Reminiscing About Wrestling

In a couple of months I shall be celebrating a major birthday.  (some rumours say the big 6-0, but if I hear you repeat that the Mangler is coming for you ass -- and your balls).  As one tends to do, I have been reflecting on my life and especially my love of wrestling.



When I grew up, there were many wrestling promotions all over the place, most under the NWA rubric, but the promotions were generally regional.  My favorite promotions were out of Chattanooga and also out of Atlanta.  This is where I was introduced to Jerry Lawler, Jeff Jarrett, the Sheepherders, The Rock and Roll Express (woof, woof), the Midnight Express, and many others.  I always rooted for the heels and especially tag team heels.  (fun fact I had a cousin who used to ref for the Atlanta promotions --we were not very close, but I did get to attend on TV taping)

When I was in college I discovered BG enterprises (the "predecessor" (?) to BG east.  At that time they sold erotic wrestling stories, photo stories of wrestling, and the beginning of the homo-erotic wrestling videos (there were other companies -- but few and far between).  Some of those photo stories can be seen on BG East - the arena.  One of my all times favorites featured Tiger Collins as the ref getting mauled by KL and Andy Bailey after the official match was over.  This is where if fell in love (and lust) with Kid Leopard as he ran roughshod over Chuck "tiger" Collins, Sailor Rob and Andy Bailey.  At one time I owned private bouts 1-80 something.  I also own many more.

But I especially loved the wrestling stories (I firmly believe that the biggest sex organ is between the ears).  And I decided to try my hand at it and thus was born the Mangler (and his first story "Brian").  Around that time the internet was starting up (anyone remember BBS, bulletin boards for communications). Thus was born my username for "adult sites"  BGKLMANGLER.  By now most should be able to figure out what that means!!

I was asked to write a couple of "custom stories" for some of BG Enterprises customers, but that never came to fruition, although one or two of my stories were offered.  I'll have to dig those stories I bought out of the basement.

As time drug on, the offering from BG Enterprises and BG East became more sophisticated, and more like the regional wrestling shows, but still just as hot.  And then other companies came onto the scene.  While I liked the "underground" wrestling stories, my love of professional wrestling on the national level dropped.  There was "too much entertainment" and not enough wrestling. If you turn in a wrestling show and 20 minutes in there hasn't been any wrestling then there's a problem.  that doesn't mean there can't be storylines but they need to background to the wrestling.  Chattanooga wrestling was only 1 hour but there was usually 3-4 matches, several interviews and a brawl or 2.

To this day, I rarely watch the big shows live and don't follow them much.  However, get on youtube and put in wrestling and there are a plethora of small feds with great matches and wrestlers. although, I must say (surprising coming from the mangler) I think there is too much emphasis on "hardcore matches".  just my opinion.

And then, as it want to happen, life got in the way and the mangler and wrestling in general fell to the back of the burner so to speak.  This began around the time GeoCities closed.  My wrestling site was taken down and I was too busy to figure out somewhere else to place it.  I did continue with the wrestling videos but not as often.  And then came the companies doing "custom matches."  I must admit I have ordered a few and love them!!  The underground wrestling scene is now populated by many amazingly talented and handsome people.

I had recently gotten into writing again, trying to finish a couple of stories I had started years ago, when I ran across alexmillerscave.blogspot.com and he mentioned that I was one of his first stories and that it had good memories and impacts on him.  I found that to be a great compliment as I think he is a much better writer than I am.  Just look at how integrated and expansive his works are.  But it did get me back into the writing game.  At least two new stories are done, and several more in the making, hopefully.

So a great big THANK YOU  to the men who put who do underground wrestling and put out such great entertainment.  I also would like to say thank you to those professional wrestlers who are participating in these companies as well.  Hopefully a time will come when nobody really care.

But I have to save my biggest Thank you to Kid Leopard, BG enterprise and BG East.  You guys helped me through a very difficult time and helped encourage me to branch out and try writing and enjoying wrestling and its possibilities.

If anyone knows, I would love to know what happened to Sailor Rob, Chuck Collins, Andy Bailey (my three earliest crushes),  Scott Rogers and TNT Horrigan. I obviously know what happened to KL both in his wrestling life and many of his accomplishments in the "real" world.  Also curios about what happened to the original BG enterprise -- and if those wrestling stories are still around.  There were quite a few I would still love to buy and read.

Why not tell me, and others, in the comment section what first got you started with wrestling. 

[This is just a quick rambling thought process.  I apologize if it is disjointed, misspellings etc, but I just wrote as I thought}