Classic Rant #281 (June 21, 2010): Summer Means Pro Wrestling

Happy summer to everyone, and happy Father's Day to those who are dads (one day late, though).

We had a pretty good Father's Day. My wife bought me dress shoes for work, something I desperately needed. In turn, I bought my wife a new bathing suit, which she claims she desperately needed.

I got the requisite holiday cards, and I also barbecued up a storm in 90 degree heat for my family, my parents and my sister's family.

I was bushed at the end of the day, but my son and I got up enough strength and went to the latest WWE Pay-Per-View wrestling show at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.

This was a gimmick event called Fatal 4-Way. What that means is the several championship matches were held not between two combatants, but between four wrestlers vowing for various championships all at once.

Yes, this is supposed to create more action, and at times it did.

And four championships changed hands. Pretty neat.

Professional wrestling is like the modern day version of going to the circus. At least half the crowd are young kids--and I mean, at times, very young, maybe age four to eight--and they are brought to the event by their parents.

They hoot and howl, cheer and boo, laugh and cry, all like previous generations did while attending the circus.

But when you hear a six-year-old yelling, "You suck!", you know that this is a different generation of kids then, say, my generation.

I am also amazed to see so many young women at these matches. I could never foresee my mother or sister going with me to Madison Square Garden to see wrestling in the 1970s, but this is a different breed of woman today.

My wife went with myself and my son last year when we were on vacation, and she said she would never do it again. And I believe her. And yes, my daughter hates it too.

But again, this is a different breed of woman attending pro wrestling matches. In fact, the only curse words I heard the whole evening from the crowd were those spewed out by a woman sitting behind my son and me.

Anyway, at the end of the evening, the rookie wrestlers from NXT--the WWE's answer to the minor leagues--took over the festivities once again, destroying everything in their path and beating up WWE matinee idol John Cena, who, after seeing him in several matches on Long Island, I am convinced is hated by this crowd more than any other on the circuit. I think it has to do with him being from New England, and the whole Yankees vs. Red Sox thing.

Anyway, he gets booed on Long Island more than any other wrestler, and it is one of the few places where he gets booed.

After getting beat up, in typical pro wrestling style, he had enough energy to address the crowd about the situation. At the end, you could see that he was frustrated with the crowd, and I think his exhortations were kind of real at this point, because he is not used to the booing.

He screamed--not yelled, but screamed--at the crowd, saying, "You might be able to question my skills as a wrestler, but you can't question me as a fighter!" or something to that effect.

Was it real or was it Memorex?

Who knows, but the capacity crowd loved it!