Pages

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Father's Day: Pro wrestling style

Bonding with my son at WWE show in 2009

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I've written before about my origins in becoming a pro wrestling fan. Quick recap, I went to my first match in December 1984 at age 11. My dad took me and my brother, along with some friends, cousins and uncles. Hulk Hogan beat Brutus Beefcake in the main event. Pro wrestling became a great way to bond with my dad through the years.

I still have the ticket...
We went to several more house shows through the years and even a closed-circuit broadcast of WrestleMania IV in 1988. I was 14 years old and had no idea what to expect as we sat on the floor of the Kiel Auditorium and watched WrestleMania on a big screen. In 1996 I took my dad to a WWE house show on Father's Day. He wasn't as into wrestling as I was at that point, but we still enjoyed an evening that was capped with Shawn Michaels beating Goldust in the main event for the WWE Championship.

House show in 2009
When I had kids of my own I naturally hoped they'd too get bit by the wrestling bug. My oldest never showed any interest in it. But my middle son Mason enjoyed the action for a few years. We attended a house show in Cape Girardeau during the summer of 2009. His favorites included John Cena and Randy Orton. I know, but remember he was only eight. In 2012 he went to the Royal Rumble with me and my buddy Weston White. It's the first and only pay per view he's attended. It wasn't too much longer after that he lost interest in wrestling and focused on baseball, football and basketball.

Roger Matheus slams my daughter
My daughter, who is four years younger, picked up where her brother left off. She'd watch Raw, SmackDown and the pay per views with me on WWE Network. But as she got older, she too lost interest in pro wrestling. However, she did get involved in an angle with Stride Pro Wrestling back in May. I think she had a good time prior to Roger Matheus plucking her from her seat and power slamming her in the ring.

We watch Raw 1000 together with party hats on
Yeah, I'm sad my kids don't share that passion for pro wrestling like I do. But as a parent, you realize your kids will develop their own interests and develop their own personality along the way. Who knows, maybe I'll have a grandchild one day who wants to watch Raw or go to a house show with me. Please note, I'm in no hurry for that though. 

No comments:

Post a Comment