I'm a fan of wrestling. I've been a fan since I was a kid, watching old AWA on Saturday afternoons. Yes, I know it's scripted, but that doesn't make it any less fun. People think you are low class or haven't any taste. I will admit that some of the unwashed backward thinking demographic will perpetuate those views. That's ok. I think the same thing about people who are fans of Sex in the City, or Survivor, or Boston Legal. Seriously those shows fucking suck. SITC is practically unwatchable. Those four characters have no redeeming value. And as for Boston Legal, don't even get me started on that fucking hack Shatner.
Back to wrestling. Some of the story lines are so ridiculous that they are brilliant. I don't agree to them having pay-per-views every month, that takes away from the weekly shows. I did like it better when Vince McMahon didn't own everything. Back when you had WCW and the WWF competing for viewers it was a win win for the people. There were not any throw away story lines from either company. They couldn't afford to. They had to put out their best show every week. Now if there is a weak story line, who cares, because where the hell else are you going to go.
Here is the main reason for this blog. Last week my wife and I went to a wrestling event. Note to self, if it isn't actually on a Monday or Friday, it is not worth it. This was a Monday night raw event held on a Saturday. When we walked in and saw that there was no Titantron or announcers table or t.v. cameras we knew we were screwed. We were so glad that we got the cheap seats. So we were just going to enjoy our kitschy fun. Or so we thought. I end up sitting next to a large woman in her forties, wearing red sweatpants and t shirt. Next to her is her eighty year old mother. Wow, ten seconds in and I'm already weirded out. She immediately has to start talking to me. She has a program and is pointing out various wrestlers and telling me who she likes and dislikes and why. Then she has to start throwing out little tidbits of there lives, most of which is wrong. Then the festivities began and she is way into it. And then it dawns on me that oh shit she thinks this is real. Shit she was even way into the no-name warm-up matches. She's yelling shit like, "Rip his head off, or, "Break is arm." When people would start up chants she would join right in. She would tell her favorites to look out, or to the villain don't you dare. She would do hand signs as well. At first it was amusing, then annoying. She had the same mentality about wrestling as that of a ten year old. When she came back from the bathroom with her mother she actually asked me who was winning. I was dumbfounded by this question because of the context of our setting. Pretty soon my wife tells me that this situation calls for beer. So soon we are both enjoying a $6.00 16oz bottle of Miller Light. Worth every penny. So intermission comes and as we are walking around we decide to leave. No harm. No foul. We got our monies worth. I'm just wondering what that woman next to me thought when we didn't come back. She was probably horrified. As I'm writing this I'm thinking that that woman had the time of her life that night. We both like wrestling for totally different reasons. She might take it a little too far, but who cares. She's not hurting anyone. In my mind at the time I was making fun of her but now that I think about it, why? Sure, it may be a little sad, but she had a great time and we left early feeling disappointed. If you could go back to believing in Santa Claus would you? Wouldn't it make Christmas as fun as it used to be?
Back to wrestling. Some of the story lines are so ridiculous that they are brilliant. I don't agree to them having pay-per-views every month, that takes away from the weekly shows. I did like it better when Vince McMahon didn't own everything. Back when you had WCW and the WWF competing for viewers it was a win win for the people. There were not any throw away story lines from either company. They couldn't afford to. They had to put out their best show every week. Now if there is a weak story line, who cares, because where the hell else are you going to go.
Here is the main reason for this blog. Last week my wife and I went to a wrestling event. Note to self, if it isn't actually on a Monday or Friday, it is not worth it. This was a Monday night raw event held on a Saturday. When we walked in and saw that there was no Titantron or announcers table or t.v. cameras we knew we were screwed. We were so glad that we got the cheap seats. So we were just going to enjoy our kitschy fun. Or so we thought. I end up sitting next to a large woman in her forties, wearing red sweatpants and t shirt. Next to her is her eighty year old mother. Wow, ten seconds in and I'm already weirded out. She immediately has to start talking to me. She has a program and is pointing out various wrestlers and telling me who she likes and dislikes and why. Then she has to start throwing out little tidbits of there lives, most of which is wrong. Then the festivities began and she is way into it. And then it dawns on me that oh shit she thinks this is real. Shit she was even way into the no-name warm-up matches. She's yelling shit like, "Rip his head off, or, "Break is arm." When people would start up chants she would join right in. She would tell her favorites to look out, or to the villain don't you dare. She would do hand signs as well. At first it was amusing, then annoying. She had the same mentality about wrestling as that of a ten year old. When she came back from the bathroom with her mother she actually asked me who was winning. I was dumbfounded by this question because of the context of our setting. Pretty soon my wife tells me that this situation calls for beer. So soon we are both enjoying a $6.00 16oz bottle of Miller Light. Worth every penny. So intermission comes and as we are walking around we decide to leave. No harm. No foul. We got our monies worth. I'm just wondering what that woman next to me thought when we didn't come back. She was probably horrified. As I'm writing this I'm thinking that that woman had the time of her life that night. We both like wrestling for totally different reasons. She might take it a little too far, but who cares. She's not hurting anyone. In my mind at the time I was making fun of her but now that I think about it, why? Sure, it may be a little sad, but she had a great time and we left early feeling disappointed. If you could go back to believing in Santa Claus would you? Wouldn't it make Christmas as fun as it used to be?
3 comments:
Who's winning? *snicker*
But I'm like you. Who cares why she was having fun. I just like that people have a good time and are into stuff.
I used to watch more wrestling when I was in college, but I have the fondest memories of it, from my young childhood on. (I bet there are some andre figures at home...lol)
And I don't think you guys are hicks at all. :) Or, maybe I consider you to be as much of a hick as myself. Not sure which it is. heh.
That was a WAY nicer post than I thought it was going to be. That lady freaked me out. I can't tell you how happy I was that you got the "please sit next to her so I don't have to" vibe. While, yes, I'm glad she enjoyed herself, I think the seven year old behind us understood the concept of the WWE more than she did. One of the weirdest experiences of my life.
I love this. I think it's amazing when you end up with people who just make your head spin. I often wonder if it's a lesson of some sort as well, but who the fuck knows...
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