Welcome to another edition of Kay's Korner.
I was driving down the road the other day wondering what my next column would be when a thought hit me. "Why not write about the differences between wrestling and 'rassling?" I can literally see a few of you scratching your heads wondering what on earth I'm talking about. Well, grab a chair, sit down, and find out.
I have mentioned in previous columns that I grew up watching the NWA in mid 70's to late 80's. That was when wrestling was 'rassling. Man, those were the good old days. (Humor me; I'm having a moment.) Every time I think about it, I absolutely cannot stop myself from smiling.
'Rassling' was the hottest thing going in the southern states. The Carolinas and the Virginias were known as the 'hot spots' during this time. All the shows were sold out and all of the wrestlers were styling and profiling while performing two and three shows a day. Why was that? What was so different about it back then?
'Rassling' was unique and uncomplicated. To be bluntly honest, there were 'good guys' and there were 'bad guys'. There were feuds that lasted for years, some getting more bloody and violent as time went on. There were 'dues' to be paid in order to make it in the 'rassling world and the 'old-timers' made sure the 'young bucks' paid their dues in full.
The feuds from that time have stood the test of time due to the incredible heart and soul that were put into them by the wrestlers themselves. I remember watching several of those fueds such as the one between Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard. Here were two hot up coming stars in their prime that just went out and stole the show. I also remember seeing the infamous 'I Quit' match between the two of them. I couldn't stop myself from cringing as Magnum took part of that chair and gouged it in Tully's face.
Long feuds always brought Wahoo McDaniel and Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine to mind. Valentine ended up breaking Wahoo's leg; to rub salt in the wound, he had a t-shirt made that proudly proclaimed, "I broke Wahoo's Leg." Greg wore that as a badge of honor but paid dearly when Wahoo returned. When Wahoo got his hands on him, I was smiling from ear to ear.
I remember all of this as clearly as if it happened yesterday.
There was also a lot more time and effort put into the 'belief' of 'rassling'. The secrets of 'rassling' were sacred and never to be shared with the outside world. Men sacrificed their health, going thru what some people would consider a small form of torture, just to make it more believable. And what do you know? It worked; it worked for a very long time.
A perfect example of this is the infamous Ricky Steamboat/Ric Flair confrontation where Flair rubbed Steamboat's face on the concrete floor. For weeks upon weeks, Steamboat made his appearance with a discolored face. Now, it wasn't known at the time that what was shown wasn't exactly what happened to Steamboat's face. According to Flair's book, To Be The Man, Harley Race was the cause of Steamboat's face. Race talked about how he took sandpaper and scratched Steamboat's face to give the feud between Steamboat and Flair a more realistic feel, not to mention discoloring Steamboat's face for months afterward.
'Wrestling' started to emerge in the early 90's. There was more of an emphasis on the wrestlers personas than the actual wrestling in the ring. In the mid to late 90's, wrestling began what I like to call the 'high-flying' era, along with the 'Attitude' era. The risks being taken by the wrestlers during that time were eye opening and mouth dropping, to say the least. A new respect started to take hold of the wrestling world along with an increased danger to the health and well being of the wrestlers.
'Wrestling' slowly started to emerge more and more when the WCW and WWF wars started heating up. It was all about the 'entertainment' of the show more so than the actual physical wrestling. Wrestling, while still there, wasn't the most important thing of the shows any more. It was all about the wrestlers rather than the wrestling itself.
The most important thing, at that particular time, were the wrestlers and their 'personas' run amuck. The shows lost all of their innocence in these wars due to backstage politics run amuck. To a long time fan as myself, I cringed a lot during this time. They were taking something so great and making it so overblown that I almost couldn't bare to watch it at times but I couldn't live without my wrestling, so I endured it and continue to do so.
While I can't sit here and tell you a lie, I will say that I am stunned, amazed, and humbled at times, at the risk involved with entertaining me. The first TLC match that I ever watched in person was at Summerslam 2000 in Raleigh, NC. I screamed, cringed, and covered my eyes with my hands (while peeking thru). I was never more afraid for any wrestlers as I was the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz, and Edge & Christian that night. Never in my life had I ever seen anything like that; it made my heart race and my head pound with the excitement of it. (With it doing that to me, I can only imagine what it did to those who participated in it.)
