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/wrestling /guests /Pitbull3 |
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/wrestling /guests /Pitbull3 |
| Guest Columns | Pitbull 3 |
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MARKING MY TERRITORY On the Love of the Sport Bummer. I was surfing the net looking for some inspiration for this week's column. After finding it, I caught the announcement that Brian Hildebrand has died. The unfortunate news of the passing of Mr. Hildebrand has me kinda down right now. I first saw Brian during his days with SMW. His antics in the ring left a lasting impression on me. As such, I marked out a little when he debuted in ECW, and was happy for him when he graduated to WCW. I wish I could write a column on how great of a man he was. Unfortunately, I know only that he was a great friend to those he knew and that he had an unmatchable love for wrestling. Someone on the nwwwo discussion board asked the question about WCW, and the internet's general hatred of it. He asked why we even watched it if we hate it so much. And, even if we watch or not, why do we criticize it so much? I hope I speak for most when I say that it is something that joins us all. It is something so apparent to me in the waking moments of hearing of the death of Brian Hildebrand, that I put it in the title. Anyone on the net reading about wrestling probably has some sort of love for it. I know that I can sit down in front of Nitro, criticize everything that happens, get pissed off at the screwy ending to the main event, and walk away pissed at WCW. But, I also know that there is nothing (barring a Cowboys' MNF game) that I would rather do on a Monday night than sit there and watch wrestling. Be it a poor Nitro, or a stellar RAW, I would rather watch it than anything else on a Monday night. I watch wrestling for the entertainment. I can usually get my fill from the WWF's creative team. With the WWF, the discussions are usually on the actual angles. What we like, what we don't, who had funny lines, and who needs to work on their lines. We get excited and guess where they are going with a certain feud. I rarely outright bash WCW like a lot of people do. In my two previous columns that dealt with WCW, Looking Back to Fix WCW and I Listen to My Grandparents(the Flair/Rock one that confused people), I did not bash WCW at all. I WISH WCW was better. I wish that everyone in the company had a compelling storyline going, and could put on good matches. Even the stiffs, lazies, and general no-talent hacks can put on entertaining matches without having great (and largely irrelevant) workrate. Wrestlemanias III and VI are the absolute best examples of that. Hogan (much reviled for his lack of in-ring skills) was involved in two of the biggest matches against a largely crippled and overweight Andre, and a roided ex-bodybuilder with even less in-ring talent than the previous two. It IS possible for WCW to put on an entertaining show. And every week, I watch to see if it happens. Maybe that makes me a wrestling mark or an idiot or a masochist, but when the cream rises to the top, it is worth all the other crap. Seeing Vampiro do his thing, or waiting on the edge of my chair for Flair's next echoing chop, or anything else that brings a smile to my face and makes me just sit back and enjoy how much I love professional wrestling, makes it all worth it. What DOES entertain me about the bad stuff is the reaction online to it. I love to see all of these people complain about how bad or stupid or insulting something on Nitro was. I love seeing people spout their grievances to a powerless mass. So much of what is bad on tv makes for great entertainment on the net. I realize this week's column is a bit lacking in length and (maybe) quality from my previous efforts. I just got in to college (fun 27-hour drive from Texas to Jersey) and have been running around trying to get moved in. The death of Brian is heavy on my heart right now because of the basic premise of this column and how someone like him embodied and exemplified that love for wrestling. We shared that bond, if nothing else. My thoughts and prayers are with the Hildebrand Family. Pitbull3 [slash] wrestling PS. For those wondering, the new column title is something I thought up as a general title from now on. It will be kinda like : In Your House : <the title of the event here>. It also has a dog-type reference, and I thought that would be fitting. Mail the Author |
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