BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) DARK MATCHES
Before a television taping it’s been a tradition to have “dark matches”. It serves as a warm-up for the fans and puts some action in the ring as everyone gets to their seats for the big show. The weird thing is that went independent shows have “dark matches”. It’s basically a “preshow” so to speak, but if the big guys do it little local wants to as well. The interesting part of this is who is in the actual matches. Over the years I’ve seen dark matches featuring some huge names. It’s normally guys who are getting their try-outs after working the indies forever, guys getting broken in who have been in their farm system, and it’s people we know who are trying out new things.
(THREE) 100% SURE PREDICTIONS
I think everyone who watches wrestling is guilty of this. They watch for so long that instincts kick in and things become second nature. We know and expect certain moves to happen. We know what lines in promos are next. We know when to expect a twist in a storyline. We know who is going to win. We know EVERYTHING. The sad part is that we’re right more times than not, but it’s awesome when you’re 100% sure about something and it doesn’t happen. It’s that little moment of surprise that makes it worth watching.
(TWO) LIFE AFTER WRESTLING
A lot of wrestlers die or leave the business and become broken down clichés. The whole broken down old wrestler character from the movie “The Wrestler” is sadly really close to reality. Then there are some wrestlers who have really interesting “life after wrestling” stories. Shawn Michaels has a hunting show, Steve Austin continues to act and host things, JBL does his stock market stuff, Edge is acting, some people write books, and some people got into things outside of the public eye. It’s just weird to watch someone play a character for so long and do so well at it to move on to do something “real”. The good stories are awesome.
(ONE) ODD AUTOGRAPH/MEETING ENCOUNTERS
I’ve been spoiled with this and I think it’s part of what has warped me. When I was five years old I was allowed backstage at a WCW show at the Omni in Atlanta. I saw too much and got to meet Sting without the make-up. This was in the late 80’s so it was really taboo to go behind the kayfabed curtain. From there I’d go on to meet famous wrestlers at small independent shows, outside of ECW shows, outside of WWF shows, and the “randomest” of places. It’s just part of being a fan. The chance encounter of meeting a celebrity or someone you’re a fan of is always really cool. With wrestling, it’s almost easier. They’re always out doing autograph signings, going in and out of hotels, and out there. You never know when you’ll run into a wrestler if you’re in the right areas. Even meeting a wrestler outside of a venue and catching them off guard or out of character can be really cool.
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