A dark room suddenly lit up by laser lights and an overhead panel showing an athlete’s name. The crowd’s roar and holding of homemade signs while wrestlers throw each other around and out of the ring to hype up the crowd. That is what wrestling should be.

Now it’s two people hyping up a crowd that isn’t there, commentators hilariously calling the wrestlers on their bullshit and empty stands. This is what wrestling has become because of COVID-19.

The WWE is still up and running, and even putting out new shows on their website and TV every week while all other sports have been shut down, and I love them for that.

It is entertaining to see wrestlers trying to hype up a crowd that isn’t there and to see the announcers tear them down and make jokes because the usual screaming and cheering isn’t there. 

My favorite announcer comment so far has been, “there is no out clapping with you Kofi (a wrestler). That is not motivating anyone right now and that is why you are stopped.”

The WWE, even without the crowd, is amazing to watch. The more a person watches, the more the story comes out and yes, there is a story, subtle as it may be. There are alliances and rivalries, marriages even. Believe it or not, wrestlers have been married and divorced on the show.

The story is compelling if people know what’s going on. As a friend of mine likes to say, “it’s like an anime, but in real life.” Fans can and are still cheering at home, rooting for their favorite wrestlers.

So while I may miss baseball and softball, I love watching the WWE. It’s the sport that is keeping me on my toes and excited for the next match, even if it isn’t something as big as Wrestlemania or the Royal Rumble.

With the pandemic ongoing and all other sports playing past games and championships, watching wrestling, a show that isn’t playing reruns, is a wonderful way to kill an afternoon and keep spirits high.