(Photo by Mark A. Wallenfang/Getty Images)
People always tell me, day in and day out, that first impressions always leave a mark. Whether it's jobs, personalities, something new, etc., the impact you make is always what people will remember.
With all sports, we have seen this; soccer for its amazing moments and out-of-hand fans, hockey for its glory and being Canada's national sport, baseball for being très controversial, and basketball for its fast-paced action.
But, in the midst of all these sports, there is one who stands out like a black sheep in a herd of white sheep.
That's right, the sport which has no credibility or recognition (despite having a bigger fan base than some sports), the sport that isn't even considered a sport by some. Yes, I'm talking about pro wrestling.
Vince McMahon Jr. bought his father's company, the World Wide Wrestling Federation, in 1982, and changed the wrestling world from being a carnival act to one of the biggest forms of entertainment in American history.
The storylines became more wild, the characters had a bit more flair, and to top it off, McMahon had TV coverage, courtesy of Titan Sports (his company).
Sadly, this is when people started watching wrestling and getting into the art form, and people soon realized that wrestling wasn't a sport.
They thought of many ways to expose the wrestling business, from analyzing rigged fighting, fake angles, and GIANT men who strutted to the ring wearing tights, who had big muscles. The exposers then blamed steroids for all of these muscle-heads.
So, in 1992, trouble started. Vince's World Bodybuilding Federation (circa 1990) was shut down after McMahon was accused of passing steroids to bodybuilders, as well as wrestlers.
The year of '93 saw Vince wrapped up in a steroid controversy, and then put to trial in 1994, gaining a plea of "not guilty." This trial would sever the friendship of Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon.
The funny thing is, McMahon had a line of bodybuilding supplements both wrestlers and bodybuilders used called ICOPRO (Intergrated Conditioning Program). He even had top stars like Bret Hart, Lex Luger, and Razor Ramon star in commercials for the product, so this would've added to evidence of his allegations to steroid use.
The late Bad News Allen, in the book Pain and Passion: The History Of Stampede Wrestling, quoted on Vince, "He was 60 years old and jacked," meaning McMahon had used steroids.
Many wrestling journalists, columnists, and authors say that guys like Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Chris Benoit, and others have layed down the foundation for today's generation of superstars, but of those f ive wrestlers, four have taken steroids (except for Bret), and two have died at a young age (Benoit and Smith).
This is the core problem.
People like Dave Jackson have now shown us the stereotype wrestling portrays; a bunch of half-naked men all oiled up and jacked up, in tights feeling each other.
We, as wrestling fans know that it isn't true; wrestling is an art form, and while some may be half-naked, they still put on a good show (i.e. Randy Orton).
Most wrestlers do wear tights, but since the Hardy Boyz's fame escalated, as well as Rey Mysterio's, there have been some wrestlers who prefer not to wear tights.
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