Those who really know me know that I am a wrestling fanatic. I’ve been watching wrestling since the age of five. The very first match I saw involved the Iron Sheik taking on some jobber by the name of Mr. X in the WWF, now known as the WWE. While this was my first match, my real love for wrestling came from watching World Class Championship Wrestling with the fame VonErich family, the Fabulous Freebirds and Devastation Incorporated, led by General Skandor Akbar. I won't go into detail about World Class because that is a blog within itself.I know many of you are thinking…“Does he know wrestling is fake?” Yes I know wrestling is not real. Wrestling is staged. The victors are already predetermined by the promoters and agents. Back in the territory days of the NWA, there used to be a consortium of promoters from different regions who determined who was going to be the wrestler to carry the heavy weight championship. I watch wrestling primarily for the entertainment value - just like watching a movie with Denzel Washington and Al Pacino. The actions in the movie are not real, yet it keeps me on the edge of my seat, just like wrestling.
I also watch wrestling because I am a fanatic. I’ve been watching so long I can predict storylines, I know when wrestlers miss their spots, and I am a good judge of talent. Even though wrestling is staged, the wrestlers are still athletes. Professional wrestling has always been filled with former football players, collegiate All Americans and amateur wrestlers. It takes athleticism to bounce off ropes, jump off turnbuckles and learn to fall the right way. Matter of fact, wrestlers sustain the same injuries as other athletes like broken bones, torn ACLs and strained muscles.
The outcomes of wrestling matches are always fixed, but the way they arrive at that outcome isn’t always planned. Some wrestlers are given free reign in their matches because of their experience or because of the chemistry they have with their opponent. Some wrestlers take chair shots while others use their arm to block them. Some wrestlers cut themselves with a razor blade to bring about the blood effect, an art called blading (look at the foreheads of Greg Valentine and Abdullah the Butcher), while others use a blood capsule to sport the crimson mask.
Say what you will about my wrestling, but I will watch and defend it until I get tired... and that has not happened in 25 years. Yes it may be staged, yes it may be fake, but isn’t everything in Hollywood scripted?
11 comments:
Ryan ,you know usually I don't do this but for reals man??? (as the young ones say).You took time out of your very busy day (really busy)to defend wrestling? ,Are we talking about wrestling? wrestling man?. Come on man,not Obama,the economy or even the aids epidemic in the African American community but wrestling.
It's ok man ,don't worry man will never go away
Frank
aka THE BLUFFER
So I don't know if you've ever seen the documentary "Bigger, stronger, faster." It's mostly about steriods and how it affects a family of 3 brothers, but one of them dreams of being a wrestler. It's an interesting look into the world of wrestling that you might enjoy.
Hope all is well, Casey
Hey thanks for sharing....you know I LOVE ME SOME WRESTLING!!!! But I have to agree some of those new characters are beyond a hot mess.....they have no skills and is all hype!
Good blog.
So, you're saying that you love wrestling for the same reason you like soap operas. ;)
Shhhh! Caroline. My thing for soaps is a blog in the works.
Ryan,
You were OK with me until you tried to diss one of my fads of today’s wrestling world “John Cena”……….now I have to kick you to the curb a bit…(I know you will be first in line to see his new movie in March)….LOL…I too am a wrestling fanatic having lived through the eras of the troubled and tragic Von Erich Family, Hart Family (Bret Hart was one of my favs and much better than his bro Owen)… to Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Andre the Giant, Bobby Heenan, Rowdy Roddy Piper….…etc, etc… ….yes, I can name them all so yes, are talking with a pro wrestling fan………I never miss Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smack down now unless absolutely unavoidable….My mom and I used to attend all of the wrestling forums here in Chicago when they came back years ago ….. I do, however agree with you on Dusty Rhodes, The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith) and especially Kurt Angle…....
Get off of Cryme Tyme!………. I love their antics in and out of the ring and their dancing, getting money and clowning because yes, that is what they do best and what I think that is why Vince McMahon hired them fools….can’t blame a brother for getting his these days…………….
I miss the antics of Jimmy Hart, Lou Albino……oh my…… I can on and on……..
Ms. Mac, I like what you wrote. Seems like we can go tit-for-tat honey chile'. I am going to blog about your boy Cena and that whack team Cryme Tyme. As a wrestling fan, you know there were wrestlers like the Junk Yard Dog, Rowdy Piper, Jake the Snake, top superstars who could wrestle and talk on the mic, but never held a major belt in the WWF. And you got this no talent, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch wanna be who is a four or five time champ, I don't think so. Cena has no mat skills and his finisher is the lamest of all time. It's nothing more than fireman's carry. And the five knuckle shuffle, how whack is that? If he was entertaining like Hulk Hogan, that would make up for his lack of skill. But ya boy, is lame on all accounts. Keep your eyes peeled for my next one on wrestling. I never new it would spark such a wild fire.
