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What is wrestling to you?
Is it but a past time; a hobby that can be utilized for a distraction? Or is it more than that?
I always wonder how fandom is born. What is the connection that brews between yourself and an artist; whether that be your favorite actor, musician or, in this instance, wrestler. I don't even remember when exactly I started watching professional wrestling. As far as I can recall, I started watching WWF in 2oo1 as a ten year old. But yet I can't pinpoint why exactly I became such a huge fan.
It's quite clear something drew me in and I ended up gravitating towards it. I stared at the television screen in bewilderment watching these larger than life characters stand toe-to-toe. I was hooked and I made sure that my friends were too. We set our whole playing schedule around RAW's timeslot. That's how important it was to us. And that's part of what wrestling was to me back then.
But what is wrestling to you?
Is it your solitude? A means to escape life?
As we all know, wrestling fans are stereotyped as basement dwelling virgins. I can neither confirm nor deny that as my self and other wrestling fans I know are either almost or the exact opposite of that stereotype. However, with that being said, it'd be remiss for me not make mention of the fact that I've known no wrestling fan since I was like 16. I guess I just stuck to it like glue and never let it go.
But that doesn't change the fact that most stereotypes do come from reality; and if you have nobody in this world then wrestling is the easiest route to escapism. Getting entrenched in a wonderful, wacky world consisting of characters of all varieties can definitely pull you from the depths of lonliness. And if that's what wrestling means to you, then appreciation must be shown to the artform.
But that's not the case for everybody? What is wrestling to YOU?
Is it catching up with your old buddies to watch Wrestlemania or any other big event once a year as means to enjoy what you once all had in common? Once again, I can't grasp that concept because I no longer have any friends that watch wrestling. However, I do know of those who enjoyed wrestling so much that they try to their best to watch at least one big wrestling show together a year as a group. Although, I sense that it could be more to do with lost brotherhood than actual wrestling.
In that instance, wrestling may not mean as much. But what is wrestling to YOU?
Is it a cherished memory from your childhood? We know that there are many of us who have grown from our wrestling fandom. But yet, if you were so passionate about the industry as a kid, surely a part of you will still love tuning in every so often just to "check in". I guess that's how casual fans are born. We've all been casual fans at some point, but the passion shone through and the art of half-naked men in baby oil play fighting just hooked us right back in. That was certainly the case for me at one point. It always has a way, doesn't it? That's why you'll see, for example, a columnist maybe posting like a column a year because the itch never truly goes away.
And to expand on these cherished childhood memories of our wrestling experiences, could wrestling be, to you, trying to engage with your children about the business, try to get them to watch and try to get them to fall in love with a place you once called home? I for sure have tried that with my son, however, he never gave wrestling a look. He was never interested and never bothered to give it a chance. He did enjoy one of my other childhood loves, Pokemon, though. However, the little bastard prefers Naruto over Dragonball Z, but I digress. I guess our childhoods were just different.
And that's okay, we can't force our kids to love the same things we do. So then, with the question still being asked; what is wrestling to YOU?
Is it a bout of anxiety growing up as a kid because you don't want to be known as someone who watches and enjoys wrestling? Is it hiding your fandom so as not to be labelled a supposed basement dwelling virgin? This is something I can definitely agree to on a huge level, but we'll get to that in a second. Firstly, I have to point out that the bigger WWE got, the smaller the stigma got, too. Huge praise has to go to the likes of The Rock, John Cena and Batista for perhaps changing the opinions of non-fans. You can most certainly include Brock Lesnar in that conversation as well, what with his successful exploits in the world of MMA.
However, in the late 2000s, growing up as a teenager, this was not the case. If you were known to watch wrestling you'd be made fun of and almost certainly be called a loser. I didn't want that for myself. I wanted friends and females. I managed to get both, all the while never speaking of wrestling, my fandom hiding in the shadows. Imagine having a wrestling conversation with people who just cared about females, parties, alcohol and B Class drugs. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd get looked at funny. Besides, girls never liked wrestling and we all know how they react when you losing their interesting talking about something as taboo as wrestling. It's a bit disheartening when I look back at it now.
That's what wrestling was to ME growing up. Nowadays I couldn't give a fuck less who looks down on me for watching wrestling. I don't look down on you for listening to BTS and watching The Kardishians, do I? So now, to those reading, there's but only one question that remains...
What is wrestling to YOU?
