Growing up, professional wrestling was never on my radar. I knew the names of some of the big wrestlers of the early 2000’s for example, John Cena, The Undertaker, The Rock and Randy Orton to name a few, but that was about the extent of my wrestling knowledge. While friends had figures of their favorite superstars and would attempt to mimic moves, clearly ignoring the “Do Not Attempt This At Home” warning I now see before every Premium Live Event(PLE) or show, I remained an outsider to the world that is professional wrestling. And I was content with that, I had no reason to watch it. I mean after all you do know wrestling is fake right? So I would watch my ‘real’ television like Scooby Doo and SpongeBob to name a few shows.
However about two years ago while at work, hardly working, chit chatting it up with my coworker turned friend Alex, the topic of wrestling came up and I mentioned how I’ve never watched it but knew some of the names. He told me that WrestleMania was this upcoming weekend and I should give it a watch, that the stories were interesting and it was shaping up to be a good show. [Did You Acknowledge Your Tribal Chief Today? ☝️] So I took him up on it and figured, it’s a Saturday night and I’m in my 20’s I have nothing better to do.{actually I did not watch night one of WrestleMania I do remember going out with some friends and actually meeting coworker out after he watched Wrestlemania Night One, but the joke was funny so I’ll keep it in} The next day was a Sunday night and I’m in my 20’s, I have work in the morning might as well stay in and give this wrestling thing a try. Reluctantly, I tuned into WrestleMania 39, expecting to reaffirm my preconceived notions about this spectacle I associated with children and developmentally stunted adults. Instead, I found myself captivated by the athleticism, storytelling, and sheer entertainment value that wrestling offered. Like I mean don’t get me wrong it’s sometimes so obvious when it’s fake but I mean movies are fake too and they’re entertaining. In the next few paragraphs I’ll just describe a few reasons why I as a 26 year old man [ouch] has found myself on an unexpected journey from wrestling skeptic if you will, to newfound fan, debunking misconceptions and delving into the allure of this sports entertainment product.
My WrestleMania 39 Experience
So I guess it wasn’t really an experience perse because I watched it from the comfort of my bedroom but there I was in my room on a Sunday night ready to talk this over with Alex tomorrow morning about how bad wrestling is.
Brock Lesnar vs Omos
The first match on the card was Brock Lesnar vs. Omos. Oh yea, I know Brock Lesnar he was the UFC guy what’s he doing here? Oh, he was a wrestler before the UFC? Huh, sounds right to me i guess, I think Joe Rogan may have mentioned it one time or two during some UFC highlights I’ve watched. But anyway I was ready. But this match was to quote myself on the night “this match is siiiiiiick, this Omos guy is HUUUUUGE”. And yea I mean i stand by that, it was crazy to me to see a man so big being thrown around and rag dolled by an even bigger giant of a human being and that’s what this match was to me. I mean like I know it’s all scripted but Brock Lesnar lifting up Omos was perhaps the craziest thing I had ever seen up to that point and this kept me engaged. A classic David vs Goliath trope but David is 6 foot 3 and 285 pounds, this got a thumbs up from me, especially compared to the next match which just left me confused. In hindsight this was a pretty dull match but I was so impressed by the feats of strength and the size of these men.
Women’s Fatal Four-way Tag Team Match
The next match on the card was a women’s fatal four-way. This honestly was a shock to me to see how non-sexualized the women were, which was different from what I knew and had heard of women’s wrestling in the past. It was actually serious and for the sake of the entertainment of the wrestling product as opposed to the male-gaze. Watching the women’s fatal 4-way tag team match as my first-ever wrestling experience was a bit confusing. With eight competitors and constant tagging between four different teams, it was hard to follow who was legal or in control of the match. The chaotic nature, fast-paced action, and frequent switches made it tricky to understand, as well as are there rules? Who is fighting? I recognized Ronda Rousey and then she submitted another of the participants and then suddenly the match ended and I was even more confused than ever but I had nothing else to do so I left peacock on and ventured to the next match in hopes of another banger like Brock Lesnar vs Omos.
Gunther vs Drew McIntyre vs Sheamus
Editor’s Note: Oh man this match had me so hyped up, I loved this match and perhaps to this day this one may be the best one I have seen. Next on the card was an absolute slobberknocker, just meaty men beating each other up. Watching this match without knowing the backstory, plot etc was fine to me, I remember being drawn to Drew McIntyre for this one because I just thought he looked so cool and his entrance was too. The other two men in this 3 way match were Gunther and Sheamus, who I think I recognized from a friend’s action figures growing up.
The Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus match was an absolute brawl, and I loved every second of it. It was pure, hard-hitting action with three beefy, massive men just beating each other up from start to finish. After immediately taking the fight to Gunther with a great looking move later revealed to be a Claymore, thanks to the commentary I had learned that Drew McIntyre and Sheamus were “friends” and that them fighting hopes of gaining an advantage was just part of the “drama” with only two of the three men in the ring, something I would later know is kind of a trope of 3-way matches. At one point, as Gunther leaned against the ropes, McIntyre kept delivering chops while Sheamus joined in and it was looking bleak for the champion. Once Gunther was out of the picture as it seemed, Sheamus turned his attention to friend McIntyre, setting him up on the ropes to unleash an googles how many times because it felt like 1000 28 clubbing blows to his chest, to which the crowd counted along for every single hit. Somehow Gunther avoided being pinned and clutched up the victory in the end to my disdain as this was the first match that I chose a dog in the fight perse. The physicality and raw power on display made for an intense, brutal showdown that felt like a true heavyweight slugfest—exactly what I hoped for!
Bianca Belair vs Asuka
The next fight was for one of the Women’s Championships which saw Bianca Belair take on Asuka. I had no idea who any of these people, not in the slightest but based off of entrances, it was clear to me that Belair was a star. From the first dings of the bell, both of these women proved themselves to be more than just sex-appeal. Which to my prior knowledge was all that women’s wrestling was, which in the early days of my childhood when my friends were watching wresting, is what it was. But recently it became respected and good actually. They showcased their incredible athleticism and skill, executing some breathtaking moves that kept me and the audience at SoFi on the edge of their seats. The tension built with each near fall, and I found myself convinced it was over so many times, only to see the match continue. The dramatic nearfalls and 2 count finishes added to my excitement, making the stakes feel incredibly high. I mean these physical feats to me looked crazy, but to a lifelong fan I’m sure were just transitional moves and were probably mundane but it was totally unexpected out of a women’s match, especially with what I had seen earlier today.
Snoop Dogg vs The Miz vs Shane McMahon?
Quickly, this was not a match? Or was it supposed to be? But Snoop Dogg ended up pinning the Miz because Shane McMahon actually tore his quads while running into the ring and this was funny to me, because you could hear the referee telling Snoop what to do since this was clearly not planned but it was funny nonetheless.
Hell in a Cell: Finn Balor vs Edge
Now this next match thanks to the commentary and hearing that it was a Hell in a Cell match got me a bit excited but unfortunately it left me desiring more but that is no fault of the competitors, just a freak accident that derailed the flow and rhythm of the match when Edge threw a ladder at Finn Balor’s head. The doctor’s had to come in and I suppose check him or give him stitches or staples right there, and that was pretty baller that he was able to not only continue the match, but jump off of the cage walls and take big falls and whatnot. This match made me respect wrestling because yea it is fake but seeing the photos of Finn Balor’s head after the match, you can’t fake that… (I’m well aware you can easily recreate the injury with makeup) kudos.
The Main Event: Roman Reigns ☝️ vs Cody Rhodes
Yea this was epic, I mean from the entrances alone it was clear these were the top two stars in this whole thing. I found myself rooting for Roman Reigns simply because of the memes and man he looked cool, I wish I was Samoan. Cody came out with this wild, almost movie-like entrance tons of fireworks, a dramatic cape and outfit that was honestly so sick, and was emitting with this whole aura of destiny. Roman, on the other hand, OHHHH man he walked out like he owned this company, like he was the final boss(lol), calm, slow, and surrounded by people who looked like they genuinely believed he was untouchable. It was this sick orchestral performance of his now iconic song and that only added to the allure that this was THE main event. Now I had some background knowledge about how Cody was going to “Finish the Story” which I didn’t know what that meant to be honest. In short, his father never won the title and Cody returned back to the WWE after leaving to finish his families story.
From the jump, the match felt more like this story than a fight and after the evening I had watched prior, this was something I knew to expect and was fine with. Everything was deliberate, characterized by a whole lot of slow-building, and feeling almost theatrical. At first I didn’t totally get it due to my lack of knowledge of the story at hand, but then the crowd started reacting big to every move, every tease of a comeback, and I found myself getting pulled in and dare I say almost rooting for Cody?
Cody kept fighting from underneath, with this whole underdog vibe even though he looked like the most polished guy in the world. Roman was methodical, almost smug, arrogant and cocky, picking his spots and looking unbeatable with the wiseman by his side. Every time Cody built momentum, something would cut him off, of course it would, sometimes it was Roman himself, sometimes interference from one of Roman’s goons, The Bloodline. The longer this went on, the more this started to feel less like a fair fight and more like Cody was battling an entire system. Still, there were a few moments where he hit his finisher and it really looked like he had it won. There were times when I thought Cody had it for sure, I believed it. But somehow, Roman survived every time. When he got to the three Cross Rhodes’ and was setting up to hit it for the third and presumptively final time, of course a goon in a hood (Solo) hit him and then Roman finally hit his finishing sequence and pinned Cody for the 1..2…3 count. The whole of Los Angeles kind of gasped. I wasn’t even a fan at this point and I felt the wind knocked out of me. Now I was teetering towards fandom. While I entered the match rooting for Roman, I found myself feeling for Cody, it was like watching the hero lose at the end of the movie. I didn’t totally understand why, but it felt… wrong. Still, I had to admit it was a hell of a main event.
SebastianMParente.com 
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