Standing Up for the WWE

Summerslam 2001. That was my first PPV. I started being a wrestling fan very late in life. I didn't get into during the Attitude Era, during the boom of wrestling. Just wasn't my thing yet. I didn't understand why people loved it so much. That night I saw my first PPV and finally got it. It was a wild rollercoaster ride, never a dull moment and just fun to watch with friends.
Over the last nine plus years alot of has changed. Wrestlers come and go in this business so do fans. It's been rough to be a fan at times, terrible storylines and bad wrestling at times. But in the end there was always a light of hope.

Wrestling to me is escapism. I know that for at least four hours every week, I can watch a sports show that wasn't just about winning or losing. It was a way out of the real world for a little while. Alot of people call it a male soap opera, that half true, and by that I don't mean the soap opera part. Wrestling, especially WWE, isn't just for males anymore. It's a family event.

There's been alot of slack on the programs since going PG, honestly I don't understand it. Sure some of the promos are more geared towards kids, but what's wrong with that? Some people seem to forget, in order to grow as a company you can't just rely on your current fanbase, you have to make sure that the future is covered as well. It's one thing to talk about the great times of wrestling with kids, it's a whole different thing to have them experience it as well. While my son is still very young, he's a huge fan or Rey Mysterio and John Cena. I can't wait to take him to his first show to see his eyes light up with joy when his favorite wrestlers come out.

Over the last couple of months, there's been alot of shit being said about the company as a whole. I try to really ignore the critics and just sit back and enjoy my shows. Why have other people tell me what I can and cannot enjoy on a in my house with my family?

The facts are there, alot of wrestlers have died young and it's really ashame. When Eddie Guerrero passed away it was the first time losing a wrestler truly hit me. But times have changed. Drugs aren't as much of the business as it used to be and you can tell by the wrestlers' builds themselves. There is a STRICT drug policy now companywide and it's proven to  be effective, especially when they are willing to suspend some main eventers in the process. You can't blame the WWE for wrestlers commiting suicides and going homical on their families, it's just the easy out in my opinion. People have to cop to the fact that individuals control their own lives. The WWE can only do some much when it comes to helping people out, especially if they refuse the medical help and rehab that they are offered.

In summary, the WWE is not the Devils' playground as non-fans make it sound.

To detractors and people who are attacking the business, mainly because of Linda McMahon's senate race, leave it alone. Let the past go away, let the fans be and just let the wrestling world be what it's supossed to be.