Laughing so hard over here Ryan --------
I own maybe about 10 DVDs myself but I really just started buying them about 2-3 years ago (on sale) at discount stores when I see them… (yes, I have John Cena stuff too so stop hating on my man). I own maybe 4 of the past Wrestlemania events too…… I do see what you mean when I see them covering up the logo on the sides of the ring. I first started watching wrestling as a serious fan back in the early 80’s, but long before that I can remember my brother and his friends imitating “The Bruiser and the Crusher” and some of the earlier names in wrestling…I remember Wrestlemania (the original one).…Now they are up to what, W24, W25????…..I remember my mom getting us tickets to go on the near South side to view the original in a movie theater on closed circuit. So much has changed since then……
Of the ones you mentioned, I remember,
The Great Kabuki,
Buddy Jack Roberts
One Man Gang
Junkyard Dog (wearing his chains)
I also remember Tito Santana, Captain Lou Albano, the beginning of Hulks Hogan’s rise to fame and the whole “Hulkamania craze that followed), Mr. T calling his tail trying to wrestle, or was boxing in Rocky)…(LOL)… The beginning of the Undertaker’s career and that fool, Pall Bearer, his so called manager and his antic…(with his magic potions and powders)……Hilarious.. (yes, I have that whole DVD set too…….)…love it on a rainy day ……….. Still love the Undertaker to this day….He come and disappears for a while but always returns right on time…
Jesse “The Body” Ventura (who says I too can’t run for Governor if he did it)
Randy Savage’s debut………..
The Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young....
Chyna………..
The Rock………..on and on….
Your boy Owen Hart trying to pull off a spectacular “entrance” that ended in his tragic death right in the middle of the ring. (As a matter of fact, we were watching it that night before they “blanked it out”…..
The arrival on the scene of Shawn Michaels, yes, Olympic gold medal winner (he never lets you forget it) Kurt Angle…….Lord, hang the darn medal up already Kurt…….we know you won one, OK?!!!…. (but he can wrestle tough and is one of my favs)…
Where is my man Booker T and Sharmelle these days? I miss those two fools too clowning around……..
The Von Erichs was another case of tragedy all around but they could wrestle for sure and Mike and Kerry were my favorites….
So yes Ryan, I think I can hold my own in a debate or wrestling trivia contest……………….so go ahead, blog me all you want to my friend…..
PS… You can keep the Divas though…..not into them at all!!!!!
Good favorites list Ryan, but where is Ric Flair? I thought you were a fan of his. I too started watching wrestling early on. I was 4 when I stumbled upon a WWF program on TV and was hooked. I would hardly ever miss Prime Time Wrestling on Monday nights (before it became RAW) or Superstars on Saturday mornings. When WCW came along, I watched their Saturday and Sunday evening shows faithfully on TBS. Needless to say I was a huge wrestling fan growing up. Unfortunately wrestling has gone down over the last few years and I rarely watch it anymore. I’ve tried, but I just can’t do it, not even TNA. These new guys are just simply not entertaining to me, and the writing and storylines suck. I miss the old days when performers had in ring ability, mic skills and charisma. And to me, no commentary duo will ever be better than Gorilla and Bobby Heenan. Nothing against JR, King or any of these other guys, but Monsoon and Heenan had great chemistry. I would have to agree with you about John Cena. No disrespect to the kid, but I’m not impressed. I mean, when he first came to the WWF (and I will forever call it WWF not WWE), wasn’t he wrestling in tiny shorts, boots and knee pads? Then all of a sudden he becomes some “hip-hop” character with the rap battles, baggy shorts and wearing a chain? If they were gonna market him that way they should have had him debut as that and not as some clean cut kid. His image just seems too forced to me, like he’s trying too hard. As for Cryme Tyme, I’ve seen them a few times and yes they are a hot mess and perpetuate negative stereotypes about black men, but Vince has always pushed the racial envelope. Just search YouTube for Slick’s “Jive Soul Bro” video from the 80’s – complete with fried chicken, greasy lips, a jheri curl and a pimp persona; the Greg Valentine promo about Junkyard Dog where he calls him a “nasty black man”; and who could forget Akeem the African Dream. And whatever happened to tag teams in wrestling? There used to be an abundance of teams in the 80s and 90s and now they seem to be obsolete. Do they even have a WWF tag team championship anymore? So Ryan, I share your love for the old school wrestling days, but this new stuff that they’re doing now? I just can’t get with.
Your favorite wrestler, just as everyone's else favorite wrestler, should be JYD! The Junk Yard Dog started it all! That's all I will say about that!
John Cena is trash...thug life...that makes my colon itch! 3D and Hogan is in a league of their own! Love them or hate them, you have to respect them! The Nature Boy and Macho Man...there are way too many folk to actually name that needs to be on your list right now...or my list...whatever...just know that JYD is all that and then some! Another one bites the dust fool!!!
If you smell fool!!!
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