World of Wrestling #1

so, i've been asked to write a column on a pretty well-known wrestling site. my buddy there has been talking to me for years about writing for them, and i always said no, partially because i felt i didn't have anything interesting to say, and i feel like if i'm going to write, i want to care about it, and partially because i'm friends with some of the wrestlers i may write about, and i don't want to jeopardize those friendships.

that being said, i finally found a way to write, that i believe won't cross any of those people, and that i feel passionate about. it's not so much news, as much as a column about my life and views as a wrestling fan, putting in 25+ years of fandom.

I won't cross up the site by putting the current column up, but as soon as a new one goes up, i'll post the previous week's here. it might be *slightly* different, as what i'm posting is my raw copy, as oppossed to something they may have been edited slightly by another...

so, without further ado - World of Wrestling #1:

I don’t remember the first wrestling match I watched, nor do I remember the first time I went to see the matches live. But it clearly must have been love at first sight for me, both live and on TV (ok, well, DVD), because 25 + years later, I’m still marking out like I’m a 10 year old sitting in front of my TV or sitting in some old rickety chair in Will Rogers Coliseum, cheering on the good guys and booing the bad guys.

I’ve been very fortunate in my wrestling fandom – I’ve been to hundreds of cards, meaning I’ve seen thousands of matches live. And that doesn’t even include what I’ve seen on DVD, VHS, online, or what have you. I’ve seen World titles change hands in several promotions, I’ve seen legends and career jobbers, and I’ve witnessed once-in-a-lifetime matches.

I’ve screamed for the hero, and hurled insults at the bad guy. I’ve seen buckets of blood, I’ve seen some tremendous comedy, and I’ve seen wrestlers cry. I’ve even shed a tear or two myself because of wrestling.

That’s probably why we’re all here, on this site. We LOVE wrestling. It is in our blood. If we’re not wrestlers or bookers or promoters or otherwise involved in the business of wrestling, we wish we were. It’s why we go on the internet and devour what we can about the sport. It’s why we go on the internet, and talk about wrestling with other fans. It’s why we exchange angry posts on message boards about it.

For me, wrestling is a passion, a hobby, and probably a sickness. My wife thinks my wrestling video collection is already too large – “come on,” I tell her, “175 DVDs and 75 VHS are pretty much baby steps. Ask anyone!”

And independent wrestling, to me, is the essence of wrestling. It is guys who are hungry, who are barely scraping by. It’s guys who are doing anything they can to get to that level where they can quit that day job in the sandwich shop, and make a living just by wrestling. Those are the guys, as I get older, that I love to cheer and boo.

Living in the Northeast, I’m lucky. There is wrestling just about every weekend – sometimes, several shows on the same day. If I wanted to, I could probably see a couple hundred shows a year – without going more than an hours drive from my home. Then again, I’d also be single if I did that.

So when the opportunity to write for Pro Wresting Insider Xtra was presented, I didn’t hesitate, and leaped at the chance. While there are some good websites out there that cover Indy Wrestling, they’re usually regional. Not much on the national scale. Hopefully, Pro Wrestling Insider Xtra will change that.

The World of Wrestling is a lot more than just one or two national promotions and a few large Indies.

From PWG in California to Gulf South Wrestling in Alabama to Southern Championship Wrestling in the Carolinas to the plethora of companies in the Northeast like Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling and Jersey All Pro Wrestling to various international companies like 1PW in England and IWS in Canada, and every place in between, north, south, east and west, Wrestling is EVERYWHERE.

And because of that, it’s a damned good time to be a wrestling fan.

What will this column be about? Well, probably, much like wrestling, just about everything under the sun. It might be random thoughts on wrestling, or me babbling on. It might be a review of a show I went to, or a write-up of an entire wrestling road trip. Maybe I’ll profile a wrestler who is particularly jazzing me at that moment. Like I said, anything under the sun.

When I get specific about promotions or wrestlers, it will probably be weighed heavily toward things here on the east coast, because, well, that’s where I live, and that’s mostly what I attend. I mean, of course, if you want to change that, I do accept DVDs of your promotion. Lol.

Anyway, this oughta be a fun ride. I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully along the way, I’ll entertain a person or two, and maybe someone will even look forward to reading my randomness. I do take questions, comments, and insults, so if you want, reach out to me at PWInsiderJosh@gmail.com.