I’d like to take some time to make my first real blog post about something I am truly passionate about. This something is pro-wrestling.

Many of you will see the title of this post and simply scroll on. I can’t blame you. Pro-wrestling has a horrible rap in the eyes of many people. Because of this, and the fact it is not deemed as “cool” because it is “fake” or “gay”, many have not even given it a chance. This has also led to the ridicule of those few you know who do enjoy it and and call themselves fans. I did not say “proudly call themselves fans” for a reason. Many fans, myself included, are “in the closet”, for the most part, about being a fan. Now that I’m in college, and word has slipped out amongst my older friends from high school, I am more open about my love for sports entertainment.

Now in college, I am finding many more open-minded people who, although may not like pro-wrestling, do not care that you like it. This is a stark contrast to many of my so-called good friends from back at home who try to convince me I should not like pro-wrestling because, in their eyes, it is “stupid”, “fake”, “gay”, and because “I won’t be able to get a girl”. In my mind, true friends don’t try to convince you, or pressure, in to liking or (as in this case) not liking something (unless of course that something is potentially harmful to you or others). However this is a topic I shall address in a later post.

The above are common problems for any lover of sports entertainment. You can’t discuss how you truly feel with your friends who are strongly opposed because, as the saying goes, they simply do not get it. I’m not attacking non-fans, I am simply addressing the issue that many of these non-fans are strongly opposed to ANYONE being fans.

Before I get too carried away, and end up writing a novel, let me sum up the most common struggles of the professional wrestling fan:

• Ridicule by “friends”
• A don’t ask, don’t tell policy
• Attempts by “friends” to stop you from liking pro wrestling
• Constant attacks by the media (which result in subsequent attacks by “friends”)
• In some cases, having to sneak in episodes of pro wrestling whenever you can
• People thinking you are stupid, a loser, a redneck, or even gay
• Even the possibility of a loss of credibility
• Reduced chances in making friends (female friends especially) when everyone knows
• Less chance of having a relationship with the opposite sex (mostly an issue for male fans).

If I missed anything, I apologize. I do not wish to make fans look like victims. However, in some ways, we are victims. Victims of the war between professional wrestling and the media and overwhelming negative public opinion.

I love professional wrestling because, to me anyways, it is the most entertaining form of entertainment. Where else can you get drama, comedy, action, some romance, music, pyro, and crowd reactions that professional wrestling has to offer? It makes the epic moments in sports dramas a regular occurrence. It is also an artform. Two men telling a story in the ring, making that ring into their canvas. Making all watching believe that what they are doing and feeling is real. Yes, in many ways, it is “fake”. But why should the fact that results are predetermined and that the moves may not “hurt” as they appear they do detract from the athleticism and brotherhood of those ring warriors, who willingly put their bodies and lives on the line every night, for no other reason than to entertain us? The simple answer is, it shouldn’t.

To me, it is not us fans who are ignorant because we believe pro-wrestling is true entertainment; it is those who do not believe, that are ignorant.