The escapism of Professional wrestling!

The escapism of Professional wrestling!

The world we live in today has many stressors, from physical to mental health; many things can drag us down. That's why we practice some escapism to escape the troubles of our lives, to provide a much-needed distraction from our struggles. There are so many ways to give that mental distraction; some read, some do gardening, many do physical activities like workout and meditating, and others listen to music and dance. The most famous example is during the Great Depression, people would go to movie theaters, and for that short period, they would disappear and forget their worries and troubles. During those fleeting minutes of peace, the world of the 1930s stood still. The people forgot their empty stomachs, their bills waiting for them at home, and the unemployment line disappeared while the entertainment industry flourished.

For myself, my escape from reality is writing and watching pro wrestling! I've spent many hours a day watching wrestling content; Monday night is for Raw, Tuesday night is NXT, and Wednesday night is AEW Dynamite. Thursday night is Impact wrestling, Friday is Smackdown, and on the weekends, I catch up on New Japan Pro Wrestling and any independent promotions I can check up on. Everything about this sport brings me joy, the storylines, the promos, and of course, the matches! Night after night, the draw-dropping action astounds me; they always get my creative juices flowing. People like Paul Heyman, Stokely Hathaway, MJF, Cm Punk, and many others captivate me with their mic work. Wrestling has gotten me through some of the worst times of my life. Despite all my inner turmoil, I always found some joy and forgot my problems for a magical 2-3 hours a day, which doesn't even include the non-stop searches on youtube for matches and segments for the independent matches and wrestlers I can't catch on TV. The moments that stand out most for me are during my latter days of High School with the stress of graduating, passing my final exams, and getting into college. I was overwhelmed and anxious 24/7, but something special happened that year. I was introduced to a man who quickly became my favorite wrestler; that was the year I found Johnny Gargano. As the months went by, no matter what, I never missed a match, I found I could NEVER miss a Johnny Gargano match. During his days with Tommaso Ciampa in their popular tag team DIY, the team stole my heart and imagination. After their heartbreaking title match loss to The Revival, NXT set up a match that I still go back and watch in the incredible rematch of DIY Vs. The Revival at NXT Takeover Toronto in a best 2 out of three falls match. That night Johnny, Tommaso, Dash Wilder, and Scott Dawson (Now known as FTR on AEW) put on an instant classic That I still have in my top 5 best tag matches ever. That became a common trend for me anytime I felt overwhelmed. Pro wrestling came to my rescue; no matter how poorly I felt, the action always put me at ease. During my darkest times, I felt miserable, college wasn't going well, and the stresses of adulthood were overwhelming, but on one immaculate night, the entire world stopped completely. On April 5th, 2019, NXT TakeOver New York happened. A star-studded card was just what the doctor ordered! The War Raiders put on a match to remember with Aleister Black and Ricochet; the four men in the opening contest lit a spark for those rowdy fans in the arena and those at home, setting up a magical night.

The next match of Velveteen Dreams versus Matt Riddle for the North American championship set up Riddle as a big-time player for the fans and continued proving Velveteen Dreams' title run as one of the best during that time with a memorable match. Walter dethroned Pete Dunne that night to crown a new NXTUK champion; it was also the start of a championship reign for Walter that lasted 870 days, showing Walter as the most dominant figure WWE programming has seen in years. Following that, Shayna Bazler successfully defended her title in a fatal four-way match with Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, and Kairi Sane. The main event was Johnny Gargano versus Adam Cole for the NXT championship. His entire run in NXT up to that point was magical, but Johnny couldn't win the big one. That night, he and Adam Cole put on a best 2 out of 3 falls match that had the entire world on the edge of their seats. After battling back from falling 1-0 early on, Johnny fought with everything in his body and tied it up, and in the closing moments, he capped off his comeback and won the NXT championship LIVE in New York! The second it ended, the arena became unglued!! I leaped out of my seat and screamed at the top of my lungs! I cried; I celebrated and watched in awe of my hero rising to the top and enjoying the moment he earned and deserved! That night and its emotions still stick with me to this day, it was a much-needed break from my reality, and once it was over, I felt ready to take on anything in my path.