The Ultimate Upgrade

    Whenever we had a chance, my brother and I would do our best to imitate the larger-than-life world of pro wrestling. We’d imitate the moves—slamming each other to the floor, locking in Ric Flair’s figure-four, and doing our best to pin the other. Not only were we the wrestlers, but we were also responsible for being the referee and the announce team.

    Being from the South, we naturally gravitated to NWA, which eventually became WCW. Not only did we watch the current product with Sting, Lex Luger, and the Steiner Brothers, but we also watched older VHS tapes with the Midnight Express, Wahoo McDaniel, and Dusty Rhodes. We also had figures, posters, and even wrestling buddies.

    One day, incredible news came to our ears! Mom had secured tickets to SuperBrawl III—and who was wrestling? Sting!!! And in the main event strap match against the monster, Big Van Vader. When February 21, 1993, arrived, we could barely contain ourselves as we pulled up to the Asheville Civic Center. We filed in and took our seats in the upper bowl, readying ourselves for a night of action and mayhem.

     While peering around homemade poster-board signs, we witnessed stars such as Steve Austin, the Rock ’n’ Roll Express, and Davey Boy Smith. For me, each match was better than the last, and soon my favorite wrestler, Sting, would be in the ring. Just as Barry Windham defeated the Great Muta, our family was approached by two guys offering my brother and me their tickets. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, let us accept them, and, like a Flash, we were off to find the seats before the main event began. After what seemed like an endless journey through spilled popcorn and soda, we found them….

FLOOR SEATS!!!! OMG!!! HOW, WHAT?!?! YES!!!!

     I got to see Sting up close—it was as awesome as I had imagined. We got to hear the leather smack against skin, see the sweat fly off with each hit and kick, and hear Sting howl. Unfortunately, that night, Sting lost to the dastardly Vader. The trip home was filled with excited banter as we recounted the night and our great fortune. From that night on, I was a little Stinger no matter where my journey took me.