Rasslmania

It is Mania week on BBSD so I thought I would write my blog on Rasslin! Yes I know how I spelled it. That's how I say it too. You see I'm from Texas and down here it is Rasslin.




My love affair with this "sport" began back in the early 80's as I was growing up and watching Wold Class Championship Wrestling(WCCW). As a matter of fact, I would plan my entire weekend around it back then. At the wise old age of 4, I knew Rasslin would be a big part of my life for years to come. I even made my parents plan their weekend around it too. I had better have been in front of a TV on Saturday night from 10-Midnight and 11am-Noon on Sundays, or there was toddler hell to pay. My parents seemed to know the score, and would do everything they could to oblige. WCCW was pretty much my babysitter come Saturday night...and I was just fine with that. My parents and their friends would be listening to Waylon Jennings or Hank Jr outside on the patio, and I would have my little ass glued to the sofa watching WCCW. My folks knew I would be well-behaved and not cause any trouble...for those two hours at least.

Here is a little history lesson for you. In the 80's, in the DFW area, WCCW was huge. It was way bigger then even WWE is now. The Television Sports programs would cover it, Q102 the legendary rock radio station in Dallas was at The Sportatorium covering it Friday Nights and the Dallas Times Herald would print up the results in the sports section. This was back before everyone with a computer knew what kayfabe was. It was a time when The Von Erich's and Freebirds feud was redefining wrestling.



WCCW in its heyday was better than any other Rasslin or Wrestling product ever put out there. Sorry but it's true. Damn True!

It was real...it was gritty...it was believable. I might have been just a gullible kid, but I was truly scared of Skandor Akbars' Devastation, Inc. The entire city believed Chris Adams was Benedict Arnold when he turned heel by busting up Kevin Erich's grill at the Cotton Bowl.




But unfortunately nothing good can last forever. Fritz Von Erich sold WCCW to the Jarretts, the flamboyant one Eric Embory was World Champion, and I was checking out. It was then that I turned my attention to the WWF. See, I was familiar with the WWF since I had all the action figures. I even watched their crappy WWF Superstars program but just didn't give it the attention I would for WCCW. Of course back then, the organizations were totally different. WCCW seemed real and WWF seemed cartoonish, gimmicky, and fake. But nonetheless, it had become the best wrestling program by default.

Hulk Hogan the Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant, and Macho Man Randy Savage were THE WWF. Sure it was entertaining...but it wasn't the same. I have to admit, I ended up losing interest in wrestling for a while after that. Besides picking up an occasional magazine at the supermarket, or renting a video from Blockbuster, I wasn't watching it.

Then the 90's rolled around. A new young WWE Superstar named Shawn Michaels became my new favorite! He was a Texas guy, he had attitude, and most of all he was real! I believed HBK was that cocky! By the time he had started DX, I was back in 100% just in time for the Monday Night Wars and attitude area. As much as I loved Shawn, Steve Austin, HHH, and the Rock, the NWO invasion angle on WCW grabbed my viewership on Mondays. That was until TNT started re-airing Nitro at 10pm. That certainly was dumb of them ratings-wise, but it was perfect for me! I would watch Raw first then Nitro second, and for about a year they made each other a better product. Yes that was a great era in Wrestling.

Then it hit a lull. A lull I think they are still trying to break out of. Every time there is something good going on, it seems like the WWE ends it way too quickly or drags it on way too long. With Wrestlmania 27 just a couple of days away, I want to think we have a chance at something special. I really hope Cena and Rock can develop into something great! I hope with all hope they can because quite honestly wrestling needs them. If it gets swept under the rug, or doesn't develop, then damn! I guess our lull will continue...and I don't think of us wants that.