MUSCLE CHURCH: Our Father, the Iron

  One of the highlights of the wrestling year came recently when Pro Wrestling Illustrated dropped their annual PWI 500 and gave us the first list comprised of both men, woman and non-binary wrestlers. In the weeks leading up to the release of this year’s 500, the topic of intergender wrestling had again hit the internet as if this dead horse hasn’t been beat to death enough. With the traditionalists continuing to battle the rest of the world in determining just what makes fake fighting feel real, one must consider what the fans think and if this war of ideas is ultimately good or bad for the business, much less the sporting aspect, of pro wrestling.     The concept of intergender wrestling was a novelty for years in some areas and a complete in others, as for decades the inclusion of “girl wrestlers” on a card was an attraction and not taken very seriously. In the high years of the Territory Days, legends like Penny Banner and the ubiquitous Fabulous Moolah dominated and...

Those in the wrestling and meme communities know about Scott Steiner's infamous promo a few years ago in which he started calculating his chances of winning and gave a completely incomprehensible rant. This meme popped up and I look at it a lot when I need a laugh and I think that there is a universe out there somewhere in which Big Poppa Pump said this with a straight face. In improv they say "always commit." I've found that whether I was doing stand-up in front of a tiny crowd or wrestling in sub-par circumstances, keeping a straight face and never giving up on the scene always wins the day. Fans, whether they pay for a ticket or are cheering you in your personal life, deserve to see you give your best and for you to achieve anything, you have to give it your best. That means that when you are out there doing the work, making it happen, you keep a straight face, stand up big and strong and give it your all. Even if you start giving a wrestling promo that makes...