I love the 80's #2 - WWF Wrestling

I was probably around 12 years old, the first time I watched half naked men running around a ring grabbing, slapping, hugging, and laying on top of each other. No, I'm not talking about porn... I'm talking about the World Wrestling Federation.

I remember it aired on KBHK channel 44 every once in awhile and it was cool. It was like a soap opera for little boys. I'm sure they're story lines were not as nearly as complex as they are today, but for me it was the coolest thing since slice bread.
In the beginning, I liked all of the fan favorites... Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and the Jimmy "Super Fly" Snuka.

However, I immediately took a liking to Mr. Fuji (for obvious reasons), who was the salt throwing, "bad guy" manager. I remember being the only one in my neighborhood who liked him... everyone else hated him with a passion.

A few years later, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat came along. He is (and always will be) my favorite wrestler for several reasons. First off, he wasn't as popular as some of the other WWF superstars. I've always liked underdogs and he was one of them. Another reason, I liked Steamboat was because he was a nice guy. In fact, he was the exact opposite of Mr. Fuji. They were like the Ying & Yang of wrestling for me. Finally, he was 1/2 Japanese. I mean, how many Japanese wrestlers have there been in the WWF?

My two favorites wrestlers would eventually cross paths. A feud started between The Dragon and Don Muraco, who was managed by Mr. Fuji. Here's a video of a lumberjack match between the two. They were also involved in tag team match-ups. Mr. Fuji would actually show off his wrestling skills with Don Muraco and Ricky would receive help from The Junk Yard Dog. Click here if you'd like to see one of their tag team matches. These confrontations were the peak of my interest in WWF wrestling.

After The Dragon left the WWF, I took a break from watching wrestling altogether. I didn't start watching it again until I became a teacher in the late 90's. I remember most of my students were big Stone Cold Steve Austin fans, while I cheered for The People's Champ. My fascination would only last for a couple of years. It just wasn't the same as before and my interest quickly died out.

These days, I'll still watch wrestling matches from time to time, but it will never be the same for me... like it was when I watched it during the 80's.