A Pro Wrestling Reminiscence

When I was 10 years old, in the fall of 1991, I was getting a weekly injection of pro wrestling via WTLK channel 14. Every Saturday night, there would be one wrestling show after another. WCW and WWF syndicated shows, Joe Pedicino and Bonnie Blackstone's "Pro Wrestling This Week" show, and the random fare of the dying territorial system. It was a great time to be a kid and be a fan of the sport. Not just because there was so much wrestling, but because something amazing happened that year. One day, out of the blue, Ric Flair, the champion of the NWA and WCW, walked out on WWF television carrying his NWA World title belt. In my little mark mind, the Nature Boy was there to show all those WWF guys, especially Hulk Hogan, who the Real World Champion was.

In later years, I'd come to find out the behind the scenes shenanigans that resulted in Flair being there, and the legal battles that resulted in the belt being given back to WCW. But at 10, the world was very different for me. My champion, from my hometown territory, was going up to challenge Hulk Hogan, the WWF champion, and unify the belts. I had no doubt that was the plan. I was just amazed that the WCW shows simply stopped talking about Flair, who was obviously representing them (I guess WCW had a point to make about this angle causing confusion in the marketplace). At school, the following Monday, the debate amongst my friends was white hot. Who would win, Hogan or Flair? It was the ultimate fantasy come true. They were both in the same place, at the same time, with their respective belts, and it was just a matter of signing a contract as far as we could see. We all knew there'd be a title unification at Wrestlemania VIII, and I knew Flair was going to win it all. Of course, I also believed in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy at the time. Ah, the innocence of youth...