"More Than Headlocks and Spandex: An Appreciation of Wrestling"

[MrStansell]

Upon hearing about the passing of Andrew Martin, I started to think about writing some kind of memorial for wrestlers who have passed in recent years but as I began to work I thought of why I felt so strongly about these people that I have never met. The result is the following. I had thought of posting this in a Andrew Martin thread but the piece is less about Andrew and more about wrestling and what it means for a lot of people but mainly it is a thank you to all the hard working wrestlers throughout the world. I just thought I'd share it with you guys and girls.

"More Than Headlocks and Spandex: An Appreciation of Wrestling"

When you're growing up you have to find your "heroes." Whether they reside on the fields of the gridiron , the hardwood courts, the rinks of ice, or even the pages of a comic. No matter your race or sex, you find these individuals who you look up to and in a way, learn from. While many of my childhood friends followed the likes of Farves, Jordans, and Gretzkys, I followed a whole different kind of hero and my heroes resided in a squared circle.

I watched as giants fought titans, warriors fought gladiators, Davids fought Goliaths and any other combination you could think of. This was the greatest show on Earth and I got it every single week. As I grew older and changed, so did my heroes. Every single week, they were there, with a new chapter of their ongoing sagas.

No matter what kind of week I was having, I knew that every time I turned the tv on that special hour, I would find something that would let me escape from the troubles of my life. For that two to three hours, I could truly leave all the burdens of the day and just...enjoy. In the later years this became extremely important because I've had my good share of trials and tribulations. Day after day I would think that I just couldn't take it and that I wasn't strong enough to withstand anymore...and yet, every Monday would roll around and I would find my form of shelter. How could you do anything but smile at the antics of a green superhero...or laugh out loud at the ridiculous segments of two "Reekers of Awesomeness"...or be completely mesmerized at the amazing wrestling skills of a man with the heart of a lion...or feel that rush of adrenaline when that heartbreak kid mounted a comeback to overcome the odds...how could you do anything but get completely lost in this world? Even though my shelter only lasted for those few hours, it was enough to give me the strength to fight through my own doubt.

I try to explain to people what wrestling has meant to me all my life but sadly its usually met with remarks of "FAKE" and "STAGED." Of course...to my knowledge, Tom Hanks has never led a squad of men through the ravaged country-side of Europe in World War II but does that change the emotion radiating from the screen when he tells Private Ryan to "Earn This"? I also may be wrong, but I don't believe that Russel Crowe was in fact a gladiator in ancient Greece, but does that matter to the goosebumps on your arm when he finally faces the man who is responsible for the death of his wife and son? I could sit here all day and recite awe-inspiring movie moment after movie moment but is anyone going to reply with a "well thats just fake?" Of course not. Well then why should your argument of wrestling being "fake" factor into the importance it has in my life? The only answer is that it shouldn't.

Sadly, early into my love of wrestling I soon discovered that wrestling wasn't fake...I soon found that my heroes could be hurt.

May 24th, 1999. I turned on Raw anxious to find out the results to the huge Austin vs. Undertaker match and being that Undertaker was one of the individuals that got me interested in wrestling in the first place, I was extra excited. What I found was something else...something heartbreaking. Throughout the night, I watched as one by one of these heroes of mine spoke of their fallen comrade. I sat motionless while I saw these men and women show sides that I had never seen before. Then a segment with Jeff Jarret came on and I watched as this hero of mine stepped down from this pedestal I had placed him on and I saw him as a nothing but a man who missed his friend. From that moment, I soon found myself crying for a man that I had never talked to, met, or even seen in person. To this day I can't watch that interview without tearing up.

I also found myself more proud of my heroes. These men and women were no longer these untouchable beings. They are human and go through the same challenges of life as I do. Some people want heroes made of steel and can fly. I want a hero who has faced the hardships of life and have conquered them and still have to fight them everyday. Why? Because if they can do it...then by God, I know that if I fight hard enough, I can too.

Now some people would find this funny. Why should I care for people that I have absolutely no personal connection to? Owen or any of the others weren't my brother, or my cousin, or even a friend and yet I found myself emotionally broken down because they are gone. Why? Because I'm a fan? No. It would be easy to say that I was just sad that I'd never seen them wrestle again but thats not the reason I cry. I cry because these individuals were responsible for helping me through the harsh storms of life and I owe them a lot of gratitude.

