Guidroz: Wrestling has a hold on me
Last Modified: Monday, July 02, 2012 1:24 PM
By John Guidroz / American Press
I have to admit it. I was a huge wrestling fan as a child.
I can remember many Saturday mornings sitting in front of the T.V. staring in awe at the big superstars of the day. The World Wrestling Federation (as it was then known) had big names like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant and Bret “The Hitman” Hart, just to name a few.
I subscribed to the monthly WWF magazine, and my parents paid for many pay-per-view events like the Royal Rumble or Wrestlemania.
I even collected miniature plastic replicas of the big stars, known as “wrestling figures.” I would spend hours with friends recreating matches with them.
I used to practice wrestling moves in my parent’s bedroom and would record promos pretending to be famous wrestlers. I still have a cassette tape of me and my dad cutting a promo together, and it makes me laugh every time.
As I got older, I lost interest in wrestling, but I would still tune in every now and then to catch a glimpse of the action. It gave me that feeling of being a child again.
So, when I heard the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) was putting on a show at the Lake Charles Civic Center, I decided to go and relive that experience. I called my best friend and fellow wrestling fan, Jacob, and told him we were going.
I was around 11 or 12 the last time I attended a live wrestling show. It was held at the Civic Center and featured wrestlers from the now defunct WCW, or World Championship Wrestling.
I went with my parents and my best friend, Ben, and I remember it being really fun. We cheered the good guys, known as “faces,” and booed the bad guys, known as “heels.” I was, however, a little disappointed that one of my favorite wrestlers, Ric Flair, did not attend because he was injured.
I didn’t have big expectations for the WWE show, but I was still excited when we arrived and saw all the cars in the Civic Center parking lot. I thought the arena was sold out, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, there were plenty of empty seats. It made me realize that wrestlers still have to put on a show no matter how many people show up.
One thing I noticed immediately was the size of the wrestling ring. I remember being surprised at how small it was, which differed from how it looked on T.V.
Despite the attendance, the show was still a big production. The wrestlers had their own entrance music and, depending on their character, would be cheered or taunted. One wrestler responded to a heckler by ripping up his sign.
There were nine matches on the card, most of which lasted anywhere from five to 15 minutes. It was easy to determine what type of match we were going to see based on who was in the ring.
The first match, which pitted Christian against Cody Rhodes, was one of my favorites. Both worked well together, and they displayed a variety of moves to keep the match entertaining.
On the other hand, you had wrestlers like The Great Khali, who is over seven feet tall. While his stature was impressive, his lack of moves made for a sluggish match. He fought a wrestler who was much smaller, but Khali didn’t have enough energy to carry the match.
A tag team match featuring Sin Cara was also very entertaining. Sin Cara is a high-flying masked character, known more commonly in Mexico as a luchador. His arsenal of high-risk maneuvers had the crowd cheering.
While I am not as familiar with the wrestling stars of today, there were some well-known wrestlers who performed that night, like Kane, The Big Show, Mick Foley and Randy Orton. Orton got one of the loudest reactions from the crowd.
Overall, the show was very enjoyable. Most of the wrestlers had quality matches, and they all had their own quirky characteristics. Some were funny and some were menacing, but they were all entertaining.
The show also made me realize that childhood wrestling fan still exists. If I’m flipping channels and happen to catch a wrestling show, I might just have to stop and watch for a while.
Posted By: Michelle On: 6/25/2012
Title: Wrestling and what it meant to my son
My son has loved wrestling since he was old enough to watch TV. He was born with Cerebral Palsy. In 2006 he was involved in a roll over SUV accident in which he almost died, several times. In the 11 days he was in LCMH's PICU he went through many things. But on the monday my son put aside the pain he was in to scream, "MOM hush Kane's on." Every nurse on the floor came to his room because up until that moment my son had been in horrible pain. He had broken his right leg in several places and required many surgeries. He told me that night, "MOM I want to get better so I can fight like Kane." I will never forget how wrestling turned my son and his recovery around. The years it took him to go from his wheelchair to walking again he always used Kane as his strength. My son got to meet Kane the time before last when they came to Lake Charles and Kane was fantastic with him. I will never ever forget it and we are avid watchers!!!!!
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