You know what, I'm not ashamed of this fact. I loved pro wrestling growing up and I love it as a 34-year old adult.
On Sunday night, I attended Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Against All Odds pay-per-view event at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville.
My wife, Jane, also enjoys sports entertainment. I know I'm blessed. I've taken Jane to wrestling, monster truck shows and NASCAR races and she loves it. This was her first wrestling match and my first pay-per-view event.
I'm a writer and she is a pianist, so shake off those stereotypes about wrestling fans. Pro wrestling fans come from all walks of life.
Against All Odds was a blast.
I grew up watching the National Wrestling Alliance on television, which grew into World Championship Wrestling.
WCW was bought out by World Wrestling Entertainment several years back. TNA Wrestling rose from the ashes and has filled a void in the wrestling world, providing competition for the giant that is WWE.
In my opinion, Vince McMahon and WWE have made a mess of sports entertainment and TNA wrestling is more like the wrestling I grew up with.
I rarely watch WWE on television because it's all about the gimmicks and less about the wrestling. Case in point: Last night while surfing the channels, I came across McMahon battling a midget.
Sure, TNA wrestling has gimmicks also, but you see more wrestling than you do talking. You see athletes, and they are athletes, battling it out in the ring.
Is it scripted? Yes. Do I care? No.
You see, I appreciate the sport of sports entertainment. These guys are flying through the air and pulling off maneuvers that only an athlete can. They get hurt when they make a mistake. Everybody says wrestling is fake, but when they get hurt, that's real.
We saw several great athletes on Sunday night. The main event of the night was Christian Cage vs. Kurt Angle for the world championship. It had everything - two of the industry's best going all out in the ring and some cheating at the end. Angle retained the title with some help.
The next big match was a barbed wire match. It couldn't be held in South Carolina because of the violence of the match. It was held in Florida and we watched via satellite. The Monster Abyss won that one over Judas Mesias.
I don't have the space or time to run down all the matches, but they were all cool. Jane and I bought Christian Cage shirts, we cheered for our favorites and booed the rest. We were hollering and screaming all night like kids. Jane even started a chant for Booker T.
In short, it was a lot of fun. We probably were on television because of where we were setting. I'll have to check when the DVD comes out.
The most important thing - the wrestling event took my mind off my problems. My father has been in the hospital since Christmas Eve. For a few hours, an overwhelming situation was replaced with the spectacle that is wrestling and quality time with my best friend. I smiled and laughed for the first time in a while and enjoyed life.
That's what sports entertainment, sports and entertainment are all about. I thank God for the diversion.
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