There’s a story behind Roddy Piper Wolverine (two legendary Canucks) and Ultimate Warrior Slimer… there is always a story.

When I was a kid I watched wrestling, WWF to be exact, almost religiously. I had a blue blanket i would tie around my neck while I jumped from couch to chair and back again imagining I was the Blue Tornado. I cheered on Hulk Hogan and asked my mom if I could tear off my t-shirt, to which she always answered no. I was brought to tears when I my new favourite, The Ultimate Warrior, was thrown unconscious into a casket by big time (at the time) villain, The Undertaker. I felt confused who to cheer for when the Demolition Brothers faced off against the Road Warriors. 

And then I reached an age where comics, especially the female characters lol, took over my life. 

I stopped watching wrestling when Degeneration X became popular because it felt like a soap opera to my young mind and soap operas were something my mom watched. I’d recently purchased The Amazing Spider-man #361. You know the one: first appearance of Carnage. I’d loved comics prior to this, but Carnage awoke the next level fan in me, and the way it shot up in value created a collector. Next thing you know I’m buying X-men comics like crazy. Wrestling co-existed with comics for a period of time until a bunch of guys from Marvel decided they could make it on their own with a company called Image. Seeing Spawn, Grifter, Zealot, The Darkness, and Battle Chasers won the fight.

I wanted to be a comic artist. I didn’t have time for wrestling.

Fast forward past a lot of life experience and I find myself in a church rec center watching with about thirty other people, Koko B Ware, a childhood favourite, in the squared ring. I felt like a kid again. I didn’t watch it with the same captivated seriousness as the kids in the audience did, but I felt like I was reaching into my past to touch a bit of that innocence.

Now I attend a couple of these local events a year. They’re a break from drawing. A chance to hang out with friends, have a few laughs when the wrestlers ham it up for the audience, and remember simpler times in my life. 

As a way to merge the two, wrestling and art, while giving back in some way, I’ve begun creating a wrestling inspired sketch card before each event. While I’m there I can an eye on the audience for a kid who looks like he’s loving wrestling as much as I did. The kid gets a souvenir to remember the event and I get a smile. Sounds like a fair trade from a fan to a fan. 

Story over. Thanks for putting up with my long-winded tale.

Do you have a favourite wrestling memory? I’d love if you shared it in the comments!