Wear it loud, wear it proud – Our connection to merchandise

I remember when I was 8 years old and Shawn Michaels was climbing the peak of his career. I remember when Owen Hart gave him the Enziguri which gave him a “concussion” and he was out for a while. I remember when he faced Bret Hart in the Iron Man match, which to this day, is still one of my favorite matches of all time. I remember the feeling of anticipation when it went to sudden death, the ‘Is he gonna do it?’ ringing in my head. And then he won the title. I’ll never forget the butterflies in my tummy when he lifted that belt above his head and scrunched his eyes up or when he lay face down on the canvas holding the belt like it was his first-born child. The emotion just pouring out of him.

In the days and weeks after that match, I remember wanting nothing else in the world besides a HBK plush bear! I wanted to hold onto something that looked and felt like him. I wanted so badly to hold something the way he held that belt. I wanted to hold onto the feeling I felt in my gut when he won.

Pretty intense for an 8-year-old right?! Imagine being 33 and still feeling that way about wrestling?!

I’ve grown up watching wrestling and over the years I’ve had many favourites and nothing gives me more pride than heading out wearing their t-shirt or hoodies or as I’ve gotten older even sporting a tattoo of the ones I really love. As an adult I love reading their books, collecting their figures and admiring my ever-growing collection of Funko Pops. But it’s not just me, my son has every title belt and hundreds of figures. My daughter (who’s 3) has her own women’s title belt.

But why are we so connected to it?

My son has the belts and figures because he looks up to these guys and girls. He sees them winning matches and lifting gold above their heads and wants to be like them. My son is a champion in every possible way in my eyes but I want him to FEEL like a champion too and merchandise helps him feel that way.

My daughter sees these strong, fierce women kicking butt week in and week out and I see her imitating them which makes me feel proud. I’m proud she has these fearsome women to look up to.

When you see kids at shows in their Roman Reigns shirts, it lights them up. They feel connected to a bigger purpose. Kids need to feel safe and inspired and if wearing a wrestlers t-shirt helps them feel that way, then it’s serving a great purpose.

But it’s not just the guys in one organisation we need to fly the flags for. If you’re at a local show, buying a t-shirt recognises the faith you have in local talent. It spreads their name and gets them the recognition they deserve. Indie wrestlers have day jobs and buying their merchandise and supporting their events pays for family holidays and dance classes and shoes for school. One day these guys could be on a bigger stage and you will be able to say that you were there in the beginning.

Picking which merchandise to buy is an incredibly emotive and personal thing. Sometimes you want to buy a t-shirt so you can wear it to advertise who you love. Sometimes you wear it because you’ve had a bad day and it makes you feel better. Sometimes you pull all your shirts out the drawer to take a stroll down memory lane, to remember where you were when you got it and to close your eyes and remember the feeling you had in that moment. You’ll buy your favorites newest shirt to recognize the beginning of a new chapter, a renewed investment in the superstar you fell in love with.

At Wrestlemania 23 I met Jeff Hardy and he was wearing a Wrestlemania hoodie and right after I went and got one. Why? Because Jeff had it and I wanted to be like Jeff and because I wanted to hold onto the brief moment when we made eye contact and remember that moment forever. I still have that hoodie and it’s definitely well-loved, as it should be.

Merchandise is our freedom of expression. It enables us to advertise to the world that we like something and aren’t afraid to show it.

It opens up conversations with people at shows, in the street, anywhere. I wore my Finn Bálor shirt at a Supernatural convention and someone came over to me and started chatting.

Sometimes it’s like you’re part of a secret club that no-one knows about, someone might look twice, not really knowing what it means. Sometimes you might feel like you’re totally on your own but when someone gets it, they get it and yes you might start talking but it might also be a sly nod or a ‘too sweet’ or a passing ‘nice shirt’ comment. And it’s in those moments you are reconnected with the wrestling family and the bigger purpose.

Wrestling fans are dedicated, nostalgic and passionate and you can guarantee that if you walk past someone and acknowledge their shirt, it will make their day.

No matter where I am, if I’m in the supermarket, at a convention or just walking down the street, my public representation of the things I love is an open invitation to start talking. And this doesn’t just apply to wrestling merch. If I’m wearing Jared’s ‘Always Keep Fighting’ shirt, tell me why you love Supernatural. If I’m wearing a Hunter & The Bear shirt, tell me your favorite song.

Let’s break the walls down. Let’s ‘Too sweet’ in the street, fist bump at the gym, sing ‘Burn It Down’ at the gas station. Don’t be scared to walk past someone and say ‘me too’

And to this day, I still haven’t got a Shawn Michaels plush 🙁

There’s more to come around merchandise….watch this space.