Your Wrestling Story

[AK2V8]

Despite the fact that this is in no way to do with what is going on right now I felt like talking about something that me and fellow wrestling fans should talk about. Assuming you were a mark at one stage of your life, I have a question for you. What killed wrestling for you. Was it a match you saw? a mate or relative that told you the ugly truth?. Well here is my story on how I lost mine. First I will tell you how I got into pro wrestling. I grew up in Nelson, New Zealand. A city that had no idea wrestling even exsisted. I move to Auckland at the age of 8 and I go to my cousins house who are watching lthe ast man standing between Big Show and Shane McMahon at Backlash on live pay-per-view. I watch it instantly rooting for Shane believing that what I am watching is a real sport. I see Shane jump off the titantron and fall through the ramp and I scream "HOLY SHIT". After seeing that I quickly learn the wrestlers names and watch nearly every pay-per-view after that. I pick up mark traits such as getting pissed off at heelish tactics and standing to my feet whenever a babyface made a "come back". After a whole year of being a mark I started getting used to seeing things that would only happen in pro wrestling. Now the story of what killed wrestling for me. For some insane reason I decide to watch OVW and its "The Machine" Doug Basham defending the OVW title against Leviathan (aka Dave Bautista). My white uncle (white New Zealanders hate wrestling, brown New Zealanders don't), is watching and goes on about how "fake" wrestling is. I observe the match and see some shit happen such as Basham throughing some "powder" onto the ref and Batista throwing Basham but Danny runs 2 metres and smacks his face onto the ringpost. After the match I google professional wrestling. The definition goes on about theatre shit and "pre-determined events with a villian facing the fan favourite" and blahblahblah. This information hurt me for a while and I didn't watch a wrestling show until Royal Rumble 2005.

My questions:
How did you get into wrestling?
What do non-wrestling fan friends of yours say about pro wrestling?
What killed wrestling for you if you at one point were ever a mark?

I wanna know

 

[bigpawpa27]

How did you get into wrestling?

I grew up during the 1980's in Dallas and I would always go to the Sportatorium in Dallas on Friday's with my mom and her best friend from high school. We'd watch the matches and I was a big Von Erich fan and scared of Kamala due to the way he was painted up. Of course I was around six or seven during this time.

What do non-wrestling fan friends of yours say about pro wrestling?

I would always hear them ask me why I would watch that and always hear questions about how it wasn't real.

What killed wrestling for you if you at one point were ever a mark?

The thing that killed wrestling for me was the fact I started going to a friend of mines wrestling matches and started meeting a lot of the people from the show. I started to learn about some of the stuff that went on backstage and it killed it for me. I haven't been able to enjoy a live event since that time.

 

[pag_v1]

How did you get into wrestling?

Living in Aus back in 96-97 the only Wrestling you really saw on TV was to get a Pay TV Subscriber (its the same way now to a degree, they did shows WWF Superstars on Normal TV for awhile during the attitude era, but was short lived, and i think they show the WWE Experience now, but eh), during this time my family decided to get the pay TV channels and my dad flicked it over to WWF, i can't remember the exact angle but it had that masked member of the Oddities (who carried the Cartman doll around, i can't think of his name) anyway they were having a promo against Mankind at the time. I was hooked. My father immediately spoiled that it wasn't real, and etc, but i didn't care, i mean for awhile i believed the guys actually hated each other, but knew the matches were pre-determined etc.

I think he flicked to WCW and Hogan was on with the NWO, and My father was getting sort of into it, telling me about Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and Ultimate Warrior from his day, and i was like, WHO? but yeah it grew from there.

What do non-wrestling fan friends of yours say about pro wrestling?

The usual, what do you watch that shit for? It's fake etc, Here in Aus its all Rugby, AFL and Cricket, i don't mind some Rugby but it's not a must have sport for me as it can be somewhat boring at times, and Cricket is boring as fuck. So i just loved wrestling, still do, though it isn't the same anymore, but that's the same with everything. But yeah no matter how much i'd in some ways defend Wrestling, and say so what it's Pre-determined, It's Damn entertaining, and you can't tell me them guys falling off a cage have training in that etc (Jim Ross with his "How does one learn to fall off a cage" comes to mind).

