My Top 5 Times Pro Wrestling Made Me A Better Person.

By Patrick O'malley.

Intro.

I have a question for you guys. Do TV shows, or other forms of media change the type of people that we end up being? I've been a fan of Pro Wrestling for over thirty years, and i'm starting to ask this question. I'm a 38 year old man, who still asks questions about the world, the sameway that I did when I was 15. I think this could be down to the fact as a child, and throughout my life, i've faced challenges and issues surrounding having learning issues, but when you get a challenge in life you can either face it head on, or let it own you. 

5. The Humour Of The Attitude Era.

I understand that this sentence might sound questionable given what we know about how this, and what occured during this time period, but given the fact that I was only 11 when I started to get some of the jokes that were unfolding on WWE TV. I started secondary school at this point, so it was important that I learnt how to make people laugh. Step forward DX, and. The Rock. D Generation X, knew how to make me laugh, and offend my mum, and this taught me that humour is an important vice for anyone, not just myself. Dwayne The Rock Johnson is a relic to himself, he could make you smile, and laugh, with the flick of his famous eyebrow, to his ability to verbally batter his opponent on the mic. I as an impressionable 11 turning 12 year old, got loads out of how he delivered his words. This was I learnt to speak my mind through humour.

4. The Rise Of AEW.

If you take your mind back to early 2018, the conception of another Pro Wrestling Company trying to vye for the no1 spot on a global level, was seen as laughable, but that's what we got when a small group of Individuals put forward an idea to currate an indy show to held in an arena, those individuals are known as Cody Rhodes. Kenny Omega, and. The Young Bucks, and the show was called All In. Nine months later it was confirmed that AEW would be launching with there first PPV to held in May of 2019. This PPV would be called Double Or Nothing. This event along with it's indy roots, would go on to change the way that the industry would be looked at. What I learnt from this was to accept all forms of change, because life changes, and sometimes if you don't go along with the times, then you might get left behind.

3. Be A Star.

This is a backwards look at how not to act. Back in 2011 the WWE introduced this inititive on weekly TV, as a series of ads aimed at showing Children how to learn to respect each other. I hated this from the moment I saw them. I get the aim behind it, but it undoes it self when you have John Cena call Eve Tores a sexual slur. This is just one moment, from a series of bad moments. I learnt that if you act like a hypocrite, then you deserve what you get. As a 24 year old man at the time, I was still learning how to navigate adult life, so I see something like this, and instantly i'm reminded of how it's important to treat people with respect as an adult, because this is the way that the world works.

2. It's Always Important To Remember Those That We've Lost.

The next part of this piece is one of the most tricky things that i've had put to print. Death is going to become all of us at some point in our lives, and when it happens in Pro Wrestling, the world becomes a lot more cruel. Case and points. 1 on the 26th of December 2020 the world was saddened to hear the news of the passing of John Huber aka. Brody lee/ Luke Harper. This took me back, and reminded me that life is far too short, this is an important life lesson for anyone to hold close to your heart. Just under three years later the world was saddened again to hear of the passing of windham Rotunda, aka. Bray wyatt. That same life lesson was taught again when I heard this news. Just a few days later, after the news broke. I attended AEW All In at Wembley Stadium, and amongst all of the tributes, what really stood out to me was, as I entered the Stadium all I could hear was Bray's entrance music playing out over the pa system. The lesson that I took away from this, was to hold your friends and family close.

1. Staples Are Friendship Groups.

From a young age I have always wanted to find a sense of belonging, and as a 38 year old adult i'm still looking for this connection. This could be said about Pro Wrestling Stables. The art of creating a good faction can't be rushed, it has to be nurtured over time. A great example is D Generation X, on screen they looked a couple of boys having fun, this was because Shawn Michaels, and. HHH had a real life friendship that had been developed over time, travelling on the road together. I see this a lot in the modern day Pro Wrestling scene, case and point The Elite. This group came together over time, as AEW started to shift it's gears, and grind them into fans brains. This to me is how you make relationships, and it's an important part of life, that no one should ignore.

Overview Of This Piece.

I feel that this piece was important for me to write. Because you can learn a lot about yourself when you take a look at the past. I learnt loads about the world at a young age watching Pro Wrestling, from the very moment that my brother kicked me out of my family's front room, so he could watch WCW worldwide, this sparked off a lifelong passion, that has lasted for over thirty years. This is were I see my life going, and lets just put it this way. If you're a Pro Wrestling fan, then life is never dull. You can have that little bit of advice for free.