Why I Love Pro Wrestling

Why I fell in love with wrestling

I started watching wrestling faithfully in the fall of 1997 just as the origins of the attitude era were stewing to create wrestling’s next, and most successful boom period. Before then I would watch wrestling occasionally, if nothing else was on TV. My father and younger brother watched wrestling so I knew a bit about it but didn’t consider myself a fan.

Then my sixth grade year I had a teacher who was a big wrestling fan, and some classmates who would talk often about it. So I thought to myself let me check this out. 23 years later here I am still a huge wrestling fan and watching it faithfully.

I’m a huge movie buff and I think what made me fall in the love with the sport, was the theatrics and the storylines that tied into the athletics. The top storylines at that time were Sting’s battle against the NWO in WCW, and WCW trying to avoid a takeover from the NWO. The antics of D-Generation X, and the rise of the anti-establishment superstar “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the WWF. Long-term storytelling that is a art missing in wrestling today, even though more wrestling is on television.

These characters led me down the rabbit hole into the culture of professional wrestling. I would buy magazines such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestler. Needed to catch up on my history of wrestling, heading on to Blockbuster and renting old pay-per-views. Pick the brains of people who have been fans for years and in the process grew to love this culture. There was even a free local wrestling news hotline in Baltimore (where I live) I would call everyday to get the scoop. Then when access to the internet became easier, man I followed wrestling news sites faithfully, looked for old clips, and even joined a handful of E-feds which were popular in the late 90’s-early 2000’s.

Once I found out that wrestling was scripted and all these were athletes were playing characters. That took my interest to a whole new level (I wanted to be a screenwriter growing up). The creative aspect and these ideas of gimmicks and characters with backstories lured me in even more. Pro wrestling has it's own mythology in it's history and it's gimmicks, and I love that.

Professional Wrestling is it's own little world that you either love and understand, or don't understand and likely wont. But damnit I love pro wrestling, I buy the merchandise, played the video games, and attend wrestling event's which is an experience I'll cover in a different blog. Not to mention attending wrestling conventions and Wrestlemania Weekend which will have you falling in love with wrestling all over again.

Over the years my interest in wrestling would waver depending on my statisfaction with the product, and what was going on my life at the time. However, when I felt wrestling just wasn't doing it for me I tuned in every week. Even when wrestling is god awful I still tune in hoping for better times. I am a professional wrestling fan and that will never change, because I love pro wrestling. 

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