When it comes to sports, Basketball and Wrestling are my twin passions. Whilst I spent 2011 looking to find a Basketball experience in each Country, I also had the pleasure of experiencing Wrestling in several regions. I was a fan of wrestling growing up but my passion for it has remained, maturing over time. I've written essays about wrestling for University, dedicated blogs to the subject and have gone on excursions seeking it. I described my love during my time in England thusly:
- WWE Global Warning PPV (Melbourne, Australia) Aug 2002
- Pro Wrestling NOAH (Shizuoka, Japan) Oct 2007
- Pro Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts in South America (Chile, Colombia, Brazil) 2013
- Ring of Honor, Survival of the the Fittest (Arlington, Texas) Nov 2016
- Texas All-Star Wrestling (San Antonio, Texas) Nov 2016
- Real South Wrestling Federation (Memphis, Tennessee) Apr 2017
You'll find my NBA to-do list has plenty of wrestling on the agenda. WrestleMania 29 in New York, the biggest show on earth being the obvious highlight. As 'Live Audio Wrestling' is my news source for all things in the fight game it would be a blast socialising with the gang for their 'WWE Raw' viewing parties in Toronto.
You'd be surprised to find there is a considerable overlap between basketball and wrestling. Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone after colliding in the NBA finals extended their rivalry with confrontations on the set of Jay Leno and WCW programming. I got the chance to see Rodman fight in Sydney headlining for 'i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling' with the late Curt Hennig. Shaquille O'Neal has appeared on WWE programming having feuded with the Big Show. Not to mention Sheed and the Detroit Pistons rocking Championship Belts during their title defence.
While in the States I hope to explore as many Indie feds as possible and I imagine I'll be finding plenty of MMA which continues to grow. But Wrestling is my first love, it taps into an Americana I'm fascinated by and brings out my inner child.
Interestingly when I was speaking to the Coach of the GB Men's team enroute to Vilnius for EuroBasket. He remarked why he favored the European style of play over the American. "The NBA is a different type of basketball. Its more like WWE", in reference to its showmanship and emphasis on the individual. I replied "Well that's great for me because I love wrestling"
WrestleMania 29 and the LAW meetups appear on my Atlantic Division wishlist of the 30 Home Games mission.
Explore my to-do list for the States of the Eastern Conference
1) Central Division
Illinois | Indiana | Michigan | Ohio | Wisconsin
2) Southeast Division
Florida | Georgia | North Carolina | Washington DC
Coolspotting: Nerding out in England - Comics, CosPlay, Video Games and WrestlingBelow are the times I enjoyed Wrestling during my EuroTrip. At each event I was able to create some unique experiences, such as stumbling onto free tickets for UFC 138, making Spanish connections in Barcelona and nerding out with ROH superstar Eddie Edwards over his #12 Boston Celtics jersey
I often get asked why I like wrestling, my standard response is that it speaks to me intellectually. I enjoy the charisma, psychology and manipulation. Experiencing the show live, I realised I'd overlooked its obvious appeal - watching wrestling makes me feel like a kid again...
Pro Wrestling in Europe 2011Wrestling around the world:
Live sports results: Barcelona, March 2011
- SWA Super Wrestling Alliance (Barcelona, Spain)
Coolspotting: Nerding out in England - Comics, CosPlay, Video Games and Wrestling
- FWA Frontier Wrestling Alliance (London, England)
- WWE Smackdown (Birmingham, England)
- UFC 138 (Birmingham, England)
- WWE Raw (Nottingham, England)
NBA Player jerseys: Overlooked eras, Forgotten teams
- WXW Westside Xtreme Wrestling (Oberhausen, Germany)
- WWE Global Warning PPV (Melbourne, Australia) Aug 2002
- Pro Wrestling NOAH (Shizuoka, Japan) Oct 2007
- Pro Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts in South America (Chile, Colombia, Brazil) 2013
- Ring of Honor, Survival of the the Fittest (Arlington, Texas) Nov 2016
- Texas All-Star Wrestling (San Antonio, Texas) Nov 2016
- Real South Wrestling Federation (Memphis, Tennessee) Apr 2017
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| Boston Celtics inspired tee for Hometown boy John Cena |
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| a) Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone in WCW b) Shaquille O'Neal VS The 'Big Show' c) The World Champion Detroit Pistons |
VIDEO: Jerry The King Lawler Piledrives a fan &
Charles Barkley talks Brock Lesnar/Cena
Charles Barkley talks Brock Lesnar/Cena
While in the States I hope to explore as many Indie feds as possible and I imagine I'll be finding plenty of MMA which continues to grow. But Wrestling is my first love, it taps into an Americana I'm fascinated by and brings out my inner child.
Interestingly when I was speaking to the Coach of the GB Men's team enroute to Vilnius for EuroBasket. He remarked why he favored the European style of play over the American. "The NBA is a different type of basketball. Its more like WWE", in reference to its showmanship and emphasis on the individual. I replied "Well that's great for me because I love wrestling"
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Explore my to-do list for the States of the Eastern Conference
1) Central Division
Illinois | Indiana | Michigan | Ohio | Wisconsin
2) Southeast Division
Florida | Georgia | North Carolina | Washington DC
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