One friend though actually congratulated me on finally watching some sort of contact sport, even though it was wrestling, (i was a bit of a nerd back then, never really liked violent things, boxing etc that has since changed)

Ironically years later at a party these same guys that used to give me shit, were deep in conversation about how they were looking forward to WM22, and all that, the convo was good but it struck as weird these Football jocks had suddenly developed a love for wrestling as well, not a bad thing, but funny how things turn out.

What killed wrestling for you if you at one point were ever a mark?

I don't think i was a full mark, as i said the first real time i saw it my dad spoiled the realism withing the first minute, i was a mark in that i believed the guys hated each other legitimately at first, but after a bout a year, and starting to really look into wrestling sites such as this etc i figured it out, and didn't really care. I Understand how it was 'killed' for you, but i guess it wasn't really killed for me i was entertained, and it just was something i liked watching so it wasn't really akin to finding out Santa Claus isn't real for me, if u catch my meaning.

But yeah i still watch for the Entertainment and being a fan, that and those rare moments when a decent match happens and last more then 4 minutes, which sad to say is rarer then it was back then. But i'm a fan of great matches now, i really like watching for the art of wrestling, like when a match like HBK/Taker or HHH/Taker happens get excited and feel like a kid a bit and loose my self in the match. Been tracking down a lot of old ones as well. Sadly again though since Austin, Rock etc have stepped back great matches on a regular occurrence are rarer, but it makes it all that more special as a fan when one does happen. And i always tune in when a Wrestler returns (Again like Austin, Rock), whether for a match or not. But to end i don't watch it quite as regularly as i did back then, i always get the monthly PPVs, but yeah unless something big is happening on the weekly shows or i hear of a good match, it's not like the old days where i had to watch every second of it.

 

[Lord_Frish]

White New Zealanders hate wrestling? I am white and I am from New Zealand and I am also a fan of wrestling.

I watched wrestling for as long as I can remember, my brother would hire out tapes of old PPVs all the time. I don't believe that any of my non wresling fan friends know about my like of wrestling. I just never actually bring it up in front of them, not due to being ashamed of it but simply that is not what I talk about with them. I can't recall I time I thought wrestling was real, I let the illusion of realism take over just like I would with any other TV show but I never thought that it was something real that I was watching.

 

[Defekt]

How did you get into wrestling?

When I was about 12 my grandma let me randomly order Royal Rumble 95 about 10 minutes before it started. I pretty much immediately became obsessed with it.

What do non-wrestling fan friends of yours say about pro wrestling?

We don't talk about it too much. They mostly just act like the matches are all irrelevant and it's a dumb interest to have. Occasionally they'll hear about something happening and think its funny.

What killed wrestling for you if you at one point were ever a mark?

One of my teachers overheard me talking about ordering WM 11, and told me it wasn't real. I didn't really believe him. I had a friend who was also into wrestling, but wasn't a mark. We would argue about how real it was all the time. I mostly kept the scripted nature of wrestling way in the back of my mind. Results were easier to predict back then, and I would usually have a good idea of how things would end, but I didn't dwell on it.

 

[Hourani777]

Good thread

I got into wrestling I was flipping through channels and I landed on the smackdown that jbl irst appeared as wwe champion and I loved it but I didn't no what time it was on again so I just left it but then I went to my cousins house after school and saw him watching summerslam 04 and I saw jbl get chokeslammed through the limo roof and my jaw dropped and then I watch Randy Orton win the title for the first time and I saw the passion in his eyes and the tears and since then I've loved it

They think it weird but I don't care wrestlings what I love and always will


Nothing ever has or will im a mark and big one at that

 

[Azane]

Got into wrestling right before attitude, had a cousin who showed me a WCW television event, and eventually found WWF, and went back and forth between them. The storys engaged me, and I got hooked on them.

Non Wrestling fans "Its fake. Fake, Fake, Fake" etc... When I explain to them about scripting vs faking, they change the subject. Not many people enjoyed that I watched wrestling with watched it past ~ 2000.

