Wrestle it out.

I think it's time I gave the WWE (formerly the WWF, as in World Wrestling Federation not World Wildlife Fund) its shout out. Consider this your props.

I have watched the WWE on and off for three decades. I am neither proud nor ashamed of this admission. It is what it is and you can go scratch if you don't like it. I can say that I have in fact watched live Wrestlemania I, II, and III. I can say that I have in fact enjoyed watching live Wrestlemania I, II, and III. How many people can make both those statements? I am unique in every way imaginable.

As a youth, I very much liked the WWF. The Hart Brothers, Andre the Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, Nikolai Bolshevik, and others all bring back the memories. I'm not sure exactly what drew me to these muscle-y acrobats but I dug the drama of someone getting the smack down and then coming back to win it all.

At some point I strayed from the WWF. For at least two decades I'd say. And then surprisingly it resurfaced. First there was that reality show on MTV about becoming a professional wrestler. It was engrossing. I'm not sure why that show isn't still on but I suspect it's because Americans are generally fat and lazy and don't like getting slammed on their backs.

Later that same decade I was forced to watch RAW every Thursday night. I did not enjoy this. The characters were fairly different. Most of them I didn't recognize but after a few weeks of this, I got sucked right back in. I especially liked that Chris Jericho. He's bad. He's good. He's bad. He's good. It's hard to keep up. His pants were consistently tight though and he was always ready for the gun show. I would like to get in the ring with him.

I digress. Last night I went to see a play about a professional wrestler. I am totally serious. It's called "American Sligo" by one of my new favorite playwrights Adam Rapp. You should go see it because it's disturbing and uncomfortable, like Neil LaButte, but funnier. There were some priceless phrases in there, which I can't summon at this particular moment which is why you should go see it and stop relying on me so much.

Yeah, so, wrestling. I don't have any big proclamations. Like much in life, it is what it is. Word.