Here I sit, drinking a beer, watching Wrestlemania XVII and thinking about the good old days. You can call me a mark or whatever you want, but I have been a wrestling fan for over 15 years now and I can remember the days of "what used to be." I can remember the over-the-top gimmicks and how much fun it was to wake up Saturday morning and watch wrestling. That's right, I said Saturday morning. This is in the times before Monday nights or anything. You had NWA Worldwide then WWF Superstars on Saturday mornings to look forward to, and if you were lucky enough to have cable at that time, you could watch the WWF show on USA during the week with Lord Alfred Hayes.

So, I'm sitting here writing this hoping that OWW will publish it and hopefully give me a weekly or monthly column to have some fun with. Watching the Rock, Steve Austin, Undertaker, and Triple H all go at it is incredible, but my favorite part of this Wrestlemania is the gimmick battle royal. It brought back so many memories of the old days. We've got Tugboat, Earthquake, the Iron Sheik, Repo Man, Kimala and a host of others.

I don't remember my exact introduction to wrestling, all I can remember is that I started watching it and instantly fell in love like so many others have. I think I could fill a book with the memories from over the years. Though my knowledge may not stretch back to great one's like Killer Kowalski or Gorilla Monsoon, I still believe that what I have witnessed over the years is amazing.

So this being my first column, I thought I would talk about some of the most memorable moments I can remember over the years. Some of these moments I hope to talk about more in detail later, so if you like what I'm saying, email OWW and tell them you want more. Where to begin is the major question" I'm not even sure.

I can remember watching NWA wrestling when they came to us from some old airplane hangar or something-when guys like the Italian Stallion gave their hearts to entertain us every week. I lived through the Midnight Express vs. Road Warriors feud and the ensuing Scaffold Match at Starcade, which I still have on tape. I remember Sting rushing the ring at the Clash of Champions and legitimately injuring his knee in the process.

How many people remember trying to stay awake through Saturday Night Live to watch Saturday Night's Main Event" How much of a treat was that" I can still see Hulk Hogan being attacked by King Kong Bundy and all the swerves that were thrown at us back then. It seemed that some wrestlers would pull the switch every week. WWF wrestlers then had larger than life personalities. Wrestlers came through the TV and become a real human that you would be scared of had you met them on the street. I remember going to Hara Arena (if that gives you a clue as to where I'm from) to see the WWF. I saw a match with Randy Savage in person and it blew my mind. What an amazing athlete. Then, to top it off, Hogan came out and made the save, then helped hoist Miss Elizabeth onto the Macho Man's shoulders (and yes, for those of you who are wondering, she was more beautiful in person then on TV. R.I.P. Miss Elizabeth)

So, hopefully, you all have enjoyed this and it has brought back some warm fuzzies for everybody. I hope to write more on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, but we shall see. Until later, take care and support your favorite jobber.

by Rydawg..