What Killed wrestling for me, was the Undertaker's specialty match being buried alive, but it seems like he always tends to lose them. I took a break around the invasion storyline, mostly because they executed it poorly and centered it around home made stars vs the actual WCW and ECW stars. I came back around the time Edge was feuding with Taker, and I guess I got past the scripting part, and I actually began enjoying wrestling more knowing the tricks. Watching politics and backstage BS come out in storylines, and being in on all the WWF's inside jokes has made the product more fun for me in a way.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

How did you get into wrestling?

My first exposure was having cheap little "thumb wrestlers" of WCW guys Sting, Goldberg, and Randy Savage you'd put on your thumb and have a thumb wrestling match with someone. And having a copy of sports illustrated for kid's magazine issue that said "Is Pro Wrestling a sport?" which talked about WCW.

But my real big exposure was flipping through channels and saw Hollywood Hulk Hogan run a truck into an ambulance with The Rock in it. Been following it ever since.

What do non-wrestling fan friends of yours say about pro wrestling?

IT'S FAKE! IT'S SO GAY BECAUSE THEY ARE HALF NAKED MEN TOUCHING EACH OTHER! THEY SOUND STUPID WHEN THEY TALK!

I usually have to explain everything, or show them clips of hardcore wrestling or other matches with guys bleeding like crazy (Eddie Guerrero at Judgment Day 2004 I used a lot) to get them to shut up about the whole "fake" thing.

What killed wrestling for you if you at one point were ever a mark?

I always knew it was fake, but I didn't care. The rest of my family would watch fake TV shows, so why can't I?

 

[Hardcore Heathen]

I first got into wrestling when my mum married someone who liked it (his mum who was like 70 loved edge lol) this was about 2003 and i think it was around about the kand unmasking thing? I just loved the guys mask. Then i went awhile without watching until about 2006-2007.

What my friends say is like Its Fake!!1 Why they wear tight shorts?! Lolz and then i Retort you cant fake Gravity but they do it in such a way that it doesnt hurt as much. Normally shuts em up.
And i suggest showin them the Taipei Death Match with The Rottens.

What Killed it for me is me. The First time I Watched it i was sayin ITS FAKE!!111. But Eventually i got into it mostly for the Athleticism.
Great Thread BTW

 

[Iversen]

How did you get into wrestling?

The way I assume most kids do, through friends the playground etc. I can't really remember a defining moment it was just always there. As a kid I didn't watch it often because I didn't have Sky so didn't have access to it. Used to go round a mates to watch it.

What do non-wrestling fan friends say about it?

Very little to be honest. They all know that these guys are athletes either way and quite frankly as far as I'm aware they don't give a shit what I watch on the tele. My two flat mates for example have never really mentioned it. I don't slag them off when they watch the rugby so they aren't going to slag me off for watching wrestling.

What killed wrestling?

I always knew it was fake even before I watched. When I did start watching it was pretty obvious as well as 90% of these moves if executed to their potential could damn near kill someone. I don't know why I got so into it despite that to be honest but I did.

 

[ctln4rko]

How did you get into wrestling?
My mom went out for a date one night, and I was just surfing the channels. I land on the CW57, and I see this dude dressed in red and wearing sunglasses. Apparently his name was MVP. Then this huge dude comes out, The Great Khali, and dominates him. I've loved it ever since. Every now and then,I invite my friends over and we all watch the PPV, which early on really made me love wrestling.

What do non-wrestling fan friends say about it?
My idiotic non wrestling friends say it's fake, it's stupid, and one of my ex friends would always root for the coolest looking. (At the RR 2010, he was screaming WHITE POWER and cheering Sheamus.)

What killed wrestling?

Originally I didn't know it was fake, so when i officially found I, I was really depressed, but got over it and still love it

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I just sort of fell into watching it during the Attitude era when all my friends became big fans, and I just tried to get hold of as many tapes as I could, read the magazines, bought the computer games and t-shirts and just became a HUGE fan.

Nothing in particular spoiled it for me, but I much prefer the more edgy and violent Attitude Era compared to the PG era we are currently in. When you compare the likes of Stone Cold, The Rock, Undertaker and Triple H at their peaks as champion, with the title holders we have now, there is such a difference in quality, character and match standards.

