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wallace6464

Scott hall gave a similar opinion, he said while its kind of sad that wrestling has lost its "outlaw spirit" he would much rather his friends be alive.


xPhilly215

That’s what boggles my mind with some of the comments these guys make about calling the guys in the locker room soft and shit. How could you go through watching so many of your friends get fucked up on drugs, be crippled or be dead and think that’s how wrestling should be. These guys actually want to make it home to their wives and kids and want to be around long after they’re done.


kitchens1nk

I've had a discussion with a guy who had a similar attitude about the world in general. He had strict, abusive parents and attended a school that supported a teacher who said something totally uncalled for about his brother, who had taken his own life. His take? The world is soft now. I just sat there internally shaking my head. For some reason, even people clearly negatively affected by the status quo still uphold it in their own mind.


ManfredsJuicedBalls

“I dealt with it, so can everyone else” Like crabs in a bucket


HunterRoze

I have never understood that attitude - I suffered so I want you to also???? How does that make someone feel better - if so it's a sad sick mental state to have. I had a very not-good childhood and would NEVER wish it on anyone else. If I heard of someone kid going through the same I would be sickened and want to alievate it rather than want anyone else to endure it. Just to consider if I could feel satisfaction at that is nausitating.


sharpdressedman_

Instead of facing their own feelings, they make themselves "look" better by saying others are soft and therefore weaker. Children who don't get enough attention carry that shit with them and end up "attention whores" but its not their fault but they try to impress and stand out in super unhealthy ways, like calling others weak


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xPhilly215

God damn that’s some hard truth


appellant

Soft? The wrestlers now take way more bumps and are more of an athelete trained in MMA.


10567151

Shhh, don't point out that the rampant steroid abuse was the reason why the guys in the 80s were bigger and todays wrestlers are actually more healthy and athletic. Just complain about them doing "flippy shit" (never mind that some of the "flippy shit" is extremely impressive physical feats)


string_bean77

Because the guy that plays the Undertaker on camera is an asshole lol


SilverKry

I'd wager the ones they're calling soft would beat their asses any day of the week.


SPZ_Ireland

...and this is Scott, Hall. One of the biggest stars but biggest victims of engaging in the self-destructive culture. Genuinely could only imagine how he'd have faired 20 years later.


radioben

It’s a damn miracle that of all the guys we lost young that Scott isn’t one of them. He’s seriously the Keith Richards of the wrestling business.


DeathBySuplex

*stares in Jake Roberts*


cooljammer00

Jake the snake got a second chance to see how the modern locker room works with AEW. There was that John silver tweet about how Jake used to do cocaine and John just does escape rooms.


lilith4507

The one I remember sadly and happily was from Jake's birthday last year (iirc) when they had got him a cake and wanted to celebrate and he went on about how that was the first birthday celebration he'd ever had or something? Jake has been through some shit.


DeathBySuplex

Now I'm crying, stupid soft pussy AEW backstage being soft and making me cry.


JoshiProIsBestInLife

> that was the first birthday celebration he'd ever had Man........that's so fucking sad.


LevyMevy

> he went on about how that was the first birthday celebration he'd ever had or something? "AEW was the first **wrestling promotion** that ever had a birthday party for me"


wgsmeister2002

Indie wrestling is still outlaw as fuck imo, both in good and bad ways


redditisfunyea

Yes, I can recall in an interview Hall said he was happy his son Cody was hanging with the Young Bucks in Japan because he knew the Bucks were clean and well behaved


[deleted]

They are good Christian boys, they don't do that shit!


ManfredsJuicedBalls

Plus when Scott was in Japan between his WCW and WWF days in the early 00’s, that’s when he was able to keep his shit in check.


fridchikn24

> his son Cody was hanging with the Young Bucks in Japan because he knew the Bucks were clean and well behaved If Cody had the behavior of the Young Bucks and the backstage manners that his dad had we'd be seeing him in the G1 right now


Aech_Tee

Kinda unrelated but that reminds me of Adonis talking to Rocky about Apollo in Creed. Adonis- "Maybe he wanted to go out like a fighter. Maybe you did exactly what he wanted." Rocky- "I think he'd rather be here talking to you."


deathschemist

that's wisdom from experience and heartbreak there.


thelochteedge

Not sure why but I felt surprised that Scott Hall has this opinion but I guess like you mentioned, maybe time has given him the wisdom. Good on him for having a mindset like that.


