Last week, I discussed my love of wrestling, the spectacle, the splendor, the humor, and everything else that makes wrestling unique. While it is OK for me, it is not the case for everyone.
Let’s be honest: wrestling is perhaps one of the most inaccessible forms of entertainment available today. Fans are seldom created. They’re lifers, people who have spent most of their lives watching wrestling, with the exception of the odd break. Wrestling is similar to smoking in that you become addicted when you are young. It’s unusual to wake up in your late twenties and realize, ‘you know what? I’m going to start watching wrestling today.”
Even if you are one of the few brave souls who decide to enter the wrestling industry, the barrier to entry is very high—learning WWE’s 30-year history. Wrestling mechanics, character histories, all while attempting to stay up with the pile of wrestling stuff released monthly. It’s more than enough to make folks reconsider. Add to it an overly protective group that punishes new fans for failing to meet their unattainable high standards. Gatekeeping was an essential element of wrestling, and it is terrible that this mindset has now permeated wrestling fandom.
However, a small subset of the internet wrestling community is devoted to breaking through these restrictions. Some have made it their entire aim, while others unwittingly do so by offering inclusive and accessible information. Whatever their motivations, the one thing these podcasters and YouTubers have in common is a love of wrestling. A wish to welcome both old and new fans. So, here are some of my favorite wrestling content pieces that might introduce new fans to the amazing world of wrestling.
Wrestling With Wregret
What began as a modest YouTube channel dedicated to investigating wrestling’s most tragic and hilarious low points, Wrestling With Wregret, has grown into something far more.
Wrestling with Wregret has grown to include PPV evaluations (both famous and infamous), wrestling product testing, and a weekly news recap show called This Week in Wregret (a personal highlight of my Thursdays).
Brian, who has worked both behind and in front of the camera, gives a unique viewpoint to his program, one that covers almost every area of wrestling. Above all, Brian is a fan, just like us. He’s a seasoned pro whose wide knowledge permeates his formal analysis and production values. Brian injects a degree of theatrics into his channel that few can equal as someone who has spent some time in the ring, which he is forced to relive in the My Wreggetable Matches series.
Having just adopted the credo “Like what you like, but don’t be a jerk,” Wrestling with Wregret fosters optimism, which counteracts the tribalism that now afflicts wrestling. While the majority of the Z Man’s content is not primarily focused on teaching new fans, it is all enjoyable and approachable. Excellent for anybody interested in learning more about wrestling’s history.
How2Wrestling
How2Wrestling is the ideal introduction to the world of professional wrestling.
Kefin Mahon, a podcaster and lifetime wrestling enthusiast, has always wanted to get his partner, Joanna Graham, into wrestling. Kefin made the audacious decision to do it himself and create a podcast out of it after quickly learning that there was no easy method for new fans to be ingratiated into wrestling.
How2Wrestling is a wealth of information for anybody interested in wrestling. How2 has gone deep and investigated all parts of wrestling since its start in 2015, from megastars like John Cena and Kurt Angle to underappreciated talent like D’Lo Brown to little intricacies like music and jobbers and referees, the things that make wrestling, wrestling.
How2 has something for everyone, whether you’re a novice or seasoned enthusiast. One of the quickest and easiest ways to get into wrestling is through Kefin and Jo’s fun chemistry and insider/outsider viewpoints.
Botchamania
Botchamania, a wrestling mainstay, has been running since I was in high school, nearly a decade ago. Botchamania was a fridge wrestling YouTube program back in the early teens, and it is now an institution of wrestling fans.
Botchamania is a compilation of the finest and worst wrestling blunders. It’s a wonderful cross-section of wrestling culture, anime, 8-bit gaming soundtracks, and Simpson’s allusions.
It’s an excellent introduction to the wrestling scene for newcomers. To acquire a sense of wrestling fans’ humorous senses and to see the iconic slip-ups that are the secret language of wrestling fans.
How has it lasted this long? Maffew, the most major thing to come out of Newcastle since Pac and Toon great Alan Shearer, is a part of it. Maffew is a wrestling enthusiast through and through, enduring innumerable account suspensions, copyright strikes, and the wrath of a few wrestlers. His passion is unrivaled; without him, most of us would not be aware that Billy’s t-shirts are too tight, or that the Shockmaster rocked the globe.
Tights and Fights
Tights and Fights is a fun wrestling podcast dedicated to summarizing the week’s happenings in the wrestling industry with a banging theme. As wrestling enthusiasts, hosts Lindsey Kelk, Danielle Radford, Hal Lublin, and producer Jullian Burell treat the sport with the respect it deserves.
The show takes numerous shapes, whether it’s career retrospectives, interviews with wrestling legends like RVD, or another of their many guests. Tights and Fights cover the whole spectrum of wrestling fans.
Tights and Fights is an underappreciated treasure. A safe haven on the internet for people seeking to escape the gloom of the wrestling Twitterverse. Their Facebook page is jam-packed with incredible individuals and debates. It is a safe haven for like-minded fans to share their passion for all aspects of wrestling without fear of being judged.
Tights and Fights is the place to go if you want to meet new wrestlers or enjoy the ice-cream Christmas Wrestlemania.
These are only a few of my favorite programs. All of these are terrific places to start for new fans who want to learn more about the strange and wonderful world we live in. But, tell me, what are some of your favorite wrestling videos? Please let us know.
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