I’m thirty six years old and I’ve been a wrestling fan for about twenty four of them. In that time, pro-wrestling has played a pivotal role in my life, serving as more than mere entertainment. Pro-wrestling has inspired me to be a better writer, a better podcaster, and a better person.

It has enlightened me on the role art plays in our lives, and it’s made me appreciate the craft that goes into constructing a wrestling match. I’ve gained friends and colleagues through pro-wrestling, people I trust and admire. Put simply, I can’t separate my growth as a person from my fandom of pro-wrestling. Realizing that, I decided to create this list, Ten Ways Pro-Wrestling Changed My Life.

Let’s begin…

THE REALITY OF WRESTLING OR: WHY EVERYTHING IS FAKE

I believe in professional wrestling.

Like any other storytelling medium, the theater of pro-wrestling can inspire, enlighten, and unite. The transcendent power of a pro-wrestling match is best comprehended by those viewers caught in The Moment of Pop - that instant where the onlooker forgets what they're watching is staged and is inspired to rise to their feet or sink into their seat.

In that millisecond of purity, all contrivance fades.

The Magic Of Wrestling Action Figures

I held Anakin Skywalker in my hands, and I felt nothing.

For the first time in my life, an action figure wasn’t anything more than a piece of cheap plastic. His poorly molded head stared up at me, devoid of magic. His unarticulated arm was stiff so that a lightsaber would go in and out the hilt extending from his hand, making it appear as though the blade could be turned on and off; the kind of gimmick I always hated even as a little kid. Toys with “Chop action!” buttons, bells, and whistles assumed I didn’t have an imagination. His fixed pose felt like an insult to my intelligence.

My mom sat next to me in the car, watching me open two more figures inspired by Attack of the Clones: a similarly stiff Obi-Wan Kenobi and a tiny Padme Amidala. We were in the parking lot of Wal-Mart, our custom during these sacred action figure openings.

The Anatomy Of WWE Backstage Segmen

I haven't watched a full episode of RAW in over three months.

I catch up by way of clips on Twitter and I skim through Hulu's already abridged version. I spend most of my time perusing the promos, the skits, and whatever vignettes there may be, cramming the broad strokes of the larger narratives so that I might be able to pass whatever WWE-quiz comes my way. Altogether, after also checking up on SmackDown, I've condensed my WWE-viewership into about thirty minutes a week (unless there's a pay-per-view and then that duration naturally increases).

The result is that I'm a much happier human being, and I'm probably a lot easier to be around. I don't obsess about booking decisions. I don't bicker with anyone online. I don't care about anyone's criticism of my criticisms. The imagined judgements of some phantom "real pro-wrestling fan" have vacated my mind, replaced with a sense of peace and the ability to interact with pro-wrestling in a healthier way on my own terms.

Raw Improvements In The New Era

The WWE has embarked upon its self-proclaimed "New Era".

The past two months, this idea has taken concrete form in a strict separation between the shows Monday Night Raw & SmackDown Live (separate rosters, brand-specific stories, brand-specific championships, and brand-specific divisions), a renewed focus on the significance of earning a Championship opportunity or victory, showcasing talent that might typically be underutilized, new General Managers in the form of Daniel Bryan for SmackDown & Mick Foley for RAW, and a variety of structural and aesthetic changes to both shows. It is an experiment still in its infancy, and like many experiments it results in some successes and some failures.

INSANE CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING: YOU WILL KNOW THEIR NAME

"Here we, here we, here we fucking go!"

With these words, Glasgow-based independent pro-wrestling promotion ICW declares itself to the world. This is more than a chant.

This is a battle-cry

The Architects of the Attitude Era: A Retrospective on Steve Austin vs Dude Love

The Attitude Era wasn't great because it was raunchy, sleazy, blood-soaked, extreme, and testosterone-fueled. In fact, all those segments, matches, and angles from The Attitude Era that weren't good were the ones that could be easily reduced to a set of trendy adjectives.

The assertion many modern professional wrestling fans make is that The Attitude Era was "so much better" than today's TV-PG Era, without offering a worthwhile explanation as to why. This noisy group of armchair critics likes to cite "Better promos", "getting color", "more interesting characters", "cooler stables", and "better angles" as adequate precedent. Working alongside that lack of an explanation is the unavoidably revisionist history that comes with nostalgia. Moments of time that were distinct, perhaps entirely unrelated, get lumped together and cataloged as the same event; Shawn Michaels chopping his crotch, Triple H sitting on a cannon, Chyna giving low blows, The Rock raising an eyebrow, Steve Austin stunning Vince McMahon, and Mick Foley falling off a cell.

ENLIGHTENMENT IN I AM SANTA CLAUS

EDITORIALSTim KailNovember 26, 2014christmas, documentary, enlightenment, film, i am santa claus, mankind, mick foley, professional wrestling, santa claus, sexuality, tommy avallone, wwe

MICK FOLEY: A WRESTLER FOR ALL MANKIN

EDITORIALSTim KailOctober 16, 2014cactus jack, chris jericho, cm punk, daniel bryan, dude love, dwayne johnson, ecw, i am santa claus movie, mankind, mick foley, professional wrestling, the rock, triple h, wcw, wwe

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