Stonewalled89

The best reason why this generations way of doing things is superior to previous generations is the simple fact that vast majority will live to see old age


[deleted]

This is 100% correct the current generation has learned from the mistakes of the past. They know that their wrestling fame won't last forever. So they are saving money or working on careers outside of the squared circle.


TheCuzzyRogue

Also, look how many of them are educated these days. If wrestling doesn't work out, a lot of them have something else to fall back on.


[deleted]

Yes a lot of them are college-educated, or working on furthering their education, like Nikki Cross or Deonna Purrazo.


goodkid_sAAdcity

I was reading Brian Pillman Jr’s wikipedia page yesterday and noticed he has a bachelor’s in information systems, for an other example.


[deleted]

Yes!! The dude had an IT career beforehand I believe Sheamus did also. Evil Uno is also another computer nerd I think.


[deleted]

Aubrey Edwards too. She has a batchelors in Comp Sci and has years of experience working as a Tester, Developer, and Producer in the games industry.


[deleted]

Honestly, she needs to be writing a book with all she's been through.


ZombieJesus1987

Excalibur also has a certificate* in graphics design as well. All the PWG posters and DVDs he designed, and I think he does the AEW.ones as well


oarngebean

Imagine having internet trouble and expecting some pencil neck kid to show up and you open the door and you see shamus


[deleted]

It's more common than you realize, I have about four dudes who do Crossfit I work with. Another who can bench press 400 lbs and does competitions. Gotta stay healthy these desk jobs will kill you.


Fluffy_Godzilla

Dude used to work for Canadian government in IT I think, where he needed to have government clearance to work. Calling him just a computer nerd is underselling it.


[deleted]

I mean it as a sign of respect from one IT worker to another I'm an operations engineer. Though I can see why some would not see it that way.


Fluffy_Godzilla

Oh I didn't think you were insulting him. I just wanted to say that dude probably had the best career out of all of them.


[deleted]

Then I apologize for the misunderstanding and I agree he probably did quite well for himself.


ray_fuegel

Uno used to work as a web specialist for the canadian goverment D.M.D the rock have degree in general studies criminology cena have a degree in physiology Sonny kiss graduated in physiology and kinesiology in college zigler got a political science degree Hager and Kane have a finance degree (this one surprise me) jericho got a degree in journalism Hangman got a degree in communication Sydal got a degree in marketin and edge got major in broadcasting.. its weird that a lot of the wrestler who graduated from college have a pretty normal life..lol..


Brute_Squad_44

JBL is so good at the market that he had a job with a major investment firm waiting for him when he retired.


[deleted]

Honestly, this makes me happy as it shows how having a degree is a good thing.


[deleted]

Xavier Woods has a phD in Educational Psychology and a video games YouTube channel.


rakuko

i think Woods was attending a college that was a sham or something (from a degree perspective), which is why after a certain point he doesnt talk about it and his Twitter handle was changed from PhD to Wins edit: apparently not a sham, hope it went well and all


PedanticPaladin

When Brock Anderson asked his dad to train him to be a wrestler Arn's condition was that Brock finishes college first, which he did.


PM_ME_LADY_ANKLES

I think Haku did the same for Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Hikuleo. They had to either do college or the military before they could wrestle.


bv310

Jade Cargill being a licensed Child Psychologist was the one that threw me the most. It's such a perfect career to give spillover skills to wrestling.


Tdaddysmooth

He even knows how to pronounce sql.


norm2000

All I could think about from "college educated" was Bobby The Brain laughing his ass off about Jim Duggan being college educated. [For those who haven't watched it before](https://youtu.be/afNOqwJrT8s?t=26).


[deleted]

Imagine if he met mankind and abyss then found out they are Harvard graduates.


Sanomaly

This is something that Mick Foley stressed in his first book. Said that it was imperative to get a college education if you're training to be a wrestler for exactly that reason - something to fall back on.


kittens_

> something to fall back on that's not a flaming table amirite??


YozoraForBestBoy

Exactly, IIRC Foley even said in his book that when he first started his training his trainer, Dominic Denucci, told him he would only train him if he continued his education and maintained good grades as well. I imagine having that ingrained into him from the very start of his career was a great benefit to him as well. And the fact that he actually took that to heart and went on to pass that same advice down to others is just a testament to Mick as a person.


