He's so happy! This must have been pre-WWE...
I've been a wrestling fan since 8th grade, and despite the grime, muck, and sleeze caked into every layer of it's mainstream presentation - despite the steroids and many deaths that make me question and ashamed of my fandom - I think the actual art of wrestling is one of the truly unexplored art forms in our culture, with an entire vocabulary of storytelling all it's own. A mixture of acting, contact fight choreography, gymnastics, psychology, clown, and its own art of selling, a truly great wrestler is an artist. You just don't get to see that a lot if you're not actively looking, or to learn about these artists and their craft. And especially to see them as people and not sad stories.
And that is where Colt Cabana comes in. An independent wrestler who works all over the country, he's primarily known for his work in Ring of Honor, North America's premiere indie federation. But I have to be honest - I don't think I've ever seen a full CC match, something I intend to rectify as I get more into Indie wrestling. How I became a fan of Colt is through his tremendous podcast The Art of Wrestling where each week he hangs out and has a chat with a different wrestler, manager, referee or other man or woman plying their trade in this ultimate journeyman field. The conversations are fun, insightful, and provide a glimpse into the the parts of this business that are not the seedy underbelly we always hear about. Colt is smart, incredibly positive, and so passionate about his craft that it catches.
He updates every week, totally free of charge. I've never had the money to buy a T-shirt or make a donation, so I'm writing this instead. He has provided me hours of entertainment, something to do in lonely times, and I'm going to lend my support by hoping you go check out this link to The Art of Wrestling and get a new sense about something you may have written off.
And when I move to Chicago, I hope to buy him a beer.
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