Sheer Wrestling....In the Beginning

The most ominous thing about a new blog or a new Twitter handle is "what will they think?!".

Not that the blog won't get read, or that the information won't be good/valid/interesting...but when it's the FIRST blog post there is no History behind it. I can be virtually anyone...or no one at all. I can be a one hit wonder. I could that Blind Date that you never call back.

But as the founder of Sheer Wrestling I've built a long history with Pro Wrestling, and I want to use this space to write about it. To "talk" about it.  Your comments are always welcome. You can share so much more info here than on Twitter.  I mean, 144 characters?  Really?

Oh! Did I mention that our Twitter handle is @SheerWrestling ?
Ok, glad we got that out of the way...


I don't like to talk about "myself"...but let me use this blank space to share some history and get us acquainted.

I found pro wrestling in the Mid-80s.
Ok, wait, I lied already. I FIRST found Pro Wrestling in the mid-SEVENTIES, but I it was a one shot. It was a WWF television show on my black-and-white television. I'm know for a fact I saw Mil Mascaras and I'm 99% sure I saw Big John Studd.  That's all I remember about THAT afternoon.

But in the mid-90's I inherited a step-brother who was a HYOOOGE Pro Wrestling fan.
on Saturday Nights I stayed up to watch WWF programming on Channel 9. (WWOR. Shout out to Sean Mooney).

I saw the Snuka-Muraco feud.
I saw the Samoans lose the titles to Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas
I saw Bob Backlund lose the belt to the Iron Shiek, who in turn lost it to Hulk Hogan.

These are my earliest memories, but I'm in no way exclusive to old school WWF...or to ANYthing Vince McMahon and company puts out.

Every Summer as a kid I'd go to Florida to see my grandparents. This was when wrestling still had Territories. It was the only time I could see wrestling from Florida, and sometimes USWA from Memphis.

Once we got cable at home, and I found Turner Broadcasting (TBS), I leaned about the Mid-Atlantic/NWA and watched them progress into World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Since the mid-80's there has only been 1 year that I DIDNT follow pro-wrestling.
I traded wrestling for a girl, she ultimately broke my heart, and I decided that any girl that came after her had to like pro wrestling. Well, at least tolerate it.

Mrs. Wrestling used to like it.
Now she just tolerates it.

Today I still watch the WWE product (and like you, I like some of it, I hate some of it) and keep an eye on a LOT of other products/promotions.

I'm old enough that I can go on and on, but I don't want to burn it all on the first post.

So, in closing...and just to show my age...I'm going to list my "all time" favorite wrestlers and then some quick notes about today's crop of  wrestlers.  (Just to prove that I CAN be objective when measuring old school versus today's product)

All Time Favorites (not really in any order):
Ric Flair
Bret Hart
Arn Anderson
Barry Windham
Muta
Goldust
Magnum TA
Rick Steamboat
Nikita Koloff
Stone Cold version of Steve Austin
William Regal


Today's inventory:

• I don't hate on Roman Reigns like most others. I DO think they should turn him heel, he's got a natural heel vibe. But on either side of the book I think he's rather good.


• I think, if booked properly, Braun Strowman can be absolutely mind-blowing-ly incredible for as long as he and the WWE want it.


• I think Lucha Underground is one of the most amazing TV shows Pro Wrestling ever produced. I hope they can keep their funding, because both the talent and the production are amazing.


• I'm NOT a fan of women's wrestling. At all. That's not to be sexist. It just doesn't entertain me. For every "great" like Gail Kim, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair there are too many others who are just average in the ring and awful on the stick. When you couple this with limited talent pool (most every fed sees the same 6 or 7 girls wrestle each other each month) it gets un-interesting, quickly.


• Doesn't Charlotte wrestle JUST like her father?! I mean .. the mannerisms! Not just the ring work.


• AJ Styles?  Of course, yeah. Phenomenal.


• Kevin Owens?  For a guy who doesn't "look" the part, he's entertaining as all get out.


• Have you seen Pro Wrestling Guerrilla?  If you haven't, you need to. PWG was cool long before NXT was.

Oh man, I can go on and on.
In fact, some of the stuff I wrote above I'm going to expand into Blog entries.

PLEASE feel free to comment the blog, and connect with me on Twitter!