Professional wrestling was spared from strict state regulation under an amended bill that passed the Senate Tuesday. The wrestling and mixed martial arts bill, , sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) initially would have put the World Wrestling Entertainment under the state Boxing Commission. But Johnson dropped that contentious fight, focusing instead on regulating mixed martial arts and ultimate fighting.
"We've created a separate section for professional wrestling," Johnson said. "The only thing we've done is the license the wrestlers and the promoters."
Johnson said Georgia's martial arts laws were so slack that there was no assurance that the audience —or the athletes— would be safe.
"The existing law was vague and ambiguous," he said.
As for professional wrestling, "you may be surprised to know it is not a real fight," Johnson said from the podium as his fellow senators booed. Had the WWE been placed under the Boxing Commission, wrestlers would have been subject to drug tests and physical exams.
The debate led to some funny banter.
"Wrestling is a real as the Rules Committee," John son said
As Senator Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) rose to make a joke, Johnson jabbed him with one of his own: "We have not regulated sumo wrestling."
