Being a wrestling fan isn’t just straight forward. To keep an interest in the ‘sports entertainment’ world you have to be regularly up to date with the product you watch, whether it be independent shows, low rate cable shows or global shows such as TNA and the monster of them all, the WWE. It goes without saying really that a fan should have a vested interest in whatever they are passively or actively watching because otherwise you simply won’t get what is going on or easily criticise the product without having proper knowledge. For most wrestling fans they are sucked into the wrestling reality as children or young adults, being forced or enticed to watch DVD’s or TV shows featuring larger than life characters such as The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Andre The Giant, Triple H, Ric Flair, or for more modern viewers John Cena, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, Edge, Chris Jericho and AJ Styles. Regardless of how you get into the world of wrestling something sticks, whether you like it or not. Wrestling in these modern times is a lot like marmite: You either love it, or hate it!
If you’re not a fan of wrestling, or have little information of what it is, I’ll tell you. Professional Wrestling is a scripted, athletic sport; some people define it as “Sports Entertainment”, or for purists “Professional Wrestling”. Trained professionals tell stories in heated feuds to an audience which ultimately result in a match between the feuding pair or group. These events take place in federations, and within that take place in the weekly shows and Pay-Per-Views (PPV’s), just don’t anger a wrestling fan about the sport being fake whenever brought up in a conversation, we already know that, we watch because it is a male (and increasingly female) soap opera which fans have had a vested interest in.
Wrestling goes beyond the television. Personally live shows are electrifying and well worth the money; the charity work federations do is amazing, the risk and reward, the tolls and strains these professional athletes go through is simply amazing. The dedication fans have to one product is astonishing, however wrestling fans like to keep their love for the product to a minimum to their friends (mostly because they don’t understand it, and will find it easily to ridicule) even if they buy the merchandise, get the posters, order the PPV’s, watch the shows and collect the DVD’s. Fans nowadays keep their passion for the wrestling world online, where it is impossible to get ridiculed by a snobby friend, or judgemental parents, and just easier to enjoy it. Forums are a key vocal point for fans, social networking sites, particularly Twitter, Facebook and Bebo host hot debate and even virtual online wrestling (Often referred to as E’fedding), as well as websites dedicated solely to wrestling news, rumours, spoilers, superstar updates which make the wrestling universe accessible.
This blog is purely an introduction. I’ve been a wrestling fan since I can remember, go to live shows, always keep up to date with on goings in the wrestling world, buy the merchandise, watch the shows, and have a good knowledge of what is going down, and what is looking up in the wrestling world. This blog is strictly wrestling, going beyond normal views and opinions and expanding them to reach out to you, the audience, and hopefully I will demonstrate the “In Ring Issues” of yesterday, today and the future which will forever dictate wrestling.
Robert Austin.
“In Ring Issues”
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