Wrestlers have been appearing at conventions for a while now, but a wrestling convention…. I’m there, I am so there. So why? Why do we go and why should we support it?
Do you ever sit at home watching something on TV or on your phone and feel yourself getting lost in it? Be it a TV show, a film, a sports event or wrestling program. Do you ever feel like you’re so undeniably connected to what you’re seeing on screen that you become completely immersed in it to the point where you almost lose yourself? Do you ever feel like certain characters, settings, themes and stories are a silent call to you personally? Do you sometimes feel like you’re the only person who feels this way?
What if I told you there was a place you could go, a safe place, where other people feel the same way you do? A place where you can walk in you instantly feel like you belong.
Welcome to the wonderful world of conventions.
Conventions are a place where you can look beyond the veil of what you see on screen. A place where the characters become real, living, breathing, tangible human beings who you can talk to, who you can interact with, who you can reach out and shake hands with, share a photo, a hug…. a moment.
It’s almost surreal.
Stepping into a convention is like stepping into a bubble and for a long time, the bubble has felt like a secret. It felt like Chinese whispers or you were passing a secret note around in class. For a long time, conventions were a sub-culture, something just off the mainstream radar, something that was frowned upon. We were labelled geeks and nerds and we wanted to protect our secret but now, conventions are becoming more mainstream than ever as barriers are broken down and people chose to come together in celebration of a common interest.
So what is about conventions that draws people in and keeps you hooked?
In a world where we appear to be more connected than ever, in reality we’ve also never felt more alone. There are people out there who’s only friends and only company are the characters they see on their screens, be it TV characters or wrestlers. They identify and connect with them more than anyone in their day to day life.
Someone once told me that the reason they love wrestling so much is because the guys and girls they watch week in and week out were there for them when no-one else was. That watching wrestling was literally the only thing that kept them on this side of the edge and it got them through some of their darkest days.
Psychologists say that human beings crave consistency, familiarity and safety. I’ve read that engaging with on screen characters, re-watching old episodes, movies and matches brings us that feeling of comfort and familiarity. Knowing the outcome makes us feel safe and secure, giving us a sense of control in a world full of chaos.
Given the opportunity, who wouldn’t want to thank the people who gave them that?
After Chris Cornell, lead singer with Soundgarden passed away, one of his fans were quoted as saying ‘He was my best friend and I didn’t even know him’
Powerful stuff!
The other side of conventions is the like-minded folk you naturally meet when you’re at a convention waiting in line, getting a bite to eat, even in the bathroom. These places give you the confidence to say ‘hey nice shirt’ or ‘I love your cosplay’. People feel like they can actually be themselves and it resonates and it resonates deep.
I know how deeply gratifying it is to connect with others based on your mutual adoration of someone or something.
As a result of conventions, wrestling related or otherwise, I roll in a number of different circles. 12 years ago I went to Wrestlemania for the first time and this year I attended the Royal Rumble. (FYI Axxess at WWE events is just like a convention) As a result of this I now know people in every corner of the globe, from the UK to Alaska, Australia to Atlanta, Norway to Philadelphia, Chicago to Canada, Aberdeen to Delaware and if it wasn’t for wrestling, this would never have happened. We’re all one big wrestling family.
And then there’s the people I’ve met through other conventions, my fierce Wayward Sisters, who I met through our mutual love of Supernatural. Between us we can move mountains and those girls make me feel that way. We inspire each other to write, model, create, we’re each others biggest cheerleaders. We fight illness, we rally to help charities, we’ve overcome retirement, life, death and everything in between. We even helped someone buy a house!
Without convention, without us coming together we wouldn’t have this. And the big secret is, you can have it too, this sense of family, of belonging, of being around people who share the same interests, who feel the same way you do.
On the face of it, conventions are about meeting and greeting the people on the screens you look up to, the people who you idolize, who you grew up with, who were there for you when you needed them, but trust me, they can give you so much more.
Come on down to ‘For the Love of Wrestling’ convention. Let’s talk about wrestling, meet our favorites and hang out. It might just be the greatest thing that’s ever happened to you.
