How Hanging with Bob Made Me a Better Fan (And Person)

  Sometimes it's surreal to me that I have been a fan of professional wrestling for 27 years now.

  The year was 1989 and while visiting my grandparents, I discovered something magical that stuck with me forever:  A VHS of WWF World Tour 1989.  Instantly I was memorized by  who I soon found out were Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior, both prominently featured on the cover.  Even during my obsessions with Thunder Kats and Batman I had never seen anything quite like them.

It turned out my Uncle Bud worked for the World Wrestling Federation promoting shows at the now defunct Meadowlands arena; that tape was a promo copy he received as part of the perks.  He was kind enough to give it to me and all it took was one viewing to be hooked for life.

I have experienced Hulkamania, a Monday Night War, an Extreme revolution, an Attitude Era, displays of Ruthless Aggression, Reality, and New eras galore. My interests went global as I discovered promotions in Japan, UK, Australia, and in between.  I have seen and loved Ring of Honor, EVOLVE, PWG, Lucha Underground, all the way down the line.

Not once have I considered not watching,  Throughout the peaks and valleys of the sport I love I have tuned in and stayed that way because while others only saw the negatives I focused on the positives I knew would keep me invested and a diehard fan until my time on Earth reaches a conclusion.

That said, as I have gotten older I have gone through many stages of wrestling fandom as we all do I suppose.  I was a true believer of all that came across my television screen. Undertaker really did try and suffocate Warrior in that coffin and Earthquake wanted to crush the life out of Hogan on the Brother Love show. 

Then came the revelation that it wasn't "real" but put together by  promoters and creative teams.  Soon I would scour the internet for backstage information and discussion of these topics with fellow fans.  Eventually I would become, or at least think I did, a "smart" fan.  Now rather than sit back and enjoy, everything on every show was subject to nitpicking, over-analyzing and a feeling of superiority as I declared my ideas would be sooooo much better than those working within the business.

 Then I met Bob Evans.

It didn't click within my brain right away but Bob taught me so much in record time.   I was sitting under his learning tree even when initially my smugness didn't allow me to realize it.

Like any "smart" fan I felt emboldened to challenge a wrestler or employee of a company. After all, Bob was "just" the on-screen manager of Mike Bennett and then a tag team partner of Cheeseburger. Surely he was just a shill for all things ROH.    My initial exchanges with him weren't my proudest moments on Facebook.  I questioned his statements and opinions as if I had the fullest clue what I was talking about.   I even had the nerve to try and tell the man he was wrong about things he was in the know about and had seen during his many years within the profession.

To his credit, and my blessing, Brutal Bob didn't curse me out or block me. He simply told it as it was all the while respecting my passion and misguided viewpoints.  Before I knew it,  I was fully educated by him.

Bob Evans is a thinker, a dreamer, a teacher, mentor, and friend.  Being called a "dummy"  is a badge of honor I wear proudly.   Bob has helped me rediscover my early childhood mindset of being a fan of professional wrestling.  Sure, I can use critical thinking and form opinions about any given product and its talent. But I can do so with love and respect for the sacrifices these men and women have made to entertain us all.

No longer do I factor in the wrestling news or television ratings as means of determining what I thought of a particular program or pay-per-view special.  I simply watch, promote what I enjoyed,  voice a quick thought on what I didn't, and move on because I know I will be tuning in next week.

Bob taught me if one company seems to be falling out as a favorite, there are tons more I may enjoy. Wrestling may struggle with mainstream appeal and popularity but it will never truly die.

Bob taught me that drive and dedication can lead you to anywhere in life you want to go. He truly cares about those he offers advice to and I try my best to be that type of person for the people that mean so much to be in my daily life.  Bob does not complain or threaten to quit, he simply evaluates situations and how he can personally better them and himself in the process.

Most importantly, Bob taught me there is ALWAYS a bright side of wrestling.  Hence the name and mission statement of this blog.

 I dedicate this to him and to every wrestler who has ever laced up a pair of boots to compete. My respect and admiration for you all burns brightly. Thank you for everything!

#HangsWithBob, inspire to write a daily blog.