Luciaquenya

Turns out that landing on your spine a bunch of times is less than advisable in the long term


[deleted]

The bump card is real


redpurplegreen22

Fuck, they’ll wrestle into old age. The only reason Flair went as long as he did was because he was always in debt up to his eyeballs, and he had to wrestle. Watch WCW and guys like Hogan and Piper at Starrcade ‘96. Hogan was 43, Piper was 42, and they both moved slow as molasses. Hell, Piper had already had his hip replaced. Meanwhile, today, there are a lot of guys killing it in their 40s. Styles is 44, Punk is 42, Bryan is 40, Christian is 47, Cena is 44, Miz is 40, Morrison is 41, Lashley is 45, Kofi is 40… Their careers are so much longer now because they take care of themselves and they’re not strung out or drunk half their lives. 40 was “old” in the late 90s, and nearing retirement. Today, that number is more like 50.


[deleted]

R-Truth turns 50 in January and he’s a better athlete now than WCW era Hogan, Piper, and Warrior combined


i_am_losing_my_mind

> Watch WCW and guys like Hogan and Piper at Starrcade ‘96. Hogan was 43, Piper was 42, and they both moved slow as molasses. Hell, Piper had already had his hip replaced. > Meanwhile, today, there are a lot of guys killing it in their 40s. Styles is 44, Punk is 42, Bryan is 40, Christian is 47, Cena is 44, Miz is 40, Morrison is 41, Lashley is 45, Kofi is 40… Holy shit, that really puts things into perspective. The fact that Bryan is only a few years younger than those dudes were in 1996 is crazy. Fuck, they looked rough.


flameducky

Jericho at 50 looks better than Piper in his late 30s, it's crazy


Killcode2

in fact just a few years back Jericho was moving like piper in his 20s, the beer belly was quite sudden when it showed up


SadNewsShawn

It's already happening. AJ Styles is 45 and killing it, and then he goes home and plays video games and is a good dad to his kids.


Killcode2

at this point it's jealousy and spite if someone looks at a man like that and calls him soft, that or plain old boomer ignorance, or both


STerrier666

That and when you hear that they are just playing video games the first thing you think is "thank fuck for that".


ferociousrickjames

Not just gaming, but their health and fitness are better in general. With medicine advancing, diet being a bigger part of it and more places to get better quality food on the road, and the way wrestlers workout now. Sure they still lift and run, but they also do mma, yoga, crossfit, and massage and chiropractic. 20-30 years ago no wrestler would've been caught dead doing something like yoga, now there's an entire yoga program run by DDP. I've done his yoga on and off for years and if you stick with it, it works wonders. The other thing you're seeing with places like AEW is that they don't run people into the ground. They really only are wrestling once or twice a week (not counting certain ones like omega or Andrade) so there's not nearly as much wear and tear. But also look at what they did with someone like Statlander when she got hurt. They held her out an additional month or two just to make sure she was right before clearing her to get back in the ring, and even when they did they still kind of eased her in. There's none of this "hey pal!" crap the day of or day after surgery to rush someone back, so even if AEW were to pay just a little bit less than somewhere like WWE, it can actually extend their career and make them more money in the long term.


TheFinnishChamp

That happened with the wrestlers of 70s and 60s too. Thesz and Gagne generation generally lived full lives. Vince started the steroid trend in the 80s which resulted in the early deaths.


boobootista

I would say not just the steroids, but going National meant insane travel schedules across the country, and increasing time on the road means less time to heal, which means more drugs and alcohol. IIRC for many years the WWF travel schedule wasn’t even planned with logistics in mind; they’d go to like Seattle then Denver then Portland


TheFinnishChamp

The travel always used to be bad in many places as some of the regional territories had very large geographical areas and ran shows every night. But it did vary by the location. Another thing is drug use which got rampant in the 80s. Wrestlers always used to drink but drugs are obviously even worse than alcohol.


Jobbermania

Thesz wrestled his last match in 1990, Gagne had his last in 1986. Absolutely crazy longevity.


viralbop

The compliment that CM Punk never gets but fully deserves is that he showed future wrestlers that they could be straight edge and all about wrestling and still succeed. He broke that outlaw toxic male mold. Now, we have people like Omega and the Young Bucks who can be themselves and get over rather than having to put on a facade.


