Have you ever felt like wrestling in its current state just isn't any good" Have you ever wondered why you still watch it" Maybe you feel like that sometimes. But there are moments in wrestling that are just so damn cool they send a shiver down your spine. These are the goose bump moments; they are, simply, why we love wrestling. A truly great entrance will almost always result in a goose bump moment. You've heard Michael Cole and Tazz referring to The Undertaker's entrance as 'bone-chilling'. Any Undertaker fan can testify to getting that exact feeling when the lights go out and that gong hits, every time the Dead Man makes his way to the ring. There's a reason why the guy's still so damn popular!

On a smaller scale, there's CM Punk's entrance in Ring Of Honor. It may not have extravagant lighting or smoke like the Undertaker, but when the first notes of Miseria Cantare (The Beginning) play, and fans bang the guardrail in time to the song, it's just as spectacular. On a personal level, I get goosebumps on both arms and chills down my back every time I hear it.

Fan participation in an entrance is a vital part of another goose bump moment. What was possibly the defining moment of ECW's One Night Stand did not take place in the ring; it took place in the audience. The Sandman made his way through the ECW faithful, as each and every one of them sang as loud as they could: "Exit light, enter night, take my hand, we're off to Never Never Land..." If that didn't give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, are you sure you're watching the right show"

There are the one-off, unique entrances that may never be repeated. Once again it's fitting to bring up CM Punk. On August 13th of this year, ROH staged "Punk: the Final Chapter" in his hometown of Chicago. When Punk came out for his final ROH match against Colt Cabana, his eyes were red from crying. He was overcome with emotion as the ring was literally flooded with streamers. And he wasn't the only one - ring announcer Bobby Cruise later wrote of how he could barely keep his composure. I'm not ashamed to admit that when I watch this show on DVD, Punk ain't gonna be the only one crying like a baby.

The Rock's entrance isn't quite unique, but in present-day WWE, the reaction he gets certainly is. It's extremely rare for an entire arena to explode with noise nowadays, but when The Rock makes one of his all-too-infrequent appearances, it happens. There's nothing like hearing an unexpected "If you sa-melll........" followed by thousands of people screaming at their top of the lungs to make you think 'man... I wish I was there' followed by 'man... I love wrestling'.

Finally, take yourself back to May 2002. It's the final episode of SmackDown before the Judgment Day Pay Per View and Hollywood Hulk Hogan is getting ready to defend the Undisputed Title against the Undertaker. The introduction to Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) plays and the noise is deafening. Hogan comes out, resplendent in t-shirt, tights, sunglasses and feather boas. He slowly heads to the ring, poses, and the noise is still deafening. The 'Hogan, Hogan' chants begin. Five minutes later, the ovation is still going strong. Fast-forward another five minutes, and a visibly emotional Hogan has finally managed to get the crowd to quieten long enough to start his promo. No matter what your opinion of Hulk Hogan is, moments like that really are amazing.

Next are those moments that leave you in total and complete disbelief, like the one at the conclusion of a 2003 match on SmackDown between Brock Lesnar and the Big Show. We'd seen Brock hit Show with suplexes and even the F5 before, but when he placed Big Show on the top rope for a superplex, nobody thought he'd pull it off. He did. But that wasn't the end of it. When their collective 800 pounds hit the canvas, the impact was such that it collapsed the ring. There was a collective intake of breath from everyone in attendance, followed by a chorus of "HOLY SHIT!" that even Tazz took part in. Nobody saw it coming, and that made it all the more impressive.

There's the goose bump moment that comes with a big move that you didn't previously believe possible, that leaves you in mild shock after witnessing it. For example, a Jack Evans moonsault with two full rotations, the Rottweilers' Cop Killa-Double Stomp combination, or Paul London hitting the Shooting Star Press from the top of a mangled ladder with the fans chanting "please don't die" in the background. Then there is the move to top all moves - THE MOVE. You know the one.... Primetime Elix Skipper at TNA Turning Point, walking the cage like a tightrope before hitting a hurricanrana on Chris Harris. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was speechless after seeing that move, pointing at the TV and silently shouting "No way! No way!"

Finally, there's those unprecedented shock moments that come from out of nowhere, leaving you questioning what the hell just took place and if what you're seeing is really happening. The twists and turns of storylines, like Hollywood Hogan joining Hall & Nash at WCW Bash At The Beach, Eric Bischoff (ERIC F'N BISCHOFF!!!) debuting on RAW in 2002, or, more recently, Matt Hardy, an independent wrestler at the time, attacking Edge on a WWE show.

For many fans there really isn't anything better than just plain great wrestling. Whether it's the way certain matches start with beautiful chain wrestling with constant counters and reversals (from the likes of Ultimo Dragon and Great Sasuke), or the chemistry between two wrestlers such as Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn or Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, or big moves and near falls that leave you breathless (as seen this month in the main event of TNA Unbreakable), or the aftermath of a contest, where the live audience give the competitors a standing ovation and you KNOW you've seen something special.

