For as long as I can remember, professional wrestling captivated me. I first turned on WCW when I was six years old and I was hooked.
It didn’t take me long to convert to then WWF (now WWE). I was team WWF for the Monday Night Wars. It was DX over NWO for me. It was The Rock and Stone Cold who I just loved as a child.
You hear stories about current superstars always having the dream to be in professional wrestling. That is because the industry engulfs you in such a way that you can’t help but be captivated by it. For those who love wrestling, we love it because it pulls at every emotion.
We laugh at Chris Jericho every time he puts someone on his list.
We cried when Edge had to announce his early retirement.
We cheered with pride when Stone Cold would come out and stick it to his bosses.
We were speechless when Paul Heyman became the one behind the one (Brock Lesnar) in Undertaker’s 21-1 record at Wrestlemania.
We can clearly picture what happened when we hear Jim Ross scream “OH MY GOD. THEY KILLED HIM!”
Wrestling can take the fantasies and turn them into realities. When it is at it’s best, there isn’t a more entertaining industry for me.
As a child, I wanted to be a professional wrestler. My childhood best friend and I used to spend hours wrestling in my room and on the trampoline wrestling. We ignored the don’t try this at home warning and our parent’s wishes. These were our idols.
If we weren’t doing that, we were playing the video games. The first thing we usually did was create our own wrestlers. Our stable name was The Freaks. I was Mike Freak and he was Juvenile Freak. We rocked long hair always and had some sort of face paint. My finishing moves were always a Sweet Chin Music and the Five Star Frog Splash.
I always pictured myself being a high flying brawler with a ton of showmanship. I always wanted to be full heel as well.
Wrestling is an industry I love, but I hate what WWE has become. In fact, I have only watched three pay-per-views in the last two years. I don’t care to watch weekly programming anymore.
I don’t miss it. WWE has become stale. The storytelling isn’t what it once was and because it is the only major promotion, they hoard talent because they can. Then they let them stew.
When former WWE Superstar and now All Elite Wrestling (AEW) President, Cody Rhodes announced the new promotion, I was all in (no pun intended). They have had multiple events since their announcement earlier this year. Due to the success of those, they now have a shot to punch WWE right in the mouth in a number of ways. Naturally, I am stoked.
AEW Dynamite premiers on TNT tonight. I cannot wait. They have a roster of guys like Chris Jericho (first AEW Champion), Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Jungle Boy and of course the aforementioned Rhodes. It is TV-14 which means we are probably giving some edgy content. We are going to see crimson masks and all the things I loved about wrestling growing up.
One of my favorite parts is their willingness to let their talent dictate the story. Vince McMahon has a stranglehold on what WWE puts out.
AEW is taking the opposite approach where talent will be able to actually showcase it, both in the ring and in promos by ad libbing and pushing the envelope.
I truly believe that little boy who fell in love with wrestling is about to mark out and be reignited. The war path is set and I am all in on AEW! I know the goosebumps will set in the second I hear…
“Wrestling has more than one royal family.” BOOM Cody Rhodes music hits.
#AEWDynamite
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