My middle son (who is 6) is catching the wrasslin’ bug. I showed him WM 30 today and he was enthralled. Then we went down the Kane-Taker rabbit hole of their backstory and he was asking me 1000 questions. Pretty amazing to see the wheels turn. So much to teach him!

Update: showed him Hogan v Andre at WM3. He popped big for the slam. Told him Andre had never been slammed before. We watched the Piper’s Pit where Andre ripped Hogan’s shirt to set it up. He was captivated by all. Great fun.

Update: just showed him the Montreal screw job. He thought it was very cool I was there as a 15 year old kid. Tried to explain the backstory as much possible but not sure he fully grasped the screw job. He did appreciate the stakes, tho, it seemed. Damn, that ending made me mad.

Side note: if you’ve never seen the documentary Wrestling with Shadows about this story, I can’t recommend it enough. One of my favorite docs ever. (More updates to come.)

Update: just showed him Bret Hart v Yokozuna at WM 9 before bed. This was the best reaction yet. First, he was blown away by the size of Yokozuna. Second, he was legit cheering for our guy Bret to pull off the upset. Third, he yelled, “He cheated!” When Fuji threw the salt. ...

... and then he was confused and then very excited when Hogan saved the day.

I know I’m not showing him the highest work rate matches out there, just trying to capture his imagination with the cartoon-y stuff first, and I think it’s working! Great fun!

Update: showed him Hogan vs. Warrior at WM 6. He was actually kinda bored by the match because he was convinced Hogan was gonna win. And then he was silent when Hogan lost. Confused and surprised. He thought it was nice Hogan personally handed over the belt at the end.

Update: some great viewing tonight. First, showed him Owen v Bret at WM X. He is really starting to like Bret, which is wonderful. Was rooting for him hard. He didn’t think he would win because of the leg injury though, so he wasn’t all that torn up about the loss.

However, the biggest reaction of all came when he noticed a thumbnail about Doink and Dink v Bam Bam and Luna. Holy smokes, he loved Doink and Dink. Couldn’t stop laughing at them. Then, showed him Yokozuna v Bret rematch in the main and we finally saw a Bret W. Great ending.