How did you get into wrestling?

[sh17]

Was reading over one of the other threads, and our leader Hollywood mentioned how his grandfather and himself got closer because of wrestling. Well, this led me to a question that I think might be a good discussion: How did you first find or get into wrestling?

Mine is an interesting story. When I was like 11 or 12(I think 11) I was flipping around on the TV and I came across a Smackdown episode(this would have been around 01 or 02) and Rikishi was wrestling Booker T. I thought it was funny as Hell that Rikishi had a very large posterior, and I laughed even harder when Booker was on the losing end(pardon the pun) of the Stink Face. Then, about a week or two later I came across Raw, and well the rest is history. Though, when I did start watching wrestling my dad told me about the old Sportatorium shows in Dallas, and he told me about Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes and the Von Erichs and such. So, wrestling has brought us closer than we would have been without it.

[Hollywood]

I remember as a toddler first being introduced to the World Class Saturday Night Wrestling show on Channel 11(which would soon be renamed Championship Sports), then watching World Class' Sportatorium show on Channel 39 on Sunday afternoons. Then Vince began expanding his empire, with WWF airing their shows on Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights here in this area. Then Jim Crockett(soon to be NWA/WCW) started airing in the area, as well as Mid South(UWF). The rest as they say is geography.

[Bubba JD]

i remember being a causual viewer during much of the 80's, catching the odd WWF show. i don't remember specifics, at the time. i think one of the eariler memories may've involved Piper & Bob Orton cutting a midget's hair (i forget the midget's name). i remember Hogan being screwed in the Twin Ref scandal (ironic that Hebner would still be "screwing" wrestlers over many years later). i even remember (slightly) the Hogan/Savage fued (a bit), Hogan/Bossman (again, slightly) and maybe a little bit involving Honky Tonk Man.

what seemed to cinch it for me was a Clash of the Champions, airing in 1988. i caught most of a Flair Title Defense against Bobby Eaton. i believe Eaton just won the first fall of the match, if memory serves me right.

after that match, i couldn't catch enough wrestling. i'd watch as much as possible. i seem to remember being a fan of the NWA (which i believe would soon be Turner's WCW....or was already becoming Turner's WCW, i forget which happened at the time).


how i wish for a much simpler time in wrestling.