Why do wrestlers wear high boots?

When I practiced Wrestling, I got introduced to wrestling shoes which provided more traction, support, and shock absorption. However, I remember watching WWE, and I saw that WWE wrestlers are wearing different shoes from the ones I saw in the gym. I saw WWE wrestlers wearing high boots, which is odd. Why do these Wrestlers wear high boots? Are these boots special?

Wrestlers wear high boots because it adds more ankle support than regular wrestling shoes. Furthermore, the boots are specifically designed to reduce injuries for the pro-wrestler and their opponents. Since pro wrestling is different from other forms of Wrestling, they need different types of shoes in a match.

This blog post will discuss what makes Wrestling shoes different from Wrestling boots. Why do most WWE wrestlers wear high boots which are different from the ones seen in competitive scholastic or Greco-roman Wrestling? This is an exciting topic, so let’s start.

What shoes do wrestlers wear?

Generally speaking, wrestlers wear wrestling shoes as it provides everything they need for matches, such as ankle support, cushion, shock absorption, traction, and protection from toe and foot infections. However, other types of Wrestling, such as professional Wrestling, use high shoes called Wrestling boots.

When I was learning Wrestling, we used wrestling shoes as they provided enough support and traction.

The traction helps us prevent takedowns as we ground ourselves on the floor.

Thus, I was used to using wrestling shoes.

But the shoes we are wearing look like this.

Shoes like this provide ankle support, cushion, and shock absorption and prevent the transfer of contact-borne illnesses such as athlete’s foot.

Furthermore, these shoes provide traction, so it will be harder to do takedowns.

The fit wrestling shoes are so good that I feel like I am wrestling with my bare feet, plus the benefits provided by the shoes.

That made me wonder why I see wrestlers wearing boots like this when I watch WWE wrestling.

While thinking about it, I wouldn’t feel the same way when wearing these shoes as it looks uncomfortable.

As I said, the fit of wrestling shoes is so good that I would feel like I’m sparring with my bare feet. But using boots is odd.

That’s when I did more research and found the answer.

But the short answer is the goal of professional Wrestling is different from Greco-roman, freestyle, or folkstyle Wrestling.

Let’s discuss that next,

Recommended Read: Did you know that there are more than 10 types of Wrestling? You might be familiar with the usual: Greco-roman, folkstyle, freestyle, and pro wrestling. But have you heard about Shuai Jiao, Bokh, and others? If you’re interested, you may check this post: What are the 11 Different Wrestling Types?

Why are pro wrestling boots so high?

Pro-wrestling boots are so high because they provide more ankle support due to their length compared to ordinary wrestling shoes. This means they have better protection from ankle injuries. Furthermore, their soles are made with special memory foams that reduce the impact of kicks.

So, why do pro wrestlers wear different types of shoes? Well, it boils down to the goal of Professional Wrestling.

One key difference between pro wrestling is that their matches are usually predetermined or scripted. This means WWE would always decide the winner before the match.

While there are some exceptions, most of the matches are like this.

Recommended Read: I said there are some instances where winners aren’t predetermined. What are those cases? Watching unscripted WWE matches is fun since that’s where you’ll see how good they are. I created a post discussing them here: Do WWE Wrestlers know the outcome of matches?

Thus, there is no need to be harsh on hitting your opponents.

In short, pro wrestling isn’t as competitive as other forms of Wrestling.

Thus, their shoes don’t need to cause much harm to their opponents.

The soles of wrestling boots are made out of memory foam. But they aren’t the memory foam you’ll see in stores. Instead, those are special memory foams developed by NASA for astronauts. Thus, their kicks with these boots don’t hurt both them and their opponents.

Many wouldn’t believe the memory foam since they’re very soft, and walking with them could be slippery and uncomfortable. But remember that they are using a special memory foam that is not soft like others.

These soles aren’t also tough. Thus, the impact of kicks is significantly reduced.

Pro Wrestling is a staged play. Thus they don’t have to hurt their opponents since the winners are usually pre-decided.

Furthermore, Pro Wrestling is all-year-round. Thus, Pro wrestlers don’t have much time to rest, especially for injuries. Therefore, they want their wrestlers to wear those boots to prevent damage caused by kicks.

Another safety feature of wrestling boots is they provide extra protection due to their height. Since their lace reaches the areas below the knee, they provide additional protection to the bones and prevent twisted ankles.

This is why their lace usually reaches very high, and most are just a little bit below the knee.

You might think it’s a nightmare to tie up since that’s too high. Well, you’re right.

However, this became a ritual for professional wrestlers.

Wrestling boots are specifically designed for professional wrestlers because they spend a lot of time sitting around their locker rooms. Thus, most keep themselves busy by lacing their boots which can take as long as 90 minutes.

They also wore their shorts, tights, and jackets to complete their wrestling attire.

This is why professional wrestlers wear high boots. Their boots fit their needs as they need to maximize protection for themselves and their opponents.

These boots are designed to be as protective as possible.

Of course, these are additional features.

Wrestler boots also have the same benefits as wrestling shoes, such as ankle support, cushion, shock absorption, and prevention of contact-borne illnesses. Plus, the additional ankle support and memory foam.

Conclusion

In conclusion, pro-wrestling boots are beneficial because they offer more ankle support than regular wrestling shoes. This extra support helps to prevent injuries. Furthermore, they have special memory foams to avoid injury to themselves and their opponents.

If you are considering a career in professional Wrestling, be sure to invest in a good pair of boots!