I’ve heard that when a duckling hatches, it “imprints” on the first living thing it sees and believes itself to be the offspring of that creature. If a human or dog or cow happen to be nearby when it breaks out of the egg, the duckling will forever have an affinity or attraction for that other creature — no matter the lack of similarity in their sizes or appearances.
From talking to pro wrestling fans about their earliest experiences watching the sport, I believe there is an “imprinting” of sorts that occurs the first time the young viewer watches wrestling. That very first glimpse of the violence, excitement, swagger, and punishment seems to leave a deep and lasting impression on the viewer’s tastes and preferences for life.
Many wrestling fans have informed me that they recall a feeling of enthusiasm, or wide-eyed excitement, or even a bit of breathless shock over seeing pro wrestling the first time. Some friend or relative would tune in to a pro wrestling program on a random Saturday afternoon, and the young viewer’s jaw would drop and his eyes would pop out of his head as the athletes took to the ring and the action unfolded. The viewer was transfixed by the brutality, the holds, the gear, the cheating, etc.
Many wrestling fans told me that they fell madly in love with wrestling — they were imprinted — from the very first match they saw, much like many drug addicts report being hooked from the very first snort, smoke, drink, or injection of their narcotic of choice. Some people just seem to have a tendency. It didn’t take 100, or 10, or even 5 matches to slowly develop a taste for wrestling. Wrestling fandom is as sudden and certain as a slap in the face.
Some people (like myself) only have a vague recollection of a colorful character, or violent scene, or display of suffering that they witnessed that first day, while others can cite the exact wrestlers by name and holds they used. People often mention that they didn’t know (or couldn’t explain) exactly what they were seeing that first time they saw men wrestling, but they sure knew they liked it on one level or another, maybe were a little frightened or shocked by it, but definitely wanted to see more. Much more.
With the availability of wrestling videos on-line, fans now have the opportunity to relive those early days, to find those matches etched in their memories that they never thought they’d see again. If you search long and hard enough, you might even be able to find that very first match that caught your attention and imprinted you on wrestling so many years ago. If so, I hope it’s everything you remembered it to be.
