I recently confused someone when I used the word "clothesline" as a verb. I had to explain its wrestling etymology and how my knowledge of such came from a youth spent watching Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Junkyard Dog, and more.
I was surprised today to come across another name I hadn't thought of in a long time: Bam Bam Bigelow, who died yesterday at the age of 45. [Read his obituary]
His cause of death is yet undetermined, but I imagine the stress athletes' bodies endure — both from the nature of their profession, and from less scrupulous means of achieving an advantage — causes many such performers to be old before their time.
I've only ever attended one live wrestling event, and I found the commentary and close-ups provided by at-home television viewing to offer a superior experience. In that medium, wrestling can be very entertaining and dramatic, more so than daily soap operas, though still less refined and more predictable than some dramas. I enjoyed the alliances, rivalries, and betrayals that wrestling portrayed in a physical, non-metaphorical fashion even my developing mind could grasp (even if some of them now constitute the annals of wrestling shame). Thanks, Bam Bam, for being a part of it.
Notice that a lot of the wrestlers you grew up with died between the ages of 35-45:
http://www.wrestleview.com/info/faq/deaths.shtml
One exception is Hulk Hogan, who is still making a fool of himself.
Also, Superfly Snooka, Doink the Clown, and others are scheduled to wrestle this Saturday at the Worcester Armory. Tickets are $14 if you are interested.
Wow — that was depressing. I didn't know that Big Bossman, Junkyard Dog, Miss Elizabeth, and others had already gone to that big ring in the sky. :-(