What Wrestling Means To Me

Wrestling means different things to different people, so I asked my Twitter followers what it means to them, and these are the responses I got:

I’ve been sitting here for the last 40+ minutes trying to figure out how I should begin this particular blog post. I know in my heart what I want to say but when I type the words it just turns to shit because this is about something very near and dear to me personally and finding the words needed to do it justice seem fucking impossible. But fuck it. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens and in this case, also keep it simple. So here goes. Professional Wrestling has been a part of my life in one form or another since 1985. It was the inaugural WrestleMania, I was almost 9 years old and it was love at first sight. The beginning of a relationship that has endured to this very day. When times have been tough pro wrestling has always been there for me to provide a safe place where I could retreat and not have to worry about the troubles I was facing from the outside world. Whether it was relationship bullshit, the death of a loved one or my crippling anxieties and depression. I won’t go into the gritty details but one particular situation I was going through was without a doubt the lowest time in my life. I was having a hard time dealing with things and I was constantly angry. Angry at GOD, at myself and life in general. It got to a point where I started to question my very existence in this world and wondering why the fuck was I even here. Very few people know this but during this time I seriously considered “ending my watch” so to speak. Even though taking my own life is something that I’d never go through with, it doesn’t change the fact that I had those terrible thoughts and they were very real. The path to self-destruction was in front of me and I was in a place so dark that I didn’t think I had any hope of getting out of it in one piece. I can honestly say that professional wrestling saved my life. I truly believe that after 30 years of living and breathing professional wrestling that it’s in my blood. To me it’s not about 2 people getting in the ring and rolling around in their underwear as the old cliché goes, it’s way more than that, it’s a feeling. It’s simple yet complicated at the same time and I’m not sure how many of you will comprehend what I’m clumsily trying to say and that’s ok. But to this self-professed wrestling nerd right here it’s not just wrestling… It’s Life. – The Dude (@theundudesputed)

Becoming a wrestling fan was meant to be a surprise for my fiancé while socially distanced because of covid; it was to be something we could share. Over the last eight months, I have found more than that initial reason to enjoy wrestling. Wrestling itself is something I can enjoy and distract myself from what’s happening in the world; it’s helped me smile after some hard nights as an ICU nurse during the pandemic. Watching amazing athletes perform a well-choreographed dance with complex stories with a never-ending series of episodes gives me something to always look forward to. Especially women’s wrestling. Seeing these strong, beautiful ladies kickass makes me feel like I can do the same: they’re inspiring. Some of those girls are smaller than me and are doing amazing things; if they can conquer mountains, so can I! Wrestling also brought me so many amazing friends, bonding over a simple common interest. Friends who have transcended that common interest. Friends who are the most supportive people one could hope to meet. Friends who opened up to me about their personal struggles and stories. Friends who’ve helped me accept I needed help with things. Friends who have helped me talk and be open about things I thought I’d never discussed and be strong about. Wrestling has helped me find people who help make me a better person. What has wrestling meant to me? I think it can be summed up in a few simple words: Love, strength and comradery. (@MayBree96)

Wrestling has been a constant in my life, always there, will always be. I’ve been a fan since I was a child, around 6. Back then it was a fun thing to watch on tv with my dad. As I got older and really started to understand the characters and stories, it felt more like a good book brought to life. A world to escape into, where there were heroes and villains, and tales of all kinds. The older I got, the more relatable the stories/characters got. Not only has wrestling provided an escape from whatever I’m dealing with, but over the years I’ve gained many friends. It’s strange how wrestling events are the only place where I’m not overwhelmed with social anxiety. I’m shy, but I feel ok to strike up a conversation with another fan at a show. Social media has changed how we look at wrestling, interact with wrestling, with other fans, even with wrestlers. In the past couple of years, I’ve made countless friends through our common love of wrestling. I may be a little old for “heroes”, but I can still pull strength from the messages that some of my favourites put out there. Change the world, don’t give up, keep fighting, these were all motivators during my fight with cancer and ongoing medical issues. The pandemic has made things harder for everyone, but wrestling (and wrestling Twitter) has continued to be there for me throughout as I have tried to be there for my friends as well. (@pixylwrestling)

What wrestling means to me it’s such a loaded question when you really think about it. Because what really does wrestling mean? It means something different to everybody and I think that’s the beauty of wrestling it’s like a message within a message almost like a program within a program. What wrestling means to me is the one constant in my life it’s always been there when everything else is going wrong wrestling has been there for better or for worse. What wrestling means to me is that it is an escape; it’s an escape from reality that we all crave and we can live in this other world. Wrestling means that I can feel a sense of belonging and a sense of normal. That’s what wrestling means to me. (@JoshRobinson00)

To me, wrestling is an escape. An escape from not only from the mundane, grim, and harsh reality of the outside world, but also an escape from normalcy. Also, wrestling gives me the ability to believe that there’s someone in the ring who looks like me, who has struggled, who is still struggling with whatever’s going on, who came up from the same background that I did. Also, wrestling allows me to be a part of not only a community, but a part of a family. (@black_baymax8)