So what do we do when our heroes die? We do the same thing you do when any hero dies. We honor them. In all honestly, I have been wanting to write this since I heard of the untimely death of Andrew Martin but I was too afraid that I would not do his and others memories justice with my words. I'm glad I took the time to think of what I wanted to say though because it gave me time to think back. I found myself remembering some of the moments I had forgotten and soon found myself looking through old tapes of mine to find classic "Test moments." I may not have ever known the man Andrew Martin, or Owen Hart, or any of the other fallen wrestlers were when they were off camera but I'll always remember them as who they were on camera. A hero.

So I'll continue to tune in every chance I get to watch my heroes do they're thing because everyone needs their heroes, especially in these tough times. Luckily, mine come on tv 3+ times a week. I'll also continue to watch my old tapes and dvd's because like everyone knows, stories and heroes never die.

This writing is not only in honor of those who are past but those who are still with us and are a inspiring millions of us fans. Who knew that my heroes would actually wear spandex?

Thank you.

-Chris Stansell

In Memory of:


Chris Von Erich


Mike Von Erich


Louie Spiccoli


Art Barr


Gino Hernandez


Jay Youngblood


Rick McGraw


Joey Marella


Ed Gatner


Buzz Sawyer


Crash Holly


Kerry Von Erich


D.J. Peterson


Eddie Gilbert


The Renegade


Chris Candido


Andrew Martin


Adrian Adonis


Gary Albright


Bobby Duncum Jr.

Owen Hart


Yokozuna


Big Dick Dudley


Brian Pillman


Marianna Komlos


Pitbull #2


The Wall/Malice


Emory Hale


Leroy Brown


Mark Curtis

Eddie Guerrero


John Kronus


Davey Boy Smith


Johnny Grunge


Vivian Vachon


Jeep Swenson


Brady Boone


Terry Gordy


Bertha Faye


Billy Joe Travis


Chris Benoit


Larry Cameron


Rick Rude


Randy Anderson


Bruiser Brody


Miss Elizabeth


Big Boss Man


Earthquake


Mike Awesome


Biff Wellington


Brian Adams (Crush)


Ray Candy

Nancy Benoit


Dino Bravo


Curt Hennig

Bam Bam Bigelow


Jerry Blackwell


Junkyard Dog


Hercules

Andre the Giant


Big John Studd


Chris Adams


Mike Davis


Hawk


Cousin Junior


Dick Murdoch


Jumbo Tsuruta


Rocco Rock

Sherri Martel


Moondog Spot


Ken Timbs


Uncle Elmer


Pez Whatley


The Angel of Death


Eddie Graham


Tarzan Tyler


Haystacks Calhoun


Giant Haystacks


The Spoiler


Kurt Von Hess


Moondog King


Gene Anderson


Dr. Jerry Graham


Bulldog Brown


Tony Parisi


Rufus R. Jones


Ray Stevens


Stan Stasiak


Terry Garvin


Boris Malenko


Little Beaver


Sapphire


Shohei Baba


Dick the Bruiser


Wilbur Snyder


George Cannon


Karl Krupp


Dale Lewis


Gorilla Monsoon


Hiro Matsuda


Bad News Brown


Bulldog Brower


SD Jones


Wahoo McDaniel

[cicero]

This sucked, and by that I mean it sucked to see so many names....

I was too afraid that I would not do his and others memories justice with my words.

One should never fear to say what they feel, especially when it is as heartfelt as this.

Excellent work.

[Kano]

Amen....I enjoyed this peice, what you were writing about, it seemed from the heart and had a big impact

May God bless those souls and Familys because without their hardwork and dedication to the business. Would names like John Cena and Randy Orton exist

Kudos man

[Martin Riggs]

Very heartfelt, your emotion came through with your writing.

Tis a shame that so often, brilliance comes through suffering.

[NightofDay]

Kid, you do not have to worry about having to give them justice. You did them justice by letting your passion shine through. Like you I've felt troubled at times and wrestling has been my saving grace. Whether it's watching the current scene or watching the PPVs from the past, wrestling is probably going to be something that I'll love until the day I die. Like cicero said, it sucked to see so many names on that list. They are certainly missed.

[Leonard]

Very heartfelt, and rings true for most of us here, I imagine. This piece made me think very much about my circle of friends who wonder why I watch wrestling. No matter what you say, some people simply don't get it (and mind you, that's okay). Anyhow, great thoughts. Thanks for making me think.

--Leonard

[sir sam]

That list is huge, i just kept on scrolling and scrolling. What this industry has done to these people is a true tragedy.

[Kano]

The thing is, becoming a wrestler is everyones passion, but what's more important your passion or your life?