\n\n\n
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Many big name wrestlers began their careers in Memphis or came through the territory to feud with Lawler. The likes of Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, and countless others all fell to the feet of the \"King.\"
\n
In fact, at one point TV 5 studio wrestling was the highest rated program in the area. It was estimated that 40% of all televisions in the area where turned to wrestling.
\n
As a child I absolutely loved it. In fact, it was a tradition that my mom would take me to the Coliseum on my birthday to see all of the matches.
\n
As time went on, crowds began to dwindle in Memphis and since that time several organizations have came and went and so has my enthusiasm for wrestling. By the early 1990's, well-known wrestling promoter Vince McMahon had put most of the smaller organizations out of business by acquiring most of their top stars for his organization.
\n
It was at this time that wrestling, or rasslin' as we refer to it Tennessee, changed.
\n
As a child, I was always impressed with the storylines of our local wrestling scene. Many of the stunts and angles came across as \"real.\" In fact, it was more than a decade later that most of us learned that Jerry Lawler had not really injured comedian Andy Kaufman during an infamous feud.
\n
What made wrestling work during that time was the ability to \"suspend\" belief. Even though wrestling has always been more entertainment than actual sport, most of the storylines involved real life scenarios that made a small part of me wanting to believe what I was seeing was real. There was also a clear line between the faces (good guys) and the heels (the bad guys).
\n
Today the landscape of professional wrestling has clearly changed. While no one can deny that Vince McMahon has taken a carnival type of \"sport\" and turned it into a multi-billion dollar industry, some of the fun and mystery is gone from rasslin'.
\n
Wrestlers will openly admit on talk shows that what they do is strictly entertainment and some of the storylines are so outlandish that even when I was a small child, I would find them hard to believe.
\n
While I will confess that I occasionally flip the channel onto Monday Raw when football season is over, it is just not the same. The emphasis is placed on things that could not possibly happen and there is very little \"wrestling\" that actually takes place.
\n
Whatever happened to the days of a 20-minute match between two guys who actually seemed to know the difference between a wristlock and a wristwatch?
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What Happened to Professional Wrestling?
I have always been a walking contradiction. While I consider myself relatively well-educated, being from a small West Tennessee rural county, I occasionally feel the need for unadulterated entertainment. One moment I may be reading Shakespeare and the next moment finding out when the next tractor pull is coming to the area.
In the '70s and '80s, there were few things bigger than Professional Wrestling in the West Tennessee area. As a small child and teen, I grew up watching local professional wrestling based out of Memphis (which is less than an hour from where I live).
Each Saturday morning, I would look forward to watching the likes of WWE announcer Jerry "The King" Lawler, Jimmy Hart, and others staging choregraphed fights that packed the Mid-South Coliseum. In fact, Lawler sold out the Coliseum more often that the other king, Elvis Presley.
Many big name wrestlers began their careers in Memphis or came through the territory to feud with Lawler. The likes of Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, and countless others all fell to the feet of the "King."
In fact, at one point TV 5 studio wrestling was the highest rated program in the area. It was estimated that 40% of all televisions in the area where turned to wrestling.
As a child I absolutely loved it. In fact, it was a tradition that my mom would take me to the Coliseum on my birthday to see all of the matches.
As time went on, crowds began to dwindle in Memphis and since that time several organizations have came and went and so has my enthusiasm for wrestling. By the early 1990's, well-known wrestling promoter Vince McMahon had put most of the smaller organizations out of business by acquiring most of their top stars for his organization.
It was at this time that wrestling, or rasslin' as we refer to it Tennessee, changed.
As a child, I was always impressed with the storylines of our local wrestling scene. Many of the stunts and angles came across as "real." In fact, it was more than a decade later that most of us learned that Jerry Lawler had not really injured comedian Andy Kaufman during an infamous feud.
What made wrestling work during that time was the ability to "suspend" belief. Even though wrestling has always been more entertainment than actual sport, most of the storylines involved real life scenarios that made a small part of me wanting to believe what I was seeing was real. There was also a clear line between the faces (good guys) and the heels (the bad guys).
Today the landscape of professional wrestling has clearly changed. While no one can deny that Vince McMahon has taken a carnival type of "sport" and turned it into a multi-billion dollar industry, some of the fun and mystery is gone from rasslin'.
Wrestlers will openly admit on talk shows that what they do is strictly entertainment and some of the storylines are so outlandish that even when I was a small child, I would find them hard to believe.
While I will confess that I occasionally flip the channel onto Monday Raw when football season is over, it is just not the same. The emphasis is placed on things that could not possibly happen and there is very little "wrestling" that actually takes place.
Whatever happened to the days of a 20-minute match between two guys who actually seemed to know the difference between a wristlock and a wristwatch?
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