My Wresting Manifesto

My first memory of a pro wrestling event was one that I didn’t get to attend. One of my three older brothers had won a four-pack of tickets to a WWF house show in Portland, ME. I must have been no older than 5 or 6 at the time, but I remember watching “WWF Superstars” with them, and was obviously insanely jealous that I couldn’t go to the show. When they came home, this jealousy just got that much worse. Not only did they get tickets to the show, but they also got into a backstage meet-and-greet with some of the wrestlers. I remember one of my brothers even brought home an autographed picture that one of the wrestlers had drawn for him!

Amongst many other things, I know two vital pieces of information that I didn’t know then:

a) the picture was terrible. It was a stick-figure bird that didn’t look a damn thing like a bird. Or much of anything.

b) It was drawn by Koko B. Ware. Which explains the bird. It also explains why I shouldn’t have cared nearly as much as I did.

But here’s the thing about pro wrestling for a kid: it’s a form of entertainment that contains everything you could love from comics, TV, movies or sports – over-the-top characters, epic battles of good versus evil, great sports action – nowadays, that includes people doing some absolutely INSANE spots. Bright lights, flashy superhero-esque costumes. It had everything. What wasn’t to love? So when my brothers came home with stuff from the wrestlers, that was a huge deal. Also keep in mind that to a kid, all things on TV are created equal. A huge movie star is akin to a second-string athlete is akin to the local news anchor is akin to a mid-card-at-best pro wrestler. There’s no difference – they’re all celebrities.

Obviously, my perspective now is much different than it was then. I still get a kick out of the storylines and the characters, but I’m as interested in the presentation and the business aspect of things – as much as will become public knowledge, at least. But the thing that has never left me is a never-ending appreciation for what these guys and gals do. They’re always on. Unlike TV shows or “legitimate” sports, wrestling has no season. They don’t get to turn off their character and take six weeks off once shooting is done or once the season finale airs, and their press obligations are done. These people are on the road 50 weeks out of the year. And if you look into the charity work that a lot of them do in addition, they are as giving with their time as anyone you’ll ever meet. I’ve no doubt this is a labor of love for most of them, and you can’t help but respect that.

CM Punk recently said that he’s “here to make this shit cool again.” I don’t know if it’s quite there yet, but who cares? I’ve never seen a group of entertainers more passionate about what they do, or more excited to share it with their fans. There’s a connection there that other outlets can’t quite capture – they don’t have quite the right blend. It’s time once again for pro wrestling to be on equal footing with the rest of the entertainment world, and to regain the respect it deserves. I hope we can help with that. Enjoy.