Blehschmidt Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 When I was a kid, my Dad ran his own business 60 hours a week, couple that with his two bad knees, and we never had a "let's go outside and play ball" kind of relationship. What we did have was a "you can stay up late on Monday nights with me, and we can watch some Prime Time Wrestling" kind of relationship. From there the addicition spiraled, and I picked up all of the weekend WWF jobber shows, and then one Saturday at 6:05 I saw a completely different kind of wrestling and started watching that two. Then everyday at 4 on ESPN was something else, and the addiction was growing. My mother hated it then, still hates it now. My Dad is hot and cold on the whole thing. Someone said earlier that the family thought it would be "a phase I would grow out of" and I think my family thought the same thing. In school, I definitely tried to keep it on the down low for a long time, mostly because of "that's all fake" or "that's gay." My closest friends new I liked it, and most of them enjoyed it to some degree or another. Then as I was getting ready to finish high school, the Attitude Era came along and now kids who had previously shown little to no interest were wearing Stone Cold and nWo shirts and it was cool. So, I started to wear my shirts to school, even getting in a little trouble for my EC F'N W shirt right before I graduated! I met my wife in high school, and fortunately for me, her little brother was a big wrestling fan, so she was used to it, and when I would go visit, I would watch with him or look at his wrestling figures, which I think helped endear me to the future in-laws! At most of my jobs I have been open about it if the subject came up, maybe not acknowledging the degree to which I am obsessed, but at least admitting to being a fan. Now that I am 35, married for 14 years, and not really giving a shit what people think anymore, I am totally honest about it. My Facebook page is full of pictures I've taken with wrestlers over the years. I wear the t-shirts I've picked up at indy shows in everyday life. Two years ago, I started doing some ring announcing for a local company, so that makes it pretty hard to hide when people see me in the ring, and I get tagged in Facebook pictures for that all the time. So yeah, I am pretty open about it. Am I gonna tell people I could buy a new car with what I've spent on wrestling dvd's.....probably not! But I am no longer ashamed to admit to being a fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwide Schrude Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I don't hide it from anyone. In fact, on the brochure advertising for the magnet school I teach at, I had them put "big pro wrestling fan" in my bio. I talk to my students about it, too. It's funny because some of them think it's real (high school seniors). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Who would hide being a wrestling fan? Someone who wants to get laid on a regular basis If you can't get laid "because I like wrestling" you probably have secondary issues there bro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I don't hide the fact that I'm a wrestling fan from anyone. I don't seek to promote it or interject it into conversations, but much the same way that I'd bring up other hobbies and interested, it may come up. I absolutely do hide the extent to which its a passion from people I don't know too well. Its one thing for my friends & family to appreciate it or break balls about it, but there is no question I get some looks / raised eyebrows and who knows what kind of judging resulting from peoples' preconceived notions. Its one thing to tell folks I'm going to Mania with a couple friends because its local, like I did last year. Its another to explain that in addition to Mania, I've got the WON, PWO, TVs every week and then oh yeah, those hundreds of DVDs in sleeves that I value so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Everyone knows that I'm a wrestling fan. Even the women I've been with, it came up pretty early in the topics of conversation. One of my exes gave me a lot of shit for it but always did so in a joking way, she didn't really care. Honestly, I think she liked that I was so passionate about something. She was into her stuff & I was into mine. In high school, which seems like forever ago now, I was known as "the wrestling guy" & for a long time even thought I was going to become a wrestler as a profession. That was during the height of the Monday Night Wars so it actually made me pretty popular. I went to high school from 1996-2000 & pretty much wore a wrestling shirt, usually ECW shirts, everyday of the week. Steve Austin & the nWo blew up & they were selling wrestling shirts even in the damn mall. I never pursued that profession as I was scared off by horror stories of injuries, scumbags & low pay, but I'm still a big wrestling fan & everyone, for the most part, that I come into contact with finds out pretty early. I just don't think it's a big deal. Going to live shows is fun, even for non-fans. Just like people that don't watch baseball might still enjoy going to Wrigley Field on a nice day (in example). And when I watch it on TV, it's no different, to