GavinBelfast

Why do I like wrestling?

Well at the moment I don’t, really, the product is, for the most part unappealing to me. It’s not targeted at me, they’ve forsaken the older fans and went PG, fair enough, that’s where the money is. However, I’ll watch old matches/shows, mid-late 90’s through to early 2000’s, why? That’s what I watched when I was growing up, I have fond memories of wrestlers/matches/storylines/shows from that time, the old nostalgia, can’t beat it.

Another reason is that, unlike today’s wrestling, the stuff from 10/15 years ago was pretty much targeted at me and people like me, it was designed to appeal to me. It was written so I would relate to it, so I’d form an emotional connection, so I’d pay 30 odd pound to see my favourite wrestler win/get revenge/return etc, live on Pay Per View or pay inflated prices for their merchandise. And it worked so well.

Wrestlemania 17, April 1st 2001. Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs The Rock in the main event.

This was a big deal, Austin, the guy we all wished (and thought) we could be, versus The Rock, the guy we knew we’d never be, the good looking, rich, cocky, successful big bastard who got to the top by being a cunt (this is in storyline of course). So guess who I want to win… 3:16 all the way.

April 2nd 2001, that was my brother Dane’s 5th birthday, my ma throw a party, all the usual shit. My mate Scott recorded Wrestlemania the previous night, we got the tape at about 2pm and that was that, fuck the party, me and Dane were watching this no matter what, I’d have stabbed you in the neck with a blunt pencil if you tried to stop me, that’s how much it meant.

The buildup to the event was brilliant, so well done. The awesome Rock/Austin back and forths, the amazing video packages, fuckin “My Way” by Limp Bizkit as the theme, the entire card, for the most part were matches you wanted to see.

If we’d had cable I’d have had no problem paying to see it, fuck, I’d have payed double.

Now this is how it’s done, take Austin, the biggest thing in wrestling since Hogan, loved by all, and make him cheat, and not only cheat, but cheat with the help of his worst enemy and the most hated man in wrestling, Vince McMahon. I wanted to buy a gun, go to Texas and shoot Austin in the fuckin’ head.

And how good is that? I knew it was fake, yet I was willing to kill a man, yeah, kill him, for doing something that was scripted, in a scripted sport, for something that in no way would ever effect me. That’s fuckin’ brilliant!

I’d formed such an emotional connection, invested so much into the Austin character that when he turned and alligned himself with McMahon, I really felt betrayed, I was truely outraged, how dare that bald bastard do that. And so, you’re now willing to pay to see someone kick the everlasting shit out of Steve Austin.

Again, I’m obviously reading too much into this, but looking back… It’s powerful, and a big reason why I’m a wrestling fan.