In the heart of the American cultural landscape, there exists a form of entertainment that is as unique as it is captivating – professional wrestling, often referred to as “Redneck Theater.” This amalgamation of athleticism, drama, and larger-than-life personas has enthralled audiences for generations. Today, we delve into the world of pro wrestling, exploring its roots, its evolution, and what makes it such an enduring and beloved form of entertainment.
A Spectacle Rooted in Tradition
Professional wrestling traces its roots back to the carnival sideshows and traveling circuses of the 19th century. What began as a display of physical prowess soon evolved into scripted bouts with heroes and villains, captivating audiences with their athleticism and storytelling skills.
The Rise of Wrestling Promotions
The transition from the carnival circuit to organized wrestling promotions marked a turning point in the industry. Promoters like Vince McMahon Sr., Verne Gagne, and others brought pro wrestling to television screens, expanding its reach and popularity.
Redneck Theater: The Art of Storytelling
At its core, professional wrestling is theater. The ring serves as a stage where athletes and entertainers become larger-than-life characters. The drama unfolds as these characters engage in fierce rivalries and intricate storylines, all designed to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
The Stars of the Show
Pro wrestling has given rise to some of the most iconic and enduring personalities in entertainment history. From “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s rebellious anti-hero to the charismatic and flamboyant nature of The Rock, these characters have transcended the squared circle, becoming cultural icons.
Athleticism and Showmanship
While the storytelling aspect is crucial, professional wrestling is, at its core, a sport. Wrestlers train extensively to perform breathtaking maneuvers and execute matches that combine athleticism with showmanship. The result is a unique blend of competition and entertainment.
Live Events and the Fan Experience
One of the most significant aspects of pro wrestling is the live event experience. Fans pack arenas, creating an electric atmosphere that’s impossible to replicate. The chants, cheers, and jeers of the audience become an integral part of the show, adding to its theatrical nature.
The Global Appeal
Professional wrestling’s appeal is not limited to any one demographic or geographic location. It has a global following, with fans in countries around the world. Promotions like WWE, AEW, NJPW, and others have international reach, making it a universal form of entertainment.
Behind the Curtain
While the scripted nature of pro wrestling is well-known, the dedication and sacrifices of the athletes are often overlooked. Wrestlers endure grueling training regimens, travel extensively, and risk injury each time they step into the ring.
The Enduring Legacy
Professional wrestling, often dubbed “Redneck Theater,” has evolved from its humble beginnings to become a worldwide phenomenon. Its unique blend of athleticism, storytelling, and larger-than-life characters continues to captivate audiences young and old, ensuring its place in the annals of entertainment history. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or someone curious about this captivating world, professional wrestling is a testament to the power of storytelling, athleticism, and the enduring appeal of larger-than-life characters. It’s a form of entertainment that continues to bring people together, creating unforgettable moments and memories that last a lifetime.
Incidentally, Wrestlemania’s 40th anniversary is being celebrated this weekend at Lincoln Financial Field! Read more here:
Philadelphia, a city known for its iconic cheesesteak sandwiches, has taken its love for this classic dish to a whole new level with the introduction of the “Cheesesteak Martini” at Round House. This inventive libation combines the flavors of a classic Philly cheesesteak with the sophistication of a martini, offering an exciting culinary experience. In this blog post, we’ll explore the creation and unique features of this first-of-its-kind martini that is capturing the hearts and taste buds of Philadelphians.
Crafted with Cheesesteak Essence
Round House’s Cheesesteak Martini is no ordinary drink. It’s crafted using a unique infusion of ingredients that mimic the flavors of a classic Philly cheesesteak. The key components include steak, sautéed onions, provolone, and Cooper Sharp cheese, all of which are infused into the vodka used in the martini. The result is a drink that not only tastes like a cheesesteak but even shares a similar color, reminiscent of the savory grease that falls from the beloved sandwich.