me, than someone else making time in their schedule to watch any other program. On Monday, 8-11, I'm watching RAW. I've watched pro-wrestling since I was like five or six years old. I'm in my thirties now, it's a part of my life. It's just who I am. I don't hide who I am, or what I'm into, from anyone. They either accept me for who I am, or they're not in my life, ya know? I'm not going to lie to myself & others to attempt to garner acceptance from someone. I watch wrestling, I read comic books, I play video games. I worked in a nerd hobby shop for a few years, played Magic: The Gathering for almost 20 years & even qualified for the Pro Tour. I have nerdy tendencies. So what? Everyone has something that they're into. I post that shit still on my Facebook & Twitter. If someone doesn't like it or isn't into it, they can ignore it or de-friend me. I'm a big dude with a lot of self-confidence & don't really fear confrontation, so maybe that's why I have a different outlook, I'm not sure. It's just not something that was ever embarrassing to me. Maybe it's because I'm a big sports guy too? I used to play football & baseball. I'm still a big sports fan & follow along with that as well. So wrestling is just one of the "sports" that I follow along with, in addition to MLB, NFL, Notre Dame & NBA. I also grew up & still live in the Midwest though, which has always kind of been a hot bed for pro-wrestling, so I generally think it's more accepted around here anyway but even if it wasn't, I'm not overly concerned with what the fuck other people think about me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slackermillionaire Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 My friends and family know I am a fan, I think my friends have only just started to con on to the fact how big of a fan I am. Friends will come over and I will be watching New Japan or The Best of the Freebird set and they realize "oh shit he is really into it". It is not a big deal though, most of my friends all have that one thing that they are into be it fantasy literature or anime or comic books or something of the sort. It might be because I am younger (24 years old) but it seems all of my friends are into something that would be considered geeky yet on the surface none of my friends resemble a typical geek at all (most of them are jocky dudes or are in lofi bands), it seems with my generation and the rise of geek culture, it is acceptable to be in to such things. I have brought girls back to my place before who have seen my Wrestling DVD collection, I simply explain that I have watched wrestling since I was kid and it is something I love and most just smile and say cool. I don't force anyone to watch it with me, I barely talk about it with anybody else because no one I know has even a passing interested in it but I have never received much backlash from it, expect when the occasional person will say "You do know it is fake right?" to which I will quickly reply " I am a complete fucking idoit, I have been watching wrestling for 15 years and never knew it was fake. Thank you for your wisdom" and the person normally feels embarrassed for asking such a stupid question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exposer Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Everyone knows. I've been pretentious about it in the past though. I think that has come from some friends giving me shit for it over the years and me just reacting by bragging about "rating wrestling" or something. That was mostly in high school. In middle school I had tons of friends who watched wrestling and we talked about it regularly. Interestingly, they all stopped around the Benoit murder-suicide. I have been open about it as long as I can remember. When my brother Dustin and I were kids we created a neighborhood "wrestling federation" out of our friend's garage. So, it wasn't frowned upon at the time. I have always been an eccentric person but in a positive way. I had a lot of friends in middle and high school. I didn't have "best" friends. I was one of those kids who hung out with everyone. They knew I was a fan and sometimes gave me shit about it but mostly just said "That's just Devon being Devon. We expect that out of him." When I got to college everyone still found out eventually. I've gotten some weird looks and laughs for it but I don't care. I was helping a friend move into a dorm this past fall and I was wearing my WM 27 shirt and some girl was mocking me for it in some ridiculous voice and I was just like "yep, I was there," and she kept trying to be funny about it but I just ignored her. The key to be an open wrestling fan is to have other interests. I have loads of interest. My wrestling fandom is very personal even if I discuss it sometimes with friends. I love TV, music, movies, sports, reading, hiking, and food. That gives me a lot of options to socialize with people. It's not that hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Bunch of kids and southerners. Though, for the sake of amusement, I have an e-mail account I only use for wrestling. I have very few DVDs and I usually send them on to someone when I'm done watching them. Right now I'll buy the 80s projects because, given the way my