It’s hard being a wrestling fan sometimes. Family members would constantly come into the room to sing the same refrain, “You know it’s fake right?” Yes. And I know that the people on Friends don’t really live in a New York apartment they couldn’t possibly afford. Once we move past that idiocy, sometimes we’re met with storylines that make us embarrassed to be fans. See Katie Vick or anything between Mark Henry and Mae Young.
With all this we still tune in every week, we read articles, spend our money on t-shirts and a declining network (the pay-per-views alone are worth the cost though). So, why do we do it? Because of the athletes who give us every ounce of their mind, body, and spirit each night they perform. They spend most nights away from their families, breaking their bodies for us. We love them and we love wrestling.
So, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of hiding. My name is Cody, and I love pro wrestling. Every time I hear “Glorious” or “Rising Sun” I get so jazzed I pump my fist in the air. So let’s celebrate the victories of our sport. Let’s stop complaining about Roman or how we think Vince should push our favorite wrestler; it’s a ‘new day’, yes it is! So, with the power of positivity, here each week we’ll look back in review and discuss five reasons to love wrestling right now.
1. The Bludgeon Brothers Cause Tag Team Chaos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBWsS0Z0p1o
This is a weird one right off the bat but bear with me. As I’ve said before, the Usos vs. the New Day is what the chant “fight forever” was invented for. Watching Xavier Woods sell after that powerbomb on the steps was nothing short of genuinely scary. It was scary in all the right ways. Xavier is a master at selling for monsters. Remember how terrifying he convinced us all Bray was? This spot was no different; it made you wince to watch it. The fact that you know as a fan Woods took this spot willingly doesn’t make it any less horrific. This shows two things: 1. Xavier loves us if he’s willing to give us himself. And 2. No matter how smart we are, the WWE can still produce a product that can stun us and draw us in emotionally.
2. Reby’s Passion
This may be another weird one, but I got this. Trust your boy. So the Jeff Hardy arrest was a big blow for all of us fans. We love Jeff. We want so badly for him to get clean and find some inner peace. Booze and pills, however, are as common as hammer locks in wrestling and this is a common story. But as Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and DDP Yoga have shown us, there’s hope for everyone. There’s even a silver lining in this story: Reby Sky’s passion.
Okay, some may call her overbearing, but I love everything about this woman. She speaks her mind and says many of the things we’re all thinking. I can’t wait for her to be a part of the WWE Universe. When told by fans that Jeff was needed for the ‘Ultimate Deletion’, Reby responded as only she could. She pointed out all the money and time they spent to make this happen. In a world of Lesners collecting paychecks, Reby gives a damn. She displays all the passion that we as fans have. Cheer this woman. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy don’t just care about creating something artistic, but they want to give the fans something special. They thrive on giving to us their (Br)Woken brilliance.
3. The King of Fathers
I've been fortunate to do a lot of amazing things in my life.
Nothing compares to moments like this…#MyLittleGirl#DaddyDaughterDance#Proud pic.twitter.com/SM9hf99fMl— Triple H (@TripleH) March 17, 2018
So, it’s a widely believed fact that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon sleep with ‘His & Hers’ shovels to bury new talent with. For that reason, it’s easy to complain about them sometimes. Let’s remember, however, that they’re just people trying to do the best they can for themselves, their company, and, most importantly, their family. In a recent tweet, good ol’ Trips shared a photo of himself with his daughter attending a ‘Daddy/Daughter’ dance. Why is this a victory for us as wrestling fans? Because it reminds us of the human behind a controversial and sometimes maligned figure in the wrestling world. Triple H is damn good at everything he touches be it in the ring, behind the scenes, or being there for his kids. Amid a world that produces a new scandal every day, Triple H shows us that we can still look up to and respect some of the wrestlers we love.
4. John Cena vs. The Undertaker
I’ve never been a Cena guy. I don’t hate him, but he was never my favorite. In fact, I stepped away from wrestling during much of his reign. It took a friend making me watch Bray Wyatt for me to come back. I’ve always loved the spooky characters. Aleister Black is amazing; hell I even loved Kevin Thorn and Mordecai (I miss you, Fertig). So, it goes without saying the reason I’ve watched wrestling since ’89 was to see the Undertaker holding the title. I lived and died by the ‘Dead Man’. I’m wearing American Badass footie pajamas as I write this. Mark Calaway is wrestling to me.
So believe me, as a true fan, I did not want to see another Undertaker match. Being old school, ‘Taker went out on his back for the next chosen star. He left his gear in the ring, and he broke kayfabe. It was beautiful. I cried. Like Ric Flair in TNA, a return after we said goodbye seemed appalling. I was begging not to have Vince force my broken hero out of retirement for a few bucks.
Then John Cena gave his speech and called the ‘Dead Man’ out. This is why we watch wrestling. I haven’t been this moved since Bill Pullman’s speech in Independence Day. Not only do I want the Undertaker back, but I wanna see him ride in on a chariot with eagle wings, singing lead vocals for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The only thing that could make this better is if it were a casket match. Let the Undertaker take one more soul to the boneyard.
And who gave us this moment? John freakin’ Cena. That mans mic skills took us on a roller coaster ending with what we all wanted deep down. He converted the skeptics and told the Undertaker flat out that he wasn’t done at 52. Neither of them is done and they’re gonna prove it at Wrestlemania. Thank you, John, and thank you, ‘Dead Man’, for one more match.
5. Mo Moolah, Mo Problems
Thank you @WWEUniverse for using your voice. What remains most important is that the “@WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal” will be a historic match and is part of @WWE’s unwavering commitment to our Women’s Division. #WomensEvolution #ChangeTheName
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) March 15, 2018
Okay, okay. How am I gonna spin this one? Because it changed. It doesn’t matter if it took Snickers complaining, we started it. Do you think someone at Snickers was researching Moolah’s past? No. It was the uproar you, the fans, caused. Let me be the first to say thank you. Thank you for speaking out and getting this changed. That’s what we need to celebrate.
The WWE Universe spoke out against an injustice and it was corrected. Let’s not be cynical about the motivations for WWE‘s change of heart. We won. There may be some who think that there are too many people virtue signaling or just looking to be angry in order to show how evolved they are. Regardless of where you stand, this was a fight that needed to be fought, and you did it admirably.
That’s it for this week. I love wrestling and I love you all as much as John Cena loves jorts.
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