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| Article: |
Author |
| Be Kind, Reload |
Charlie Benson |
How YouTube has become a modern wrestling historian
Without a doubt, the Internet has revolutionised the whole of human existence in almost every conceivable way and not surprisingly, professional wrestling is by no means exempt from such a change. Where once existed close-knit newsgroups and long-distance pen pals, there now reside thousands of would-be experts, their every misbegotten thought enfranchised and broadcasted by the ubiquitous presence of the World Wide Web. However, the arrival of the video-sharing phenomenon YouTube has taken this freedom a step further; a sprawling, popularly maintained database of clips and messages, YouTube has changed the world alongside the rise of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Taking advantage of this new reality, wrestling fans are now positioned to tell millions – even the stars themselves – everything they’re thinking and feeling about the direction and content of the industry at large, and they can do so almost instantaneously. It’s all groundbreaking, extraordinary stuff and although writing about an event has never compared to actually witnessing it live and in living colour, YouTube celebrates the history of professional wrestling in a way previously though unimaginable. But it was only a few years ago that the reality of ‘wrestling on demand’ was a fantastical dream and the job of being a hardcore fan was a great deal more difficult…
In the days before YouTube, affordable mobile phones or widespread Internet availability, coffee-stained magazines and a horde of cumbersome VHS tapes were the collection methods of choice for the well-travelled wrestling aficionado. It used to be the case that tales of astonishing ‘five-star’ wrestling matches on the American independent circuit and in the faraway grappling Meccas of Mexico and Japan were just that: legendary fables that mere mortals were simply incapable of witnessing without living the moment as it happened. Unless, of course, you were the owner of a grainy home video, in which case you kept it cherished and preserved as it was from the possibility of VHS tracking chew, never mind the terrifying spectre of your Mum using your only taped copy of IWA King Of The Death Matches in order to record a mid-week episode of Emmerdale Farm.
For the rest of this feature, check out issue 55 of FSM - available at WH Smith and all good retailers. (For US readers we are now carried at Borders and Barnes & Noble, so check for local availability or click here to subscribe.)
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