Raslin

Raslin

People like to make fun of professional wrestling.  What idiot would believe that crap? 

I never believed professional wrestling was real, even when I was twelve years old and watching “Bedlam from Boston” on TV Friday nights. 

The champion as I recall was “Killer Kowalski” who generally won by submission when he applied the painful “Claw Hold.”

The "Killer" applies "The Claw Hold"

I watched for a year or two when my older boys were twelve and ten.  That was the Hulk Hogan era after he had defeated the Iron Sheik to obtain the title.

A few years ago when Spencer was twelve (that seems to be the age that young boys get fascinated with wrestling) I started watching again.

I have watched during three distinctly different eras in the world of professional wrestling.

I preferred the first era the best.  That was the era of good vs. evil.  Many of the good guys always lost.  For some reason I liked those guys the best.

The script was almost always the same.  Good guy gets in a few licks, bad guy who was always bigger and stronger fights back.  Bad guy almost pins good guy, but lets him up so he can torture him a bit because he is the bad guy.  Good guy suddenly gets strength from nowhere, kind of like Popeye after he eats his spinach and he makes a tremendous comeback.  Just when the good guy is about to win, the bad guy does something dirty, a punch with a roll of quarters hidden in his trunks often did the trick, and he goes on to punish and finally pin the good guy.

My two favorite good guys were Arnold “Golden Boy” Skaaland and Chief Jay Strongbow.  When Arnold did his Popeye thing he would pound his arms and puff out his chest; the bad guy knew he was in for it…until he finally beat the crap out of the Golden Boy.  I never saw the Golden Boy win a match…not even once!

Arnold "The Golden Boy" Skaaland

When the Chief had enough he went into his war dance (and people today think the Washington Football team is offensive.)  The bad guy generally got all scared and left the ring for a minute, when he came back the Chief would throw him around like a rag doll until the roll of quarters came out and the referee was not looking.  The Chief may have had some success in different leagues, but when I watched he always lost.

"The Chief"

Don’t ask me why I loved this crap.  Hell, I was only twelve.  Now I only watch highbrow stuff on television.

“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” starts soon.  I am very excited.