Can You "Take" a Pro Wrestler?

The title is a very simple question. The answer may not be as simple as it sounds. Think about it for a moment... a guy who gets paid to entertain people with violence that may (or may not) be what you call fake or phony. So, could you go toe to toe with a typically larger man who trains in the gym everyday of his life, takes care of his body, and also wears spandex outfits in front of huge crowds of people?

Let's take a look at this for a moment.

The big muscles, tight T-shirts, and very unique styles of clothing are an attention getter in itself. You get looked at immediately. You hear the whispers, which aren't ALL bad. Many times, the ladies like to look in the direction of the wrestlers because they're famous and sometimes good looking. The only problem with this is... the other men don't like it!

Many professional wrestlers like to go hang out somewhere after the show is over. Whether it's a restaurant, bar, clue... whatever. They like to go hang out with the boys and drink a few beers or whatnot. They just like to take the edge off because the adrenaline rush from show is sometimes hard to shake. Hundreds and sometimes thousands of fans cheering and chanting for you is a total rush. There's nothing in the world like it. When I wrestled in the FedEx Forum in my hometown of Memphis, TN... I was standing in the middle of the ring in front of a sell out crowd of maybe 20,000 people. You could FEEL the electricity of the people. It's the biggest rush you'll ever get, trust me when I tell you.

Anyway, it takes a few hours to wear that feeling off. But when these guys go into a club or bar, almost immediately they get recognized. I say "they" because you never see a wrestler out at a club or bar all by himself. They travel in packs with their best friends. It's like a clique. And when they show up they usually get VIP treatment. They get the best seats in the house, sometimes free drinks or food, and usually the women in attendance seem to flock near the muscles. Now, with all that said, you have to factor alcohol into the equation. The other men in the club sit and sulk about these guys... the way they look... the way their women look AT them... they start to hate everything. "He's nothing but a fake wrestler!" I've heard that more than once.

Instead of getting the attention like an actor or rock star might. You know, the usual. Autographs, pictures, etc... because they're wrestlers, they want to try them on for size. Would you try to beat up Sylvester Stallone because he played the role of Rocky Balboa? Would you want to beat up Toby Maguire because he kicked so much tail in Spiderman? I wouldn't. But when you see a pro wrestler, many guys usually think, "He's a fake fighter... I can take him." Here's where the question comes into play. Can you take a pro wrestler?

Usually, what happens after all the sulking, thinking, watching, and stalking. These guys get it in their heads that they can take even the biggest of wrestlers. Maybe they throw a sucker punch... yeah! A sucker punch would work! Or maybe they have a few friends that may jump in on this fight to help the guy out. Yeah! That's what we'll do! Well... think again, partner.

I have heard some of the greatest bar room fight stories... and have even been in some of them, in my seven year tenure as a pro wrestler. These guys who prance around the ring in spandex and get paid to fake a fight... they're some of the toughest groups of guys you'll ever see. Now, I'll go on record to say right here and now that I'm not the meanest, strongest, or baddest man around. But some of my friends are.

I won't mention too many names here, but one I will mention is one of the coolest men I've ever met in my life. If I had to choose someone to be on my side when a fight broke out, one man I'd like to have with me is Tracey Smothers. "Sell Out Smothers" is one of the toughest men I've ever met in my life. Here's a story to support this claim... he actually pulled another man's eyeball out of the socket during a bar fight several years back. Could you imagine? Clawing another man's eye right out of his head? Are you kidding me? I wish I was. I love Tracey Smothers, "The Wile Eyed Southern Boy".

Or what about the night that FIVE wrestlers took on a bar room full of about 90 others? Five guys held off an entire crowd of rabid fighting rednecks by themselves! Why was this fight started? Well, the five wrestlers got drunk (of coarse) and decided to take their shirts off as they headed out the door. The ladies were reaching and grabbing, as they made their way through the sea of boyfriends, when all of a sudden... BOOM! Sucker punch on the biggest man in the group! Why would you hit the biggest? I don't know. But it turned into an all-out brawl! Wrestlers prevailed again!

Or perhaps a sucker punch (again) that not only busted one wrestlers face open... but his eye was swolen shut, too. Well, the wrestler shook off the cobwebs and him and his tag team partner ended up beating the man half to death and sending him to a nearby hospital. Free ride in the meat wagon, all because you're jealous of them getting all the glory from the ladies.

So, I'm not here to brag about how tough I am. I'm here to tell you about how tough THEY are. I can hold my own... but I'm not capable of most of the stories I hear.

Can you take a professional wrestler? Well... can ya?