A Gourmet Garnish
To complete the experience, the Cheesesteak Martini is garnished with precision. A crouton, cherry tomato, and pearl onion add a touch of gourmet flair to the drink. This attention to detail elevates the overall experience, making it not just a drink but a culinary adventure.
Born from Eagles Fandom
The genesis of the Cheesesteak Martini is rooted in the passion for Philadelphia’s beloved football team, the Eagles. Torin Hofmann, the bar manager at Round House, shared that the drink originated as a shot, specifically crafted to celebrate Eagles games. As an ardent Eagles fan, he found it fitting to create a libation that combines two of Philly’s greatest loves: cheesesteaks and football. It’s a tribute to the team and a unique way to enjoy game days.
Exclusive to Eagles Games
If you’re intrigued by the idea of sipping a Cheesesteak Martini, there’s one catch—it’s exclusively available during Eagles games. The drink, priced at $13, is a delightful companion for watching the Eagles in action. Round House, conveniently located off Main Street in Landsdale, has become a destination for Eagles fans and food enthusiasts alike.
Conclusion
The Cheesesteak Martini at Round House is a testament to Philadelphia’s unwavering love for its culinary heritage and football tradition. This unique libation embodies the city’s spirit, capturing the essence of the iconic cheesesteak in a sophisticated martini. Whether you’re a fan of the Eagles, a food enthusiast, or simply someone seeking a novel culinary experience, the Cheesesteak Martini is a must-try. It’s a flavorful and spirited tribute to Philly’s rich culture and an exciting addition to the city’s diverse culinary landscape. So, during the next Eagles game, raise your glass of Cheesesteak Martini and cheer, “Go Birds!”
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Girls can sit there and talk for hours, about everything and nothing; they can be on the phone for a very long time talking about the most random things, men are not like that at all. Ladies, if you have a 30 minute story about how Jessica from Accounting annoyed you today at work, I can assure you that he will listen to the first 5 minutes (if you’re lucky) and space out for the rest of the story. Just because he starts day dreaming doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you or your story is boring (or maybe it is) just means that there are certain things that men don’t necessarily care for…like Jessica from Accounting. One of the main reasons we all have girlfriends is for these stories!
4. WE LOVE IT WHEN A GIRL CAN BE SUPER FANCY BUT CAN ALSO ROCK SWEATPANTS
Change it up! Guys love a girl who can be a an elegant princess at a wedding, rock the sweatpants and bun at home, and be a beast at the gym. I’m not saying it’s easy ladies, but if want to see your man drool, give it a try! Want to keep your man on his toes? Change it up ladies, try a different hairstyle, hair colour, new sense of style! Guys love it when you surprise them! If you’ve looked exactly the same for the past 10 years, it’s time to look into making a little change. Remember that it’s not just the clothes and hair but also the confidence that makes you uber sexy!
3. PLEASE DON’T INTERRUPT THE FOOTBALL GAME
Whether it’s football, hockey, basketball or baseball, especially if his favourite team is playing, just let him be. For some men, sports time is sacred time, it’s therapeutic, and just wants to be alone or with the guys watching it. Piece of advice, if his team loses, he probably won’t be in the best mood, so find out what he prefers and just do it. When their team loses, some men love to be left alone to brood and others wants to be cheered up. If you want to be a good girlfriend or wife, find out what he prefers!
2. IF WE’RE ONLINE, WE CAN’T PAUSE
If your partner is a gamer, you should know the “playing online” rule which is, we can’t pause, we won’t get up unless it’s an absolute emergency, and please DO NOT just pass in front of the TV. If your partner is a video game junkie and you don’t know that you are definitely in trouble. Like you love your makeup, shoes, purses, or/and earrings) they love their video games and whether you understand it or not, you just have to accept it, I would also suggest embracing it! When your partner is playing his game (especially if he’s online), just leave him alone, pretend he’s not there.
