For so long, I have wanted to see old-school wrestling. Jack and Jerry Brisco on Saturday mornings with Gordon Solie called the action next to Barbara Clary. I wanted interviews and vignettes and teasing and of course, REAL WRESTLING. Finally, I think we have found something to pacify me.
IMPACT’s “Why Wrestling Matters” is the best thing going today. It speaks to the heart of the business and gets away from the staged crap we see every week in an interview by a superstar that has to tickle the toes of everyone watching the program. It’s real, or I would like to think it is.
It’s about the 70s when Harley Race was the baddest man on the planet and when Ric Flair was battling Wahoo McDaniel for the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight title. It’s about a craft and a work, not a show and dollar. It’s about Kayfabe and secrecy and a fraternity that is not allowed in the “sports entertainment” business.
Wrestling matters because Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers paved the way for us to enjoy the likes of Dory Funk Jr. and his spinning toe hold or a back supplex given by Rick Steamboat. Wrestling matters because we paid to sit in the Sportatorium in Tampa or the Miami Civic Center. We watched Charlie Cook wrestle as a top draw when he was a mid-carder at best.
Wrestling matters because of Eddie Graham and Fritz Von Erich and Jerry Lawler before he was in the WWE. And the feuds with Austin Idol and Bill Dundee drove us crazy. Wrestling matters because of the Junkyard Dog and Roddy Piper who should have had NWA gold.
Wrestling matters because of Greg Valentine and Roddy Piper and a feud that nearly killed them both or Buzz Sawyer and Tommy Rich that lasted over a year in the early 1980s.
Wrestling matters because of the Road Warriors and The Rock and Stone Cold and yes, Hulk Hogan. Wrestling matters because of women like Moolah and Mae Young and of course, Trish Stratus.
Wrestling matters because we can see Goldberg and Crimson and Matt Morgan and hope the likes of John Cena will turn heel and Christian will realize how great he is.
Wrestling matters because Triple H is a god and The Undertaker has no equal and Shawn Michaels could wrestle a broom and make the broom look great.
It is important because Sting still matters, and so does Kurt Angle. It matters because we lost Randy Savage and Kerry Von Erich way too early. It means Wrestlemania and pomp and circumstance and Andre the Giant, and of course, the adoring fans that treat our wrestlers as Gods.
IT IS WRESTLING, AND YES, IT MATTERS.
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