10 Things Only '90s Wrestling Fans Will Understand

5. Wrestling Used To Be Big

Stone Cold Steve Austin Mankind
WWE.com

Pro wrestling was once bigger than virtually anything is now, which is incredible to think about. The general atomisation of pop culture is the obvious caveat, but Jesus, it was once a veritable sensation.

It didn't matter how many PSA ads ran during RAW. The kids at school took Steve Austin's iconic "...but I still got up" as code for "I'll probably be all right!" and proceeded to play wrestling on the field. It was as wild west there as it was on screen. Lads were out there playing Toshiaki Kawada, even if they had no idea who he was. The WWF was a craze, and it wasn't just DX or Austin 3:16 t-shirts the kids were wearing in the town centres. Young, incredibly optimistic teenage boys wore short sleeves with dragons all over the pattern in a wild bid to look like The Rock.

It wasn't just you and your own geeky group of friends. Kids thought of as cool watched pro wrestling because pro wrestling was cool. In something of an indictment of WWE's descent into the swamp - and it's literal, because of course it is - WWE's biggest demo shotgunned Bruno Sammartino, not Steve Austin, in their backyards.

Wrestling was so big that it tore friendships apart...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!