life is set up, I really like the social aspect of watching them. I mainly watch stuff when I'm on the exercise bike or in the background at work since most of the time I'm home and not biking, I'm doing stuff with my family (and even when I am biking, I'm usually watching something else with the kid as well and I just have it on my tablet/laptop on the tv tray by my bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exposer Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 When I'm at my buddy's place while waiting for everyone to get up and do something I'll pull out my phone and watch pimped current stuff. At home I'll watch at anytime of the day. Usually, I watch in the evening or very late at night. I watch Raw live every week. My Dad and brother Dustin watch it with me. I tape Main Event and Smackdown most weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I don't necessarily hide it but I don't mention it off hand. As some have said, I'll reference wrestling all the time but in my age group (early 20s), we were kids when the Attitude era caught on in a big way in the UK so dropping a reference to Stone Cold or Vince McMahon is just considered par for the course. Because it was such a big part of us being kids, I don't think people would say much if I said I was continuing to watch old Memphis shows on Youtube or anything like that, it would just be considered a hobby. But I have friends who obsess over delta blues, silent comedy and cycling as a sport so I might just have a strange group of friends in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I'll never actively hide it, but I also won't advertise it overmuch. This one dude at work always asks me "Do you know what time it is?" when he gives me break. My common response is... *angry, deeper tone* "It's Vader Time!" But I very rarely bring it up in conversation. Not sure how I would respond if my kung fu teacher (who hates pro wres) asked me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetlag Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 This reminds me a little of a situation I had with a friend of mine a while ago. She was really concerned that people would ridicule her if she admitted that she loved classical music, but at the same time had no problem talking about her love of cheesy hollywood movies. Maybe it's because I live in a country where pretty much everybody indulges in Trash TV, or because I'm younger (20) and the people I surround myself with, but hiding your love of wrestling seems silly in these days and ages, as long as it's not your only hobby (to be fair, if I met somebody who watches 5+ hours of WWE a week and spends lot of time gossiping about backstage stuff online I'd probably think that person is pretty weird too). Actually, I've gotten more shit on online message boards for watching "obscure" wrestling like lucha or shootstyle, while explaining the concepts of lucha de apuestas or exoticos makes for pretty amusing conversation with people who are foreign to the subject. I don't really have a fellow fan that I chat about current wrestling to, but then I don't follow current wrestling closely anyways. About girls and getting laid, I've experienced very little problem. I guess it helps that wrestling has inspired me to join BJJ and amateur wrestling classes - girls dig a guy who can handle himself on the mat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Casebolt Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Nope. I've never gotten any grief about it, either, except from one uncle who could never resist the "that's so fake!" when it was on tv. Of course, he can't help doing the same thing when watching Rocky. It's like some kind of Tourrette's with him. I was in college in the Attitude Era, and would watch Raw in the dorm on my girlfriend's tv. It bothered her so much she married me. On the professional front, I used wrestling terminology to explain to actors how to do fight scenes and wrote my Master's thesis on the influence of gambling on 19th c. pro wrestling. One of my committee members sort of held my whole topic in contempt, but he likewise treats pretty much everything that way, and my committee chair was a 60+ gentleman from South Carolina who was a long lapsed fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 You ever meet someone who REALLY hates wrestling? I don't mean the whole, "Ah that shit is stupid and fake" types but the guys who act as if it's existence is an affront to them on a visceral level? I knew a guy back in Jersey like that. He was the lead bartender at our local neighborhood bar and if wrestling came up, he just start railing and frothing about it. Had something to do with him having been a star wrestler in school and Pro Wrestling just offended him on a level that seemed crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steenalized Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Nope. I've never gotten any grief about it, either, except from one uncle who could never resist the "that's so fake!" when it was on tv. Of course, he can't help doing the same thing when watching Rocky. It's like some kind of Tourrette's with him. I was in college in the Attitude Era, and would watch Raw in the dorm on my