[Deconstructing the Moveset] – Why You Watch Wrestling

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Hello everyone, in lieu of not getting my column in on time yet again, you’ll see “Why We Boo” next week. However, to continue wrestling appreciation month here at Deconstructing the Moveset I’m going to be showing you a few more letters from you, the fans.

These are your stories, you are the wrestling fans.

Remember, it’s not too late to write in your story. Just include your name, why you started to watch wrestling, why you love wrestling and why you still watch.

DECONSTRUCTING THE MOVESET: YOUR STORIES

This is Ben Reynold’s story:

I think it all started when I was about four, and I got these big rubber figures of Hulk Hogan and Hillbilly Jim. From these, I learned about wrestling existing. As the years passed, I caught Worldwide or Superstars on televison whenever I could, not having any clue about storylines, only wondering why the big names (like Hulk Hogan) never appeared on telvision. However, I was entertained by what I saw.

I began paying more attention to Wrestling as I got older, but nothing really got me hooked into making a point of not missing it. Not even the Montreal Screwjob or Hogan’s heel turn got me watching Raw or Nitro on a weekly basis. That required Steve Austin and the whole ‘Attitude’ era. Around this time is when I was drawn too ECW, and everything they brough to the table.

So high school went along, with me religiously watching Raw and Smackdown, and completely disregarding WCW, as the whole nWo storyline had me confused as all hell. Then I went to college, and my view of wrestlign would change big time.

I began watching Raw and Smackdown with a bunch of guys on a regular basis, and they introduced me to the whole world of the IWC. Through paying closer attentino to Raw, and the IWC, I began to hold a higher apprecaition for all that pro wrestling is.

Names like Angle, Benoit, and Jericho became more than just mid-card heels I could care less about. They quickly became some of my favorites. And UT, HHH, and Hogan, some of the wrestlers I really enjoyed before soon became some of my least favoirtes as I learned about their acts backstage. However, I didn’t let the IWC completely change my outlook on wrestling, as
I still marked out every now and then for a ‘Hulk-up’ or for UT’s return at WMXX.

College also helped me branch out from the WWE. Now I’m into TNA’s X-Division and Ring of Honor as well.

It may sound wierd, but Pro Wrestling played a huge part in getting me out of a bad depression. It was shortly after the first Tough Enough, and I was pretty far down. I was really impressed with Maven’s debut. One night, I decided to download his theme, because it sounded like a pretty cool song.
As I listened to his theme, I really identified with it, and it gave me a boost I really needed to break out of the depression.

My view of wrestling has changed a lot over the years, however, it’s all been for the better. Had I not changed how I view wrestling, I may have stopped watching a long, long time ago.

My top 5 mathces, in no particular order

Flair/Steamboat- Clash of the Champions VI
American Dragon/Chirstopher Daniels/Low Ki- ROH: The Era of Honor Begins
(Even better than WMXX’s triple threat)
Benoit/Angle-Royal Rumble ’03 (Workrate at its finest)
Razor Ramon/Shawn Michaels- WM X (The Ladder Match)
Rock/Jericho- No Mercy ’01 (Jericho finally wins the big one!)

This is Jed Shaffer of Re-Writing the Book (here on Inside Pulse!)

March, 1985. I was 8. We were coming home from Disneyland, and my parents and I were waiting in the terminal of the John Wayne Airport. Suddenly, behind us passes a mob of screaming kids, and this HUMUNGOUS wall of a human being trapped in the middle of them. My parents (not always the brightest bulbs in the drawer) point out this bronzed god-sized man in orange, red and yellow and say “Look, honey, it’s the World Champ!” I, having never seen a lick of wrestling, say, “Who? Champ of what?” “That’s Hulk Hogan! He’s the World Champion of wrestling!” they explain. I’m still confused. Once back home, they let me stay up late the next time a Saturday Night’s Main Event is on, and from that moment on, I was hooked. Even though age and knowledge have spoiled my taste for Hogan, I still hold a lot of those youthful moments close to my heart…Andre ripping the cross off Hogan’s neck…Hogan’s empassioned “HELL NO!” in response to Ted DiBiase’s million-dollar offer…the final schism! that fractured the MegaPowers…the good old days.

Anyway, I thought that, since you were doing this little bit about appreciation of the sport, I would share my story. Feel free to use it if you like. I more felt inclined to share it to let you know you’re not alone…I would like to return to just enjoying the show, not analyzing it like CSI does to a crime scene. To just watch and enjoy the show they attempt to entertain us with. To (if I may use the key word here) appreciate it.

Make sure to check out this week’s column from Jed

And for this week’s final story, I give you JayHawk Evans’ story:

I thought I’d share what got me into wrestling. It was back in 1983 or 84, I can’t remember exactly and I had been watching World Class Championship Wrestling on syndication here in Chicago and I found it pretty interesting, as a little kid I thought the Von Erichs to be gods in the sport, but I didn’t pay so much close attention until one match. An NWA World Championship defense by Ric Flair vs. Kevin Von Erich at the Dallas Sportatorium. I don’t remember anything of the match except for the ending, Kevin gets Flair in his own figure four leglock (at the time I didn’t know it was Flair’s “move”) with just under a minute left in the match. The time limit expires just as Flair gives up or gets his shoulders pinned, I can’t recall for sure, haven’t seen the match in forever, but the crowd erupts in chaos thinking their hometown hero has won the World’s Title. The story told by the excitement of the crowd and Kevin as he reacts is outstanding and then the big letdown when the ref has to say that the time limit expired before Flair lost the match just screamed for justice to be done. It was that story told that got me hooked into wrestling and once in a great while you can still find it today, but it’s something mostly lost nowadays.

And that’s it. Make sure that you read up on our great columnists here on Inside Pulse. We’ve got an amazing line of writers that, in my opnion, has the strongest writing base of any site on the internet. And I’m not JUST saying that because when I wrote in and offered up Deconstructing the Moveset (which was located on a blogspot account) to Widro, he accepted it into the IP.

Check out Matthew Michael, Jed, David G, David D, Andy, And yes, even Hyatte. And al lthe other guys in the wrestling column section I’ve missed.

And Hevia too.

Until next week, watch the Survivor Series with an open mind and as a wrestling fan. Not with the precision of a crime scene analyst.

Go Booker T! Go Knick! Go Brian Cashman!

See you next week, sasme Blatt time, same Blatt channel.