It’s no secret that pro wrestling isn’t quite as popular with the mainstream crowd as it was in the 80’s and late 90’s. However, I’m here to tell you that there honestly isn’t a better time to be a wrestling fan. The wrestling landscape is incredible at this point in time. While WWE may not be standing the test of time, and this has nothing to do with their incredibly talented roster, with companies such as NJPW, All Japan, MLW, ROH, AEW, etc. there is literally something for every fan around. But, when these companies (and the workers who perform for them) don’t receive as much coverage as those in WWE, how can fan quickly expose themselves to this world?
In 2016, vocalist for Canadian punk band Fucked Up, Damian Abraham created an incredibly interesting documentary on the bloodiest wrestling event in America: CZW’s Tournament of Death. I highly recommend this 40 minute documentary to anyone interesting in seeing the type of person who would not only participate in an event like this, but just want to see an event like this. It’s available on Vice’s YouTube channel now. What I want to discuss is what many are calling Abraham’s follow up series.
About a year later Damian took a crew to the various levels of the pro wrestling world. He created a documentary series titled THE WRESTLERS and it involved Abraham diving into the various promotions and individuals that keep wrestling truly alive. After filming wrapped, it was unknown if the series would ever see the light of day. Fortunately, with the resurgence of interest in wrestling outside the WWE and the popularity of other Viceland series Dark Side of the Ring, the show began airing in America on Viceland on May 22nd. At this point 4 episodes of the 10-part series have been released. So far we’ve explored the world of new comers with Evolve wrestling, the everchanging world of wrestling with veteran MVP, the popularity of wrestling in Japan, and Abraham’s return to the world of deathmatch wrestling.
With all of the content available, this show and beyond, we are truly in the middle of a pro wrestling renaissance. Along with checking this series I implore you to not judge pro wrestling only by the shows on the USA Network. Expand your horizons. Great wrestling is out there, and it’s better than it’s ever been.
Each episode of The Wrestlers so far is available to watch on Viceland’s website provided you have a cable provider. If you just want a taste, the first episode of the series is available on YouTube for free. The show airs Wednesday nights at 10 PM.