DON’T CALL AND COMPLAIN ABOUT THINGS WE CAN’T REALLY HELP YOU WITH
It’s one thing if you’re having a bad day and need to talk, but pick the right time! For example, if your man is at work and you know he has a big meeting, and you’re having a bad day, don’t call him and complain and then get upset that he doesn’t have time for you. A man loves an independent woman, not one who calls him every hour to complain about how she’s having a bad day at work, or how someone cut her in traffic, or that she can’t find a parking spot, or that you’re PMSing.
Thank you for reading my blog. Please read, like, comment, and most of all follow Phicklephilly. I publish every day at 8am & 12pm EST.
Fans of 30 NFL teams are probably wondering who they should be rooting for in Super Bowl LII on Sunday. And that goes double for people who aren’t fans of any particular team.
OK, so maybe not everyone feels that way. But after this, there should be no ifs, ands or buts about your allegiance to the Birds on the biggest Sunday of the year. Ready or not, here are five reasons you should be pulling for the Eagles in Minneapolis:
1. Because who isn’t sick of the Patriots dynasty?
Nothing against Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the sustained success that New England has found. Question them and their ethics all you want, but videotaped hand signals and deflated footballs are not the only reasons that Belichick is the NFL‘s toughest matchup on the sidelines, Brady at age 40 is an MVP candidate and the Patriots are now vying for a sixth Super Bowl title. This team is good, whether you like it or not, and it has been for a lot longer than any other franchise of this era.
You really want to see this again? USATSI
That’s all the more reason, however, to hope for change. We can all appreciate a little nostalgia in fresh developments. Take “Star Wars,” for example, an appropriate analogy here with the overused “Evil Empire” Patriots comparison. “The Force Awakens” was darn near a carbon copy of the 1977 original, albeit in updated form. But we got that with New England in 2016. Brady, Belichick and the Pats, forces of old, came storming back to give us the same story against the Atlanta Falcons, albeit in updated form. Now it’s time for “The Last Jedi” — something strikingly unfamiliar, a bridge into a brand new story and, thus, the end of the Pats dynasty.
If you’re rooting for the Brady Bunch just so Tom can stick it to the fans who are disillusioned enough to think cheating is the only reason he’s one of the greatest to ever play the game, good for you, perhaps. But let’s be real. If 2016’s title — or trips to three of the last four Super Bowls, for that matter — didn’t win everyone over, why will a sixth Lombardi Trophy? We’re past due for a changing of the guard, and what better team to close the book on this overlong New England run than the team that just barely lost to the Pats in the big game more than a decade ago?
2. The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl
As we make a gigantic leap from discussing the Patriots’ hunt for a sixth Super Bowl win, there’s something extra special about a championship game featuring a team that’s never won it all, and we’ve seen it unfold more than a few times in recent history, from the Chicago Cubs’ curse-shattering World Series win in 2016 to the Seattle Seahawks‘ historic blowout of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. It doesn’t always work out in favor of the club vying for its first ‘ship (see: 2015 Carolina Panthers), but when it does, bringing home a Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history is like putting the cherry on top of the NFL’s biggest sundae — er, Sunday.
Even 2004, when the Eagles last made the Super Bowl, seems like ages ago. Getty Images
Philadelphia isn’t completely devoid of championships. Although there are inevitably some same-state Pittsburgh Steelers fans who are bent on convincing you that any NFL games before 1967 didn’t count, the Eagles were the NFL’s top dogs in 1947, ’48 and again in ’60. And yet, for them and their hungry followers, the last five decades have done little more than tease a city starved for a trophy. Even the last great Eagles run, which saw Andy Reid coach the team to historic success and, of course, the club’s last Super Bowl appearance against you-know-who in 2004, included a whopping four NFC Championship Game losses, three of which came back-to-back-to-back.
If you can spare a shred of mercy, you’ll root for the Eagles to accomplish what’s always seemed impossible, putting at ease fans of all ages who tasted — but never truly consumed — a championship course over the last 50-plus years.
3. Philadelphia is the ultimate underdog story
Forget the longtime championship drought and, thus, years of league-wide ridicule. Forget the city’s affair with Hollywood’s affable boxing star, the one and only Rocky Balboa. This year’s Eagles team alone makes for its own underdog story, and that’s probably an understatement.
