SmackDown comes to Turkey

Many believe that America’s greatest export is its culture; from blockbuster Hollywood films and TV series to jeans and iPods, there is little doubt that American cultural products have profound dissemination and market consumption around the globe.

But few would have imagined that one day Turkish citizens would be cheering on pro-wrestlers in Istanbul.

That’s right, WWE SmackDown went to Turkey.

Much like American parents, though, many Turks were quite reticent in allowing their children to watch shirtless men in costumes beat each other up on stage. As Hurriyet reports,

Many parents who brought their kids to the WWE show… [expressed] reluctance about exposing their children to something that could contribute to violent tendencies.

As someone who remembers the glory days of "The Rock" and the playground simulations which inevitably followed, I can say with certainty these parents have a point.