwide level.  led the wrestling business with his father Jess.  renamed the company into “World Wild Wresting Federation.” d) The McMahon wrestling business …  is no longer run by a family member of the McMahons.  has expanded into the world’s leading wrestling show.  was sold for millions of dollars.

3. Listen to the second part of the text (paras. 6 – 7), and take notes on the prompts given below. Don’t write complete sentences. You will hear the text twice. a) role of Vince McMahon in the ring

______b) nickname of wrestler Rick Flair______c) nostalgic element of the show

______d) two factors that appeal to a wider audience

______e) percentage of non-American fans______

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Reading comprehension

1. Read the text and decide if the following statements are true or false or not in the text. Mark your answers.

Statement True False Not in text a) Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens are professional wrestlers. b) Roland Barthes criticizes wrestling for its excessive violence. c) Wrestlers know before the match who’s winning. d) The WWE is the world’s second biggest wrestling company. e) The McMahon family has been in the wrestling business for

almost fifty years. f) They started locally and made their wrestling company into a

globally operating one. g) Part of the entertainment is that family members of the

McMahons’ actively take part in the ring. h) Hulk Hogan and Rick Flair performed in the biggest fight ever. i) The Women’s Division of the WWE is very popular as well.

2. Beantworte die Fragen zum Text “The WWE – A family business of global proportions” stichpunktartig auf Deutsch. Es wird keine wörtliche Übersetzung erwartet, einzelne Stichwörter genügen jedoch nicht als Antwort. a) Welche beiden gestalterischen Elemente steigern die Spannung vor einem Kampf?

 ______b) Wie reagieren Fans auf den Einmarsch der Wrestler? (2 Details)

 ______c) Über welche beiden Eigenschaften müssen erfolgreiche Wrestler verfügen?

 ______d) Nach welchem Kriterium werden Kämpfer für gewöhnlich ausgewählt?

 ______

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e) Wie bestritt Jess McMahon ursprünglich seinen Lebensunterhalt? (2 Aspekte)

 ______f) Auf welche Weise wurde Vince McMahon zum Besitzer der WWE?

 ______g) Weshalb ist die WWE auch unter Vince McMahon ein Familienunternehmen?

 ______h) Wie bindet die WWE Langzeitfans weiterhin ans Wrestling?

 ______

Use of English

1. Find words or phrases from the text that have the same meaning as each of the words (a– h) below. The paragraph where you can find the words are indicated in brackets.

a) support e) complete

(para. 1) (para. 3) b) enter f) start

(para. 1) (para. 4) c) attract g) grow

(para. 2) (para. 4) d) stadium h) local

(para. 3) (para. 4)

2. Match the expressions (a–g) from the text with the corresponding definitions (A–I). Write the correct numbers in the grid below. There are two definitions that you will not need.

a) to promote (para. 4) A feelings when thinking about happy times in the past B great performance of an athletic move b) to transform (para. 5) C put something with something else to increase the size or amount c) nostalgia (para. 6) D to help something to happen or develop d) to gain (para. 6) E to be the explanation for or cause of something

e) to add (para. 7) F earning more and more money G to attract or interest somebody f) to appeal (para. 7) H to change the form of something g) to account for (para. 7) I to get more of something

a) b) c) d) e) f) g)

Definitions from www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com.

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3. Complete the following text using the correct forms of the words given in brackets. Find words of your own to replace the question marks.

WrestleMania is the (1)______(big) and (2)______(popular) single event (3)______(?) the World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE for short, has to offer. It

(4)______(rank) as the sixth most valuable sports event in the world, right after the NFL Superbowl and the World Cup championship final in soccer.

WrestleMania 35 (5)______(hold) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey

(6)______(?) April 9, 2019, and (7)______(include) a Women’s Division

match as the main event for the first time ever in its history. Becky

Lynch (8)______(defeat) Raw Women's

Champion Ronda Rousey and SmackDown Women's Champion

Charlotte Flair in a winner-takes-all triple threat match,

(9)______(win) both titles at the same time. In the

men’s main match, Kofi Kingston (10)______(beat)

Daniel Bryan to win his first WWE Championship.

Charlotte Flair walks towards the ring | PHOTO: Picture Alliance

4. Use the words given on the right to form a word from the same word family that fits in the space provided.

Ronda Rousey is an American professional wrestler, (1)______, act

author, and former mixed martial artist and judoka. She is currently signed

to WWE, and (2)______in the largest events of the franchise. performance

After becoming the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in judo

by (3)______the bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Rousey won

started a career in mixed martial arts (MMA) and soon became the female

superstar of the sport. In 2018, Rousey (4)______a career in beginner

professional wrestling, signing a contract with WWE. She debuted at

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WrestleMania 34, and later won the Women's Championship. Rousey was

defeated for the first time in WWE when she lost her title in the first-ever

women's WrestleMania main-event. She (5)______to Becky Lynch in a to lose

triple threat match at WrestleMania 35. Her reign as WWE Women's

Champion was the (6)______in the title's history at 232 days. length

Rousey has also enjoyed (7)______as a TV star and author, succeed

appearing in the films ‘The Expendables 3’ (2014), ‘Furious 7’ (2015), and

‘Mile 22’ (2018), and releasing her autobiography ‘My Fight / Your Fight’ in

2015, (8)______millions of copies. sold

Rousey is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most

(9)______female athletes ever. She is the only woman to win influence

a championship in both the UFC and WWE, as well as the only woman to

headline a pay-per-view TV event in both companies. Fox Sports

(10)______her as "one of the defining athletes of description

the 21st century.”

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Answer key

Listening

1. stalks  walks (line 3) • seat (line 4)  feet • authentic (line 8)  athletic showed (line 9)  wrote • spectator (line 10)  spectacle • effects (line 13)  attracts support (line 15)  supreme

2. a)  came to the USA from Ireland. • b)  a regional sport. • c)  expanded wrestling to a nationwide level. • d)  has expanded into the world’s leading wrestling show.

3. a) as the bad boss • b) Nature Boy • c) old heroes make appearances d) more female wrestlers [and] international talent • e) 70 per cent

Reading comprehension

1. a) T (§1) • b) N • c) T (§3) • d) F (§3) • e) F (§4) • f) T (§4) • g) T (§6) • h) N • i) N

2. a) das Licht geht aus [und] laute Musik ertönt • b) stehen auf und jubeln • c) sportliche Fähigkeiten und Theatralik • d) ein Guter kämpft gegen einen Bösen • e) als Profi-Wrestler und Boxveranstalter • f) kaufte sie von seinem Vater • g) seine Kinder führen mit ihm die Geschäfte und sie treten selbst im Ring auf • h) durch Auftritte von legendären Wrestlern wie Hulk Hogan oder Rick Flair

Use of English

1. a) cheer • b) emerge • c) draw • d) arena • e) entire • f) begin • g) expand • h) regional

2. a) D • b) H • c) A • d) I • e) C • f) G • g) E

3. 1 biggest • 2 most popular • 3 that • 4 ranks • 5 • was held • 6 on • 7 included 8 defeated • 9 winning • 10 beat

4. 1 actress • 2 performs • 3 winning • 4 began • 5 lost • 6 longest • 7 success • 8 selling 9 influential • 10 described

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