Are you on the fence about attending either of tonight’s live pro wrestling events? NZPWI’s Richard Butler recalls his first time at live wrestling, and thoroughly recommends the experience.
I have been following professional wrestling for around 10 years; I started watching during the Road to WrestleMania 21. However, it wasn’t until this year that I saw my first live event in the form of the first Southern Pro Wrestling (SPW) show.
Not only was this SPW’s first show, it was the first time there was going to be a pro wrestling show in Invercargill for 25 years. I grabbed tickets as soon as I had a chance; there was no way I could miss this.
Who was going to be on the card? How many people were going to turn up? Was it going to be anything like I had seen on TV? And, most importantly, would I like it? For that, I was going to have to wait.
Before long it was the night of the event. I was excited and nervous. I still wasn’t 100 per cent sure what I was going to see, but I was determined I was going to make the most of whatever was presented in front of me.
I got there about 20 minutes before doors opened wanting to secure a good place in the queue to get to the best seat I could. Within about five minutes, the queue behind me was down the stairs and heading towards the entrance of the Invercargill Workingmen’s Club. This obviously answered my question about people turning up. The event was more or less sold out! People of all ages from young children with their parents or even grandparents, it really was a night for anyone and everyone to attend.
Once the doors opened and I found my way to what I considered the best seat I could get and prepared myself for whatever was going to come next. It wasn’t long before the MC for the night made his way to the ring, welcomed us to the event then introduced the first match.
This is the point where I was equally most nervous and most excited, however within about two minutes of the wrestlers being in the ring and the bell being rung I knew I had made the right decision to go, I was completely lost in the athletic display that was being put on in front of me. Chops, kicks, slams, suplexes, top-rope dives and even the odd dive to the outside. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I enjoyed it so much that at the intermission I ordered the DVD of the event.
Overall the event had everything that I was hoping it would, from great in-ring action to great action out of the ring whether it was in the form of dives or brilliant crowd chants.
If you are, or have ever been, a fan of professional wrestling I personally cannot recommend enough how much you should attend a local live wrestling show. Is it WWE? No, but everyone has to start somewhere and attending these live events will give you a completely new aspect of appreciation for wrestling.