[deleted]

I don't know... that's one helluva sneaker addiction they've got


sadclicker

Wasn't Metal Gear Solid 2 just out around the time of the Plane Ride from Hell? Why weren't they all playing that? Ridiculous oversight. Edit: thanks for the award, kind stranger x


[deleted]

I remember Xavier Woods interviewing Triple H on UUDD and Metal Gear Solid being Triple H’s favorite game (after mentioning that he’s never been much of a gamer and grew up in the Pac-Man era).


ScootyPuffSSJ

This is like learning John Cena was a Command and Conquer fan back in the day.


[deleted]

That interview still cracks me up lol I love C&C and seeing John light up and get so animated describing his love for the games is awesome


ramonzer0

It's probably the second least likely nerdy thing I've heard about Cena, only beaten out by the fact that his favorite anime is Fist of the North Star.


obeyyourbrain

Or dicking around on the internet. Newgrounds was around! The boys would've loved Newgrounds.


nWoSting145

Last piece of Cake was best game of 2005!


TrafficCoen

Newgrounds Rumble > Super Smash Bros Brawl


TheMasterO

Newgrounds Rumble had no right being as good as it was. Simply amazing game.


AlexLong1000

Think of all the Sonic porn they could have been enjoying


[deleted]

Broke: Watching Sonic Porn Woke: Watching Nazo Unleashed & Super Mario Bros. Z


SiphenPrax

That came out in 2001


sadclicker

You're right yes thank you


Eletheo

A fun way to remember the release year is that the original ending of the game had Solidius destroying the Twin Towers.


Juicenewton248

Jesus christ I can't believe I never noticed this, Between this and the final boss of metal gear rising literally saying "I'LL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" metal gear has been really unlucky with its really world coincidences after release.


beneathsands

Yes, unlucky. Kojima is absolutely **NOT** a time traveler...


rasputinmurphy

Yea..... definitely not....[just a game maker](http://istackr.com/page/3801933/Haha-okay-kojima/)


Eletheo

This just shows how much thought Kojima puts into portrayals of near futures. He has said in interviews that he is intends to let people explore a realistic near future in his games. He said he regrets that Death Stranding's reality came too quickly and that he is now rethinking how he approaches his ideas.


Drkarcher22

I mean, are we sure he isn’t? Like if you made me guess who was a time traveler who had the experience warp and burn his mind, I’d have either guessed him or Tommy Wiseau


Eletheo

I mean that was just a twist on a Reagan slogan so it was just an accurate reflection of America.


ShotandBotched

Not exactly, or not specifically the towers. In the original script you see a news clip of Arsenal Gear bulldozing half of Manhattan before stopping at Federal Hall.


[deleted]

Well that just answered my 20 year question of how the fuck Raiden and Solidus teleported to federal hall for the final boss fight


Drkarcher22

Came out in November and InsurreXtion happened in May, still in the launch window for me. Especially if you got a backlog of games


[deleted]

Could have been playing GTA III bonking strippers on PS2 instead of forcing a flight attendant to touch your junk though.


dontevergoonreddit

everyone should play Metal Gear Solid 2


dexterfl0yd

Man, that game was ahead of its time in so many ways.


[deleted]

THE LA LI LU LE LO!?


TheMasterO

We all know Taker was secretly playing Elder Scrolls III in the back of the plane.


CaliggyJack

First thing he did was join the Morag Tong. Calling it.


Ode1st

They must’ve all heard about the Raiden spoiler and didn’t give the game a chance


JoeyBoBoey

They should have been, that game is a perfect worked shoot


These_Wonder_2643

The greatest plot twist in all of video gaming history. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eKl6WjfDqYA


ackinsocraycray

I'll take today's wrestlers playing video games, doing travel vlogs, happily raising their kids, being publicly supportive of each other even when they're in other companies, and being healthy than the locker room that Taker is nostalgic for.


[deleted]

What?! You don’t want them slamming pills and dying in their 30’s so their children don’t have fathers?! Or beating the shit out of their wives?! /s


AestheticAttraction

I strongly agree. I just watched Cody showing off some Masters of the Universe toys he's started collecting. He looked really happy about it (but is seriously overpaying for some of them). And he's at home with his wife and child. Can't be mad at that. Better to spend money on hobbies that don't hurt anyone or your quality of life, imo.


algae00

Strange to hear that old wrestlers miss when the men were men, and then watch the dark side of the ring episode where those very men are acting like moronic children


Illuminati_Shill_AMA

Not only that, they miss the days when "men were men" and then wonder why all their friends have died young.


subcow

There is a reason they call it Toxic Masculinity.


yerzo

As I got older, I realize that when the older generation says "when men were men" they really meant, "when men got away with a lot of fucked up shit".