It's not just in-ring action, though. Truly great promos can also be goose bump moments. It's a rare thing when a wrestler cuts a promo and makes you believe every single word he's saying, but when it happens it's nothing less than breathtaking. One of the best examples is Cactus Jack's 'Cane Dewey' promo from ECW...it just felt so real. They don't do them like that anymore, that's for sure.

Announcers and fans can make for some great goose bump moments. Jim Ross has long had the ability to 'make a bad match good and a good match great' as Mick Foley put it, but one call sticks out in my mind. It was at King Of The Ring 1998, during the Hell In A Cell match between Mankind and the Undertaker. Mankind had just been chokeslammed through the roof of the cell:

"Enough is enough! Would somebody stop the damn match!" JR yelled... I get goose bumps thinking about it even now, as Ross's call was not part of a wrestling match, but a legitimate cry for my well-being."' - Mick Foley

More often than not it can be the fans rather than the wrestlers who create goose bump moments. In ECW, it wasn't an irregular occurrence to see top guys leave for the 'big leagues'. Whether the wrestler in question was a beloved babyface or a despicable heel, when their time for farewell came, the fans showed their appreciation with applause and 'Please Don't Go' chants. You could see that men like Eddy Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Cactus Jack and Taz were genuinely touched by the reaction they received.

One of the greatest fan-related goose bump moments of recent years wasn't seen by many people. A short time after the death of Classy Freddie Blassie, RAW presented the British PPV 'Insurrextion' from Newcastle, England. The tribute video package made for Blassie was played, and once it had finished, all 11,000 fans in attendance rose to their feet and gave a standing ovation, chanting Freddie's name despite the fact that very few had ever even seen him manage, let alone wrestle. Both JR and Jerry Lawler were caught off-guard by the sheer scale of the admiration for a true legend.

Speaking of video packages, two stick in the mind as being real goose bump moments. The first was shown at the end of what is possibly the best WWE Pay Per View of all time, WrestleMania X-Seven. Set to the tune of 'My Way' by Limp Bizkit, it replayed almost all the great moments of the night, from the opening fireworks to Stone Cold's shocking alliance with Mr. McMahon. I don't care how much you may dislike Limp Bizkit - I'm certainly no fan - just try watching that video package without getting a tingly feeling going down your arms, back and neck. Its four and a half years after the event and I still get goose bumps when I hear that song.

Then there's the video Ric Flair supposedly put together as a way to deter Vince McMahon from bringing back the nWo. 'Desire: History' has been hailed as the greatest video package WWE's production team have ever put together, and for good reason. All the top wrestlers and moments in WWE history - how can you not sit back after watching it and think 'now THAT was cool'"

Finally, there are the once in a lifetime, never to be repeated, career-defining moments that show all but the most hardened 'smarks' just why wrestling is great. Here are three of the best:

1. WrestleMania XII. Shawn Michaels makes his way to the ring for perhaps the most important match of his life via a zipwire. A little over an hour later, Michaels broke down and fell to his knees, holding the WWE Championship and openly weeping. The boyhood dream had become reality, and the emotion in the air was tangible.

2. In May of 2003, Ric Flair had a match with World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. Many - including Flair himself - thought he was washed up and, no matter how great he was in his prime, couldn't put on another classic match again. How he proved them, and himself, wrong. In one of the best RAW main events in quite some time, Flair laid it all on the line and came so close to beating the Champion. Afterwards, the Nature Boy stood in the ring, a beaten man. But the Greenville fans were all cheering for him. Out came the entire RAW locker-room, led by Shawn Michaels, to pay tribute to Flair in the ring. There were speeches, standing ovations, hugs, toasts and tears, and it was the night where Ric Flair became Ric Flair once again.

3. Chris Benoit has it locked in! The Crossface! The fans that had packed Madison Square Garden for WrestleMania XX were going wild, and the fans who were watching at home were on the edge of their seats, saying to themselves 'Come on, tap, Triple H, tap...' I know I was. Would the Game tap out" Nobody knew. And not just the casual fans, because the so-called 'smart' crowd couldn't be certain either - at least, not since "news" had made its way onto the internet claiming that, contrary to earlier speculation, Benoit would NOT be winning the title at 'Mania. It all came down to that one moment. Triple H tapped. Thousands of fans across the world cried out. "YES!" Chris Benoit had realised his dream, and after eighteen years of blood and sweat had become the World Champion. As Benoit and Eddie Guerrero stood in the ring with tears in their eyes and embraced as confetti fell from the ceiling, it was impossible not to feel affected by it. This was what being a wrestling fan was all about.

Everyone has their own personal goose bump moments. These are mine. Maybe you disagree, but the next time you're feeling disenchanted with wrestling, remember those moments that gave you goose bumps and remind yourself why you're a fan, and why you probably always will be.

by Langdon Beck --- [View Langdon Beck's Column Index]..