By J1 Columnist Lauren Hicks

Baseball. Basketball. Soccer. All things that children watch growing up. Kids idolize Alex Morgan, Kris Bryant, and LeBron James. Not me. 

When I was six years old, I came downstairs to see my father watching TV. He was watching Wrestlemania 30 and this is the most magical thing I have ever witnessed. John Cena fighting the Wyatt Family, The Shield facing the New Age Outlaws, and most importantly, Daniel Bryan winning the main event to become WWE Champion.

From that point forward, I would stay up every Monday night to watch Monday Night Raw and would witness Smackdown going from Friday Nights to Thursdays to Tuesdays and back to Fridays. The Sunday that would hold the monthly Pay-Per-View, whether it be Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, or Elimination Chamber, would be my favorite day of the month. I watched countless documentaries and many autobiographies, including the Rock’s, to learn whatever I could about wrestling. I have been to many events and listen to my favorite wrestling podcast, Busted Open, every night. There is nothing in the world like Pro Wrestling.

The stories that are told in this form of sports entertainment, as the WWE would put it, are much greater than any that you can witness in traditional professional sports. Sure, watching the Cubs win the World Series in 2016 was great, but every year in wrestling, you get to watch your favorites win. In the decade that I have been watching, I have seen Roman Reigns overcome cancer and win the championship, Cody Rhodes make his return to the WWE and establish himself as a star player, and Becky Lynch go from being a low-card wrestler to being a part of the first ever women’s main event at the biggest show of the year.

There are a lot of reservations about wrestling since people see it as fake. The storylines and winners may be predetermined, but the fighting is real. However, unlike the UFC, there is an actual reason why two people may be having a match. It could be because of a surprise attack backstage on the other, a contendership match for a title, or simply some bad blood that hasn’t been resolved.

In wrestling, you get to see things that you never believed were possible. Never in my life would I believe that I would ever see John Cena turn heel, or go from being a good guy to a bad guy, but that is what happened only a month ago. I have watched people jump off the top of a stage and land right on top of their opponent, crashing through many layers of wooden tables. Or at Survivor Series, when CM Punk returned to the WWE after walking out of the company a decade prior. Every week that I watch, I never know what to expect.

The wrestling community is another factor that makes Pro Wrestling like nothing else. When you are at a live show, there is a kind of energy in the building that is unmatch by anything else. People are excited and are yelling chants that only other fans would understand.

I have met a few wrestlers and all of them have been very kind. In 2019, I stood in line for three hours waiting to meet Becky Lynch. By the time my family got up to her, she was no longer signing things to make the line go quick but she stopped and signed my championship belt anyways. In 2018, I got a video from James Ellsworth who wished me good luck in my school’s spelling bee and in 2022, I got a video from the host of Busted Open, Dave LaGreca, hoping that I have a good start to my freshman year. Everyone in the wrestling community cares for each other and are always willing to help.

There is no greater sport to watch than Pro Wrestling. It has no off season like others do, it has hundreds of hours of content to watch each week, and it has a fan experience like no other. Being in CHI Health Arena for a Monday Night Raw brings me joy like nothing else. While watching the MLB, NBA, and NFL can be great, I believe everyone should give Pro Wrestling a chance once, where it be WWE, All Elite Wrestling, or even TNA. You never know what you might find and maybe you’ll end up liking it!