It’s been a rough year hasn’t it? From the global pandemic to the collapsing economy and the surge of anti-black violence, it seems like the hits keep on coming. Sometimes it seems like talking about wrestling is the last thing we should be doing nowadays. But I think it’s important that in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, we hold onto the things that give us happiness. Wrestling has done that for me during this crazy time so I thought I’d share with you some ways that wrestling is still sparking joy in my life.
Wrestling provides an escape.
As mentioned before, there are a lot of bad things going on in the world right now. Watching wrestling, whether it’s on television, YouTube, or a streaming platform provides an escape from that. For a little while, I can lose myself in the feuds, scathing promos, and bouts of athleticism. Watching the news, while necessary, can easily get overwhelming as we watch thousands of people die, worsening natural disasters decimate communities, and violence against people of color escalate. Sometimes I just need to decompress and watch a compilation of bridging German suplexes or a bunch of guys trying to kill each other inside an empty football stadium.
Wrestling connects fantasy and reality.
In direct opposition to the first point is the fact that wrestling connects fantasy and reality. Unlike other television shows and movies, wrestling is pretty happening in real time. And the wrestlers themselves are directly impacted by the world events around them. People have had to stop wrestling during the pandemic for health reasons and others have had to travel bubble to bubble to keep performing. Black wrestlers have been affected by the antiblack violence and have been using their voices speak out. Women wrestlers have been vocal during the #SpeakingOut movement. These things bring into perspective how interconnected our world is and how we have to do better by everyone.
I’ve made and continue to make friends.
I started participating in wrestling social media about three years ago as a kind of throwaway project. I never thought I would meet so many different and amazing people. I’ve been introduced to new wrestlers, new promotions, and wrestling media through the community. I’ve also made a lot of friends, even some close enough to attend shows with (when that was a thing). As much as I love my friends’ commentary on the latest wrestling thing, I equally look forward to their life updates.
Wrestling shows provide a light at the end of the tunnel.
Like many other fans, I was devastated when WrestleMania and Double or Nothing had to be converted to close-set shows with no fans. It’s been months since I was able to go to a live wrestling show and I really miss it. But at the same time, watching wrestling kind of gives me a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully soon we’ll get this pandemic under some control and we’ll be able to attend shows with the proper safety precautions. Until then, I can always try to get myself on the ThunderDome video board!