That era was amazing. As well as the wrestlers I have already mentioned, there was also guys like Benoit, Jericho, Guerrero, The Hardys, Dudleys, E&C, DX, the McMahons, the Hardcore title and regular WCW and ECW stars joining the company. It was awesome.

I was never a mark though. I was told immediately that wrestling was fake. However, the more I watched the more I picked up. As predetermined as it is, you cannot deny that the wrestlers take some serious punishement and its a brutal thing to be involved in. The punches as usually fake, but I refuse to call it all fake, as I know it isnt. Predetermined yes, with some fake aspects and they are playing characters, but not many people could do what they do.

 

[Slowdude]

How did you get into wrestling?
Back in 2003 wrestling was all the craze at my school. Me at the time wanting to fit in with the world started watching. The first thing I watched was the night Paul Heyman became the GM of SD and put Taker in a 2 on 1 handicap match against Lesnar/Show that Taker kept winning which set up Taker vs Vince so Taker could get buried alive. Then what really hooked me in. I ordered WM20 to see Taker vs Kane and Goldberg vs Lesnar not caring (and for the most part not knowing) what was on the rest of the card. Benoit winning the title was what really got me into it, the way JR sold Benoit's win with Eddie and Benoit's moment at the end just hooked me in for good.

What do non-wrestling fan friends of yours say about pro wrestling?
When wrestling stopped being "cool" (end of 2004 as we moved on to high school) no one really mentioned it again thus I never brought it up as I ended up being an outcast at school and admitting I watched wrestling wouldn't of helped my situation any better.

What killed wrestling for you if you at one point were ever a mark?
Well I always read the spoilers due to Raw/SD being aired later in Australia. Actually that New York crowd during the Goldberg/Lesnar match probably killed any form of mark in me with their you sold out and you both suck chants. It made me want to find out why which taught me about all the backstage rumours and what not.

 

[Post]

How did you get into wrestling?

I remember my older cousin Joe babysitting me as a small child. He would always watch the old NWA. I remember my first match was the Road Warriors beating the daylights out of some unlucky bastards. After that I was hooked. He later showed me the WWF and I haven't turned away since. As a kid, wrestling was everything for me. Even though my dad had me playing soccer, hockey, and baseball, wrestling was my preference.

I was thrilled when I rediscovered NWA/WCW...it was a nice change from WWF programming, and the shows never aired at the same time. I always bought the action figures and set up ppv cards every day.


What do non-wrestling fan friends of yours say about pro wrestling?

I got into wrestling so you that it was acceptable by everyone. As a child, it seemed like most of my friends were into it. Hulk Hogan was a household name and the product was safe to parents. As I got older, I realized that some people were highly critical of wrestling and would try to ruin it for me. I didn't let them. In high school, my friends and I were pretty damn popular. We were all athletes, on student council, and got good grades...AND...we were all wrestling fans. At one point we were pissed off at our school administration and all wore the black and white nWo shirts in protest...ridiculous, I know.

What killed wrestling for you if you at one point were ever a mark?

Wrestling hasn't been killed for me, but it is coming close. The whole "entertainment" term is slowly killing wrestling for me. Do not disassociate from the word that made you. Wrestling is NOT a dirty word.

 

[poppycock]

I got into wrestling in the early 90's when I was about 7 or 8. I remember being taken to a video store and allowed to choose a video.. I am not really sure why but the video I chose was Summerslam 1992 and from then on I was a fan of pro wrestling. I used to watch Summerslam over and over until lines started to appear and so I needed some new wrestling videos.. they just so happend to be two best of Hulk Hogan videos which I also watched over and over until I wore them all out after years of viewing abuse. The Undertaker was my favourite wrestler even though I had only seen him beat Kamala at Summerslam and lose to Hulk Hogan on one of the best of videos.

Skip a few years down the line and I would try catch WCW on TV everytime it was on whilst lending WWF PPV's off my school friend as I never had Sky/Cable TV at the time. Eventually my friend would record Raw for me too and this is how it was for me through most of the Attitude Era. Then around 2000 I got Sky and watched WWE passionately up until around 2004 when I started to lose interest and just catch it every once in a while. The last few years I have been watching on a regular basis again.

My friends don't really care and nor do I care what they think.