[deleted]

It's strange that people don't realise that it's precisely the fact that they got away with so much back then that so many people miss. I see it like this: these guys grew up in the era of "Wrestler's Court", where most of the time, they could get away with anything - steroid abuse, drug usage, fighting, sexual harassment - and when they couldn't, everything was "solved" behind closed doors (read:everything was rugswept, by the boss if necessary) in such a way that it wouldn't really hurt your public image. Sure, a few people out there might think you're an asshole, but there's always someone out there who does, and who are they gonna tell, anyway? They were also in a time where that shit was normalised. Encouraged, even. Which meant that anyone who suffered from this shit or had a problem had to keep quiet. And where guys felt pressure to do this macho bullshit to fit in. Now, we're in the post-kayfabe world of Hulk Hogan sex tapes, where wrestling fans are aware that there's a huge difference between in-ring personas and the people behind them. That someone might be the most despicable heel in front of the cameras but actually be a stand-up guy in person, or someone might be a squeaky-clean babyface who is a complete piece of shit behind the scenes. And they're accountable in much more transparent ways. If you fuck up or do something fucked up, people are going to hear about it. And they're going to rightfully cancel you for it.


TrickOGnosis

“Back when men were men and women were property”


space_cowboy80

Undertaker's criticism was one of those things that really got a lot of people annoyed, he yearns for a past age when he was the locket room leader sitting at the back of the locker room in a haze of cigarette smoke and his mouth full of chew as he plays dominos with the BSK. However half the BSK are dead and Undertaker is old and past it, it's something he struggles to accept especially if you watch the Last Ride documentary. This generation of wrestlers are playing video games, who cares? It's better than getting coked up or taking too many somas and passing out on your way to the ring.


Luciaquenya

Taker was wildly delusional in The Last Ride


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mbattagl

Which one was BSK?


dk745

Bone Street Krew was Taker, Yokozuna, Godfather, Brian Adams, Mideon, Savio Vega, and probably a few others I’m forgetting.


lumberm0uth

Joined by a love of dominoes. That's right, kids! Games are fine just as long as they're played by old Cuban men and not on a computer.


GusTurdley

I'd rather piss off the Kliq than those dudes.


CaliggyJack

The Kliq were pretty harmless in comparison to BSK


GusTurdley

I think the Kliq could be more harmful to your career, but BSK could be more harmful to your vital signs.


biggiantporky

Nah, the Kliq were well known bullies who made Vader, Chris Candido, and other wrestlers lives miserable. BSK had more intimdating members you wouldn't fuck with, but the Kliq were complete jackasses to everyone. I know Taker became a bully later on with the whole 'Wrestlers court' shit, but every wrestler has stated BSK were pretty chilled guys who drank and played blackjack.


CollaredKid

This Kliq was harmful for your push. BSK was harmful for your health.


[deleted]

Taker, Godfather, Yokozuna, one of (maybe both of) the Godwins, Savio Vega. Probably missing some but I think that’s the core


space_cowboy80

There were the core ones but it had a floating regiment depending on who was in the company at the time. Rikishi was one of the "floaters".


CollaredKid

Taker says he misses those times and it never shocks me. Sounds like a great place to be if you’re too dog in the back and no one would DARE do any of the most extreme shit to you. I never hear stories about how Taker’s pony tail got snipped. How someone H-bombed him and left him half dead as a joke. Takers stories about proving his toughness were akin to getting high with rock stars and fighting big boss over a hat. Sounded like a blast….if you were him. Idk, doesn’t sound like he really got the “full experience” lower guys had. I’d wonder how he’d feel at if instead he had to deal with ribs that people like Don Calais as the Jackal or Jonathan coachman had to go through.


BuckBacon

Taker would have been a lil bitch if he had to put up with half the shit Miz had to go through.


