I think all wrestlers have a story that really shows how much wrestling means to them. A moment in their lives that they can pinpoint and explain how they emotional connected with wrestling. A son that the only way to bond with his father was by watching wrestling together. Someone new that moved into the neighborhood and found his first friend because they had the same favorite wrestler. The stories I'm sure are endless.
I've talked a few times about how much my grandmother has meant to me as a wrestler. It was her passion for it that drew me to it as a young "golden" boy. Ironic that my favorite wrestler or all time, Ric Flair, was her most hated back then. I wonder what my life would be like today if it wouldn't have been for her fandemonium. I wouldn't have the friends I have today, which in turn means I wouldn't have met my wife which means no second generation wrestlers to debut at a later date. But this isn't my moment.
Since I've lived on my own, I've had a wrestling room. A room in my house or apartment ,at first, that has been dedicated to my wrestling memorabilia. Its kind of taken on a life of its own, alot of the boys hear me or friends talk about it. So when they get a chance to come to town, they almost always want to see what all I have. The process usually involves them saying "Oh, man I had that when I was a kid" or "That is freaking awesome". However most haven't seen my most prized possession. When my grandmother was a kid and watched wrestling in its golden age she kept a little black book were she written down results. This little black book that is close to fifty years old means more to me than anything else in the wrestling room because it holds more sentimental value above all else. But this still isn't my moment.
My friends growing up in school didn't really get into wrestling like I did. But for one year, one glorious year with all the stars in perfect position it became cool to like wrestling. With the NWO, ECW and The Attitude Era it was a marvelous time to be a wrestling fan. We didn't stop with just the major three but we found a local wrestling promotion right here in Dyersburg, Tennessee. Warriors of Wrestling Federation or affectionately WOWF and became a weekly ritual for us. We loved the bad guys and baddest bad guys at WOWF were The Missouri Bad Boys.
We talked all week about going to wrestling that weekend and even took time to make our own homemade Missouri Bad Boys tshirts. That afternoon before the show my mother told me that I couldn't go because we were broke. I was raised by a single mom and it broke her heart to have to tell me. We didn't have $5. I was crushed! I told my mother it was ok and I understood. I called my grandmother and asked if I could borrow $5 dollars so I could go to wrestling and she of course said ok and told me to come get the money. When I arrived my grandfather handed me a $5 bill and I just bursted into tears. I guess it was pride or something. It just meant so much to me to go, not for my friends but for myself. My grandparents consoled me and ended up giving me $40 so I could go to wrestling as much as I wanted. When I got back in the car that when I realized how much wrestling meant to me, that was my moment. I realized it wasn't JUST wrestling, it was WRESTLING and it’s been WRESTLING ever since.
----Greg Anthony is a regular on the local area circuit. He won RRO Booker of the Year 2008 and is listed in the top 5 of the RRO Top 10 2008. Greg is currently working as booker of NEW and can be seen tagging with legend Bobby Eaton and Brian Thompson as “Midnight Gold”.
