Sifting through the torn and tattered pages of a book with more missing pages than found, the search for lost notes left me weary and doubtful of myself.
It had been a while since I had discovered anything in the notes that interested me.
Has this whole routine become boring? Is there anything that can bring the spark back?
Why did I bother? Why had I spent so much time learning about the polarizing world of professional wrestling?
Why is my fascination with this so strong that it overshadows every other sport that I have come in contact with?
Why did I hold something like sports entertainment so dear to my heart when others ridicule it and look down upon an art form that is not only hard to perform, but impossible to perfect?
Still, I continue to pursue this undying thirst for knowledge. One can never know enough; we all learn something new in life every day.
It is impossible to pinpoint precisely what had piqued my curiosity for wrestling, and it would be a lie to tell you that I remember the exact moment I subconsciously began dedicating my free time to watching, studying, and examining wrestling.
My journey through the world filled with giants like Bret Hart and Ric Flair didn’t start as expected; not with a friend or relative, but it was curiosity that captured my eye as I remember standing in a video rental store staring at a bald man with a look on his face that told you he wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with.
The Indian clerk asked me whether I watched WWF while I had a Disney VHS cassette in my right hand.
What’s he talking about? I responded in the negative and he walked away with a box of disorganized cassettes.
I went home and the incident was soon forgotten.
At our household, we could rent a video per week as a way of relaxing after five days of school and every time I’d go to the store, I’d browse the WWF section more and more and that would lead to many conversations with the clerk regarding these towering figures with menacing, icy stares.
I learned, slowly and steadily, about stars like Shawn Michaels, Sting, Lex Luger, and Yokozuna but it was too early in my childhood for me to retain all the information and by the time I had moved to Dubai, my mind was blank once again.
But this time was different.
I had made up my mind that I would search for tapes and rent them if I could and learn as much as I can.
I asked my father what he knew of wrestling and his pithy reply was: “You know something, brother?” and when I responded with a resounding “What?” he laughed and walked away.
The next day, he told me all about Jimmy Hart and Hulk Hogan and I asked him if we could rent videos, but I was disappointed when he deemed it too violent for a boy of my age. (I was seven at the time.)
A rude awakening had ruined my mood when my brother literally screamed in my left ear: “Our neighbor just got a PlayStation, come on!”
I was about to smack him in between the third and fourth rib before my scowl turned into a grin. Soon, I was staring at Kane and the Rock battling it out on a TV set.
I heard random retorts from both my brother and his friend Suhail, including: “You better watch your tongue before the Rock puts a camera in your mouth!”
All hope was not lost after all.
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