"Don't try this at home..."

**Marc the Smark** · 05-19-2004, 01:17 AM

Severe burns, nasty gnashes, concussions, and broken bones... just a part and parcel of what is referred to as "backyard wrestling." Is it kids having fun, or a ridiculous epidemic of danger and insanity? That's the question to be answered in this thread. Well, a friend of mine showed me a tape of his cousin who does backyard wrestling, and here's my opinion. t's a craze among bored youth who have nothing better to do than to inflict injury on each other. I'll break it down into three separate categories - The Good, The Bad, and The Stupid. Keep in mind, this was the first time I actually saw this (though I had often heard about it), so what's old news to you is new and upsetting to me.

The Good

Despite my views on backyard wrestling, there are actually some good parts seeping through all the crud. In between the hardcore moves, the highly dangerous spots, I noticed some small glimmers of good wrestling. It's just a shame those little glimpses were smothered, by powerbombs onto car roofs, and other senseless things.

Please Note - I'm not saying backyard wrestlers do not have any wrestling talent. On the contrary, I think a lot of them might. But they should putting it to good use; going to school, doing proper training, etc. Forget putting their bodies through these cannibalistic circumstances, against other unqualified individuals.

The Bad

Within five minutes of the tape I watched, I saw the following things:

People wrestling on soiled mattresses scattered on the ground.
People performing high risk moves on Crash Mats (a crude ring).
People wrestling and performing dangerous moves on concrete!
Poorly constructed rings, made up of things that were probably stolen from a local building site.
A power bomb onto a shopping trolley, not once but TWICE.
A kid placed into a shopping trolley and shoved off a stage (at least 6 ft high)

I couldn't believe there was more....

A power bomb on the roof of a car
A hurricanrana from the roof of a car
A boy rock-bottomed on concrete

And by the end of the tape:

A badly botched shooting star press through a table
A suicidal dive from the top of a truck.
A young guy nearly broke his neck when he fell off the top turnbuckle
(when the poorly constructed ring ropes broke).
An inverted suplex onto concrete.
A moonsault from the top of a truck.
A back suplex onto a trampoline
(the guy cracked his head on the metal springs)
A shooting star press from the top of a truck through a makeshift table!

The Stupid

"(People) get hurt in every sport... it's no more dangerous than American Football." That's what my friend told me when he gave me the tape. How stupid is that???? It's okay to attack other people, and cut them open for your own sick pleasure, because there's danger all around us???

These guys will be in a wheelchair within the next five to ten years, and it's all so unnecessary. Really a damn shame.

So yeah, backyard wrestling is a growing pastime, with a cult following among the youth of the world. And whether I like it or not, these guys will continue their brutality. They'll put themselves through hell just to look "cool," but they're only looking cool to other like-minded children. There should be laws against this crap. It's an extremely dangerous pasttime, and something should be done about it.

05-19-2004, 01:17 AM	#1
Marc the Smark Posts: 2,064	"Don't try this at home..." Severe burns, nasty gnashes, concussions, and broken bones... just a part and parcel of what is referred to as "backyard wrestling." Is it kids having fun, or a ridiculous epidemic of danger and insanity? That's the question to be answered in this thread. Well, a friend of mine showed me a tape of his cousin who does backyard wrestling, and here's my opinion. t's a craze among bored youth who have nothing better to do than to inflict injury on each other. I'll break it down into three separate categories - The Good, The Bad, and The Stupid. Keep in mind, this was the first time I actually saw this (though I had often heard about it), so what's old news to you is new and upsetting to me. The Good Despite my views on backyard wrestling, there are actually some good parts seeping through all the crud. In between the hardcore moves, the highly dangerous spots, I noticed some small glimmers of good wrestling. It's just a shame those little glimpses were smothered, by powerbombs onto car roofs, and other senseless things. Please Note - I'm not saying backyard wrestlers do not have any wrestling talent. On the contrary, I think a lot of them might. But they should putting it to good use; going to school, doing proper training, etc. Forget putting their bodies through these cannibalistic circumstances, against other unqualified individuals. The Bad Within five minutes of the tape I watched, I saw the following things: People wrestling on soiled mattresses scattered on the ground. People performing high risk moves on Crash Mats (a crude ring). People wrestling and performing dangerous moves on concrete! Poorly constructed rings, made up of things that were probably stolen from a local building site. A power bomb onto a shopping trolley, not once but TWICE. A kid placed into a shopping trolley and shoved off a stage (at least 6 ft high) I couldn't believe there was more.... A power bomb on the roof of a car A hurricanrana from the roof of a car A boy rock-bottomed on concrete And by the end of the tape: A badly botched shooting star press through a table A suicidal dive from the top of a truck. A young guy nearly broke his neck when he fell off the top turnbuckle (when the poorly constructed ring ropes broke). An inverted suplex onto concrete. A moonsault from the top of a truck. A back suplex onto a trampoline (the guy cracked his head on the metal springs) A shooting star press from the top of a truck through a makeshift table! The Stupid "(People) get hurt in every sport... it's no more dangerous than American Football." That's what my friend told me when he gave me the tape. How stupid is that???? It's okay to attack other people, and cut them open for your own sick pleasure, because there's danger all around us??? These guys will be in a wheelchair within the next five to ten years, and it's all so unnecessary. Really a damn shame. So yeah, backyard wrestling is a growing pastime, with a cult following among the youth of the world. And whether I like it or not, these guys will continue their brutality. They'll put themselves through hell just to look "cool," but they're only looking cool to other like-minded children. There should be laws against this crap. It's an extremely dangerous pasttime, and something should be done about it. Last edited by Marc the Smark; 05-19-2004 at 12:09 PM.