Once upon a time, the WWF Rulebook was akin to a bottle of Jack Daniels... there was no rulebook. Shit happened and you just didn't question it. When you watch this stuff transpire on television, there was no way in hell you could claim that this was a real sport. And when they try to inject "reality" into the mix with backstage politics and things of that nature, the whole thing came off as hokey and unbelievable.
At the same time, however, the ride it offered was a fun one and it had compelling characters and storytelling that made you come back for more, just to see where things would go. Whether it was Austin vs. McMahon on the WWF side of things, or watching Bill Goldberg mow down challenger after challenger to see who would be the first to break the streak, there were enough hooks to keep your interest and make you forgive the horrid stuff that came along for the ride.
1998 was the year I started watching as much wrestling as I could muster and I simply couldn't get enough of the stuff. And then 2000 came along and we got actual wrestling matches. And they were good! Turns out I not only enjoyed the crazy hijinx, but I also enjoyed the wrestling matches, especially when they featured really talented badasses in the ring.
Real sports didn't do it for me. The only appeal to hockey or baseball or things like that would be to watch them live in the arena and soak in the experience of sitting in the crowd, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells, and just enjoy the moment. Beyond that, however, it wasn't anything special. It was a bunch of players in same looking uniforms going through the motions to win a game. Nothing to pique my interest until the final moments of the season when you had a few teams left over to win the championship.
When I thought wrestling was real, I didn't follow it. But when I got what it was all about, I was able to get into it more. It was the kind of thing that I enjoyed for whatever reason that I can't explain. I still watch wrestling to this day; even if it's just the WWE stuff when it's at its weakest. But it's nowhere as high a preference as it was decades ago. Only have a couple favorites that I enjoyed watching, but with one fucked off to better things and one on the verge of an extended hiatus due to injury, I find myself struggling to find something that's worth my while.
Who knows? Maybe something amazing will happen that will re-ignite my love for wrestling, again.
Stranger things have happened.
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Keep it real and keep it clean.