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Here’s a group that finally found its next franchise quarterback only to see him go down with a season-ending injury — along with a Hall of Fame left tackle, a starting linebacker and a slew of other starters or captains — right as the playoffs drew close, then spat in the face of an “underdog” label in their own house, both knocking off the defending NFC champions and handing the universally lauded Minnesota Vikings this year’s most embarrassing loss en route to a Super Bowl with Nick Foles at quarterback.
Nick Foles could be a Super Bowl winner, and that should tell you everything about this Eagles team’s fight. USATSI
Now, Vegas is playing right into the Eagles’ hands by making the Patriots rather comfortable favorites in Super Bowl LII. No one can blame the oddsmakers for hyping New England, but if you’re not in awe of how much adversity Philadelphia overcame to get to this point, you’re missing one of the most triumphant stories of the season. This isn’t just about players wearing German shepherd masks to poke fun at the odds. It’s about a team with a second-year coach exceeding everyone’s expectations, refusing to be slowed by otherwise detrimental injuries and, week after week, finding different ways to win. Without Carson Wentz and without the respect they’ve earned, especially in recent weeks, the Eagles are shaping up to be the underdog Philly’s always wanted — and, maybe, the one the rest of the NFL needs.
4. The Eagles are incredibly likable
Say what you will about their fans. Some of their NFC championship behavior was inexcusable, but it has also brought about a positive response, and the positive response is much more aligned with how this team has carried itself in 2017. If you want to get cute and ride with the “Evil Empire” description for New England, then the Eagles are absolutely, positively your “Republic” or “Resistance” or whatever “Star Wars” term for “good guys” you prefer.
Carson Wentz’s spirit has been echoed by the rest of the Eagles’ locker room this season. USATSI
With Wentz at the helm, the Eagles made it clear from the get-go that they weren’t much of a selfish group, standing together not only as a socially conscious unit but as a spiritually connected team. Heavy on their faith in the face of adversity, they have mirrored their coach’s fluctuation between unusual calmness and perfectly timed aggressiveness, all while continuously talking up the selflessness that characterizes the locker room. Pick any one player from the starting lineup or the depth chart, and you won’t find an ego that’s overshadowed what Philly has done over the course of 2017.
The easiest thing to note about these Eagles is that they are more unified, more team-oriented and even more compassionate than most.
5. An Eagles win would restore hope for all, especially defenses
If the Patriots win (again), what do we learn? (Cue the scream from the back: “That cheating is OK!”)
Actually, a sixth New England title probably just reminds us that it’s never a bad thing to have a freakish 40-year-old quarterback or a grizzled head coach like Belichick. Conversely, an Eagles victory would be a victory for all, not merely because of the implications of a rare Patriots defeat but because Philadelphia is exactly the kind of team that every team can strive to be. Wentz obviously played a big role in the team’s run to the playoffs, so a franchise quarterback can’t be understated, but still, if the guys in green proved anything by clinching a spot in Super Bowl LII, it’s that everyday teams can still win championships — and so can defenses.
Defense can still win championships, and the Eagles can prove that against the Patriots. USATSI
If Nick Foles, a guy whose lone Pro Bowl season was flushed down the toilet by lackluster years outside of Philly, can come back and win it all, anyone can have hope. If the Eagles can lose Wentz, left tackle Jason Peters, running back Darren Sproles, linebacker Jordan Hicks and kicker Caleb Sturgis and still beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl after weeks of being the underdogs, anyone can have hope. And if their ferocious defensive unit, which carried them through some latter stages of the season and stood pat not only against the Falcons but also the Vikings in the postseason, can withstand Brady and bring the Eagles a title, we can all have hope that, in the end, this game is, has been and always will be about the team — not just the quarterback or the coach, but the team.
Thank you for reading my blog. Please read, like, comment, and most of all follow Phicklephilly. I publish every day at 8am EST.
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