With flashing lights and a packed crowd, two wrestlers wildly bounce against the ropes, building momentum and excitement as the eager crowd falls silent. Following a series of flips in the air, one unlucky wrestler falls flat into the ground. Half of the crowd cheers, while the other half groans. Everyone cheers for the wrestler to get back up but it seems as if he took too much damage from the great fall. This is the exciting world of Championship Wrestling; where wrestlers flip, spin, and throw each other in a vast array of techniques to entertain viewers worldwide.
When my family and I first visited the World Championship Wrestling in Hollywood event, we were very curious, and did not know what to expect. As we sat down and watched the show, it was interesting to witness an almost, “new” culture-like experience next to the beautiful beach of Port Hueneme. Observing the town’s locals join together to root for their favorite home-town wrestler caused me to wonder what made the show so interesting? A local, who goes by the name of ‘Amoi,’ introduced himself and informed me that he and his family had been attending this wrestling show for 6 years, once every two weeks. When interviewing the Social Media Producer of the World Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, I had an opportunity to ask him his thoughts on why viewers love this show so much and kept coming back for more. His response was filled with enthusiasm, “I’m not so sure there’s one person that keeps people coming back and tuning in each week. It’s the combination of great talented athletes and the fact that you never know what’s going to happen one week from the next. So many surprises!” I too agree that the unpredictable moves, and the surprising turn of events during the match kept me at the edge of the seat.
Experiencing this new form of entertainment, 60 miles away from my home, was an intriguing experience; meeting numerous wrestling enthusiasts and locals with diverse backgrounds. After having a chat with these locals before the show began, and observing them during the match, I believe that the main reason these people, as well as myself, enjoy this show so much is not just because it brings everyone together once a week, but because it lets us immerse ourselves and become part of the wrestler during the match. One feels a sense of accomplishment and pride as they help the wrestler recover from the great fall by cheering for them. “The crowd roared with excitement and amazement at what just unfolded in front of them. The unlucky wrestler got back up from the mat after his great fall, to keep fighting for his fans and persevere.”
Stephen Kim, Grade 9
West Ranch High School