Wrestling to me is the ultimate combination of athleticism and theatrics. World-class athletes perform mindboggling spots while also moving along a story, hoping to connect with audiences around the world. Wrestling is one of the only forms of entertainment that is truly driven by the fans. When we use our voices collectively, we are able to enact so much change in the wrestling business. Wrestling to me is also a community. It is an opportunity to connect with both wrestlers and fans around the world. Despite our differences, we are all connected by our love of wrestling. In our love for wrestling, we are also able to learn more about each other and our different experiences in life. I have been able to use wrestling to illustrate examples of social injustices in ways that resonated with many folks who had previously been apathetic. And wrestling has an enormous platform that many promotions have used for good. What is wrestling to me? A spectacle, an experience, a community, and a force for good. (@WynterStorm24)

What wrestling means to me – XeniaDidThat The short answer would be – and forgive the theatrics – pretty much everything. At this point, after 3 years of blogging and almost 15 years of watching it truly does feel like I live and breathe pro wrestling. But let me elaborate. I come from Russia, where wrestling isn’t such a developed industry at all. And the first time I actually saw wrestling (which was WWE) on TV was in England because my mom had work there. I was instantly hooked. I was 11 at the time and I didn’t really know English, but I was so eager to understand what was going on, that I plunged headfirst into learning English, with wrestling always by my side as a helper and stimulus at all times. Whenever people ask me how do I speak such good English (no to brag), I always say – “because of wrestling”. So wrestling gave me the language, the tool that I now use in my everyday life to make friends, to build my career and stimulate my brain cells. That’s for the 15 years of watching. Now on to the 3 years of blogging. I started my YouTube Channel – that is about 90% wrestling-themed, a little under 3 years ago. And I’m not exaggerating when I say I can not even begin to describe how many doors wrestling blogging and journalism opened for me. I met so many amazing people, took part in so many amazing projects. I found my local, Russian, wrestling community and I’m doing all I can to help it grow and reach the heights it can reach (and I highly encourage y’all to check out Russian graps by the way!) I’m constantly learning, creating, pushing myself. But, most importantly, I really do feel like I’ve found my place in life. My wrestling obsession stuck with me through thick and thin, always revealing new depths whenever I looked at it through the prism of my newly found morals and beliefs – that is, by the way, how I found my feminism was very closely tied to my passion for pro wrestling. So believe it or not, I am a 100% genuine when I say (and I say it, and repeat it, maybe more often than I’m willing to admit) that I do not know where I would’ve been in life without pro wrestling. As a creator, as a professional and, ultimately, as a human. (@xeniadidthat)

What wrestling means to me, Wrestling to me means an escape! Its an escape from everyday life into this very binary black and white world (mostly) where there are wins and losses good guys and bad guys it’s a beautifully evolving wibbily wobbly ball of loud noises and bright lights where problems are solved in the ring and then they move on. More importantly, for me it’s about confidence oddly enough, when I was early in my transition I used to channel certain wrestlers and almost pretend I was them for a moment to help get myself through something like going outside dressed how id want to dress for the first time and id feel untouchable. silly I know and I would never hand stunners out but just that feeling of being bulletproof if even for a moment really helped me be who I am today! Now we have the women’s revolution and I can use that inspiration for something else now as some of them have broad shoulders or not perfectly feminine features (whatever that is) and I think hey they are beautiful and so can I be.. they inspire me with their bravery in breaking gender norms and their attitude… Wrestling matches and companies can have their low points but I will ALWAYS love the spectacle no matter what. That’s what wrestling means to me. (@Rachael_RLETC1)

I sometimes have a difficult time describing what wrestling means to me. I have known pro wrestling for as long. Pro wrestling is an artistic and creative muse/inspiration. it inspires and the people that create from it inspire me to create too. It is also a place to see the fun and athletic things that can maybe only happen in wrestling. From inflatable pandas, top people to invisible wrestles in flipping 450 degree’s backwards. it’s a joy. I feel like I’m awkward and wrestling is a conversation point. I recently bonded with a buddy talking about Still Life with Apricots and Pears, Molly McCoy and others. I have made so many friends directly, and indirectly because of wrestling. It has helped made me gain confidence when talking to people which I usually have a difficult time with. Pro wrestling is magical. (@Blu_ReyMysterio)

I grew as a kid watching wrestling, but I didn’t get really into it until I turned 18. My dad took me to my first WWE show that year. He was never a fan of wrestling at all, but after that, he became a superfan. We watched all the shows together. It became our thing. He took me to the 2001 Royal Rumble and we had so much fun. I didn’t realize at the time that it would be our last event together. He died two months later. I didn’t watch wrestling for a long time after that, because it was so hard. We were very close and that loss devastated me. It wasn’t until I had my son that my love for wrestling was reborn. We would watch WWE with his grandfather, so we started watching together and it became our thing, just like it was for me and my dad. I have so many amazing memories with him that I wouldn’t have without wrestling. I’ll never forget being at Wrestlemania 30 when Daniel Bryan won the title. Seeing the joy on my son’s face made so incredibly happy. Wrestling brought us together the same way that it did for me and my father. I’ve always been an outsider and never really had friends or fit in anywhere. Thanks to wrestling, I’ve met so many amazing people and built these friendships that I never would’ve had otherwise. At my lowest points, my wrestling friends have been there to hold me up and help me through it. They’re like my family. Honestly, wrestling saved my life in a lot of ways. (@JennMint)

Wrestling has always been to me an escape. Worlds of comedy, love, hate, betrayal. A night at the theatre, comedy house, & the movies all at once. Wrestling isn’t just a tv show, it’s a doorway to countless worlds. Escape from reality. (@Ryan5150_)