For many years baseball was considered America's favorite pastime. However, a new pastime has risen to the scene of our popular culture - Professional Wrestling.
Just like hip hop music, Professional Wrestling was considered nothing more than a phase: a fad, something that won’t stick around. 20 years later, both genres of our society are moving strong the century of flopped election ballots, 9/11, and war stories.
So now we come to Wrestlemania XX, where World Wrestling Entertainment says, "It all begins again."
For many of us, Professional Wrestling is no more than a "man's soap opera." For others, it stacks up there with the Super Bowl, and is a great break from the reality of terrorism, hard knock living, and having to prep for a new president .. maybe.
However, like all events, you have your lower levels that aspire one day to make it onto the big screen of powerbombs and leg locks.
Meet "Enforcer" Steve Anderson of Apple Valley, MN who makes residence in Chicago, IL. Steve has been a wrestler on the independent scale for four years and gave mixed reviews on tomorrow’s big event in the world of professional wrestling.
"The way I see it about Wrestlemania XX and I hope you're ready because I don't think 99.999999% of these people wants to hear it but this has to be one the WORST put together events in the history of the WWE for several reasons," Steve said. "The WWE for several reasons and the main reason for my comments is from a month after Wrestlemania XIX the WWE has pushing this event down the throats of wrestling fans everywhere and hyping this to be where it all begins again."
Steve added that "It seemed in the beginning that they were going on the right path with Wrestlemania XX but when I noticed Chris Benoit on Monday Night Raw challenging Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship, I thought to myself something is seriously wrong here but I couldn't exactly place what was about to go wrong and when I witnessed Shawn Michaels sign a contract, I said, "To hell with this I'm not watching Wrestlemania!" Then with each week the story started to get much deeper and when Vince McMahon announced that there was going to be a Playboy Evening Gown Match, I told myself for certain that I would not even pay a dime to see what in the past has been the Mecca of sports entertainment."
Now of course everyone doesn’t feel this way because if that were the case, Madison Square Garden wouldn't have sold out in a day or so for Wrestlemania XX.
"I can't wait for WMXX its gonna be amazing!!! Goldberg v Lesnar, Kane v Undertaker, HHHvHBKvBenoit and the Rock n Sock connection," said one wrestling fan that goes by the name of Dave. Dave is from Oxford, located in the United Kingdom and shows that this event goes worldwide. “Its just too much!" he added.
No matter what your opinion is on Professional Wrestling, in this reporter's opinion, wrestling is worldwide. It's the classic battle between good vs. evil, added with characters that at least one person can relate to. As we look around at the world today, we have a lot to be aware of as social climates evolve as well as our awareness of the world around us. However, it's good to know that wrestling will always be wrestling - Even if you don't 'Smell what the Rock is cooking', and if you don't 'dig it sucka' and if you don't understand why a man is running around the ring choking people with a sock that has a smiley face drawn on it.
Ricky Allen is the author of Richard Kaylen: Murder Online.