Okay so. I've had a passing interest in wrestling since some online friends dragged me into showings of New Japan Pro Wrestling events back when rabb.it was a thing (remember that piece of shit service?) during college, but we fell off around a G1 Climax tourney because there'd be an event literally like. Daily. And we could not catch up. And just never went back.
Fast forward to September of last year, after a Massive Controversial Aftermath of an All Elite Wrestling (AEW) PPV saw a handful of its top guys get suspended for a backstage fight, and that's the context in which I decided, on a whim, to hop back into watching wrestling, specifically starting with AEW. Somehow. Very funny time to hop back in.
I had seen clips of wrestling shows, I was a Botchamania liker (a comedic clip show showcasing fuckups), but I was never invested til this time last year. I was learning wrestler's names, their moves, their histories with one another and in other companies, I was into the stories being told!!
Aaaaand now I'm going to local shows, discussing it with partners, watching indie shows from around the world, and BY GOD DO I HAVE FAVORITES.
MY TOP THREE ARE PROBABLY UHHHHH
1 - Konosuke Takeshita, really versatile Japanese wrestler on a killer mean streak atm
2 - Dark Sheik, trans wrestler with IMPECCABLE style
3 - because I cant think of a third one: YOSHIHIKO, a literal blow-up doll.
Wrestlin'.