Welcome to WrestlingMemes.com
A different kind of wrestling website
It has been 13 years since I started WrestlingMemes.com. For context, AEW didn’t exist. The Rock vs John Cena just happened at Wrestlemania (I was there!) and was followed up by Brock Lesnar’s shocking return. Bobby Roode was TNA champion and still feuding with James Storm, his former tag team partner. The former Kevin Steen was feuding with Davey Richards in ROH and finally NJPW had Kazuchika Okada on top of the world while The Bullet Club wouldn’t debut for another 13 months. Wrestling was a completely different landscape back then and we didn’t realize where it would take us.
Back then I was going to FCW (pre-NXT) shows and seeing future talent before they blew up big on the main roster. Going to an armory with a crowd size of 20 people to see Seth Rollins (my favorite ROH wrestler Tyler Black) and Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley pre & post-WWE) get their reps in prior to moving into the upper echelon of the wrestling world. Guys like Erick Rowan who would go onto be a huge act for The Wyatt Family and technically the last person to have a singles match with The Rock (at Wrestlemania!!!) was there helping people find their chairs. Brad Maddox was working a referee gimmick, and I could tell he was going to be someone that caught a lot of attention. Roman Reigns was working his “Leakee” gimmick. He walked out in trunks trying his best to ooze confidence. My friend and I turned to each other, and both shouted, “THIS GUY SUCKS!” in unison.
I love professional wrestling. It was the one thing from my childhood that got me through some very tough times. We all have our backstories and mine isn’t special by any means, but professional wrestling gave me the mental and physical fortitude to deal with bullying and beatings as a child. Growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, these larger-than-life characters who endured the most physical punishment that I could imagine still made it to the next week. Back then when you were a child, you didn’t know anything about contracts, injury time or filming commitments. You were dazzled by the moves, the entrances and promos. As we all grew up (even the people who were already adults) we found that we got deeper into what was happening backstage rather than on the screen. “Is this a work? Is this a shoot? He isn’t really leaving; he will be back next week.” We lost a lot of what makes wrestling fun. Suspending our disbelief for a few hours while we witness the closest thing to real life comic book characters battle in front of us.
My goal in creating WrestlingMemes.com was to have an outlet that people could enjoy wrestling and not argue over the more tribal aspects of it. I wanted to have something that not only could be consumed by wrestling fans but also non-wrestling fans. First, I started a Facebook page (not to be confused with the other Wrestling Memes Facebook account) and moved to Twitter & Reddit. Life got pretty busy for me, I was a first-time father and building my career. I eventually decided to turn the site into an aggregator of wrestling memes. It was a lazy approach and admittedly I’ve never been satisfied with it. How can I contribute to the wrestling industry? I want to give back, and I want to create something that will benefit it. It was never about getting myself over (unlike some of my peers….)
I’ve decided that the best way to go about that is to offer comedic commentary on the wrestling industry as a whole, create memes and spotlight the indies. I will launch a podcast, and I will build a brand. I’m not doing this to make loads of cash (money is always welcomed) but I am doing this because there needs to be a shift in how wrestling commentary is consumed. A lot of people comment on wrestling with hate in their heart. You can be funny without having to cut someone or something down. It is something that I have worked on a lot in the last 13 years to be a better entertainer. There are certain wrestlers I’m not particularly fond of, but it doesn’t give me the right to dismiss every part of their body of work. We all have our biases but are you able to hold a neutral position while making it entertaining? It is a lost art that Late Night Shows were able to once do. I want to bring that back.
So many people are chasing the one true opinion. They want to choose the A or B option. You have grifters who choose the B option just to against the grain. A lot of them do not believe what they are actually saying. It is their “gimmick”, and they lean into it as that is what their audience expects of them. I will be upfront and let you all know I’m a Centrist. I can see things from both sides and go with logic rather than bias. There are people in the industry and commentating on it that will push an opinion because it fits their narrative & agenda. You have to be able to recognizee that and understand what they are trying to accomplish with their commentary. To quote my favorite band Limp Bizkit in “Making Love To Morgan Wallen”
“I see through your act and I still enjoy the show”
Come join me in this journey!
If all else fails, hopefully I achieve my true goal which is to get Limp Bizkit into the WWE Hall of Fame or featured on AEW television.