I just think lack of creativity killed wrestling for me.

 

[Mustang Sally]

How did you get into wrestling?

By being Daddy's girl. Can I say that?

Too late, I already did.

I discovered WWF when I was 6, by wanting to watch with my Dad, who was a huge fan of pro wrestling. My 4-year-old brother was with us too, but he didn't know what the hell he was watching; he just liked the excitement.

Well, so did I. My first hero was Randy Savage and my first female role model was Elizabeth (hey, I was 6!), but I loved the whole spectacle. There were skits, music, comedy, athleticism, and soap opera. Everyone was so different: Macho man who was different from Hulk Hogan who was different from Junkyard Dog who was different from Ricky Steamboat. Even Bruno Sammartino was there in a backstage role, although he still occasionally got in the ring.

My Mother would shake her head sadly as she watched the three of us yelling at the TV and jumping out of our chairs. My brother and I would be drop-kicking each other around the living room and my Dad enjoyed the whole thing. When I was 30 and stopped at home, Dad and I still watched it together.

What turned me off to wrestling? Nothing!.....I loved it then and I love it now. It's got more variety than any show I've ever seen, and it's "something-for-everyone" programming makes me think of what Vaudeville must have been like in the early 20th century.

 

[Blush]

How did you get into wrestling?

My Mom, of all people. Wrestling has been on TV ever since I can remember, so it's what I got hooked on as a tot. (80's, ftw!) It's really the only thing my Mom and I have in common, other than textile arts. Oh, and UFC and any other wrestling or MMA promotions. I'll watch it all.

What do non-wrestling fan friends of yours say about pro wrestling?

Don't bother to talk about it much. Many people who hear I like it start asking stupid questions and saying: "You know it's fake, right?"

I currently watch 3-4 wrestling shows per week, not including 'net matches or DVDs and my cousin (Who is 32) keeps asking me if it's real or not and if the stories are actually scripted. Or if obvious botches really hurt and are on purpose.

What killed wrestling for you if you at one point were ever a mark?

Never killed it for a second. It actually made it more enjoyable for me. I do recall some instances that I had questions tho. I forget the match or who was in it, but one guy was going for a bodyslam and I was looking at it at a totally different view after being at school and having to do those danged "My body is mine" classes. I must've been around 7 and I was all upset because all the guys were "molesting" each other and not reporting it to the authorities.

 

[Stuntz]

Shit....I grew up sayin my prayers and eating my vitamins. I watched WWF Superstars Every saturday morning growing up. Loved Hogan at the time cause I was a kid and he preached directly to me on his promos. Macho-man, Jake the Snake, KoKo B Ware, and the Junk yard Dog. I cant remember exactly what match got me into it but hell that was close to 30 years ago. I also vaguelt remember going to the Chase in the city watching it live and meeting all the guys in the back (Mom worked as a paramedic backstage), which was a hell of a treat.

My friends dont say anything about it because they knew i trained and actually "faked" it in the ring at one time and if anyone brings up how fake it is I just show them the scar on my hairline from being busted open for real by a chair(which my current wife freaked out about cause she was there). Anyway none of my buddies really care about it but if they come over occasionally and watch it if I have it on.

I only lost interest once and that was before the Monday night wars when WWF was at its worst then I went into the Navy in 95 and when the attitude era started we were over seas and a buddy got about 3 months of WWF and WCW everything and we watched that over the next few weeks and that was when Austin 3:16 was born. I have been hooked back on it since.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The first match I ever saw was Hogan VS Andre, I am barely old enough to remember it. I never looked back. Although my first real heroes in wrestling were Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. There was always someone there for me to relate to and keep my interest whether it was Hogan, Hart, Michaels, Stone Cold, The Rock, Trips, Cena, or Orton. There's always been someone for me to root for all these years. Most of my non-wrestling fan friends think it's stupid. I roll my eyes at that. I like it and my true friends accept that about me. I'm a lifelong WWE fanboy, that's likely never going to change. Nothing ever "killed" wrestling for me although for a while during the Post-War Era I almost gave up on it when they were pushing Lesnar and American Badass. I came back a stronger fan than ever though during Cena's rise to the top.