girlfriend's tv. It bothered her so much she married me. On the professional front, I used wrestling terminology to explain to actors how to do fight scenes and wrote my Master's thesis on the influence of gambling on 19th c. pro wrestling. One of my committee members sort of held my whole topic in contempt, but he likewise treats pretty much everything that way, and my committee chair was a 60+ gentleman from South Carolina who was a long lapsed fan. In fairness, the boxing in Rocky is really, really bad if you want to see an emulated fight. They don't come close to landing on each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cross Face Chicken Wing Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Had something to do with him having been a star wrestler in school and Pro Wrestling just offended him on a level that seemed crazy. I interviewed Nord the Barbarian's kid at the high school state wrestling tournament once. I wanted to ask him if he ever thought about stomping around the mat and yelling "huss! huss!" to intimidate his opponents, but I held back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 I think there's something to the points made about how being an "old school" wrestling fan plays better than watching the current product. Telling someone you enjoy it for nostalgia purposes positions it with other nostalgia entertainment. When it comes up, I usually tell people I watch old stuff from when I was a kid, and that prompts a conversation either about the Hogan era or the Attitude era. I'm not particularly "closeted" although I don't advertise it. I don't hide it - if someone's staying with me and I want to watch wrestling while I'm on the treadmill, I do it. People who know me know that I'm smart and also a little eccentric - it doesn't seem to detract from their opinion of my intelligence, but it might make them think I'm a bit weird. My fiancee is probably the only one who knows roughly how much wrestling I watch. Blessedly, she was a fan in the Attitude era and gets it, even if she only infrequently watches it with me. She's enjoyed going to Colt Cabana's live podcast and wrestling comedy shows with me. I have one good friend who comes over and we watch 80s stuff and bullshit for a few hours, maybe once every six weeks or so. I'm generally fine enjoying things alone, but it is nice to watch in a social setting every now and then. Also, I would absolutely wear a GoodHelmet t-shirt. I have enough t-shirts of all sorts that no one would bat an eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 So, how open are you in your pro wrestling fandom? Will you ever come out of the closet? I'm open about it if it comes up, but don't waste time talking about it to non-fans. It's a bit like being a Beatles Fan: I'm not evangelical about it, and really couldn't be bother to talk about them to someone who isn't a fan or doesn't have a question on them. On the other hand, I will drop Big Lebowski and Animal House quotes on people, and get that look of, "WITF are you talking about?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 If I hadn't been uneducated enough to be a non-Beatles fan for the first 25 years of my life, I'd wonder how there were actually people who didn't love them. But I agree with that point on both wrestling and the Beatles, no point in trying to win them over if they aren't already there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted February 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I convert kids into loving the Beatles every year. You can't do the same with wrestling. Most teenagers already have decided if they will be wrestling fans by that point. They haven't already decided what music will appeal to them for the rest of their lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Has anyone here gotten into wrestling despite not liking before, say, the age of 12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victory Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Only my close friends and family know I watch wrestling. I definitely don't go around advertising I like wrestling. If it happens to come up in a conversation I will try and figure out how big of a fan they are before I really reveal how much I enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo-Yo's Roomie Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I used to keep it to myself, and be quite embarrassed about it, frankly, but now I don't give a shit who knows. If my wife could accept it, why should I care what anyone else thinks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted February 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Has anyone here gotten into wrestling despite not liking before, say, the age of 12? I know of people who got into wrestling in their early 20s during the Attitude Era / Monday Night Wars. I know of people my age who watched wrestling in the 1980s but skipped out on the early 1990s only to come back for the Monday Night Wars. I would be interested in the answer to this question as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 "Who actually watched wrestling in 1994-5?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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