I’ll admit that I’m a very, very casual wrestling fan these days. I don’t watch any current TV shows, but I do seem to have a lot of fans in my social media sphere, so I’m loosely aware of what’s happening in the zeitgeist. WWE and Vince McMahon’s drama? AEW and Tony Kahn’s drama? NWA and Billy Corgan’s drama? Yep I’m aware, but I’m not invested.
And while today’s nonstop social media bombardment may make it seem like wrestling popularity is at an all-time high, let me tell you about a time when wrestling was practically inescapable.
And we loved it.
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW)
If you thought it was only a Netflix series that ended too soon, you’re wrong. It was real. The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling or GLOW kicked off in 1986 with syndicated several seasons of wrestling antics of some of the baddest ladies around. Taking the camp of early WWF and ramping it up to eleven, the absurdity and playfulness made this show an absolute delight of kids like me and my sister who would re-enact their antics after watching their show air immediately after Saturday morning cartoons.
I hope you check out the clip above as it absolutely captures the essence of just how unhinged this show could be. Imagine flipping through channels and stumbling on Chainsaw and Spike making insane puns followed by The Princess of Darkness’ maniacal soliloquy before an intro that celebrates the ‘80s cheese of Vegas. Glorious.
A Star-Studded Presentation
You think spotting your favorite wrestler is limited to watching wrestling promotions? Nope. Before John Cena, The Rock, or Dave Bautista brought Hollywood heat, folks like Jesse Ventura, Roddy Piper, and Hulk Hogan were liable to show up in your favorite movie or TV show. And unlike the Rock and others, this isn’t AFTER their illustrious career in the ring is over. No, these guys were in their prime, making ring appearances and walking the red carpet.
In the clip above, imagine tuning in to what you thought was going to be an epic episode of Twin Peaks only to have it bumped for an airing of 1991’s Tagteam starring Piper and Ventura. Bummed? Hardly! Whether you were watching MTV and spotting Captain Lou Albano in a Cindi Lauper music video or catching a late night viewing of They Live, the crossover appeal was evident.
THE GOAT
I feel fortunate to have grown up in the Golden era of wrestling. I mentioned I’m only a casual fan now, but back in the day, WWF (not WWE) was absolute must-see TV. Before the Attitude Era, WWF embraced the cheese and catered to the whims of (mostly) children with iconic characters, personalities, and face-vs-heel storylines, the ‘80s and ‘90s wrestling of my youth was absolutely addictive. Bask in the glow of these roided-up rasslers!
For the Kiddies!
When you weren’t watching your favorite wrestlers in the ring, in your favorite movie, in MTV music videos, you were watching them in ads between your regular, non-wrestling programming as well. WWF knew how much kids loved their brand so they flexed their muscle with dedicated toys like Wrestling Buddies from Tonka below (the totally not pillowy, stuffed-animal-like cuddle buddies for weenies, but masculine action companions), or the Road Warriors hawking cereal, wrestling was commercially viable.
Left-Field Weirdness
Ok, so far we’ve covered where you might expect to find some of your favorite wrestling stars back then, but how about when they pop up in unexpected places? My favorite? Staying home sick and catching part of the week-long run of good guys vs. bad guys on Family Feud. Talk about random, but I’ll take it.
We may no longer be in the “Repo Man on a gameshow between your mom’s favorite soap opera” stage of the game anymore, but for those of us who lived it, it was awesome.
Hey, thanks for reading. Really. If you like what you’re reading or have any ideas about what you’d like me to share in the future, let me know in the comments below. I hope to continue sharing my writing once per week, and expand to include non-VHS-themed writing. See you next week! (He says optimistically to will himself to keep writing) - Preston
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Part of the charm from wrestling in that era was that the wrestlers stayed in character at all times, kayfabe definitely made it more enjoyable, especially for kids like we were then. I remember watching WWF Superstars and WCW Worldwide from 1988-1992 (no cable growing up so antenna channel wrestling was the best we could do)., and Saturday Night's Main Event was a special treat when it came on a few times a year too. I stopped following wrestling after 1992 but picked it back up when the Attitude Era was just heating up in mid 1998. It seemed that EVERYONE in my high school was big into wrestling then, between saying the catchphrases and wearing the t-shirts. Yet by 2001 wrestling died for me (and most people I knew) with the sale of WCW and merger into WWF(E). It just wasn't the same anymore.