Last night we made the trek to Birmingham to watch Monday Night Raw live there at the BJCC.  I must admit, right up front, that I wasn't enthused at all about driving an hour and a half to go watch wrestling, but my youngest is a huge fan, so I went because he wanted to go.

Yes, I realize most of it is staged, but the prospect of watching really well-built guys in teeny-tiny outfits wasn't that heinous, so I decided if we were going to go, I was going to have fun, whether I wanted to or not.

We had so much damn fun that I just now crawled out of bed, and my throat is sore from screaming. The youngest hasn't even moved yet.  In fact, I don't think he's moved since I carried him in, asleep, from the car last night.

For years I made fun of people that watched "wrastlin" on tv, calling it a soap opera for guys...and it is, I suppose, but what I really underestimated was that watching it on tv doesn't even come close to what it's like seeing it live.

I didn't see a single empty seat in the arena.  They were calling it a capacity crowd, so I'm thinking that's pretty damn close to "sold out."  For those of you who have never been to the BJCC, it's probably one of the largest indoor arenas in the south, and a crowd that large makes one hell of a noise.  It was impossible for me not to join in, especially when my son was having so much fun screaming and jumping up and down next to me.  And...there's hot guys in tight clothes on stage.

 There's tremendously loud, tremendously bright fireworks.  You can feel the beat of the music through your seat, and I found myself standing up and screaming with the rest of the crowd, and enjoying every damn minute of it.

Jeff Hardy was there, and he's what they call a "high flyer."  If you've never seen him perform, watch just a few minutes sometime when  you get a chance (for a taste, this video is great - cool music, too).  I know it's called wrestling, but the man is a pure entertainer, leaping and twisting impossibly high off the ropes, stamping on the ring, clapping his hands, working the crowd to get louder and louder.

There were others there whose names will be recognizable to those who have watched wrestling even just once: Batista, Big Show, Randy Orton, Matt Hardy, John Cena (my son's favorite), MVP, and Rick Flair even made an appearance, garnering a standing ovation from the crowed.

I think my son has converted me, and I'm a fan - at least for the live events.

And there's hot guys in tight briefs.

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edited: I found this video from last night.  If you watch just the first forty-five seconds, you'll get an idea of what it was like...just think bigger, and much, much louder: