When I was about 4 I had a Hulk Hogan wrestling figure. I think I knew he was a wrestler, but didn't really know any more than that, but I did have the package it came in lying around. I used to leave the wrestling figure in the caravan for when we went on holidays, and one rainy day I looked on the back at all the other wrestlers. This is pretty much where my obsession started. The different figures looked so cool, so I started to collection them.
I used to love wrestling. I liked how over the top it was, and how colourful and interesting the characters were. My dad would sometimes take me to MultiVision where I would rent a video of a Royal Rumble or other main event. Mom and dad would also buy me many different books and videos about it.
Since we didn't have Sky TV, and the internet wasn't really around in the early 90s, all of my wrestling knowledge came from the videos I had, or things I read in the books, so it was fairly hard to understand story-lines, but I loved it regardless.
The last time I really watched wrestling was the 1995 Royal Rumble. Something suddenly felt different. I didn't really know at the time why, but I quickly lost interest. It turned out that WWF lost a lot of money due to a steroids claim, and lost a lot of their people, and that is when their popular Attitude Era started. I didn't care for it, it lost it's friendliness.
Every so often I read up about old wrestling storylines, and peice together what I remember, with what was going on at the time. I find it really interesting, but one thing always puts me off from doing it... the realisation of how old I am. When I remember wrestlers, I see them all as muscular, fast, and fairly young men... but when I see them now... wow. In my head it doesn't feel like 20 years has passed, it just feels like they got replaced by new people to fit new audiences, instead of because they just couldn't keep up.
So, here are some of the wrestlers I used to love to watch, as how I remember them, and what they are like now:
I would find more, but a large amount of them have died.
I still have my collection of Wrestling figures, and hope that one day my children will like to play with them. I will just have to make sure not to show them what they look like now.
I used to love wrestling. I liked how over the top it was, and how colourful and interesting the characters were. My dad would sometimes take me to MultiVision where I would rent a video of a Royal Rumble or other main event. Mom and dad would also buy me many different books and videos about it.
Since we didn't have Sky TV, and the internet wasn't really around in the early 90s, all of my wrestling knowledge came from the videos I had, or things I read in the books, so it was fairly hard to understand story-lines, but I loved it regardless.
The last time I really watched wrestling was the 1995 Royal Rumble. Something suddenly felt different. I didn't really know at the time why, but I quickly lost interest. It turned out that WWF lost a lot of money due to a steroids claim, and lost a lot of their people, and that is when their popular Attitude Era started. I didn't care for it, it lost it's friendliness.
Every so often I read up about old wrestling storylines, and peice together what I remember, with what was going on at the time. I find it really interesting, but one thing always puts me off from doing it... the realisation of how old I am. When I remember wrestlers, I see them all as muscular, fast, and fairly young men... but when I see them now... wow. In my head it doesn't feel like 20 years has passed, it just feels like they got replaced by new people to fit new audiences, instead of because they just couldn't keep up.
So, here are some of the wrestlers I used to love to watch, as how I remember them, and what they are like now:
Brett Hart
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
"Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibase
Ric Flair
Rowdy Roddy Piper
The Ultimate Warrior
The Undertaker
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
The Honky Tonk Man
Koko B Ware
I would find more, but a large amount of them have died.
I still have my collection of Wrestling figures, and hope that one day my children will like to play with them. I will just have to make sure not to show them what they look like now.
Million Dollar Man looks like he's ate a million dollars worth of dairy products
ReplyDeleteWhen my son was about 7 he won a competition - two tickets to the WWF (they were doing a world tour) so he decided to take his sister along (then 5) - Nothing for it ... I had to buy a ticket to escort them. The box office had no spare seats in the row the kids tickets were in but there was one (they said) in the row immediately behind ... went along - I was the only one in my row! The kids (being honest and well bought up) wouldn't illegally sit in the seats next to me. I felt a real prat - they had the time of their lives ... Brett Hart (and his brother?) the Undertaker, Ricky Ramon (?) they were all there - my son only just gave away his wrestling ring and figurines (to a good home)
ReplyDeleteAah I remember when your judo friend decided to get rid of his wrestlers, many that his dad had brought back from working in the States, wrestlers you couldn't get here, you brought them all and were so happy. Your collection was probably the best for miles.
ReplyDelete