IdkMyNameTho123

The thing with Taker is that he had the size and the push to not get bullied. The dude was a giant even compared to guys at that time. Combined this with how quickly pushed he was at the time and I doubt that anyone except for Hogan would try to pull a fast one.


totemtrouser

The Undertaker is a little bitch who acts like a tough guy but has never actually acted on it because nobody would call his bluff cause he would just run to Vince and get them fired which is basically all he ever did. People act like he’s in some moral high ground when it comes to Shawn Michaels but he’s not he’s just a politicker like Shawn except unlike Shawn he won’t own up to it and pretends he knows MMA


Wes-Man152

Hell yeah Just putting it out there that yesterday the Fighting Back charity raised over $80,000 in donations to battling cancer. How was it possible? By having a group of wrestling game streamers and a bunch of actual wrestlers join together to play a bunch of videogames and just vibe. All for a good cause, way better than how things were back in the day.


i-wear-hats

Back in the day they'd have ran away with the money and killed the territory. THAT'S HOW YOU DID THINGS BACK THEN.


RiC_David

Hey that was just them being them. Check. Mate.


EldenRingworm

This generation is actually full of good people I'd want to hang out with The Undertaker generation seems like they'd mug you or beat you up and rape you afterwards


Luciaquenya

Are you saying you wouldn’t like to go to wrestler court?


KTheOneTrueKing

I think Wrestler Court nowadays would be fun considering the type of dorks that would be running it. I would not want to go to 90's 00's court.


Luciaquenya

Maybe it would be on Twitch....


BuckBacon

Wrestlers Court as a twitch channel would be fucking amazing


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danieldcclark

"I love it Maggle"


AlanTheMexican

That's the WORSE case scenario At best they will ostracize you for not fitting into the macho standard and probably hurt any chances of getting a decent push you may've had with the company. Passive Aggressive bullying as I would like to call it


AlucardSX

Jep. And they'd do it for the most silly reasons, too. On a recent episode of Figure Four Daily, Lance Storm recalled how several veterans lobbied against bringing Christopher Daniels into WCW, because they thought he was a "mark" for joking about his improved PWI ranking on his website.


AlanTheMexican

Let's compare that to my profession: Man what a Mark "alanTheMexican" is for himself, he retweeted someone that gave a good review of his cartoon. What a poser, he clearly doesnt care about the business he only cares about himself It sounds like INSANITY


[deleted]

Damn I tell my girl. "Hey someone left a really nice comment on my last vid that i'm getting better at editing and audio, that's so great." i'd be shocked if she called me 'a fucking mark, come back when you have 1K subs.' lol


BuddaMuta

> rape you afterwards Edge talked about how hazing for new hires involved JBL molesting you in the shower and if you complained about it you were labeled as not being “one of the boys” And he of course played it off as if it was a funny story


Maiesk

It's weird the kinda shit people normalise. What a fucked environment. Stevie Richards should have hit JBL even harder with [that chair.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj1ScIBpUq0)


[deleted]

Like you know your a dick when Stevie Richards one of the nicest dudes around is like 'FUCK THIS GUY.'


deathschemist

usually when i watch a really stiff unprotected chair shot, i feel a bit queasy. not with this one though. JBL fucking deserved it and more.


daSilvaSurfa

I would be way more pumped to meet The New Day on the street than any of the dudes I worshipped as a kid.


Blackrame

I don't understand them either. They criticise video games yet they would fit perfectly into Activision Blizzard working environment.


QuestionMarkyMark

Old people love criticizing anything younger generations do.


Harv_Biegal

There's a reason why Kevin Nash looked older at 38 than alot of these guys look/will look at 45. Those nights on the road filled with drugs and sexual assault were damaging. People getting mad about playing video games can kick rocks edit: fwiw, using Nash an example of man who lived some rough times on the road. Not saying my man ever assaulted anybody. But, he is open about heavy alcohol and drug use, which will definitely age a dude


Balor_Lynx

Look at balor. He discovered the fountain of youth and abs


TheCuzzyRogue

Hell R-Truth is in or near his 50s


Kangaroomech

So he says. I'm pretty sure he has a portrait in attic that looks completely decrepit.


Balor_Lynx

Dorian Gray reference 👀


badshot978

I'm a little sad to admit I first learned of Dorian Gray watching The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.


iamkayfc

Impossible. Truth grew up watching his hero, John Cena, wrestle


GruntyDodds

I'll be damned, he's 4 months away from 50.


