by Kevin De Silva Piques

Created on: October 13, 2009

When I was young, wrestling was one of my favorite shows to watch. Problem was, my older brother and I were not allowed to watch anymore because we acted out what we viewed and in the process destroyed a lot of household items my mother cherished. Luckily for us, our grandparents lived next door and my grandfather was a huge wrestling fan.

It was the 1970's and wrestling was on television once a week on Saturday afternoons. Mostly local shows were broadcast which pitted one "heel" and one "babyface" against each other. The outcomes were predictable and the storylines weren't as creative as todays wrestling. For two teenage boys though, it was good action and a lot of fun to watch.

Even though we knew wrestling was fake and the outcomes scripted, we could still appreciate the skill and athleticism these athletes had. The lifts, jumps, slams, climbing the ropes and flying through the air made the one hour show very entertaining. There were former football players like Angelo "King Kong" Mosca, martial artists like Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Olympic weightlifter Ken Patera, Navy Seal, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Tony "Mr. USA" Atlas, former bodybuilder. The list is endless of great athletes moving into professional wrestling after their athletic careers were done. This is what made wrestling have the appeal it did.

Another aspect of wrestling that mad it so appealing was the freak show aspect. Where else could you see a seven foot, four inch giant weighing over five hundred pounds fight two or three other men at the same time. Andre the Giant was a massive man and to see him on television was almost unbelievable. His strength and sheer size made him a fan favorite. He was just someone or something you could not see anywhere else.

In 1976, Muhammed Ali fought Gorilla Monsoon in a unplanned event in Philadelphia. Monsoon had just concluded his match when Ali came into the ring, dancing around and throwing jabs. Monsoon grabbed Ali, spun him in an airplane spin and then slammed him. The spectacle was over rather quickly, but it did strike a chord with viewers and helped to further create the intrigue surrounding professional wrestling.

In the 1970's, wrestling was just as fake as it is today, but the perception of the "sport" was much different. It still had a certain respect among viewers as a sporting event. There were plenty of big named athletes participating and still a certain amount of intrigue created by the promoters. Much has changed since then, but one thing remains a constant, wrestling is still good value for your entertainment dollar.

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