I have a confession to make. I do this at the risk of alienating friends, causing panicky phone calls from family members and most likely never receiving any female attention ever again. I, a 24-year-old man, am a huge fan of WWE wrestling.
I know what you’re thinking; this is pretty rich coming from someone who wrote a blog about being a TV snob, but I can’t help it! WrestleMania is on this weekend and I’m so excited I might cry.
I started watching it again when I moved to London after university. I was very poor and didn’t have many friends in the city, so my flat mate and me would religiously record Raw (WWE’s weekly show) and watch it when we got home from work. We also paid rather a lot of money on pay-per-view events.
Most people, including myself, grow out of it around the age of 15. You give it up to watch ‘proper sport’ or to chase girls. But watching it as an adult you see it in a completely different light.
Firstly it is like Hollyoaks for boys. However instead of the usual Hollyoaks slagging matches the wrestlers beat the crap out of each other. What’s not to love? Okay so the story lines are absurd, but that’s what makes it charming. The WWE are better at creating instant hate figures than Big Brother, and that’s saying something.
Secondly you have to admire the wrestlers athleticism. We all know that it’s fake, but these guys put their bodies through hell every night of the week. Imagine jumping off a 10-foot ladder right onto your back every single evening. Compare that to the footballers, who need to be rested for midweek games and tell me who the real athlete is.
Finally, and most importantly, it’s the nostalgia that I love. This Sunday Hollywood movie star The Rock is back in the ring, as is Triple H, The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin. It excites the 14-year-old inside of you and makes you forget about the unbearable realities in your life.
So judge me if you like, but I am not ashamed. Roll on WrestleMania!
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