Is it but a past time; a hobby that can be utilized for a distraction? Or is it more than that?
I always wonder how fandom is born. What is the connection that brews between yourself and an artist; whether that be your favorite actor, musician or, in this instance, wrestler. I don't even remember when exactly I started watching professional wrestling. As far as I can recall, I started watching WWF in 2oo1 as a ten year old. But yet I can't pinpoint why exactly I became such a huge fan.
It's quite clear something drew me in and I ended up gravitating towards it. I stared at the television screen in bewilderment watching these larger than life characters stand toe-to-toe. I was hooked and I made sure that my friends were too. We set our whole playing schedule around RAW's timeslot. That's how important it was to us. And that's part of what wrestling was to me back then.
But what is wrestling to you?
Is it your solitude? A means to escape life?
As we all know, wrestling fans are stereotyped as basement dwelling virgins. I can neither confirm nor deny that as my self and other wrestling fans I know are either almost or the exact opposite of that stereotype. However, with that being said, it'd be remiss for me not make mention of the fact that I've known no wrestling fan since I was like 16. I guess I just stuck to it like glue and never let it go.
But that doesn't change the fact that most stereotypes do come from reality; and if you have nobody in this world then wrestling is the easiest route to escapism. Getting entrenched in a wonderful, wacky world consisting of characters of all varieties can definitely pull you from the depths of lonliness. And if that's what wrestling means to you, then appreciation must be shown to the artform.
But that's not the case for everybody? What is wrestling to YOU?
Is it catching up with your old buddies to watch Wrestlemania or any other big event once a year as means to enjoy what you once all had in common? Once again, I can't grasp that concept because I no longer have any friends that watch wrestling. However, I do know of those who enjoyed wrestling so much that they try to their best to watch at least one big wrestling show together a year as a group. Although, I sense that it could be more to do with lost brotherhood than actual wrestling.
In that instance, wrestling may not mean as much. But what is wrestling to YOU?
Is it a cherished memory from your childhood? We know that there are many of us who have grown from our wrestling fandom. But yet, if you were so passionate about the industry as a kid, surely a part of you will still love tuning in every so often just to "check in". I guess that's how casual fans are born. We've all been casual fans at some point, but the passion shone through and the art of half-naked men in baby oil play fighting just hooked us right back in. That was certainly the case for me at one point. It always has a way, doesn't it? That's why you'll see, for example, a columnist maybe posting like a column a year because the itch never truly goes away.
And to expand on these cherished childhood memories of our wrestling experiences, could wrestling be, to you, trying to engage with your children about the business, try to get them to watch and try to get them to fall in love with a place you once called home? I for sure have tried that with my son, however, he never gave wrestling a look. He was never interested and never bothered to give it a chance. He did enjoy one of my other childhood loves, Pokemon, though. However, the little bastard prefers Naruto over Dragonball Z, but I digress. I guess our childhoods were just different.
And that's okay, we can't force our kids to love the same things we do. So then, with the question still being asked; what is wrestling to YOU?
Is it a bout of anxiety growing up as a kid because you don't want to be known as someone who watches and enjoys wrestling? Is it hiding your fandom so as not to be labelled a supposed basement dwelling virgin? This is something I can definitely agree to on a huge level, but we'll get to that in a second. Firstly, I have to point out that the bigger WWE got, the smaller the stigma got, too. Huge praise has to go to the likes of The Rock, John Cena and Batista for perhaps changing the opinions of non-fans. You can most certainly include Brock Lesnar in that conversation as well, what with his successful exploits in the world of MMA.
However, in the late 2000s, growing up as a teenager, this was not the case. If you were known to watch wrestling you'd be made fun of and almost certainly be called a loser. I didn't want that for myself. I wanted friends and females. I managed to get both, all the while never speaking of wrestling, my fandom hiding in the shadows. Imagine having a wrestling conversation with people who just cared about females, parties, alcohol and B Class drugs. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd get looked at funny. Besides, girls never liked wrestling and we all know how they react when you losing their interesting talking about something as taboo as wrestling. It's a bit disheartening when I look back at it now.
That's what wrestling was to ME growing up. Nowadays I couldn't give a fuck less who looks down on me for watching wrestling. I don't look down on you for listening to BTS and watching The Kardishians, do I? So now, to those reading, there's but only one question that remains...
What is wrestling to YOU?
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