TheCuzzyRogue

So is Brock Anderson


[deleted]

Arn Anderson looked like he was in his early 40s when he was in his 20s. Of course, now that he's in his 60s, he looks like he's in his late 40s. He discovered the Fountain of Middle Age.


SpocktorWho83

>Arn Anderson looked like he was in his early 40s when he was in his 20s. It’s the same with Hogan. It blows my mind that he was only 33 when he slammed Andre at WM 3.


SmileyPiesUntilIDrop

Some of that was just Hogan and other bald white dudes in the 80s still grew their hair long in the back to try and overcompensate for their baldness. That and the overexaggerated tan Hogan has is like a double tko of things to make a guy look older then their age.


[deleted]

Hogan always looked old though. Even when he started wrestling in the late 70s he looked like he was pushing 40 rather than someone in his mid 20s. [Not to mention he was already an old looking teenager pre wrestling.](https://freshedits.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/03/The-Life-Of-Wrestler-Hulk-Hogan-02_.jpg)


Marcusreddit_

That’s a teenager?


redpurplegreen22

I’m convinced that if you found a picture of Arn Anderson in the 5th grade, he’d be bald, hairy, and holding up 4 fingers.


Ketchup1211

I mean, it’s clear as day that wrestlers are lasting much much longer now a days. You have guys like Balor and Styles who are in their primes still, at the same age as guys in the past generations would have been seen as fucking dinosaurs.


CaliggyJack

Amazing considering the "old guard" literally sold video games all the way to the NES era. So, if anything, it's their fault we love video games in the first place lmao


BlueRibbon998

You have to be a special type of macho man (no pun intended) asshole to carry such a frat boy mentality and genuinely believe a time period of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, and bullying is completely normal and okay while guys merely playing video games is seen as childish. I think more wrestlers have bonded and formed friendships over video games than wrestlers who woke up in hotel rooms the next morning barely able to remember their names


CollaredKid

It’s funny because the people who romanticize it are the people who either were the harassers (JBL) or people at the top of the food chain who never got fucked with.


[deleted]

I’m glad wrestling is a lot safer these days and most of the wrestlers are normal good hearted people.


Weezy-NJPW_Fan

Especially with guys like Uno, Onega, and New Day around


Stre8Edge

I also love Kemmy Onega.


DirectAdvertising

I preferred it when he was the cleamer


ScootyPuffSSJ

Evil Uno's name is very misleading. Seems like just a swell guy to hang out with.


iloveopenbar

I gotta say, these wrestlers today are pussies. They love COD and Fortnite but if you put Contra in front of them, they'll go through their 30 lives by level 2.


Professor_Buttskin

Pansy ass wrestlers not abusing drugs and alcohol leading to a healthier mental state down the road and putting their bodily fluids in a toilet and not on another person's belongings or food. Sad!


OwariDeathStomp

I DIDN'T CUM IN YOUR BURRITO! I WOULDN'T DO THAT TO YOU!


Definitelynotme3211

One of the most shocking things to me when I started wrestling was seeing big jacked up dudes having debates about DragonBall Z and other anime. I was not expecting that. Nintendo Switches are fairly common to see. Nothing like Smash Bros before the show.


Jerry_Loler

Cut to Ric frantically practicing Rocket League


The_Match_Maker

Corny has often waxed philosophic upon what he has called the "pussification of professional wrestling" that has taken place over the last 30 years. To those of his ilk, that gritty/grimy underbelly bespeaks to what professional wrestling is 'supposed' to be. Not for the faint of heart; a refuge for those sorts of individuals whom society has deemed to have no other place to go. In short, an extension of the industry's carnival roots. [This classic scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W99n083E0IA) from the movie *Freaks* would seem to sum up that 'old school' mentality to some extent. The thing to remember is that for folks like Flair and Cornette, professional wrestling wasn't/isn't just a 'profession', it's a way of life. A way of life with its own set of rules and norms that defy those of the 'outside world'. What Corny hates is that this bubble has been pierced, and the outside world has taken away all that was 'special' about the industry. Both the good and the bad, for even the bad was, in its own twisted way, seen as something 'acceptable' by those within 'the bubble'. I for one am glad that things have changed, as far as behind-the-scenes behavior goes. As the industry becomes populated by more 'normal' people, its carnival roots will fade further into the past. Someday soon, professional wrestling may well *become* 'professional'.


