I had a lot of fun at WWE’s Backlash event last night at the Allstate (Jinder Mahal won? What?).

Backlash got me thinking about my years/decades watching pro wrestling. I’ll always feel nostalgic about the AWA shows at the UIC, and how I bought into the matches completely. I was convinced that when Baron Von Raschke applied “The Claw,” mere mortals suffered and had no choice but to submit. I believed that Road Warriors Hawk and Animal were the products of a Chicago back alley fight club. And I was sure that Nick Bockwinkel was the smartest tactician in the ring.

And then there’s the WWF (E)…  I also vividly remember watching the first Wrestlemania, mainly for Roddy Piper (there will never be another like him).

Wrestlemania I also introduced me to the idea of a “squash match”:

And after watching Jinder Mahal last night, I cant help but think he owes a debt to the Iron Sheik. “You know, Gene Mean, this is my best time of life… ”

WWE WrestleMania 1 – Nikolai Volkoff & Iron… by kris-anderson97