Werner Herzog Explains Why He Sometimes Watches Professional Wrestling

In a recent interview on Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, director Werner Herzog shared his thoughts on understanding culture and why he occasionally watches WrestleMania (via Fightful). Despite classifying it as “trash TV”, Herzog admitted that the storylines and narratives in the industry reminded him of ancient Greek dramas. For more details (and to hear Werner Herzog say “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” with his own voice), you can watch the full interview and find a highlight below.

On why he feels compelled to watch wrestling on occasion: “I do watch some trash TV, let’s say like WrestleMania. It’s very interesting because it’s a very crude form of drama that has emerged and it’s a drama set not in the fight itself. The fights are interrupted by commercials, meaning they’re not important but the owner of the franchise shows up in the ring [with] his wife, alleged wife, in a wheelchair and blind. He has three sexy women in his arm and rants against his wife in the wheelchair. All of the sudden, you have a form of drama probably as crude as Ancient Greek drama, which started out in the fifth century before Christ. I watch it for, number one, I think that the poet must not close his eyes, avert his eyes, you have to know which world you’re living.”