By Shawn Valentino, Torch specialist

A few weekends ago, WWE suffered from an embarrassing incident. I am sure most of you have heard about the altercation between Chris Jericho and a mob of rowdy fans. I will not place blame on either Jericho or the crowd as both are at fault and acted immaturely in this unpleasant episode.

The main victim of this happening was the wrestling universe. WWE and its "competitors" already have a reputation as being low brow entertainment for hillbillies and unintelligent trailer park trash, as The Rock would say. It is why the popular WWE corporation does not get top-notch advertisers and has yet to receive mainstream acceptance despite being a ratings juggernaut and an international phenomenon. This unfortunate event reinforces negative notions people have about the wrestling business.

Although much of the blame comes from the various promotions and the way they cater to the lowest common denominator, some of the responsibility also resides with the wrestling fan falling into the stereotype.

I have been a wrestling fan for over 20 years and have always taken offense to the general perception of the sport. How many times have we acknowledged that we are wrestling fans only to have some ignorant person "inform" us that it is fake? One of my goals has been to shatter the misconception that most of us are dim-witted fools who cannot separate reality from fiction and have an intellectual level somewhere above a chimpanzee.

Recently, I had an interesting opportunity to shed some light on a variety of stereotypes. When I am not watching wrestling, I live a pretty exciting and unique lifestyle. In fact, I am writing this article in Brazil as I get prepared for the upcoming Carnaval celebration that is supposed to be the biggest party on earth. Over the years, I have traveled to nearly forty countries and like most of you I have a healthy affection for beautiful women.

Just as it was for many children of the eighties, my first boyhood crush was on Miss Elizabeth, who I feel is still unparalleled as far as female wrestling characters that inspire an emotional reaction from fans. Over the years, I have met nearly every luscious WWE diva, from Trish Stratus to Torrie Wilson to Stacy Keibler. Living in Hollywood obviously also allows me to come into contact with some of the most beautiful women in the world on a daily basis.

A few months ago, the producers of the Tyra Banks Show saw my Myspace page and the plethora of lovely ladies on it and contacted me about a special they were doing on "Womanizers," inspired by the Britney Spears hit song. They were surprised to discover that not only did I have an affinity for gorgeous girls, but I was also very smart and well-spoken. I was invited to appear on the show to represent my lifestyle and I was excited about the chance to showcase that not all "womanizers" are misogynistic sleaze balls.

This was especially significant to me because when I went away to college, the first poster that I had hung up on my wall was a sexy portrait of Tyra Banks in a bikini. At the time, I was a fairly reserved guy who was not yet schooled in the art-form of hooking up with women. Now here I was being recruited by the makers of her show to be interviewed by her on national television about my skills with the ladies.

The filming of the program itself was a memorable experience in many ways as you can imagine given the topic and the fact that the host was a bit of a self-centered diva and the studio audience was nearly all hostile women. Despite the difficulty of encountering a closed-minded crowd and host, I tried to stand up strong for my beliefs that not everybody is meant to live in committed monogamous relationship. In the back of my mind, I thought about what Wade Keller said about The Rock before his Torch Talk about wanting to sound intelligent such as not to fall into the pigeonhole that wrestlers are bumbling Neanderthals.

The message I tried to convey was that people should be more open-minded and confident and live life they way they want to, instead of just doing what people expect. I even spoke about how my personality has been positively influenced by watching wrestling as a child and how it has taught me to be a flashy, outgoing person. Unfortunately, that was excised in the final airing, as well as the mention of my writing for the Torch.

Maybe the television audience is not yet ready to accept that wrestling can be an inspiration. Although the live taping was a challenging experience and I was extremely unhappy that I was not more well-accepted, ever since my interview aired a few weeks ago, I have been getting countless emails from all over the country commending me for being so honest and open about my way of life. You can find the show if you type in my name on Youtube.



The reason I wanted to write about this experience in this article is because so many people mislabel wrestling fans as nerds or social deviants, and that is simply not the case. Even the wrestling companies often seem to talk down to their own fans, either by insulting us directly, or indirectly with their idiotic storylines. Yes, we are not all sheltered dweebs "texting our imaginary girlfriends" like it is often portrayed.

The fact that a website such as the Torch exists proves that there is a whole culture of fans out there thirsty for intelligent coverage on this art-form. I believe that we as fans need to do our part in clearing up this misconception by not hiding the fact that we love wrestling, but educating people on how it is a unique blend of motion pictures and sports with characters that are larger than life. Although there are obviously plenty of negative aspects of the industry, we can also learn from watching the shows how to be unique and charismatic, as well as get motivated to work out to obtain a strong physique, minus the steroids of course.

I am currently working on a self-help book in which I will further discuss my passion for wrestling and how watching my heroes of the ring has made an impact on my life. The theme of the book will be that people should focus on maximizing life experiences and be confident about living the way they want to live. The fact that I once fantasized about my poster of Tyra Banks and years later I was interviewed on her show in front of a national television audience showcases that you just never know where life will take you.

The lesson here is that whether you are talking to your disapproving friend or the world's biggest supermodel, do not be afraid to stand up for your passions. Wrestling may not have a very hip reputation, but if you can discuss it with intelligence and enthusiasm, it can be as cool as you make it, and that is how you can truly break the stereotype of the wrestling fan.

Please seed questions, comments and feedback to valentino.torch@gmail.com

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt