Why I Love the WWE.

In the last two weeks or so, I've had some people pick on me for my love of professional wrestling. I have heard everything they had to say. It's fake, it's scripted, they aren't athletes, and blah, blah, blah. I usually don't let it get to me and I just brush it off. However, I feel the need to tell people why I love it and why I am so passionate about it.

I'm sure I have mentioned this before but I have literally been watching wrestling since I was born. I think I was a day or two old and my dad brought me home from the hospital and we watched my very first episode of Superstars together. From that second, I was hooked. To me, it is much more than watching something on pay-per-view or television. It's spending time with my dad, enjoying something together. Wrestling is something that we share and it ties us together even more. Some of the best times of my life have been spent with my dad on the couch watching our favourites compete in the ring.

The people who step between those ropes are not only entertainers, they are athletes as well. They train hard and they work hard. I always take offense when people say they are just actors. These men and women train every day, they put their bodies on the line, and they do it because they love it. It is all for the fans, they may not make 28 million dollars for a year contract, but they put on a show like no other. I have been to a few live events and I have never had more fun. The crowd is electric, you can literally feel the excitement in the air and coursing through the entire building. I find the fans of wrestling have an unspoken bond, I always end up chatting with everyone that sits in whatever section I'm in, either before or after the show. It really does bring people together.

I have also been witness to some of the biggest and most shocking moments in sports entertainment history. I have seen my favourite wrestlers be triumphant, be screwed over (I don't even have to explain this one), get beaten down, and sadly pass away. I remember where I was when Bret got screwed over, when Chris Benoit died, when Owen Hart had his tragic accident, and pretty much everything else. Even when I talk about my favourite moments and superstars, I get emotional and fired up. These people who step between the ropes each and every week are a integral part of my life. I watch them, I cheer them, I boo them, and I enjoy each and every step of the way.

And this, is why I love the WWE.

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart: DVD Review.

The rivalry between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart is easily the most storied rivalry in all of sports entertainment. The incident known as the “Montreal Screwjob” is a sore spot for a lot of fans and it is something that still resonates with people today. Fans stay divided and each man, Hart and Michaels, has their fair share of support. Fans never forget, I witnessed this personally at a Monday Night Raw taping in Calgary, Alberta about two years ago. It was when Shawn Michaels was being “searched” for by Triple H. I have never heard a man get booed so loudly in my entire life. His picture came on the screen and the fans just lost it.

‘WWE’s Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart’ is the new DVD set that sheds light on one of the most talked about incidents in WWE history and the fans finally get to see how the two men really feel about what took place before and after the infamous moment. It was an eagerly anticipated box set that has set the bar for future DVD’s from the company. The setting is very intimate, with just Bret, Shawn, and Jim Ross sitting down and having a round table type discussion. Nothing is left untouched by anyone; they air everything out which will provide fans with some context for how and what happened at Survivor Series in 1997.

It is interesting to note that both men still have a mutual respect for one another and are honest about how they feel now and how they felt at the time everything went down. Personally, I’m on Bret Hart’s side throughout this entire matter. I have no problem in admitting that as a fan and a writer. This DVD is extremely fair in presenting both cases.

It moves in phases, going from the very beginning of each mans career and leading right up to their touching moment in the ring on January 4, 2011 on Monday Night Raw. I would have LOVED to have heard what they said to each other in the ring that night. It was turning the chapter in a very painful story and the two men seem to have a new respect and admiration for each other. Everyone knows the story of how Bret and Shawn battled on television and in their personal lives, how Bret left for WCW, and Shawn climbed the ranks to be known as ‘The Show Stopper’.

One of the best parts of the DVD was seeing how each perceived the infamous ‘Montreal Screwjob’. Shawn acknowledged that he did have a bad attitude and he was more than a little egotistical going into it. Both acknowledge their shortcomings and strengths of each other and themselves. This event certainly put a strain on their friendship and made them enemies for over a decade. Bret seems a lot more honest and sincere; Shawn seems to hush some things perhaps out of shame for what happened. I would too if I did what he did. Both individuals seem to have truly grown and learned from what happened and repaired their once close friendship.

As of the writing of this article, it has been reported that the WWE is planning on creating more ‘Greatest Rivalries’ DVD sets for future release. It is the hope of this fan that they mirror the quality and earnestness of this one. No one does it better than the WWE.