Looking at me, you would never guess that I’m a big fan of WorldWrestling Entertainment (WWE).  For years, I’ve watch wrestling.  Watching the WWE is one of my many guilty pleasures.  My boyfriend thinks I watch because of the muscular men.  While that’s a bonus, that’s not the reason I watch it.  I think the WWE is very entertaining.  It’s like a soap opera for thugs.  What’s not entertaining about that?  It doesn’t take a lot of brain cells to watch and  it’s all fake. 

 Tonight is Monday Night RAW.  One of my favorite wrestlers, John Cena, started the show with his on-going rival Randy Orten.  Then, there was a four way wrestling match with the WWE Divas–Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, some other obscure wrestler and the Glamizon.  Gail Kim won because as everyone knows the WWE is fixed and the win went to the hometown hero (she’s from Canada and they are in Montreal).

I was then entertained with a match between Jack Swagger, the All-American American, and fellow St. Louisan, Evan Bourne.  First off, I have to sound off on Jack Swagger’s tagline.  Really, the All-American American…wouldn’t it be better just to call him All-American.  I don’t get it.  The other thing that I found interesting was that Evan Bourne, real name Matthew Joseph Korklan,  attended high school in the same district I went to high school.  He went to Parkway West while I went to Parkway South.  I graduated way before he did because he’s considerably younger than I am, but it was a fun fact to learn.

Wrestling now is drastically different from wrestling when I was a kid.  When I was in grade school, my dad and I, every Sunday morning, would eat breakfast and watch the WWF.  Hulk Hogan, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Andre the Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jesse “The Body” Ventura and Ric Flair are all wrestlers I use to watch back in the day.  Wrestlers back then weren’t buff and tone like most of them are now.  I would have to say most of them were rather big and round.  Some of you may recall former professional wrestler, Captain Lou Albano.  He appeared as Cyndi Lauper’s dad in the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” video and brought wrestling to the mainstream public.  He looks nothing like the wrestlers today. 

Most wrestlers now work out like mad man.  Some unfortunately resort to steriod use so they look bigger and badder.   And that has devastating consequences to this “sport”.  Also what hurts the image of wrestling are the “amateurs”  who try and emulate their favorite wrestlers in their backyard. 

Wrestling to me is a fun and entertaing program to watch.  I don’t take it seriously and I hope others don’t either.  I’m excited that the WWE Smackdown is coming to Phoenix on August 25th.  I’m not too pumped about it because my favorite wrestlers won’t be there.  But there’s a first for everything and maybe I’ll attend so I can see wrestling up close and personal.  If I go, I’ll let you know and follow it up with some pictures.  But for now, I will indulge in my guilty pleasure and continue to watch my weekly ritual of Monday Night Raw.