EDITOR’S NOTE: ESPN senior golf analyst Michael Collins, a former professional caddie, tried his hand in a different arena this past weekend when he covered WWE SummerSlam for SportsCenter. Collins was at the event having just participated in the ESPN Fantasy Football Marathon. This week it’s back to normal as he covers the beginning of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. But he first took a moment to reflect for Front Row on his brief foray into the wrestling world:
I bet you wouldn’t think golf and WWE wrestling had any similarities at all.
You’d be completely wrong.
As “America’s Caddie,” I want to experience all kinds of sports to see just how they can be similar to the sport that brought me to ESPN. Here are the three things I learned which make WWE wrestling just like golf:
1. Practice/preparation: This part shocked me the most as a guy who grew up as a huge fan of wrestling. Doing some “pre-fight” interviews, I got a glimpse of what goes into what you see in the ring. Also, just like golf, sometimes what you practice isn’t what happens on the field and you gotta improv thru it.
2. The fans: Hardcore golf fans are gonna hate this but, they’re just like wrestling fans! Stats, backstory, and complete devotion regardless of performance one particular night/day … It was wild to see two wrestling fans arguing like golf fans over their favorite “player.”
3. Pomp and circumstance: SummerSlam would be considered a “major” in the wrestling world. If Wrestlemania is the Masters, SummerSlam was the U.S. Open. The anticipation and excitement felt exactly the same walking outside the venue as the U.S. Open felt. During the performances, you could tell from the difference between when a wrestler made a “bogey” move compared to an over the top “eagle” which had everyone out of their seats screaming.
Overall I’d have to admit, I’d consider myself a fan of the sport especially after taking a small peek behind the curtain.
In the video below published on ESPN.com, Collins interviews “Triple H.”
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