Watching that particular match in person opened up my eyes to the danger in the business. Make no doubt about it; wrestling is a dangerous sport that must be treated with respect. One false move and you could be paralyzed for life. While I'm sure Droz never imagined it happening to him, it did.
Is it worth it? I am sure that the wrestlers themselves would tell you that there is nothing like a loud 'pop' from the crowd. The addiction of hearing the crowd is what keeps them coming back for more and more. But is it really worth it? The wrestlers would tell you yes. The promoters would tell you yes. The biggest majority of today's fans would tell you yes. I hate to disagree with everybody but I'm going to have to. In my mind, the answer is no.
Now before you go screaming at me in frustration, hear me out. While the 'old school' days of wrestling has made a few winks at me the last few weeks, it is not enough for me. I want to see more ring psychology. I want to see the wrestlers feed off of each other and the live crowd. I want to see 'rassling'.
The hardest part about being 'old-school' is watching the 'entertainment' side of wrestling. There have been so many over-the-top storylines that have been shoved down my throat that my aggravation shows sometimes in my columns. A perfect example of an absolutely horrible storyline was the one with Kane and Triple H during the Katie Vick fiasco. Why on earth the 'powers that be' (AKA Vince McMahon) thought watching Hunter (in a Kane mask) performing sexual acts with a blow up doll (that was supposed to be Katie Vick in her casket) was 'entertainment' is mind blowing to me. It wasn't entertainment. It was sick. It was disgusting. It was wrong.
While I could go on a tyrant about that, I'll stop there. I've never understood why the 'entertainment' part of wrestling became so important. I've never understood why the feuds are so short. I've never understood why they decided to go this way. The all mighty dollar can take a lot of the blame, as can Vince McMahon himself. I've mentioned before that he has done the most for wrestling but that he has also done the most damage to it as well. I stand firm by that statement simply because it's the truth.
The truth hurts sometimes, doesn't it? I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy some of the things that Vince has done but the good doesn't outweigh the bad. Vince pushed the envelope by bullying his way into the territories. He raped and pillaged them to the point that they are almost non-existent. Almost.
The territories are still out there trying to help the young talent make their way into the biggest wrestling show ever. While I can understand why Vince felt the need to make his show the biggest and best out there, I believe he could have done it with a little more tact and a lot more respect for wrestling's rich history. His own father has admitted before he died that had he known what Vince was going to do, he would have never sold him the company.
Ironic, isn't it? I've read a lot of wrestling history books over the years. I try and remember that some people are out to crucify Vince while others are trying to sing his praises for him being a genius before his time. As a wrestling fan, I love and hate the man, both at the same time. I've never met Vince. I probably never will. I'm just a blue collared worker who enjoys watching 'rassling though it's very seldom seen now. I also know that without me, and the millions of other wrestling fans out there, the WWE would not exist today.
Yet, I still find myself watching it at the appointed hour. I find myself getting antsy for my wrestling fix. I have also found that wrestling on the Indy scene can be just as enjoyable as 'rassling', if not more so.
Hard to believe? No, not really. The Indy scene crowds are small and they are starving for 'rassling, which makes me smile. I'm not the only one out there that missing the good old days of 'rassling which makes me sigh in relief.
Tony Hunter's Carolina Championship Wrestling is one of the hot spots for the Indy scene. The crowds, while small at first, have grown to pack the Mulberry Recreation Center. People come out in droves to catch a glimpse of 'rassling and they love it. While there are some older wrestlers there (Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, the Midnight Express, and the Rock-n-Roll Express, just to name a few), there are some up and comers that really get my attention.
I keep hoping that 'wrestling' will turn back to 'rassling' and we can all be happier. Maybe, just maybe, one of these days it will. Right now, hope is all that I have and I'll hold on to it as tightly as I can. Who knows? Maybe the glory days of 'rassling' will return. I hope so. I've missed them.
That's all for this edition of Kay's Korner. Thanks for dropping by. All feedback, good or bad, can be sent to lilwrestlegrl@yahoo.com.
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