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There’s been a shift. To try and pint-point when exactly it occurred would be pointless, but it exists. That change exists. The wrestling business is changing.
This change is not in reference to shows or match cards, wrestlers or promotions, but instead in reference of things happening outside the ring. And I’m not talking about backstage happenings either.
There’s something to be said about the mystique of wrestling disappearing. It’ll be noted countless times that part of the magic has been lost through the evolution of social media, and the presence of wrestlers outside the ring. Whether that be through interviews, podcasts, or other forms of press. Gone are the days of thinking the Undertaker sleeps in a coffin and behold the days of reality shows and knowing everyone’s personal stories. It’s easy to long for the days where surprises were surprises. It’s easy to wish the times could go back when fans were clueless about real life happenings and wrestling journalism (whatever that actually means and entails) simply didn’t exist. Within the last few years, especially within the last few months, fans are starting to see entirely different parts of wrestlers. This is the shift.
When watching a feud unfold before our eyes, we no longer believe [insert wrestler here] genuinely hates [insert other wrestler here]. We consume the outside-the-business media of our favorite stars, and we know that when the cameras start rolling on show day, they’re doing just that, putting on a show. But there’s something plaguing the wrestlers and the business. Something that has us all in a chokehold (haha).
Mental health.
The importance of mental health and the severity of mental health struggles have slowly become focal points in conversations everywhere. Conversations fueled even further in wake of the pandemic. Yes, even in the wrestling business. The business filled to the brim with tough guys and girls, larger than life personalities. People we hold in such high regards, people we idolize. These people are letting their guards down. The topic of mental health is coming up in interviews and media appearances, sometimes unprovoked. These wrestlers and people in the business are sharing their struggles for public consumption.
As mentioned earlier, there isn’t one moment where this began. It can’t be said when this started or who started, and it truly doesn’t matter. What matters is this: fans are getting inside glimpses into the lives these wrestlers are sharing, and it’s the most important thing that could happen to the business.
Take Eddie Kingston for example. Every Wednesday night we see Eddie come out, cut a scathing promo, and kick someone’s ass. But outside of those segments on AEW Dynamite, Eddie has shared personal stories with his struggles with anxiety, depression, and other mental struggles. Hell, on live tv, on fucking pay-per-view, Eddie brought forth the topic of panic attacks. To the naked eye, these things might not seem important. But what about that person out there that also suffers from panic attacks? All it takes is one person, one person’s story, to shed some light on one’s own personal struggles.
Jon Moxley made it public he needed to go to rehab. Tough, badass, no-one-can-touch-me Jon Moxley put his struggles out for fans to see.
On the latest episode of Renee Paquette’s podcast, The Sessions, Dax Harwood of FTR detailed his struggles with anxiety, eating disorders, and other trauma. I watch Dax wrestle as one half of an extraordinary tag team… who would have thought we share a lot of the same struggles.
Alexa Bliss is someone else who has, time and time again, shared her battles with eating disorders and depression.
There was a whole group made, Tag Me in United, that brought people in the wrestling business together to further mental health conversations.
And the list goes on. The people I mentioned are just a small fraction of the stories that have been shared. The conversations are becoming normal. And the impact that will have is far greater than anything that can happen in the ring. Conversations don’t cure illnesses, but in the terms of wrestling? Hearing these conversations, and then watching the talent live their dreams in spite of it all? If you can’t see why that’s important, take a step back and reevaluate. It’s imperative these conversations continue. No one can force the discussions, but the way they have been happening lately, I think this is something that continues further. This is something that needs to continue further. We can’t live in a world where mental health issues go unspoken about. Talking won’t make the problems go away, but talking can save lives. The more we recognize how common these struggles are the more awareness that can be raised, the more help that can be given. This movement, this shift, is so much bigger than wrestling.
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