Pro Wrestling: The Human Side of Sports Entertainment

 Greetings Divas! Welcome to another day here on the blog. The day after Christmas, more shopping with major sales, clearance items and the transition week between holidays before we leave the year behind. I’m back to work this week followed by back to Chicago (again) for NYE. 

Aside it being the day after Christmas, I didn’t realize what day it was. Then I remembered it’s the anniversary of my first date with my ex (why do women remember these things?). After scrolling a few newsfeeds, I then realized the appropriate topic for today.

My pro wrestling time machine, circa Fall-Winter 1997. The wrestling world is mourning the death of Brian Pillman. We see the formation of Degeneration X, a young Rock as a heel, Hunter before he became HHH and a McMahon, along with better storylines compared to today. The Attitude Era as it was called, brought to wrestling more aggressive storytelling complete with characters who brought said aggression to life. WCW brought us the domination of the NWO, plus the war on the NWO with Sting, Alex Luger, and the Giant with the reformation of the Four Horsemen. Sadly, those that played a part in this era are no longer with us: Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Chyna, Jim Neidhart, Eddie Guerrero, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Miss Elizabeth, Curt Hennig and Nancy Benoit, also known as “Woman”. There are more names, and the ones listed played a pivotal part in the Monday Night Wars. 

I’ve been made fun of for watching pro wrestling and stereotyped by a guy who obviously lived in a different universe. (He appeared to be one of these fellas that preferred a woman to be in the kitchen with no interest in “guy things”). I feel like like people don’t understand pro wrestling, and many of them don’t. They only understand the negative, and I’ve described it as an athletic soap opera with larger than life characters, who want us to believe what we see on television is who they are in real life.

Between ages seven and eight, most children begin to differentiate fantasy from reality. I remember Grandmother telling me that no matter how much acted like they hated each other, that they were friends in real life, laughing together at the bank. I didn’t understand back then, and years later, I understood what she meant.

There is a human side to pro wrestling. The human side is the person behind the character who puts their life on the line taking “bumps” (a bump is a hard move that could seriously injure someone) and perfecting “spots” (spots are intense moves that are well rehearsed) to prevent injury. The human side is the person behind the character who performs in pain due to mounting injuries. 

And last but not least, the human side of pro wrestling is the person behind the character who deals with injuries using painkillers, sometimes developing an addiction. The human side is the person who, outside of the character leaves the industry either due to injury or person choice. 

When I was a kid, I cried during the movie “Benji”. At fourteen, I cried when the Midnight Rockers were both seriously “injured” by Buddy Rose and Doug Sommers during their intense bloodbath match. As I got older, I understood the more human side and realized wrestling was how some people paid their bills and supported their families. I cried when the listed names passed on, largely because I grew up watching many of them. When Edge retired in 2011 due to a neck injury, I cried, and when he returned in 2020 to pro wrestling, I cried again. 

If I told the same people that I cried when a wrestler passed away or when Edge returned, they’d laugh at me. I cried because I bonded with these characters and because I’m human. Human just like people behind the characters. 

Welcome to the human side of pro wrestling. Today marks one year that Brodie Lee left us at the age of 41 due to a lung issue that suddenly appeared. Rising to fame within WWE as Luke Harper, the tall silent man moved with agility and grace. Held down by WWE Creative, Lee signed with AEW where he wrestled with the same agility and grace, coming into his own as a character. After disappearing from AEW programming for a few weeks, he was diagnosed with said lung issue, leaving behind a wife and two sons, plus fans who appreciated his work. This loss was both a shock and loss to the wrestling world, and one year later, wrestling is not the same. 

While pro wrestling is a life size comic book complete with good guys and villains plus flashy costumes, the people behind these characters need to be appreciated and understood. They also need to be thanked for their work, due to the amount of training they go through plus the amount of time they spend away from families and loved ones to do their job. 

After all, there is a human side to pro wrestling that people do not see. 

Thank you to everyone on this list in heaven for your contribution to the wrestling industry. You are missed. Brodie Lee, thank you for your contribution and your gift, which we will never forget. 

With love, 

Dani