Why I love pro-wrestling, and why I think every fan should too

Everybody remembers Hogan slamming Andre, not the whole match. And that’s just one example. It’s all about the small things that make the largest of impacts.

How iconic was it when Warrior pinned Hogan clean? Just like when Bryan, Punk or Owens did to Cena. It wasn’t the match that defined them, it was the sheer brilliance of the moments. Who would ever forget JR’s echoing words: “The Austin Era has begun!”? Ask yourself: Was the main event of WrestleMania X-Seven so popular for the match, or for the aftermath? Surely, it’s the aftermath. It was the end of arguably the biggest rivalry of all time between Steve Austin and Vince McMahon.

What do we all cherish more? Chris Benoit’s victory at WrestleMania XX, or his celebration with Eddie Guerrero after it? The same could be said about Eddie, do we all look back on the match with Brock Lesnar, or do we look back at the moment where he held his championship up in victory? Do we all remember the main event of WrestleMania XXX or the final celebration more fondly? The same can be said about WrestleMania 31.

We all remember this moment more than the match

The building blocks of wrestling is all in the moments. And moments aren’t just aftermaths or celebrations. They’re big spots too.

Of course, the one that springs to mind instantly is Mankind’s two falls at King Of The Ring 1998, and also his fall at No Way Out 2000, or even his fall through a flaming table at WrestleMania 22. But of course it doesn’t need to be so huge, just like Austin stunning McMahon for the first time.

I’ve been watching since September 2011. Sure, I haven’t lived through as many moments as many other fans, but I’ve lived through some pretty great ones.

My first big-moment memory

The first one that I can remember feeling big came at Survivor Series that year, and it wasn’t The Rock delivering a Rock Bottom to John Cena after their victory that night. It was the night when CM Punk’s legendary WWE Championship reign began, when he made Alberto Del Rio tap out. It will always feel like a significant night for me. The same kind of scenario came at WrestleMania XXVIII, when The Rock beat John Cena, but I was more concerned about the WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Chris Jericho, which is one of my favourite matches of all time. The next night when Brock Lesnar returned, I was genuinely shocked when he attacked John Cena, because back then I wasn’t an internet fan like I am now.

Around the time I was introduced to the internet wrestling fandom, Daniel Bryan’s redemption story was taking place, and I’ve already described how WrestleMania XXX was.