Style Versus Style: Why I Love Boxing, Pro Wrestling and Basketball

I am a man who loves style.  Whether it be fashion, politics, music, sports or movies I love to observe and analyze each major person, team and event.  Examine all the angles and talk about them with my friends.

This is why my 3 favorite sports are boxing, basketball and pro wrestling.  Over the course of this article I will explain why my style theme applies to these sports, and the match ups that made me love or fall back in love with each of them.

First off I'm going to discuss my favorite sport of all, basketball, and why I even love sports to begin with.

2004 New Jersey Nets vs. Detroit Pistons-2004 Eastern Conference Semi-finals

Alright so many great rivalries to talk about here, Russel v. Wilt, Jordan v. Isiah, Bird v. Magic, etc. etc.  But I chose this series for a reason.  It the whole reason I'm into basketball and the reason why I even care about sports to begin with.

Now that may sound weird to most of you, but it's true.  For most of my life I was a nerd, awkward physically and socially; that guy the jocks picked on and the girls ignored.  I spent most of my time in the clouds or into the latest novel or comic book I had picked up from the bookstore.

I enjoyed sports to a certain degree, but I never really cared much for them, to me it was just another reminder of the gaping difference between me and the cool guys I went to school with.

That all changed in 2004; the Pistons had added one of my favorite guys mid season, Rasheed Wallace and were playing to a high level I had never seen before, I never got to watch the "Bad Boys" until much later.

Right where they and the fans wanted to be; with a chance to avenge our embarassing defeat at the hands of the defending Eastern Conference champs: The New Jersey Nets.

And oh what a series it was(especially the multiple overtime thriller that was game 5).  You had the Nets, a star studded, high flying, offensive powerhouse.  And the Pistons who were filled with a bunch of NBA expendables, played ugly(often holding teams to below 80 points), and seemed to not have enough offensive firepower to win it all.

From game 1 till game 7, both teams pushed, prodded and enforced their will on the other team with mixed results.  Some games were blowout wins, others were closely fought shootouts, in the end the Pistons emerged victorious.  And with a new fan to boot, not bad for a team with guys who besides Wallace had been widely considered to be busts on their previous teams.

Now for a nice little discussion of pro wrestling. You can look forward to my thoughts on this year's Michaels vs. Undertaker match at Wrestlemania 25.

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Micheals vs. "The Phenom", The Undertaker: Wrestlemania 25 pay-per view.

Wow what a match this was, reinvigorated my passion for pro wrestling.  Simply one of the best pro wrestling matches I've ever seen.

For those of you not in the know this match almost never happened again; in their initial bout back in 1997, Michaels left with a critical back injury and was told he would never wrestle again.

Undertaker went on to dominance, many title wins and a Wrestlemania record of 16-0(although any passionate wrestling fan can tell you this record is padded a bit).

Michaels eventually returned in 2002/2003, to much success and fan fare. I won't bore you with the details, but point blank if Michaels wasn't a pro wrestler, he be mentioned right up there with guys like Lance Armstrong, Josh Hamilton, Michael Jordan and Dwyane Wade, as having one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

Now on to what you stuck with me for, my feelings on the match.  Wow what a match and what a setup.  Shawn Michaels, the born-again Christian and the born-again Wrestler. And Undertaker, the unstoppable, dark and haunting force that had been reigning in the WWE for over a decade.

Michaels brought speed, power(courtesy of some "Sweet Chin Music"), and an unrelenting will to this match.  Along with a new sense of humility, perspective and showmanship not seen since Hulk Hogan in his prime.

Taker brought and bruising and physical style with boxing/submission influences to this match.  As well as a level of psychological manipulation and intimidation that had made him a force since his arrival in the WWE.

These guys went blow for blow, submission for submission and pushed each other to "Hell and back" to borrow a line from great wrestling announcer Jim Ross. 

Both men should be credited for the amount of showmanship they brought to this match as well as the fact that both got into premium shape for this match up.

Not since Michaels' legendary Iron Man match with Bret "The Hitman" Hart, or Hulk Hogan vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage had I seen a better mix of styles.  This match truly captivated me in a way I hadn't felt since I was a kid.

Although like Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior, I didn't get my desired result(Michaels lost). I was satisfied non the less and once again the WWE could count me amongst it's fans.

Last, but not least the reason why I chose the picture I did.  It's time to discuss arguably the best sports rivalry ever: Mohammed Ali vs. "Smoking" Joe Frazier.

For those who have never seen it, I highly reccommend watching the sports documentary "When We Were Kings."  It perfectly demonstrates why this is arguably the greatest sports rivalry ever, and why these two men were so great as individuals and together.

Hearing Ali say "I don't get tired, because every time my mind tells me I'm tired, I keep running and running and running until my mind stops telling me I'm tired."  Is just a testament to his personal will and drive.

Quick witted, quick tempered, and always treating the ring and the media as his own personal game of psychological chess; one would think Ali would be the fighter who brought a great degree of bruising physicality to this fight.

Instead Ali danced around, daring his opponent to hit him if he could, and striking back with a powerful counter blow of his own. Wearing down and ultimately topping all his foes by wanting it more than they did and using his mental and physical tools to destroy them from the inside-out.

While Ali was brash and fiery, Joe Frazier seemed to reserve this side of himself for the ring, coming off as humble, reserved and the epitome of class.  While Ali mocked him, calling him "The Gorilla", ugly, and going out of his way to try and destroy Frazier mentally; Frazier seemed to take it all in and simply channel his frustrations into his performance against Ali in the ring.

It's no wonder Frazier often came into these match ups as a short of beloved underdog.  Add to that his great physicality, rough background and the cultural impact of this fight(in case you haven't noticed Ali is a light skinned black man while Frazier is much darker).

And trust me you can still see the impacts of this part of their rivalry in the African-American community today(more on that in another forum).

But this is why these rivalry is grand, the two men's personalities clash with their in-ring talents, and they clashed with each other as people.  Ultimately we had speed vs. power, bravado vs. brute strength, light vs. dark. And oh what a wonder it was to behold.

Seeing these two men go at in as a child watching ESPN classic, it left an eternal mark on me as a boxing/sports fan and as an African-American male.

My only hope is that one day I get to shake both of these men's hands and tell them "thank you".  Both for great entertainment and for both teaching me a little about myself as a man.

Philip Powell is an obsessive fan.  His obsessions include movies, sports, and comics. He is currently a student at Central Michigan University studying journalism-news editorial.  He can be reached here or by email at [e-mail]