What made you a fan of wrestling?

[Throwback]

I'm one of the kids that got into wrestling because of Hulk Hogan's Rock n Wrestling cartoon. My brother and dad watched wrestling but I didn't like it. But seeing the live segments during the cartoon made me start to like Hogan. I would ask my brother to tell me when Hogan was on. One day while waiting for Hulk to appear. I saw The Hart Foundation vs Demoltion. So I asked my bro to tell me when The Hart Foundation was on. Each week I'd see someone else I wanted to see. Before long I found myself turning on Superstars by myself.

So I guess you could say it was kind of a mix between the cartoon and the Hart Foundation that made me a fan.

[Joe Neglia]

Early 1985, turned on my older brother's little 6-inch b&w TV one Saturday morning hoping to find some cartoons, saw Duggan and DiBiase having a tuxedo contest, complete with a meter gauging the audience's reaction for each; when DiBiase lost, he went to the parking lot and started destroying Duggan's car with a baseball bat. That was the first wrestling I saw and I was almost immediately intrigued. A couple of months later and saw Kamala and Kareem Muhammad (who Bill Watts insisted on calling the Zambuie Express, even though he was only one member of that team) tag teaming and that was all I needed. I didn't even know WWF existed for a couple more months or so and by the end of 1985, I was a nine year old supermark, buying all the mags and such.

[Throwback]

Mar 1, 2017 17:40:18 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

Early 1985, turned on my older brother's little 6-inch b&w TV one Saturday morning hoping to find some cartoons, saw Duggan and DiBiase having a tuxedo contest, complete with a meter gauging the audience's reaction for each; when DiBiase lost, he went to the parking lot and started destroying Duggan's car with a baseball bat. That was the first wrestling I saw and I was almost immediately intrigued. A couple of months later and saw Kamala and Kareem Muhammad (who Bill Watts insisted on calling the Zambuie Express, even though he was only one member of that team) tag teaming and that was all I needed. I didn't even know WWF existed for a couple more months or so and by the end of 1985, I was a nine year old supermark, buying all the mags and such.

Interesting. Here all we had was WWF. I had heard stories of Atlantic Grand Prix but never saw it on our television.
It was the characters in WWF that drew me in. I can't remember any specific details in any matches. I never even heard of WCW or NWA until Flair showed up on WWF tv.

I do remember my brother running into my classroom after WM3 to tell me Hogan bodyslamed Andre

[HMARK Center]

I'm another case of Saturday morning cartoons influence; back in late '90 or early '91, around age 5, I saw some of WWF Superstars after watching cartoons and basically couldn't look away. Really got into it that year as my parents ordered WM VII as my birthday present, and got into the older tapes that were at the local VHS rental store.

Kept being a fan after repeated lapses over the years once I learned to appreciate physical storytelling a good deal more.

[dragonofearth]

i've been a fan since i was so young that i cannot remember how i first started. but i do have a vague memory of watching it with an uncle. not sure which, though. so, back then (late 80's-early 90's) many people watched it. so, it could have been both my uncles and my dad. i still catch my dad watching raw every now and then.

[Gerard Gerard]

WCW vs NWO: World Tour on the N64. I was all "no way the real thing can be this outrageous."

It was.

And then some.

[mcmahonfan85]

getting mocked for always picking the ninja (because i didn't know who anyone was) for WCW vs. nWo: World Tour

[devondragon]

Hulk Hogan, specifically Rock N Wrestling.

[MrElijah]

Sting and Randy Savage drew me in.

[Deleted]

It was in a ring, but the guys did more than punch and jab.

Iceman King Parsons was a spectacular personality. Unique look and ability, plus he could talk. (And how can I - as a 8 year old - not like a guy who does a move called "the butt-butt"?!)

The different styles, looks, personalities.

Then Dad showed me "Bruiser Bedlam" (the show hosted by Bob Luce and Dick the Bruiser here in the Chicago area), and I was instantly a fan of Bobby Heenan.

[rnrk supports BLM]

Watching a rental VHS of Royal Rumble '94.

It was the Undertaker/Yokozuna match that hooked me for good.

[agent817]

Although I had an underlying interest in some areas before what really drew me, the real thing that drew me to becoming a wrestling fan was watching these PPV promos at 6 a.m. when I was a kid. Sure, I mainly watched them for movies and such, but then came the event promos and also the adult promos. When I saw the wrestling promos, I was sort of captivating by what I had seen that an interest in it started to blossom.

By the way, when I said that I had an underlying interest, I remember that I would flip through channels and come across WCW Main Event or Power Hour, as well as Nitro and catch a few minutes of it. I also saw some relatives watching it and I would watch it in passing.

[Kevin Hamilton]

Hulk Hogan

[edgestar]

My dad's mom was a fan of Ivan Putski, and my dad would watch with her. My brother watched with my dad, and I watched with my brother. When I was 4, I had to have surgery, and was given wrestling magazines to read, while I was in the hospital

[The Thread Barbi]

What is this sport with a boxing ring but they fight without gloves?

Oh wow. Look at this. There's this man with bigger muscles than He-Man. He wears facepaint and colourful costumes. And he runs to the ring! So cool. He's going to fight a skinnier man with slightly smaller muscles and a mustache.

Why is that fat man in blue sitting on that shiny brown man with the yellow mustache?

Basically the build to Summerslam '90

[wrestlingrecap]

Had a WWF Magazine that Yokozuna had destroyed Jim Duggan, and I was sold on Yokozuna as being a monster. That was like 1993. I oddly kept up with wrestling through magazines. My first televised memory was when Bunkhouse Buck destroyed Dustin Rhodes on one of the syndicated WCW shows. So, spring of '94. It feels random, but that was the moment.

[ayumidah]

My father worked third shift, and we never got to spend much time together when I was young, but things just worked out a certain Sunday night that I was home (I usually went with my mother to a friend's house when Dad had work and needed to sleep) and he was awake to watch the Super Bowl, so he turned on Halftime Heat and my first full introduction to wrestling was Rock vs Mankind in that empty arena match. I still now and again rewatch that match because it makes me smile.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

The first thing I can remember was the build to 1993, specifically Crush getting beaten by a fake arm full of lead by Doink. Then the first mini feud I loved, was Mr Perfect fighting with... again Doink over the last King of the Ring spot.

So while I liked other guys, Doink was the one that really hooked me in.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

I think the first wrestling segment I saw was one where Rock called Big Show a long haired piece of monkey crap and Kane a big red retard.

11 year old me thought that was the best thing ever. I was watching it at a friend's and became a fan because of that.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

In fact I tell a lie. A nearby restaurant had a kids area which showed WCW. That was my first time watching wrestling and I thought it was lame and that Hogan looked an utter good. Never had any interest until my friend introduced me to WWF and the Rock segment.

Oddly after that I never much cared for Rock. Kane, Mankind, Stone Cold, Triple H and The Hardyz were always my favourites.