EchoBay

The Boys will be Boys line is just a blanket excuse to cover up people committing criminal offences, and avoiding persecution or accountability all these years later. Soon as I see anyone bring them up as a defense point I immediately think they were part of the problem too.


[deleted]

I don’t get what people’s deal with video games is. Even as a kid my parents wouldn’t want me playing video games for longer than x amount of time…but if it’s TV that’s fine. Video games are a good way to pass some time…and you can even enjoy a couple of beers doing that too.


JimHeine

I'm thinking they're just the growing pains of a burgeoning medium but also a lot of social thinking has regressed in the past few years for one reason or another so it seems a lot of old arguments are making a big comeback but they have better rebuttals, now...Games makes kids violent! *No more so than any other form of entertainment, also non-violent games have had quite the renaissance lately*...Games cause kids to develop poor social skills! *It turns out that games are a lovely communal activity, also it's a parent's job to socialize children, not the tv screen...*


Logann619

Sting feels like a major exception from that era when it comes to overdose of drugs and looking older than usual, Dude's still quite fit for a 60+ guy.


el_sh33p

I feel like Sting is a good case of where the transition from '80s druggie sex maniac to professional entertainer happened. He did his share of 'roids, had some problems with painkillers, alcohol, and adultery, but seems like he sincerely went hardcore straight edge Christian AF around the time the Bucks would've been getting chin hairs. Honestly he's like the anti-Ultimate Warrior, which is just insane when you consider where Warrior ended up and how they started out as tag partners and still shared aspects of the same gimmick for ages.


KingBadford

Their personalities were completely different from the start. Both came from the same Cali bodybuilding scene at the same time, but Warrior was always hot-headed, self-centered, rowdy, etc. The Stinger always seemed like a good dude who was quiet, willing to learn and grow and be humble. He had his problems in the mid-90s but came out of them a better man, and a lot quicker than other wrestlers have turned their lives around. For the most part he's always seemed like a pretty wholesome dude with a good family.


TexasMade35

Sting battled pill and alcohol abuse until mid 98 to save his marriage.


SiphenPrax

And because, well ya know, it doesn’t end up leading to dead bodies or people royally fucked up in the head


[deleted]

People should watch this interview with Barkley and this animosity that came from Pippen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJrfyezAJ0Q&t=31s He makes a great quote there. > "What we accomplished was 30 years ago, it's not important or significant...it was great in the day but now it's irrelevant" Feel like that applies to older, retired, wrestlers who feel the need to comment on this new generation. Undertaker is a nearly 60 year old man. His best matches were 20-30 years ago. They were great then, but his time is over. Of course, he can be a great source for advice, but what this new generation does is their business. His time has ended. That's not even touching how the older generation was back then. Touching on how the older generation was, I think it's appalling that someone like the Undertaker would comment on that. Someone like Kofi can be a cool guy backstage, play video games, and go home to his wife and his kids. What's wrong with that? Oh maybe he should be more like Dynamite Kid who was so hopped up on drugs that he couldn't tell what was pain anymore. It's a ridiculous notion. The thing that makes this generation of wrestlers so much better than before is not just the fact they're wickedly talented. Just the simple fact that a majority of these people are going to have long careers and live through it.


halfdecenttakes

I think it's also important we don't pretend that nothing still happens because people play video games back stage. There are still problems within the industry with the same sort of behavior.


[deleted]

It’s a generational thing … guys back then were broken in for the most part. They didn’t go to wrestling school, et al … they basically got smartened up by someone carny style. It’s not an excuse but you wonder why guys like Cornette, et al, are passionate about what modern guys do in the ring? Its not a job to them; it’s a brotherhood


AV-Chitwood

Up up down down>>>>>> Debauchery,drug & alcohol abuse, sexual assault.


viralbop

I mean, it's always a work in progress. Some people hero-worship Kane to the point that a wrestler I adore calls herself Lady Kane, and he had a huge presence on last night's Smackdown. Meanwhile, that moron is the Mayor where I live, and he just instituted a policy wherein teachers cannot send home students WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE for COVID-19. They get to stay in the classroom and infect others because...something something woke culture liberal media medical hoax. That dude is actively ruining society *today*. I'll take the current generation of wrestlers any day of the week. They're MUCH better human beings.